text:
You are not logged in.
Pages: 1
Amazingly real extracts from Courtrooms
"Do you recall the time that you examined the body?"
"The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m."
"And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?"
"No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy."
* * *
"Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?"
* * *
"Did he kill you?"
* * *
"Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people?"
"All my autopsies are performed on dead people."
* * *
"You were there until the time you left, is that true?"
* * *
"How many times have you committed suicide?"
* * *
"How was your first marriage terminated?"
"By death."
"And by whose death was it terminated?"
* * *
"Can you describe the individual?"
"He was about medium height and had a beard."
"Was this a male, or a female?"
* * *
"Were you present when your picture was taken?"
* * *
"How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?"
* * *
"Could you see him from where you were standing? "
"I could see his head."
"And where was his head?"
"Just above his shoulders."
* * *
"...any suggestions as to what prevented this from being a murder trial instead of an attempted murder trial?"
"The victim lived."
* * *
"What happened then?"
"He told me, he says, "I have to kill you because you can identify me."
"Did he kill you?"
* * *
"Are you married? "
"No, I'm divorced."
"And what did your husband do before you divorced him?"
"A lot of things I didn't know about."
* * *
"Mrs. Jones, is your appearance this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?"
"No. This is how I dress when I go to work."
* * *
It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge - Enrico Fermi.
Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.
Wonderful Stuff!
"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..." - Leon M. Lederman
Excellence at it's best!
Friends are angels who lift our feet when our own wings have trouble remembering how to fly
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.
The greatest challenge to any thinker is stating the problem in a way that will allow a solution.
-Bertrand Russell
Funny stuff. Alas, some people are idiots...
Last edited by Devanté (2006-08-27 07:00:20)
Mein Gott, es gibt ein gute Sammlung von Witze hier! Schöne.
Es ist erstaunlich, wie gut die Witze hier erhalten. Obgleich sie mich Lachen aus loud nicht (gut, bildet nichts mich Lachen aus loud...), bilden, sind sie noch hübsches gutes. Etwas gut, herauf meinen Tag zu erhellen. Wir sind, also glücklich haben wir Mitglieder, die von solcher Stimmung... lassen uns ihr Wissen, hehe stehlen... wissen
Entschuldigungen für die schlechte deutsche Sprache, kann ich nicht sie zu gut sprechen.
Dein Deutsch ist lächerlich.
Я знаю - но о моем русском? Я надеюсь я хорош на ем - я не изучаю его очень, однако.
English only
"In the real world, this would be a problem. But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist. So we'll go ahead and do that now..."
I admit I used altavista's babelfish..
Pages: 1


text:
Ultimate Software Announces Schedule of Upcoming Investor Conferences
Date: November 8, 2012 5:30 PM EDT
WESTON, Fla.--Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of people management solutions, announced today that Mitchell Dauerman, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will participate in two investor conferences in November 2012.
Mr. Dauerman will discuss Ultimate's recurring revenue business as well as present an overview of the company's history and financial results at the following events:
- Roth Capital Enterprise Software Corporate Access Day, held November 14 at The St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco.
- Credit Suisse Annual Technology Conference, held November 27-29 at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mr. Dauerman is scheduled to present on November 27 at 9:30 a.m. MT.
To schedule an appointment with Mr. Dauerman, or to obtain further details on Ultimate's participation at other conferences, please call 954-331-7369.
About Ultimate Software
Ultimate is a leading SaaS provider of people management solutions, with more than 8 million people records in the cloud. Built on the belief that people are the most important ingredient of any business, Ultimate's award-winning UltiPro delivers HR, payroll, and talent management solutions that seamlessly connect people with the information and resources they need to work more effectively. Founded in 1990, the company is headquartered in Weston, Florida, and has more than 1,600 professionals focused on developing the highest quality solutions and services. In 2012, Ultimate was ranked #25 on FORTUNE'S "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. Ultimate has more than 2,300 customers with employees in 115 countries, including Adobe Systems Incorporated, Culligan International, Major League Baseball, The New York Yankees Baseball Team, Pep Boys, and Texas Roadhouse. More information on Ultimate's products and services for people management can be found at www.ultimatesoftware.com.
Contact Information:
Ultimate Software
Darlene Marcroft
Senior Director of PR and Communications
Office Phone:954-331-7444
For Sales Information:
Ultimate Software, 800-432-1729
Web site: www.ultimatesoftware.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I don�t understand why it keeps happening. I mean, shooting after shooting, America ceases to combat the problem; not just bad people with guns, the underlying problem of people who need psychiatric help and those innocent victims and families who suffer their entire life while the shooters are kept by tax dollars in our prisons and psychiatric hospitals.
I also feel that the work that I do to prevent things like this from happening goes unnoticed and has not even made the slightest of difference. Yet it is proven that the work we do with Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) does make a difference and is work that comes to fruition more on the long-term scale. I just wish I could see the benefits of the work we do with SAVE now!
I can�t take the weight of the world on my shoulders, but as Americans and as a unified country, we can prevent this! Since 1992, there have been at least 382 school shootings ending in fatality. All this in 20 years, all these deaths � all of them preventable! Think of all the parents who no longer have children to say good night to; or how many children and students were never allowed the chance to graduate; or the number of students and teachers who were never able to become mothers or fathers, go to their first prom, go on their first date or get married; those poor innocent people who were never able to fulfill their dreams.
Unable to cry about this anymore, mad is not the feeling I should have. I have the feeling of ambition and the drive to do something, but what? I know that our SAVE chapters and many other people are doing things in response to this horrific tragedy, but it just doesn�t seem enough.
There should be something we can do. Education and awareness is a big part, but it�s not going to stop the mentally ill people from expressing their anger or whatever may be causing them to act out in violence in the form of killing others. God is the one who knows, and I know he only lets things happen for a reason, reasons we may not understand. It is a shame that it took the brutal fatality of 26 innocent people for our government to realize this is a problem and something that should not be just �brushed aside.�
I�m sitting here typing this with the news on running constant updates about the shooting, and all I want to do is keep this from happening again, but I have nothing to tell myself. These students did nothing but love, and that�s all that their little lives allowed them to do, yet they were killed out of an action polar-opposite from love. Mental illness needs to be properly treated, and the problem isn�t in the gun laws. The problem is America as a whole and government as a whole refuses to confront this problem.
We need to put on our working boots and do something now - something meaningful! There are so many victims that are honored and remembered every day. Every one of these deaths could have been prevented, and we need to help honor their memory by keeping this from happening again.
Please consider starting a SAVE chapter at your school or sponsoring the national SAVE organization so that they can continue to empower, educate, encourage and engage youth in violence prevention strategies (www.nationalsave.org).
We are the future, and it will be up to us to be the change.
Jaclyn is a senior at Highland School of Technology and serves as chair of the National SAVE Youth Advisory Board.


text:
Nutley, NJ
272 Ridge Rd., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071
King Tech Repair in Nutley, NJ offers iPhone Repair, iPad Repair, Phone Repairs, Tablet Repairs, Mobile Phone Products. Please take a look at our excellent reviews from Nutley residents and call King Tech Repair now to schedule your appointment or visit us at www.KingTechRepair.com
King Tech Repair provides Nutley residents with an excellent warranty on all of our repairs and we provide free diagnostics and troubleshooting for iPhones, iPads and Samsung Galaxy devices. King Tech Repair uses high quality replacement parts with exceptional warranties. Let our device repair specialists return your device to like-new condition.


text:
Profile: Jon Davis
|Jon Davis
|Wed Aug 31, 2011 @ 10:30PM
Stop The Hush
Vocalizing Substance Abuse in Porter County
|Jon Davis
|Wed Aug 31, 2011 @ 10:30PM
Stop the Hush is a non-profit movement dedicated to giving a voice to people who are struggling with drug addiction, people thinking about using, to the parents who don't know who to turn to, to peers who see their friends using or considering using, to a community who has struggled to discuss a growing issue, and to people who have recovered from addiction. Stop the Hush exists to encourage, inform, and inspire people to communicate the struggle of drug addiction.
Stop The Hush
Valparaiso, IN 46383


text:
Australia is roughly the size of the lower 48 and would fit very nicely as our hat. Canada is a frozen wasteland filled with flesh-eating moose. Maybe us Americans could switch neighbors?
While we were watching the '86 Street Machine Nats down under, For Sweden wondered the same thing.
You must wonder if America ever wakes up at night, looks over to Canada sleeping on the other side of the bed, and wonders what could have been.
Why all of this desire to bring Australia closer to our shores? Because Australia builds muscle cars and utes like the ones in our dreams. We can't love them enough.
Photo Credit: Richard Taylor


text:
Darrius Heyward-Bey is getting another fresh start.
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Wednesday they had signed the speedy fifth-year wide receiver to a one-year contract.
Heyward-Bey joins a Steelers wide receiving group that includes Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Lance Moore. Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery departed in free agency. It's very likely the Steelers use a high draft pick to import another pass-catcher.
Heyward-Bey spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he began the year as a starter with upside and ended it as a special teams contributor. Bad hands continue to haunt DHB -- he dropped nine Andrew Luck passes before being phased out of Indy's attack.
Now, DHB gets the opportunity to play with another elite quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. Expecting greatness (as the Raiders did when they used the seventh overall pick (!) on DHB in 2009) is wasted hope, but the Steelers must believe DHB can be a contributor on some level.
In the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast" the guys do the news, open the mailbag and play "Win Wess' Toaster."


text:
JCC Lighting was first established in 1989 and designs, manufactures and markets a comprehensive range of commercial and domestic lighting, which is arguably the largest in the UK. With additional operations in the Middle East, France, Hong Kong, China and Italy, JCC has grown to be a leading supplier of both commercial and domestic lighting.
JCC's range covers everything from emergency / fire-rated downlights through to pendants and from brick lights to uplighters, all with an unparallelled level of quality and style.
View as Grid List
1 Item
JCC Marquis Large Signlight - Black20% OffSpecial Price £39.99 £33.32 Regular Price £49.99Out of stock
View as Grid List
1 Item


text:
The Vapolution 2.0 Purity Package is for the glass on glass purist. This complete vaporizing solution includes an All-In-Wonder Bowl in lieu of the 2 whips and 2 Straight bowls that come with the Standard Package. The All-In-Wonder Bowl paired with the Vapolution makes the entire vapor path glass on glass. We offer many optional parts that are not included in this package. See our parts page for all the available options.
This Purity Package Includes:
- 1 Vapolution 2.0 Glass on Glass Vaporizer
- 1 12VDC Power Supply
- 1 Car Adapter
- 1 All-In-Wonder Bowl (5 Color Choices)
The Vapolution 2.0 User Guide can be downloaded here.
Login to Submit a Review


text:
Find Your Perfect Home.
Beaverton Real Estate
Beaverton is located in Michigan. Beaverton, Michigan has a population of 1,049. Beaverton is more family-centric than the surrounding county with 26.16% of the households containing married families with children. The county average for households married with children is 23.62%.
The median household income in Beaverton, Michigan is $26,563. The median household income for the surrounding county is $37,725 compared to the national median of $53,482. The median age of people living in Beaverton is 41.4 years.
Beaverton Weather
The average high temperature in July is 81.9 degrees, with an average low temperature in January of 11.2 degrees. The average rainfall is approximately 31.6 inches per year, with inches of snow per year.
View Homes for Sale in Beaverton
Beaverton Map
Real Estate Near Beaverton
Nearby Cities
Nearby Cities Homes for Sale
Beaverton Zip Codes


text:
Similar to tables in a traditional relational database, collections are most commonly used to group a set of entities that are intended to store data related to a common purpose or feature. When working with your data in the API BaaS data store, you generally will work at the entity level; however, there are times when it is useful to make API request against entire collections, such as batch update operations.
Collection name vs. entity type
Collection names are the plural form of the
type property of the entities it
contains, i.e. the
/users collection stores entities with type
user and
/people collection stores entities of type
person. When a data entity
is created, a new collection is created with a name that corresponds to the
property of the entity. If a corresponding collection already exists, the entity will
automatically be added to it.
Default collections
By default, all API BaaS data stores include a set of default collections that correspond to
reserved default data entity types.
These default entities are intended to support the primary features of the API BaaS. For example,
user entity type with a corresponding
/users collection is reserved
for modeling data related to app users, and includes properties to support special functionality,
such as password authentication.
Learn more about:Default data entities
Working with collections
Collections are the most common way to organize your data in the API BaaS data store. Generally, you will work with your data at the entity level; however, there are times when it is useful to make API request against entire collections, such as batch update operations.
Learn more about:Creating collections Retrieving collections Updating collections Deleting collections


text:
Tents lined the intersection of Stockholm Street and Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick, where families met with doctors, nurses and members of the hospital staff to learn about respiratory therapy programs, HIV/AIDS prevention, dental hygiene, eye care and a number of other services.
Dr. Sanjivan Patel, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, said that with the communities of Ridgewood, Bushwick and Williamsburg having one of highest pediatric populations in New York City, the importance of reaching out to the youth has become more vital to Wyckoff Heights.
"We have a high population of pediatric patients and their needs are tremendous," Patel said.
According to Patel, asthma rates are among the highest in the state, while obesity is the second highest.
"Also, mental illness is very high," he added, explaining that many children don't get the care they need. "Kids are here with ADHD, autism, anxiety disorders, and when they are not being taken care of, they drop out of schools and join gangs."
The event gave the hospital a chance to showcase the Asthmapolis system, a privately funded and FDA-approved tool that combines smartphone technology with asthma prevention techniques.
"It's monitoring the asthma closely with a digital cutting-edge approach," Patel explained of the project that he helped to fund out of his own pocket. "Parents know why their child is taking more medicine with text messages in an LCD system, and we are the first here at Wyckoff to do this."
Asthmapolis is free to the community and currently has 31 kids using it. Patel said his goal is to grow the program to 100 by the end of the year.
Beryl Augustine, vice president for Communications and Marketing Development at the hospital, said events like the health fair are vital to the community.
"Once people have free screenings, it lessons the chances that they're going to get chronic illnesses," she said. "Lessening you're chances of getting chronic illnesses only lengthens your lifespan and the quality of your life."


text:
Last updated: October 19, 2011
NHGRI Researcher Returns to the Classroom to Teach - and Learn
NHGRI Researcher Returns to the Classroom to Teach - and Learn
April 2005
Biological research is all about the quest for knowledge about nature. High school is all about the acquisition of knowledge from those who have gone before. Put a biological researcher in a high school classroom and each can learn from the other, the idea behind the third National DNA Day, this April 25, 2005.
National DNA Day celebrates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003 and the anniversary of the discovery of DNA's double helical structure in April 1953. Since the DNA Day program began in 2003, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), a part of the National Institutes of Health, has sent ambassadors - mostly postdoctoral researchers from the institute's Division of Intramural Research - to speak about genomic science and careers in research to high school classes across the nation.
One of this vanguard is Sarah Anzick, Ph.D., a 38-year-old researcher in NHGRI's Cancer Genetics Branch, who feels that being a DNA Day Ambassador is as much an opportunity for her to feed her own curiosity about what is on the minds of high school students and their teachers as it is for her to feed their curiosity about genetics and genomics.
"While I'm trying to teach high school students and teachers about genomics and my scientific interests, I'm also trying to learn as much about their backgrounds and interests as possible," Dr. Anzick said. "It's something I find very helpful and rewarding."
Since 2003, Dr. Anzick has set out in late April with dozens of other NHGRI ambassadors to high schools nationwide. Like many of the ambassadors, the first year Dr. Anzick returned to her hometown high school in Livingston, Montana, an experience she described as both exhilarating and nerve wrenching.
"The first year, I was very nervous going back to my hometown high school. In fact, it was a little difficult because the students did not have an extensive knowledge of DNA and genetics. However, I learned an incredible amount of useful information about what does and doesn't work with students that age. When I went back last year, I was able to adapt my presentation so that students were more involved. I even did a little science demonstration," she explained. "It was much better."
In addition to revisiting hometown high schools last year, DNA Day organizers challenged the ambassadors to "reach out" to a broader and more diverse set of schools. Growing up in Montana, she was aware of Native American culture, but never really had the opportunity to interact with it. DNA Day gave Dr. Anzick that chance. She asked to be sent to a Native American high school and was assigned to a school on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning Montana.
The splendor of the trip to the reservation, which lies just to the east of scenic Glacier National Park in northwest Montana, was in stark contrast to what she found when she arrived at the school: a drab, unadorned building in the middle of a barren, windswept landscape. Dr. Anzick said her initial fears that she might be an unwelcome visitor in such a forbidding place were quickly allayed the minute she stepped inside.
"The teachers were incredibly warm, and within a short time, I felt completely comfortable. I was surprised, to say the least," she said. "More surprising was the fact that the students were very enthusiastic and seemed to have an innate understanding of heredity and genetics. They asked very specific questions about how genetics could help them with everyday problems, such as how it might aid them in developing better breeds of horses."
Growing up in Montana and spending her childhood camping, hiking, riding horses and building snow forts, Dr. Anzick was immediately able to connect with the students, and, she believes, they connected with her. She followed up her visit by sending the teachers lesson materials and other information. She hopes her presence was able to help spark a greater curiosity about science in some of the students, just as her father sparked her curiosity when she was very young.
"My father is a small- and large-animal veterinarian," she explained. "From the time I was about 5 years old, I started dreaming about going to medical or veterinary school. When I started college, that's what I wanted to do. But during a summer internship just prior to my junior year in college, I discovered my passion for genetics research."
Dr. Anzick said when she learned about the new technologies being developed in the NHGRI Cancer Genetics Branch, where she now works, she knew what her career path would be. Today, Dr. Anzick uses state-of-the-art microarray technologies, which allow researchers to study a large number of genes simultaneously, to investigate the genetics of colorectal cancer, one of the nation's biggest killers. In addition to her research responsibilities, she also is the director of the NHGRI Intramural Training Office, which oversees a wide range of important training-related activities for the institute's intramural research program. The Intramural Training Office provides critical support to research trainees at NHGRI by orienting them to the institute, facilitating their annual reviews, and providing them with information about and opportunities for career development. Serving as a DNA Day ambassador is a natural extension of her work with trainees at all levels, Dr. Anzick said.
This year, Dr. Anzick asked to be sent to an outreach school anywhere in the northwest United States and was assigned to a school in Hood River, Oregon. She said the school's science teacher contacted her immediately, saying she could not wait for Dr. Anzick's visit and how important it would be for the students. Dr. Anzick also received an unexpected note from the school's guidance counselor saying he also could not wait for her visit.
"It turns out that he was also my high school English teacher in Montana." Another pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed.
Receiving such an overwhelming response from the school is very gratifying to Dr. Anzick. However, she said, it is even more gratifying to know that she will have the opportunity to learn as much, if not more, from them as they do from her.


text:
In today's New York Post Stanley Kurtz explains what community organizers do, and what Barack Obama did. Kurtz delves into Obama's work with Chicago ACORN:
IT would be tough to find an "on the ground" community organizer more closely tied to the subprime-mortgage fiasco than Madeline Talbott. And no one has been more supportive of Madeline Talbott than Barack Obama.
When Obama was just a budding community organizer in Chicago, Talbott was so impressed that she asked him to train her personal staff.
He returned to Chicago in the early '90s, just as Talbott was starting her pressure campaign on local banks. Chicago ACORN sought out Obama's legal services for a "motor voter" case and partnered with him on his 1992 "Project VOTE" registration drive.
In those years, he also conducted leadership-training seminars for ACORN's up-and-coming organizers. That is, Obama was training the army of ACORN organizers who participated in Madeline Talbott's drive against Chicago's banks.
More than that, Obama was funding them. As he rose to a leadership role at Chicago's Woods Fund, he became the most powerful voice on the foundation's board for supporting ACORN and other community organizers. In 1995, the Woods Fund substantially expanded its funding of community organizers – and Obama chaired the committee that urged and managed the shift.
That committee's report on strategies for funding groups like ACORN features all the key names in Obama's organizer network. The report quotes Talbott more than any other figure; Sandra Maxwell, Talbott's ACORN ally in the bank battle, was also among the organizers consulted.
MORE, the Obama-supervised Woods Fund report acknowledges the problem of getting donors and foundations to contribute to radical groups like ACORN – whose confrontational tactics often scare off even liberal donors and foundations.
Indeed, the report brags about pulling the wool over the public's eye. The Woods Fund's claim to be "nonideological," it says, has "enabled the Trustees to make grants to organizations that use confrontational tactics against the business and government 'establishments' without undue risk of being criticized for partisanship."
Hmm. Radicalism disguised by a claim to be postideological. Sound familiar?
The Woods Fund report makes it clear Obama was fully aware of the intimidation tactics used by ACORN's Madeline Talbott in her pioneering efforts to force banks to suspend their usual credit standards. Yet he supported Talbott in every conceivable way. He trained her personal staff and other aspiring ACORN leaders, he consulted with her extensively, and he arranged a major boost in foundation funding for her efforts.
And, as the leader of another charity, the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Obama channeled more funding Talbott's way – ostensibly for education projects but surely supportive of ACORN's overall efforts.
In return, Talbott proudly announced her support of Obama's first campaign for state Senate, saying, "We accept and respect him as a kindred spirit, a fellow organizer."
The Community Reinvestment Act isn't the sole source of the current financial crisis. It took the government-sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to supersize the hazards created by the CRA. In 2004 Fannie Mae's federal regulator issued a critical preliminary report on Fannie Mae's accounting policies, financial controls and financial reporting process. I believe it was this report (covered in this Washingoton Post story) that is in part the subject of the instructive House committee hearing highlights video featuring Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks (he's "p***** off" by criticism of Fannie Mae and Franklin Raines), Maxine Waters ("we do not have a crisis at Fannie Mae"), Lacy Clay ("I get the feeling that the markets are not worried about the safety and soundnes of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac") and Barney Frank ("It serves us badly to raise safety and soundness as a kind of general shibboleth when it doesn't seem to be an issue").
To comment on this post, go here.


text:
Looking for design inspiration? Browse our curated collections!
by Jeff Swan
Image Size
The image is near the edges of the product but doesn't cover the entire product. Some of the background color may appear around the outside edges of the image.
Background Color
Our luxuriously soft beach towels are made from brushed microfiber with a 100% cotton back for extra absorption. The top of the towel has the image printed on it, and the back is white cotton. Our beach towels are available in two different sizes: beach towel (32" x 64") and beach sheet (37" x 74").
Don't let the fancy name confuse you... a beach sheet is just a large beach towel.
Care Instructions
Machine wash cold and tumble dry with low heat.
Ships Within
1 - 2 business days
Congratulations, your gorgeous work has been featured in Kingdom Animalia ! l/f
-)-)-) good
Cool Capture
Whoa... very up close and personal. Well done! l/f
Average Rating (4.64 Stars):
Christi Reynolds
June 24th, 2019
Christina Pazzanese
June 23rd, 2019
Christina Pazzanese
June 23rd, 2019
Samilla Laws
June 23rd, 2019
I was so excited to order this beach towel for my husband Father's Day, as we were taking a family vacation to Orlando and wanted him.to represent his fraternity in style at the resort. However when I opened up the package I noticed that it was truly faded and you could barely see the color. I was ultimately disappointed with the looks of this product. It seems as though the ink in the printer was running low and I received the bottom of the barrel and it didn't look like the product represented. Nonetheless, I was very disappointed.
The world is a beautiful place and I intend to share it. With over nine hundred thousand views and hundreds of features etc I have done well. All my work is my own and I am self taught. My palette is often those places kind of hid away that have a special beauty. I enjoy sharing and selling my work and I have thousands of images that would love to find a home on your wall at home or at your office. As a gift such as a tote bag or a poster. I can be contacted at 509-306-5167 or at firstname.lastname@example.com. Feel free to explore and share.
Our return policy is very simple:
If you're not happy with a purchase that you made on Pixels.com, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - Pixels does not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality.
Pixels sells thousands of pieces of artwork each month - all with a 100% money-back guarantee. We take great pride in the fact that hundreds of thousands of artists have chosen Pixels to fulfill their orders, and we look forward to helping you select your next piece!
All beach towels ship from our production facility within 1 - 2 business days of your order.


text:
Mike Swick is fulfilling a longtime dream, and with fellow UFC vet Roger Huerta, he's opening an MMA gym in Phuket, Thailand.
MMAjunkie.com Radio recently caught up with Swick while he's in the U.S. following back-and-forth 24-hour trips to the Asian country.
Swick currently is finalizing plans for the new gym's opening. And though the venture has ruffled some feathers at Tiger Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts – a Phuket gym Swick nearly purchased – Swick said his team at American Kickboxing Academy has been quite supportive.
"Everything I do is affiliated with AKA," the longtime WEC and UFC fighter told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) earlier this week. "I've been a core member with AKA for over 10 years. This will kind of be like AKA's home in Asia. They're excited. A lot of the guys I train with have been over there."
Swick has spent lots of time in Thailand (check out his never-boring YouTube channel for proof). And though he and Huerta have spent lots of training time in the muay Thai hotbed, they're now looking to take MMA to the next level.
Currently, he says, there's a void for such a facility.
"We're doing this to help people out," Swick said. "It's been a dream of mine since 2000, when I first started training there. There are so many people who come in from all over the world to train there. Back when I first started there, everything was muay Thai. Now it's all MMA. People go there to improve their striking for their MMA game, or to get into MMA, or they're MMA fans. But the problem is there's no top MMA gym there.
"We're bringing that to Thailand. It's going to be very demanding for the pros … and catered to beginners as well. It'll be a no-ego gym."
In fact, Swick hopes to incorporate the local community into the project. Oftentimes, the area gyms cater to foreign clientele. But such a setup robbed Swick of a truly motivating force: young muay Thai fighters with whom he previously trained.
"In a lot of the main camps you hear about all the time, they're all about the money, and the foreigners pay all the money, so it's strictly foreigners training there," Swick said. "The only Thais there are working or training people.
"When I was going to Thailand back in 2000, I was really inspired by training alongside these kids that are like 8, 9, 10 years old. They start off that young, and they love it. They train super hard, and they take to the sport like young men. When you see that, it puts a lot of things in perspective and really motivates you to train hard. You're looking at a kid who's 10 years old and going out there fighting every other weekend, if not every weekend, with full muay Thai rules like a warrior. It matures you and teaches you that if these kids can do this stuff, everyone should be able to if they put their mind to it."
The business venture, though, has met some opposition. Swick said he nearly purchased the famed Tiger Muay Thai gym before opting to start his own. Initially, he was wished luck. Lately, though, he – and especially former Tiger regular Huerta – have come under fire.
"Here recently, Tiger has kind of waged war on me and Roger on the Internet," he said. "They're upset we're doing the gym. Everything is mainly directly at Roger since Roger has spent more time at Tiger than I have. But we've done nothing but help that gym over the years, all the top-level guys. They never paid us anything. We did seminars. … Roger brought in many guys who got memberships, helped people out, promoted them with all the YouTube videos and advertisements.
"We decided to do our own thing because there are a lot of issues. I'm not going to go too deep and air dirty laundry, but there are a lot of issues. … I was going to buy Tiger a few years ago. I was in really discussions. It was almost a done deal, but I backed out and retracted my offer after finding out a few things. So I told them at that point I was still going to pursue my own gym, and the owner of the Tiger and everyone was like, 'Please come back and train with us until then. And when you do, we wish you the best.'"
But those friendly feelings apparently have diminished. Swick, though, knows the business world can be unforgiving, so he's moving along with the project.
As far as his own fighting career, he hopes that, too, will soon see some progress. Swick, a former top middleweight contender who joined the UFC after a stint on "The Ultimate Fighter 1," hasn't fought in 20 months.
At first, he was dealing with a mystery stomach ailment that robbed him of strength and size. Initially misdiagnosed with a stomach disease, he eventually got proper treatment, felt better, regained his strength, and was booked for a UFC 134 bout with Erick Silva.
But another setback soon followed.
"I came back super strong," said the fighter, who's recently competed at welterweight. "I was going this whole camp at over 190 pounds. I felt better than I've ever felt in my life. It was going to be the best fight I ever had, but two weeks before I was supposed to leave for Brazil, I was wrestling and got clipped in the side. I blew out my ACL completely, tore my MCL and my meniscus. It was like the trifecta."
Swick underwent surgery about six weeks ago, and he's already walking largely with no problems. He thinks he'll be able to return to full training in a couple months and then book a fight after that. So conceivably, it'll be 2012 before we see Swick back in the octagon.
With the trip to Thailand, the new business venture, and the injury, Swick remains as busy as ever.
"It's been a trying year for sure," he said.
MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino's Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.


text:
Gabriela Cruz farms in a part of the world where biotech crops not only are looked down on by some but are also banned, for the most part, by government fiat.
But Cruz is an anomaly in her world in that she not only plants a genetically modified crop – Bt corn – but she's also pushing her government and the governments of other European Union countries to allow other farmers to grow them.
Cruz, who was named the winner of the 2010 Kleckner Trade and Technology Advancement Award in Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday (Oct. 13), manages a 700-hectare (1,700-acre) farm in Portugal that she owns with her sisters.
Currently, Bt corn is one of only two genetically modified crops that can be grown legally in the member countries of the European Union. Besides Bt corn, Cruz and her sisters also grow conventional corn, wheat, triticale, barley, green peas and livestock.
Bt corn in 2006
Cruz began planting Bt corn in 2006 as a way to reduce her costs for controlling insects. She says she could reduce her use of pesticides and the number of tillage trips in the field by optimizing such GM traits in corn.
Less tillage is important to Cruz, who is president of the Portuguese Association for Soil Conservation. Soil loss is a major problem and can average 17 tons of top soil annually for farmers in the erosion-prone fields of southern Europe .
"Europe wants the farmer to be more and more sustainable. They are imposing some restrictions or norms to use environmentally friendly practices, with which I totally agree," she said. "But then they don't allow us to use all the tools that will make those environmentally practices more efficient like biotech crops."
The ban on biotech crops is a serious issue in the Europe. While planting Bt corn is permitted in the EU, it is still banned in member countries such as Italy. Giorgio Fidenato, an Italian farmer attending the World Food Prize events as part of the Truth about Trade and Technology program, is being prosecuted in the courts for planting six GM corn seeds last spring.
Farmer roundtable
(TATT hosted a Global Farmer-to-Farmer Roundtable Oct. 12 and 13, prior to events in Des Moines related to the World Food Prize. The Roundtable is supported by the Council for Biotechnology Information, CropLife International, and the National Corn Growers Association.
Cruz said removing the ban on biotech crops would help European farmers and consumers.
"What we are facing now are some problems controlling weeds," she said. "We are spreading an enormous amount of herbicides. If we had other biotech crops like those that are resistant to herbicides, it would help us because we would be able to reduce costs, to increase our production and be more sustainable in our practices.
"Biotechnology offers one of the most promising solutions to many emerging challenges in feeding the world's growing population," Cruz says.
The International Panel for Climate Change forecasts increasing dryness for the Mediterranean region where Cruz farms. Portuguese farmers have experienced droughts similar to those encountered by farmers in Africa, and water prices for Portuguese farmers have risen by 40 percent.
"Scientists can generate crops that make more efficient use of water, as well as add characteristics that allow us to fight off weeds that compete with desired crops and suck water and nutrients from the soil," says Cruz.
Fantasies for farmers
"Yet, these innovations will remain fantasies for farmers in Europe as long as our governments listen to misinformed activists and journalists that crowd out the responsible views of scientists, Nobel Prize winners and farmers."
Cruz says her family has seen how biotech crops can improve their quality of life, and she wants more of that for herself, her sisters, her workers, and the women who farm in other countries.
"Around the world, women cannot take advantage of biotechnology because of Europe's hostility to GM crops," she notes. "This especially affects African women farmers because they are highly dependent on trade with Europe."
The Kleckner Trade and Technology Advancement Award was established in 2007 in honor of Dean Kleckner, the chairman of Truth About Trade and Technology and former president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.
The award is given annually in conjunction with the Global Farmer-to-Farmer Roundtable. The first winner of the award was Rosalie Ellasus of the Philippines, the 2008 winner was Jeff Bidstrup of Australia and, in 2009, the award went to Jim McCarthy of Ireland.
For more on Cruz's views on the need for Europe to adopt biotech crops, go to http://www.truthabouttrade.org/news/editorials/guest-commentary/16778-freedom-to-choose--a-farmers-basic-right.


text:
Have you visited our Help Center yet to see if we've answered your question there?
If you have a question about the State Web site or any of our services contact:
Help Center: (785) 296-5059 or (800) 452-6727
Send us an e-mail at: firstname.lastname@example.com
534 S. Kansas Avenue, Ste. 1210
Topeka, KS 66603-3434
Fax: (785) 296-5563
Toll-free: (800) 4KANSAS (800-452-6727)
Topeka area: (785) 296-5059
Live Support
We strive to return all Help Center calls the same day. We assure you all Help Center calls will be returned within one business day.
If you call during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST), you will reach a voice directory that will assist you. All personnel have voice mail. If they are unavailable at the time of your call, please leave a message and the individual will call you back as soon as possible. If you call during non-business hours, please leave a message. We will return your call the next business day.


text:
Greetings friends, family, and loyal listeners.
For the past month or so, jellyradio.com has been off the air. The station has moved locations, and has been updating service so that we can ensure we are providing the highest quality product possible. In the meantime, if you are new to the show, feel free to download previous episodes of the show.
The station is almost ready to continue broadcasting around the beginning of October, 2010. We look forward to getting back up with all of you. For any more questions, or comments, feel free to e-mail us at email@example.com
Bless Up!


text:
User Shops: Dangerous Dreams
|Shop Information
|Owner: zumzy
|Created: Nov 30, 2010
|District: Milan
|Sales: 61957
|Fans: 640
Love the eyes,great job!:)
this is the most wonderful spot to find backgrounds
Love your eyes and lips! they're so awesome, thanks for submitting them
I agree. Thank you so much for some of the best eyes and lips EVER!!
I'm in heaven!!!!! Thank you, the new glasses and tats are aaamazing!!!
You have THE MOST Amazing headwear! Wishlisted a bunch of it!
Oh, dear...did I accidentally purchase something that was supposed to be reserved for somebody? Please let me know! This is my first day on the site, so I'm not really sure when I'm doing. o_o
i adore the new pose ,thanx xoxoxox!
love your design OMGGGGG!
omg i love your muse pose and the clothes you've made for her! it's amazing! i can't wait to fill my closet with clothes for her.
love your sollie doodle dress! i want them all!!
Oh my goodness! I want everything!
Girl, you know I love you - but why don't you make bags and shoes to match your own pose?????? I've just spent an hour trying to put an outfit together and I give up, the dress is going to my shop for resale. The poses have made shopping on this site an absolute nightmare.
can you make a dress with accessories for the show off pose. I love your work.
Love your shop! but it would be very helpful if you could put colors in your tags. I love that Viv bow, but they are extremely difficult to see in the thumbnails.
This is the store I shop at most often.I love all your clothing but I am a starter so can not buy much. :(
Love your clothes!
i love the new collection fabulous just need to the jewlery and the scarves xoxoxox!
love love love the dresses and shoes,but you need a bigger selection of earrings and necklaces...
I love the dresses and shoes but I couldn't buy them because they were all made to fit one style of pose.
You make beautiful items! Lovely shop!!:)
Well my wishlist now looks like my kids xmas lists lol! Luv it!
I adore your new pose! going to start making outfits to go with it. Awesome work, well done!
My gah!! You're going to make my wishlist huge!!
OMG I love the new doll and collection!
Im luv the new doll just saw it great name too!


text:
My six-year-old daughter came home from school, threw her backpack on the couch and blurted out, "We talked about what we wanted to be when we grow up."
"Oh, yeah? What did you decide?" I asked going through a mental list of all the possible choices that would eventually lead to her unprecedented success.
"I want to be a mom like you." My heart sank into my stomach. At a moment when I should have been beaming with pride, I felt a free-falling sensation that sent me spinning into a speech to try to feel grounded. "You know, you can be anything you want to be," I told her. "There are so many wonderful things in this world to experience. A doctor, an artist or maybe a writer (wink, wink), you can be a mother and anything else. You don't have to choose one or the other." She looked at me as though I had just given her a lesson on the theory of relativity, smiled and walked away. I wanted to grab her and hold her down until she assured me that she had other ambitions in life.
We all want our children to succeed but we want our girls to conquer the world, to break through the glass ceiling. So why is it when they grow up to become successful career women and mothers we criticize them?
The debate between working moms and stay-at-home moms continues to smolder – any denunciation causes a spark that ignites an explosion of talk show specials. SAHM's, the antagonists in this classic story of bitter rivals, are forcefully spewing justifications in the form of judgments in hopes of producing a legitimate argument that not only convinces others her decision is right but also convinces herself. Not that the protagonists don't carry their load of doubts but they are usually planted thoughts brought on by snubbing at school functions or guilt upon deletion of "volunteers needed" emails.
During one of the times when the flame was high on this explosive discussion, Dr. Phil produced a show covering the topic where he introduced Andrea, who had been both a stay-at-home mom and a working mom. She stated that she sees both sides of the debate and wonders if the controversy is more a case of being envious of what the other mom is doing. The mother working outside the home wishes she had more time with her child; the stay-at-home mom desires to be recognized as a creative person in her own right. Though I agree with her statement, I do not believe that each envious party is equal in their covet.
To desire for more time with your children is a reasonable complaint but to yearn to be seen as an intelligent, capable woman behind the kids and piles of laundry is a life of demeaning isolation. 18 years of glaring through pea-green colored glasses at not only working moms but at other SAHM's (a bit of a keeping up with the Jones' between SAHM's) can leave one with a distorted view of who they are; eventually losing sight of their identity. This makes for a bitter, judgmental, defensive mommy who buries herself in domestic activities.
What is the real reason we, SAHM's, play the antagonists? Are we fighting for our beliefs in child-rearing or fighting to just be heard? Why would we want to attack those who are successfully raising kids while fulfilling the craving to be recognized as more than a housekeeper – essentially widening the path that women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony fought years to clear? It is no wonder the U.S just now, according to an article by Marcia Reynolds on the Huffingtonpost.com, went from 31st to 19th place in a report that ranks gender equality in 139 countries. We can't stop fighting amongst ourselves long enough to fight for each other.
It is important for us to find or continue an identity outside of children when we become SAHM's. Not only for ourselves but for our daughters who mimic our every move – so, instead of playing the role as antagonists and watching as the classic story of bitter rivals throws manure on the path to equality, we should take off the pea-green colored glasses and view the world through a broken glass ceiling.
All photos provided by photobucket.


text:
Norman K. Winston
Winston Elementary is named for Norman K. Winston, the generous benefactor who donated the land on which the school is built. He saw a need for a community school in the Kelly area and took action.
Winston will always be remembered in the Edgewood community for his tireless energy and driving force. He will be remembered for his long history of service not just to the Edgewood community but also to the country he loved so much, the UnitedStates.
Winston had several noteworthy accomplishments during his lifetime. He served as the Mayor of New York's personal representative to the European International TradeConference in 1947, the U.S. Special Delegate to the UNESCOParis Conference in 1957, and the following year served as the Special Advisor for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Winston was on the Boardof Trustees for the Carnegie Hall Foundation in 1959 and served on the SenateForeign Relations Committee as a special advisor. In 1962, PresidentJohn F. Kennedy appointed him to serve on the Board of Directors for the 1964 World's Fair in New York, and in 1964 President Lyndon Johnson named him Special Assignments Ambassador.
His awards include being selected the 1974 Man-of-the-Year by the PortJefferson, NY, Port Authority; awarded the rank of Officer of the Order of Leopold II of Belgium; awarded the rank of Knight Officer in the Order ofMerit of the Italian Republic; and awarded The Great Cross for Merit by theRepublic of Austria.
In 1969, Winston again showed his generosity by donating the Norman Winston House to the Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases in NewYork.
The man is remembered across the country, but his roots are in Edgewood.


text:
Quick,Quick vote for Guruji...
This year has been very adventurous as any, right from settling the Gujjar issue to mediating in the Amarnath row in Kashmir to organizing a massive relief campaign in Bihar floods to advising world leaders on mediation in the Nobel laureates Summit, there's no Indian whom we can be more proud of......
so go ahead and do it!
Fill Like this
Name:Your Name
E-mail:Your mail id
City:Your City name
Select your Category:Global Indians
Your Nominee: His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Also let me know if you have done it by commenting here.
Also spread the word around by sms,email or blog.
Jai Gurudev!


text:
The Nielsen Company said Saturday that Danny Boyle's London opener was the most-watched opening ceremony of any summer or winter Olympics, according to the Associated Press. It took the top spot from Atlanta's 1996 Games, which had 39.8 million viewers for its opening ceremony, and Beijing's opener four years ago, with 34.9 million Americans watching.
Commentary from NBC's Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira probably wasn't what kept people watching this year's Olympics kick-off. It could have been, however, Queen Elizabeth II jumping out of a plane with Daniel Craig (a.k.a. James Bond) to enter the opening ceremony. Or maybe it was Mr. Bean (actor Rowan Atkinson) lending a helping finger during an orchestral rendition of "Chariots of Fire." There were so many weird moments in the most-watched opening ceremony that GlobalPost compiled a top 10 list.
But whether or not viewers enjoyed it, the Olympics opener sure did get people talking. According to Asbury Park Press, research company Bluefin Labs said an estimated 5 million comments about the opening ceremony were made on social media (GlobalPost even has a top 5 list of some of Twitter's best). And it was women who did most of the talking, with 58 percent of the comments coming from the female population, and only 42 percent of comments coming from men.
APP also said London's opening ceremony was the most-watched television event in the US since the winter, when 39.9 million people watched the Grammy Awards and 39.3 saw the Oscars.
NBC broke one more record, thanks to the opening ceremony. The TV network and all of its sister companies that make up set the record for single-event advertising sales last night, taking in $1 billion, according to RapidTVNews. NBC sold around $850 million for the 2008 Beijing Games.
Comments are closed.


text:
Update (4/26/10): I will no longer provide these packages because the HandBrake devs are now providing real-deal official nightlies: http://build.handbrake.fr/
**These are UNSUPPORTED, BLEEDING EDGE builds of HandBrake. DO NOT ask for help in the HandBrake forums if you run into any issues with them. If you have a problem, ask it here and I will try to help. Otherwise, YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN.**
Additionally, these are not true nightlies because I won't be building them quite that often, but I plan to compile a new version each time a substantial update (such as an x264 bump) is checked into the SVN repository.
The CLI binaries are cross-compiled on my Linux box and the GUI is built natively in Windows.


text:
Katonah-Lewisboro schools will open on schedule Thursday as police are still searching for one of two men who jumped out of a car after crashing and fled from police near the Waccabuc Country Club, triggering an hours-long lockout of schools in the district, setting residents on edge.
The incident began around 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, when the suspects crashed their vehicle following a pursuit from North Salem Police and jumped out and ran, said Trooper AJ Hicks, with the New York State Police.
A massive manhunt ensued with officers from Lewisboro and North Salem police departments, the Westchester County Police Aviation Unit, and the state police taking part, state police said.
The driver of the vehicle was captured near Mead Street. The search is still ongoing for the second man, Hicks said.
The lockout ended early Wednesday evening.
Check back to Daily Voice for details.
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


text:
Weldon Kitchen figured it was lost forever.
While he was serving as one of the first Mormon missionaries in Taipei, Taiwan, in the 1950s, pollution forced the elders to find a clean river in a mountain paradise to use as the location for their first baptismal service.
But the picturesque setting, which seemed like the "waters of Mormon" (see Mosiah 18:5) to the missionaries, was only a temporary solution, and the location was eventually forgotten.
Returning to Taiwan more than 50 years later, Kitchen and his wife, Donna, used old photos to eventually find the historic site. The discovery not only brought Kitchen's missionary service full circle but also inspired an increase in missionary efforts and a renewed appreciation of LDS Church history among the Saints in the area.
Knowing what their efforts have meant to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Taiwan has meant everything to the Kitchens.
"It brings me a feeling of emotional happiness," Kitchen said in a recent interview from their Highland, Utah, home. "I'm so thrilled to be able to be a part of it, to be an instrument in the missionary work in Taiwan. ... They love hearing the story."
Opening up Taiwan
The 21-year-old Kitchen had just finished his junior year at Brigham Young University when he received a three-year call to the Southern Far East mission in 1955. He and five other missionaries received their passenger ship tickets and some words of counsel from a young Gordon B. Hinckley of the church's missionary department in Salt Lake City before traveling to San Francisco.
Once there, they boarded a boat for a monthlong ride to the mission headquarters in Hong Kong. The mission president, 26-year-old Grant Heaton, and eight other missionaries greeted the new missionaries upon their arrival.
Shortly thereafter, four elders, including Kitchen, were assigned to open up missionary work in Taiwan.
Unfortunately, Kitchen said, it took eight months to secure visas. Some of that time was spent learning Mandarin Chinese while everyone in Hong Kong spoke Cantonese. At one point, the missionaries hired students at a local university to tutor them. One of the tutors later joined the church.
"(Learning the language) was a challenge," Kitchen said. "When we asked how do we learn the language, they told us to get out on the street and learn it."
In 1956, President Heaton visited Taiwan and met Stanley Simiskey, a Latter-day Saint convert stationed with the U.S. military in Taipei. Simiskey and a few other LDS servicemen began holding church meetings. When the four missionaries arrived in June of that year, a branch was established in Taipei with Simiskey as president.
Hard times
Even with two serviceman-taught convert baptisms in the Taipei branch in 1956, missionary work was slow and challenging for most of the first year, Kitchen said.
Most Taiwanese practiced Buddhism or Taoism and the country would not be dedicated for the preaching of the gospel until Elder Mark E. Petersen of the Quorum of the Twelve did it in June 1959. Investigators were unable to read the Book of Mormon in their language until 1965. The American missionaries struggled without senior companions to turn to.
"It was not an easy mission; it was very difficult," Kitchen said. "But that made it interesting."
Then a missionary died.
On Dec. 31, 1956, the missionaries were riding their bikes when Elder Keith A. Madsen hit a rut, was thrown from his bike and fell unconscious (there were no bike helmets in those days, Kitchen said). Elder Madsen died two days later in the hospital.
"He never did regain consciousness," Kitchen said. "We were devastated by this tragedy."
President Heaton came to Taipei to make arrangements to fly Madsen's body back to Hong Kong. He was discouraged by the elder's death and the lack of convert baptisms. The work in Hong Kong was productive, and the president considered pulling the small missionary force back to mission headquarters, according to Kitchen.
"We pleaded with him to let us stay. We didn't want to go back. Finally he consented," Kitchen said. "He said, 'I will give you a little more time. If you don't have any success in the next three months, you are all coming back to Hong Kong.' It was shortly after that we found two golden investigators ... and continued to have success. The Taiwan missionaries would not be going back to Hong Kong."
The waters of Wu-lai
The three-month deadline was just enough time for the Taiwan missionaries. Nine months after coming to Taipei, they had their first missionary-taught converts.
But there was another problem: where to hold the baptism. Pollution contaminated most of Taipei's waterways. They couldn't imagine holding a baptismal service in a sewer ditch or foul-smelling pond.
President Simiskey told the elders his family had found a beautiful spot in a nearby canyon, about 15 miles outside the city, where the water was clean and clear.
The mountain paradise, located in Wu-lai Canyon, became the location of the first missionary-taught convert baptisms. Kitchen baptized Tseng I-chang and then Elder Duane W. Degn baptized Chiu Hung-hsiung on April 27, 1957. The confirmations were performed at the water's edge. The missionaries took photos and captured the historic moment in the majestic setting.
"The weather was calm that day. The water, our baptismal font, was warm," Kitchen said. "That was a very special occasion."
The missionaries continued to have success and returned to Wu-lai Canyon for other baptismal services until they built their own baptismal font.
"Over the years, that particular spot in Wu-lai Canyon was forgotten," Kitchen said. "We remembered it but never had occasion to go there."
Over the next several months, more than 50 people joined the church in Taiwan. Missionary work branched out to Taichung and Tainan as more missionaries arrived. When Kitchen was released from his mission in 1958, there were about 250 members.
Finding Wu-lai
In 2006, Kitchen and his wife, Donna, returned to Taiwan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the missionaries' arrival in the country. While there, Chin Tan Shu-hui, an early convert, and her oldest son, Steve Chin, offered to take the couple up the canyon to try to find the Wu-lai baptismal site. They searched and explored, comparing various locations with two photos from the original baptisms, but much of the land had been developed for homes and buildings, and they failed to find the original spot.
Five years later, in 2011, the Kitchens returned to serve in the Taiwan Taipei Temple. For fun one day, they looked again for the baptismal site but were unsuccessful.
"We kind of gave up," Kitchen said. "We thought we'd never find it."
Five days before they went home, Steve Chin prevailed upon the Kitchens to go back one more time. This time as they drove up the canyon, observing their surroundings, the Kitchens both felt an impression as they turned a corner. They felt they should check out a place they had just passed. There was something strangely familiar about it, Kitchen said.
"We went down to the water's edge and took out the pictures to look at the rock formations," Kitchen said. "There it was, the same formation from 50 years earlier. The water was still crystal clear. The water looked exactly the way it did in 1957 when I walked out into the middle of the stream to perform my first baptism. We were absolutely able to 100 percent confirm that was the spot."
Donna Kitchen said the Spirit led the way.
"I felt like one of the reasons we were called to Taiwan was to bring back the history and share with the people. Weldon had the opportunity to go all over the island and tell his early experiences," Donna Kitchen said. "Finding it was the last thing Heavenly Father wanted us to do."
Double 10 Day
In Taiwan, Oct. 10 (10-10) is a national holiday. In 2013, the date became more significant to church members for another reason.
As a convert, Bishop Arnie Chen of the Taoyuan 3rd Ward, just west of Taipei, has always admired and respected those pioneers who helped to build the church in Taiwan. He was thrilled to learn the Kitchens had finally located the Wu-lai Canyon baptismal site.
While planning a ward activity last year, the bishopric thought it would be meaningful for the members to visit the special area. But the other leaders of the ward took the idea a step further — why not set a goal and hold a baptismal service there? The idea was accepted, and Oct. 10 — "Double 10 Day" — was circled on the calendar.
The missionaries were alerted, and excited about the plan and goal, the entire ward began inviting non-member family and friends to church meetings. As the date drew closer, positive things began to happen.
One young woman had attended church for many years with her aunt's family, but her mother would not allow her to be baptized. The ward reached out to the mother and invited her to a barbecue activity, where she was able to observe how much the ward members cared about her daughter. This softened her heart, and she eventually consented to let her daughter be baptized.
As Oct. 10 drew closer, it rained for several days and there were concerns about an approaching typhoon. Bishop Chen said the ward members and missionaries prayed fervently for good weather. On the morning of the baptism service, the weather was beautiful.
Nearly 130 members and investigators, along with Taipei Taiwan Mission President David Day and 15 brand-new missionaries and their trainers, participated in a baptismal service for six converts.
President Day said the missionaries were thrilled to be part of such a remarkable event. It was not only historic but also an incredible way for several young elders and sisters to start their missions.
Because of recent rains, the river was high and the current swift. For safety, a rope was tied around the elders and new converts as they entered the water.
"Each baptism was a sweet experience," President Day wrote in an email.
One baptism in particular touched many, President Day said, as a recent convert was able to baptize his fiancee.
With such a large crowd standing next to a rural river, many vehicles passing by stopped to see what was going on. The new missionaries, "full of gospel zeal," mustered their best Mandarin Chinese as they spoke to the onlookers and handed out missionary tracts, President Day said.
"This was a day not soon to be forgotten by those who made their first covenants and by those of us who experienced it with them," President Day said.
Bishop Chen said the experience was special and the ward is looking forward to returning in 2017 to mark the 60th anniversary of the first baptisms.
"All of the attendees felt it was a sacred and unforgettable experience for them to be at this site with its historical value," Bishop Chen wrote in an email. "We all feel that it is a holy place to the Saints in Taiwan."
Email: email@example.com Twitter: tbtoone


text:
Pelini Announces Football Staff Moves
Papuchis has been on Pelini's Nebraska staff for the past four years, serving in multiple roles, including coaching the Husker defensive line which has been among the nation's best during his tenure. Kaczenski joins Pelini's staff after spending the past five seasons as the defensive line coach at Iowa, where the Hawkeyes fielded some of the nation's top defenses during Kaczenski's time on staff. Kaczenski is expected to join the Nebraska coaching staff for its trip to the Capital One Bowl.
The re-shuffling of the defensive coaching staff comes after four-year defensive coordinator Carl Pelini was named head coach at Florida Atlantic earlier this month.
"I'm pleased with how the defensive staff has taken shape," Pelini said. "John Papuchis is an outstanding coach in every area-on the field, in the meeting room, as a recruiter-and he is more than prepared to take the next step in his coaching career. He has worked alongside me for seven years, going back to our time together at LSU, and I have complete confidence in his coaching abilities.
"Rick Kaczenski is a great addition to our coaching staff, and fits our football program perfectly. I have great respect for the program at the University of Iowa and their defenses have annually been among the best in the nation. Rick's track record of developing defensive linemen speaks for itself. When I've watched Iowa's defense and in particular the defensive line, I see players that have great technique and fundamentals, who also play with a high level of intensity."
The 33-year-old Papuchis moves into his new role after serving as defensive line coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator for the 2011 season. This fall, the Husker defensive line persevered through numerous injuries throughout the season, led by honorable-mention All-Big Ten defenders Cameron Meredith and Baker Steinkuhler.
In 2009 and 2010, Nebraska field one of the nation's top defenses, led by a dominant defensive line. Ndamukong Suh became one of the most decorated defensive players in college football history in 2009, helping Nebraska lead the nation in scoring defense. In 2010, Jared Crick earned all-conference honors for the second straight season to help Nebraska again rank among the nation's top defensive units.
Nebraska has also owned one of the nation's top special teams units under Papuchis' direction the past four seasons. After Alex Henery become the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, Papuchis has helped develop another outstanding kicker in Brett Maher, who became the first player since 2001 to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors as both place-kicker and punter in the same season. Papuchis was one of four finalist for the FootballScoop.com Special Teams Coordinator of the Year Award in 2010, and his special teams units have ranked in the top 20 of Phil Steele's composite special teams rankings each of the past three seasons.
Kaczenski, 36, joins the defensive staff after building an impressive resume on Kirk Ferentz's staff at Iowa. The play of Kaczenski's defensive lines played a key role in Iowa's success the past five seasons. With Kaczenski as a member of the full-time coaching staff from 2007 to 2011, Iowa has reached a bowl game each of the past four years, including an appearance in the Orange Bowl following the 2009 season.
In 2010, Iowa ranked sixth nationally in rushing defense (101.5 ypg) and seventh in scoring defense (17.0 ppg). A year earlier, the Hawkeye defense ranked in the top 10 nationally in four defensive statistical categories, including pass efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense and passing yards allowed. The play of the front line played a big part in the defensive success as Iowa posted an 11-2 overall record and a victory over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl.
The 2008 Iowa defense also ranked highly across the board. Kaczenski's defensive front keyed a group that limited opponents to just 94.0 rushing yards per game to rank ninth in the country. Iowa also ranked fifth in scoring defense, fifth in pass efficiency defense and 12th in scoring defense en route to a 9-4 record and Outback Bowl berth in 2008. In his first season as a full-time assistant in 2007, Iowa ranked third in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in scoring defense, while also leading the conference in turnover margin.
Under Kaczenski, Iowa has produced outstanding individual performers on the defensive line. End Adrian Clayborn became the 21st player at Iowa to earn consensus All-America honors in 2010. He was named as the national Defensive Performer of the Year by College Football Performance Awards in 2009. Clayborn was named first team all-Big Ten in both 2009 and 2010.
Clayborn was the 20th pick in the first round by Tampa Bay in the 2011 NFL Draft, and was one of three Hawkeye defensive linemen selected in last year's draft. Defensive lineman Christian Ballard was taken in the fourth round by Minnesota, while Tennessee selected defensive lineman Karl Klug in the fifth round.
Defensive tackles Mitch King and Matt Kroul led Iowa's defense in 2008. King was named Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Big Ten while earning first-, second- and third-team All-America honors. Kroul earned second team all-Big Ten honors after setting an Iowa record with 50 consecutive starts. Both King (Tennessee) and Kroul (N.Y. Jets) signed free agent contracts immediately following the 2009 NFL draft and have remained in the NFL the last two seasons. In 2007, King was named first team all-Big Ten and senior defensive end Bryan Mattison earned second-team recognition.
Overall, seven of Kaczenski's defensive linemen have been drafted or signed an NFL free agent contract over the past four seasons.
Before taking over as defensive line coach, Kaczenski served two seasons as a graduate assistant at Iowa in 2005-06, working specifically with the offensive line. Kaczenski joined the Iowa staff after serving as the offensive line and tight ends coach at Elon University in 2004. He served in the same capacity at East Tennessee State in 2003 and was the offensive line coach at South Carolina State in 2002.
Kaczenski was on the staff at South Carolina from 1999 to 2001 under Head Coach Lou Holtz. He was a graduate assistant with the Gamecocks, working in recruiting, while assisting with the offensive line and wide receivers. Kaczenski began his coaching career in 1998 as an assistant coach at Erie (Pa.) Cathedral Prep, his high school alma mater.
Kaczenski played collegiately at Notre Dame from 1994 to 1997, where he was a three-year starter at center from 1995 to 1997. While with the Irish, Kaczenski helped Notre Dame to four bowl appearances, including a trip to the 1995 Fiesta Bowl and the 1996 Orange Bowl. Kaczenski played in a total of 40 games, and during his career Notre Dame finished in the top 20 in rushing three times, including sixth in 1995 and eighth in 1996.
Kaczenski is a 1997 Notre Dame graduate in sociology and is a native of Erie, Pa.
Kaczenski Coaching Career
2012--Nebraska, Defensive Line
2007-11--Iowa, Defensive Line
2005-06--Iowa, Graduate Assistant (Offense)
2004--Elon, Offensive Line/Tight Ends
2003--East Tennessee State, Offensive Line/Tight Ends
2002--South Carolina State, Offensive Line
1999-2001--South Carolina, Graduate Assistant (Offense/Recruiting)
1998--Erie Cathedral Prep High School, Offensive Line


text:
Surat al-Kahf, 81-90
We wanted their Lord to give them, in exchange, a purer son than him, one more compassionate. (Surat al-Kahf, 81)
Many people find it hard to see the reason and goodness behind a family member's death, and death in general. However, as with everything else, there is much wisdom and goodness in this. One of these is stated to be "… giving them in exchange a purer son than him, one more compassionate." In this verse, Allah warns those who renounce their faith that He will replace them with more sincere believers:
O you who believe. If any of you renounce your religion, Allah will bring forward a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble to the believers, fierce to the unbelievers, who strive in the Way of Allah and do not fear the blame of any censurer. That is the unbounded favor of Allah, which He gives to whoever He wills. Allah is Boundless, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 54)
Your Lord is the Rich Beyond Need, the Possessor of Mercy. If He willed, He could remove you and replace you with anything else He willed, just as He produced you from the descendants of another people. (Surat al-An`am, 133)
Khidhr's (As) Good Morals
Pondering this account of Khidhr (as) and Musa (as) enables us to realize that every verse contains messages about Khidhr's (as) character, which were explored in detail in the previous pages. Here, we list and summarize them in one place, along with supporting evidence, in order to consider his character traits.
Khidhr (as) instantly obeys all of Allah's orders
His most noticeable characteristic in Surat al-Kahf is his diligence in obeying Allah's order, for he does it immediately upon receiving revelation.
Khidhr's (as) compassion and mercy
His aiding the poor, the orphans, and the vulnerable is the clearest evidence of this.
Khidhr's (as) dedication to the believers and his helpfulness
He helps a believer mother and father because of his dedication to the believers.
Khidhr's (as) intellect, insight, and foresight
His preventive actions and the traps he set for the unbelievers prove his intelligence and foresight.
Khidhr's (as) trust in Allah
He is not affected by any hardship he faces, for he knows that whatever happens does so according to the destiny determined in Allah's presence.
Khidhr's (as) character traits are revealed to us through the verses of the Qur'an. Allah has bestowed His grace upon him, as well as given him wisdom, superior knowledge, and immaculate character. Throughout his time with Musa (as), Khidhr (as) educated him in the best way and advised him through words and deeds. Khidhr (as) set an example for him by displaying his patience, determination, helpfulness and maturity, and taught him to seek the inherent wisdom in all that is experienced.
"As for the wall, it belonged to two young orphans in the town, and there was a treasure underneath it that belonged to them. Their father was one of the righteous, and your Lord wanted them to come of age and then to unearth their treasure as a mercy from Him. I did not do it of my own volition. That is the explanation of the things about which you were not able to restrain yourself." (Surat al-Kahf, 82)
The last wisdom behind his action, as explained by Khidhr (as), has to do with the orphans' wall. The verse discusses caring for the orphans of faithful parents. As we read elsewhere:
… They will ask you about the property of orphans. Say: "Managing it in their best interests is best." If you mix your property with theirs, they are your brothers. Allah knows one who plunders from one who improves. If Allah had wanted, He could have been hard on you. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat al-Baqara, 220)
The believers, as pointed out here, take the utmost care to protect the orphans' rights and ensure their moral education, because of their good character and strict adherence to Allah's commands and recommendations. Muslims are generous to orphans: "Any wealth you give away should go to your parents and relatives, to orphans and the very poor, and travellers. Whatever good you do, Allah knows it" (Surat al-Baqara, 215). Even if the Muslims are in need, they give priority to these other people: "They give food, despite their love for it, to the poor, orphans, and captives" (Surat al-Insan, 8). Allah warns those who wrong orphans, as follows:
People who consume the orphan's property wrongfully consume nothing in their bellies except fire. They will roast in a Searing Blaze. (Surat an-Nisa', 10)
As the morals of Islam recommend, Khidhr (as) considers the orphans' welfare and invests in their future. If he had not restored the wall, it would have collapsed and revealed the treasure belonging to their father. As a result, they would have lost their treasure to the wrongdoers. Khidhr (as) repairs the wall so that it will last until the children grow up, thus keeping the treasure concealed so that they might benefit from it in the future, as their father had intended.
As we mentioned earlier, Khidhr's (as) compassion and devotion to orphans and the poor reflects Allah's attribute of compassion. By repairing the wall, Khidhr (as) points out the importance of taking precautions to protect the property of children. Khidhr (as) trusts Allah and builds a solid wall that will remain for as long as Allah wills.
Furthermore, the wall's collapse could have caused great injury or damage to passers-by, the surrounding plant and animal life, or be the apparent cause of someone's death. In addition, this verse could be indicating the importance of doing a professional job when restoring damaged walls.
In the verse, Khidhr (as) says: "I did not do it by my own volition." In other words, he is aware that Allah does everything within its predetermined destiny, and makes clear thereby, and in the best possible way, that none of his actions are the result of his own decision.
They will ask you about Dhu'l-Qarnayn. Say: "I will tell you something about him that is worthy of remembrance and mention." (Surat al-Kahf, 83)
Throughout history, many scholars have interpreted the narrative of Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) in many ways. The verse says that it was revealed as a reminder to believers and is connected with the revelations of hidden meanings and reasons.
The Qur'an uses the narrative of Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) to give more examples of Islamic values for the benefit of the believers, and relates events from which they can learn lessons. Their meanings are so clear and easily understandable that they can be taken literally and reflected upon in order to comprehend and learn. As Allah says:
Alif Lam Ra. A Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from One Who is All-Wise, All-Aware. (Surah Hud, 1)
Believers need to read the Qur'an with a pure heart and the intention to learn, for Allah states in Surat al-Hajj 16 that the verses are "Clear Signs." Other verses on this subject are the following:
The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance for mankind, with Clear Signs containing guidance and discrimination… (Surat al-Baqara, 185)
… A Light has come to you from Allah, and a Clear Book. By it, Allah guides those who follow what pleases Him to the ways of Peace. He will bring them from the darkness to the light by His permission, and guide them to a straight path. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 15-16)
We gave him power and authority on Earth, and granted him a way to everything. So he followed a way. (Surat al-Kahf, 84-85)
This verse mentions power and authority. A nation's government must be powerful in politics, economics, and defense. If the government is weak, the country might come face-to-face with critical situations, especially via foreign powers who try to weaken it further as well as its internal opponents who accelerate their efforts toward the same goal. As a consequence, economic problems, rebellion, and revolts will occur and force the country into chaos. But Dhu'l-Qarnayn's (as) nation is far from this situation, for its government's rule is solid, rational, and strong.
"We granted him a way to everything" suggests that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) has been given the ability to solve every problem, which means that he is a very intelligent, sagacious, and perceptive believer. With these Allah-given faculties, he solves all complex issues quickly and removes the obstacles. Allah clears his path and supports him with superior knowledge. As will be seen later on, his qualities are well known and, because of this, his opinion, advice, and help are sought by others.
Until he reached the setting of the Sun, and found it setting in a muddy spring and found a people by it. We said: "Dhu'l-Qarnayn, you can either punish them or else you can treat them with gentleness." (Surat al-Kahf, 86)
We understand from the verse that first Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) heads west, for where the sun sets could be the westernmost place on Earth. If the intended meaning is Europe, this could be Portugal, Spain or the Strait of Gibraltar. If the verse refers to Africa, its westernmost countries are Senegal and Mauritania. (Allah knows best.)
The verse also mentions that this western place is a "muddy spring." In Arabic, this phrase is `aynin hami'ah. `Ayn means "eye, spring, fountain, and source"; hami'ah means "black mud, smudged, and muddy."
Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) could have been heading for Africa, as Bediuzzaman Said Nursi indicated. According to him:
Firstly, by explaining that Dhu'l-Qarnayn's journey to the west coincided with the intense heat of summer, the area of a swamp, the time of the setting of the sun, and the time of a volcanic eruption, it alludes to many instructive matters, like the complete conquest of Africa… Also the spring is a metaphor. From the distance a large sea appears like a small pool. The likening of a sea appearing beyond swamps, and mists and vapours rising from it due to the heat, to a muddy spring, together with word `ayn, which in Arabic means both spring, and sun, and eye, is most meaningful and apt according to the mysteries of eloquence…
Terming the Atlantic Ocean a muddy spring indicates that Dhu'l-Qarnayn saw that huge ocean as a spring due to the distance. But because the Qur'an sees everything from close to, it did not see what Dhu'l-Qarnayn saw, which was a sort of illusion. Indeed, since the Qur'an comes from the heavens and looks to them, it sees the earth sometimes as an arena, sometimes as a palace, sometimes as a cradle, and sometimes as a page. Thus, its calling the vast misty, vaporous Atlantic Ocean a spring shows its great elevatedness. 1
Someone watching, from a great distance, the sunset on the horizon, will see this as the Sun dipping into the sea or as descending into the mountain depending behind what it sets. This obviously depends on the person's standpoint and the angle from which this event is being viewed.
Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as), upon reaching this land, meets its inhabitants. Allah tells him how to react to them: If they swear allegiance to him and lead a Muslim way of life, he is to treat them well; if they revolt against Allah's law, do not accept Islam, and do evil, he is to act accordingly.
Dhu'l-Qarnayn's (as) response will be according to the law. Those who do good and behave well will receive the same good treatment; those who choose evil, wickedness, and revolt will be treated appropriately. As only a judge has the authority to determine the appropriate response, we can deduce that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as), besides being his nation's leader, was also empowered to judge. According to the law of that time, he could choose among imprisonment, arrest, and other forms of punishment.
The expressions in this verse can be interpreted to mean that Dhu'l-Qarnayn's (as) nation has a ruler who serves as the head of state, sole authority, and judge of the legal system. At this point in time, he is that person.
If the wrongdoing person or people revolt, resist, and attack, the nation will defend itself with all its might. The expression "you can punish them" could suggest that the nation can defend itself. While we are considering these means of punishment, Dhu'l-Qarnayn's (as) security and military forces must be mentioned too.
Scholars interpret "spring" in different ways. According to one, Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as), by means of a "cause," made a journey through space and saw the Sun fall into a black hole.2 Dying suns collapse within and form black holes. This type of star condenses, and the density of their matter increases dramatically. Stars three times the size of our Sun shrink to a diameter of a few kilometers, and their gravitational force increases so much that they swallow up light, sound, and even time. Their gravity pulls in other stars, and each star they swallow increases the gravitational force proportionately.3
Since they swallow up anything that comes within their gravitational pull, they are thought of as "black swamps." And, because they do not reflect light, they are called "black holes."
He said: "As for those who do wrong, we will punish them. Then they will be returned to their Lord, and He will punish them with a dreadful punishment." (Surat al-Kahf, 87)
From the expressions used in the verse, we understand that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) was a Muslim leader who ruled a Muslim nation. When he spoke, he reminded his people of Allah and the Hereafter. He spoke in a Muslim manner.
Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) makes it clear that the wrongdoers will be punished according to the law of that time. Allah ordained that he would punish the unbelievers in this life; however, this is only the part of their punishment, for as our Lord states: "… And the punishment of the Hereafter is much greater, if they only knew" (Surat al-Qalam, 33).
Everyone who denies Allah's existence and the Hereafter, and who rejects the precepts of the Qur'an, will receive exactly what they deserve in this life as well as in the Hereafter. Many nations throughout history were punished severely in this life, for they rejected the Messengers' invitation to believe. The verses, which reveal the destruction of these nations, also reveal that the punishment of the Hereafter is far worse and should be more feared by people. As Allah says:
So We sent a howling wind against them on disastrous ill-fated days to make them taste the punishment of degradation in this world. The punishment of the Hereafter is even more degrading. They will not be helped. (Surah Fussilat, 16)
That is how We repay anyone who is profligate and does not believe in the Signs of his Lord. The punishment of the Hereafter is much harsher and longer lasting. (Surah Ta Ha, 127)
The punishment awaiting the unbelievers in Hell is described as "dreadful." Various descriptions in the Qur'an inform us that such suffering is far more painful than what we experience in this world. For this reason, people should ponder and fear the punishment in the Hereafter before they worry about their suffering here, for that fear could lead them to repent, turn away from denial, and submit to Allah.
"But as for him who believes and acts rightly, he will receive the best of rewards, and We will issue a command, making things easy for him." (Surat al-Kahf, 88)
We understand from this verse that Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) is not just his nation's leader and judge, but also a preaching Muslim calling to faith. It is clear that he educates and rules his people according to Allah's good pleasure.
Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) immediately calls the people he meets to believe in Allah, devotion, the good deeds prescribed by the Qur'an, and to perform the prayers and acts of worship. He draws their attention, in order to encourage them, to the rewards that they are promised in this world and the next. Every Messenger makes this call to his nation. The Prophets incessantly called the people to guidance, and developed various strategies to stir their consciences.
Anyone who acts rightly, male or female, being a believer, We will give them a good life and recompense them according to the best of what they did. (Surat an-Nahl, 97)
In addition, the verse indicates that whatever the people's responses may be, the believers are to act with determination and to obey Allah's order to "command the right and forbid the wrong." This is an important responsibility for sincere believers, just as it was for the Prophets, as the following verse points out:
Let there be a community among you who call to the good, enjoin the right, and forbid the wrong. They are the ones who have success. (Surah Al `Imran, 104)
Another important piece of information here is to make things easy for the Muslims and not to complicate matters for them. Things should be made easy, comfortable, and pleasant for good people in their actions, decisions, and everyday affairs. Our Lord reminds the believers of this by saying: "… Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you…" (Surat al-Baqara, 185) and: "We have made the Qur'an easy to remember. But is there any rememberer there?" (Surat al-Qamar, 17). Therefore, the believers must know that choosing the easier path is a requirement of the Qur'an. In addition, they must not let Allah's promise, "We will ease you to the Easy Way" (Surat al-A`la, 8), slip their mind. As Allah says:
Strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has selected you and not placed any constraint upon you in the religion—the religion of your forefather Ibrahim. He named you Muslims before and also in this, so that the Messenger could be a witness over you and so you could be witnesses over all mankind. So establish prayer, pay the alms, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protector—the Best Protector, the Best Helper. (Surat al-Hajj, 78)
Then he followed a way until he reached the rising of the Sun, and found it rising on a people to whom We had not given any shelter from it. We had encompassed that he had "knowledge comprising essence" near him [or all that he had in knowledge]. (Surat al-Kahf, 89-91)
The second time Dhu'l-Qarnayn (as) sets off, he goes east. Applying the verse to a map, he could have gone to Korea, China, or Manchuria (northern China). The verse mentions "a people to whom We had not given any shelter from the Sun." The Arabic word for shelter is "sitr" (to cover, to hide). It is derived from the root "satara." Thus, in the context of this verse, it means "a cover in the form of cloths or a building."
… he reached the rising of the Sun… (Surat al-Kahf, 90)
Therefore, it can be assumed that these people did not live in houses but rather in the open, wide land. They had no forms of shelter or devices like umbrellas. They may have been nomadic, or a people who worked at night and spent the days in underground shelters. Or, they might have been a people who had no clothes or civilization. Omer Nasuhi Bilmen interprets the verse in this way:
"Dhu'l-Qarnayn, in this journey, came to the land of the rising sun (where the sun is born). For these people there was no protection from the rays of the sun like a piece of cloth, a building, or a mountain. These people were either entering the sea or an underground cavity when the sun rose and came out to do their work when the sun set."4
Surat al-Kahf 91 speaks of Dhu'l-Qarnayn's (as) knowledge of the essence of things. The Arabic word for "knowledge comprising the essence" is "khubr," which means "to know thoroughly, to be fully acquainted with the truth."
This knowledge is a special knowledge that Allah gives only to His chosen few. As Surat al-Kahf 68 indicates above, Khidhr (as) also was graced with this special knowledge.


text:
On this tour you will learn a little about what ACL2 is for rather than how ACL2 works. At the bottom of the ``page'' (which may extend beyond the end of your screen) there is a small ``flying tour'' icon. Click on it to go to the next page of the tour.
The tour visits the following topics sequentially.
The Flight Plan * This Documentation * What is ACL2? * Mathematical Logic * Mechanical Theorem Proving * Mathematical Models in General * Mathematical Models of Computing Machines Formalizing Models Running Models Symbolic Execution of Models Proving Theorems about Models * Requirements of ACL2 The User's Skills Training Host System
We intend the tour to take about 10 minutes of your time. Some pages on the tour contain pointers to other documents. You need not follow these pointers to stay on the tour.


text:
Collin Walker Estate Sale [Back to Gallery]
(This is John Bartos) As most of you know, long-time GCKI member, past president and huge club supporter - Collin Walker, recently passed away. I am helping Collin's wife Peggy liquidate his estate. I've worked out with Peggy what she hopes to financially achieve and will be selling Collin's kart and parts collection accordingly. Please note - that these will be offered at very low prices per Peggy's wishes. She wants them to go to someone from GCKI who will get enjoyment out of them. They are all listed on the GCKI Classified forum. racekarts.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11 All are at bargain prices. The orange kart dual-engine vintage kart is actually sold. I'm very pleased for Peggy as it starts the cash flow. It took exactly one hour after I listed it for that beauty to sell. This weekend it will be on its way up to upstate New York to its proud new owner.
© 2009 - 2018 Gulf Coast Karters. All rights reserved.
Website design, maintenance & SEO by Gaddy Web Design
Website design, maintenance & SEO by Gaddy Web Design