When making investment decisions it is always important to remember the old saying, "If something looks too good to be true, it probably is." This is especially true if anyone promises you a bitcoin mining rig, which people wait for months in advance, at just a third of the retail price.
The cryptocurrency market is usually hit with rather sophisticated cyber crimes like ransomware, hacking and malicious code injections. Still, good old fashioned methods of separating people from their money have not disappeared. A new example of this comes from China where a man allegedly made about $15 million by just appealing to people's greed, promising mining hardware at a huge discount, and simply running away with the money.
Mr. Zhang, a resident of Anhui province in his twenties, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding almost 100 million yuan from fifty victims over a three month period, state media China Central Television (CCTV) reports. He took advantage of the insatiable demand for bitcoin in China at the tail end of 2017's price rally and posted claims online that he can deliver mining rigs, that cost about 30,000 yuan at the time, for just 10,000 yuan. The delivery of the goods was promised two months after he got the money, but it never materialized.
According to the report, Zhang gained the trust of his victims by appearing to deliver some of the mining machines for the discounted price. However, he didn't really have a source for cheap rigs, and the Chinese police discovered later-on that they were actually bought for full price by him. Once people were convinced Zhang can really get discounted rigs, he received orders for thousands of them before vanishing in January.
The alleged conman surrendered to the police by his own volition after two months, claiming he was unable to deliver the promised rigs due to supply shortage and rising prices. He now awaits prosecution, but the money he received had already been spent on luxury cars as well as the rigs, according to CCTV.
Would you trust anyone that promises a mining rig at a third of the cost? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.


text:
Hydropionea rufalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by George Hampson in 1917. It is found in Colombia.

References

Moths described in 1917
Spilomelinae

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In case you are trying to find best steroids inside your town, then right here we provide you with a tested Crazy-Bulk items that can constructed your final muscle in 4 months. They may have assures 100% legal item which can be clinically improve muscle toughness and make certain significant results in just 4 months to eight months.
In terms of slicing brokers for the bodybuilding clearly show, there usually are only two words and phrases that arrive at thoughts: ECA and Clen. ECA is the easy, legal Remedy for fat loss used by many newbie and intermediate bodybuilders when planning for a exhibit. State-of-the-art bodybuilders (major degree NPC and professional athletes) will normally use ECA along side Clenbuterol for an extremely synergistic Extra fat decline impact. Both are practical selections, but Clenbuterol should only be made use of at the time ECA is not adequate to reach preferred physique Fats stages.
Clen was originally created for treatment method of lung ailments, including bronchial asthma. Athletes before long learned that using it triggered greater muscles and reduce system Extra fat, To put it simply. Scientifically, Clen can make the usage of oxygen inside the bloodstream more economical. In real everyday living phrases for bodybuilders, this translates to lessened muscle atrophy, better body mass, and quicker burning of saved overall body Body fat. Clen is a favorite amid leading amateur bodybuilders, and nearly all of Expert bodybuilders to hire it to some degree primary nearly a demonstrate, normally stacked with ECA.
Clenbuterol is a really anabolic drug. Its beneficial consequences are felt almost immediately, which means that the foundation for Unwanted side effects get started presently also. Temporary, the person may sense overheated, nauseous, shaky, and nervous. The more time expression side effects of clen use principally include heart arrhythmia, coronary heart failure, and heart destruction. It can make the method transfer more quickly, and the heart is undoubtedly Component of the program. Clen really should hardly ever be taken 12 months-round. Bodybuilders must only take into account clen for brief-term use, to lose bodyfat immediately just before a clearly show.
When you are new to bodybuilding or competing in a local NPC level clearly show, you are almost certainly not ready to become All set for Clenbuterol. ECA is definitely the compound you should be using presently. As your competition bodyweight techniques 220 (240 off-time) and you have peaked for four or even more shows, it would be time for you to insert Clen to your pre-season program.


text:
"When men, even unknowingly, …": Quién sabe?, Love is Colder than Death, Le Cercle rouge: The Buddy Movie Becomes Romance
Bill Mousoulis
Going Far for the Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference
Left in the Dark: Film Reviews and Essays, 1988-2001 by Stuart Klawans
Lewis, Jerry
Deconstructing Jerry: Lewis as Director, Great Directors
Looking Both Ways: The 54th Melbourne International Film Festival
July 20–August 7, 2005
Question: Why did the film festival cross the road? Answer: Because it didn't know how to go either left or right. In her report on the 52nd Melbourne International Film Festival two years back, Michelle Carey suggested that, for the future, MIFF "needs to trim the fat and truly think about curating a program and subsections with meaning rather than merely filling in the template". The "template" being: 19 days, four or five cinemas running simultaneously, approximately 250 different sessions, a broad range of programming, some half-hearted forums, a casual "street press" festival guide, in short: an attempt to be all things to all people. The 2005 version of MIFF stuck to this template. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I saw 50 of the 250 sessions, and that constituted, for me, a pretty good festival. If the template was trimmed, to, say, 200 sessions, that would be disastrous (for me and my ilk) as it would almost certainly mean the elimination of left-field titles. To think that 50 commercial titles would be eliminated is too idealistic. So, all things considered, this template that MIFF fills in each year is pretty good.
But that doesn't mean it can't be tweaked. Why not give the programming spectrum some sharper edges? To the left, more radical work, and even to the right – say, a Tarantino or Lynch. Danger one end, pizzazz the other. We certainly don't need more MOR films. Why not have active curators who can enthusiastically introduce their films? James Hewison (Executive Director) and Nick Feik (Programme Coordinator) gave too many perfunctory intros this year. They spread themselves too thin. Why not give the forums more respect? Make them work better in the unwieldy Festival Club space. Give them 90 minutes, not 60. Make the audience listen. And the biggest "why not" – why not make the festival guide less trashy? As Adrian Martin pointed out in his critique of MIFF, "Screen Gems", (1) the festival guide is "substandard", full of "PR hype". But it probably needs to be that way, to ensure the commercial viability of the festival.
For better or worse, let me use this dreaded festival guide to navigate my way through my MIFF experience this year.
Kicking off proceedings in the guide, the International Panorama section contained 55 titles, "international" not including Asia. As with all the sections in the guide, the films are not listed in any discernible order, apart from a slight "programming bias" order. Commercial works like Mysterious Skin (Gregg Araki, 2004) and Palindromes (Todd Solondz, 2004) sit next to arthouse fare like 5 x 2 (François Ozon, 2004) and Yesterday (Darrell Roodt, 2004) which sit next to experimental exercises like Chain (Jem Cohen, 2004) and World Mirror Cinema (Gustav Deutsch, 2005). I saw 11 of these titles, including three artful, distinctive, powerful works: L'Enfant (The Child) (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, 2005), Le Pont des Arts (Eugène Green, 2004) and Rois et reine (Kings and Queen) (Arnaud Desplechin, 2004).
L'Enfant finds the Dardenne brothers still utilising their insistent brand of realism, but this time they pull back on the intensity, and up the compassion. It's a more measured style for them, their mise en scène giving more space to the characters, whose frayed emotions charge the screen. Great acting, sure, but also great cinematic form, as the Dardennes stretch time and space in a daring, exciting way. Le Pont des Arts is the opposite of frayed: it's a lovely, stylised, poignant tale of a girl driven to suicide by the cruelty of her music teacher. Seemingly a romantic-tragic fable, complete with Bressonian acting and Ozuesque mise en scène, it's enlivened (or "twisted" may be a better term) by a gentle tone of camp. Very unusual! But very entertaining. Rois et reine also has an unusual mix of dramatic and comedic elements. This film is a whirlwind of touches, most of them delicate and delightful. Its fast style ultimately gets the better of it though – it seems to trap itself in its need to unveil more and more, leaving it ungrounded and inconclusive at the end.
A similar problem besets Mon Père est ingénieur (My Father is an Engineer) (Robert Guédiguian, 2004), also in the International Panorama section. Its use of flashbacks to unveil its back-story works clumsily in the overall construction. It makes us not care for the characters, despite the ever-present grace of Guédiguian's beloved Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Other titles viewed in the International Panorama section: Vento di terra (Vincenzo Marra, 2004) – a clumsy, overcooked melodrama; Clean (Olivier Assayas, 2004) – engaging and colourful, but a little too "clean" emotionally; Forty Shades of Blue (Ira Sachs, 2004) – a warm and humane, but also dull, indie flick; Palindromes – enjoyably perverse, but also profoundly flat; A Dirty Shame (John Waters, 2004) – campy, trashy sex comedy, it was a much-needed tonic the night it was viewed; P.S. (Dylan Kidd, 2004) – dreadful mainstream fare; What Alice Found (A. Dean Bell, 2003) – a light concoction, barely redeemed by its "small", indie nature.
Next up in the festival guide, the Australian Showcase. This comprised around 20 titles, of which I saw seven. I am a critic of MIFF's programming of Australian content (see my "Dreams for Australian Cinema"), but I believe they get it wrong by only one or two sessions each year. This year, it seemed pretty pointless programming the highly-commercial Wolf Creek (Greg McLean, 2005). The two best films in the program (of the ones I saw) were Satellite (Ben Speth, 2005) and The Marey Project (James Clayden, 2005).
Satellite is an example of formalist, minimalist narrative – very rare in Australian film. Lo and behold, the director actually hails from New York, and is schooled in the ways of Jon Jost, Chantal Akerman, etc. It shows. Three individuals walk and drive through Melbourne, occasionally crossing paths, but never really connecting (certainly not enough to create a "story"). Speth's formal play is engrossing, the way he moves his characters through the cityscapes, the way he applies interesting rhythms to these movements, the way he stylises the visuals and sounds. The security guard doing his shopping and having some lunch, after his long night's work, is a sublime, breathtaking sequence. Sadly, the film drifts a bit in its closing stages. The Marey Project is the latest film from veteran avant-gardist Clayden, and he is in magnificent form. Far from the severe fragmentation of his previous feature, HAMLET X (2003), The Marey Project, whilst still a huge puzzle to work out, is sensual and pleasurable, in its exploration of sex, power, murder, cinema. Instead of HAMLET X's abrupt cuts and extreme dramatics, this film has beautiful dissolves and intriguing whispers. It's an eerie work, reminiscent of La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962), in its clash of science with humanity.
I found three of the other Australian films worthy, but not without flaws: Blacktown (Kriv Stenders, 2005) is an admirable exercise, a low-budget DV narrative blessed with a wonderful lead character and actor (Tony Ryan), but marred by conventional dramatics disrupting the delicate, moving realism the film sets up; The Magician (Scott Ryan, 2005) boasts a great central performance (from the director himself) and is exciting in an overall sense, but is way too thin in both its narrative and thematic ideas, betraying its origins as a student film; Jabe Babe: A Heightened Life (Janet Merewether, 2005) is an inventive doco on the life of an unusual person, with the director utilising a particular cinematic form that nicely illustrates the subject's condition (Marfan Syndrome, causing Jabe to be "big"), but the film's inventive form also, ultimately, divests the film of any emotive power: we aren't as moved by Jabe's story as we should be.
And now to the bad news, for with Australian cinema there is always bad news. I decided to check out one of the hyped features on show, Look Both Ways (Sarah Watt, 2005). The festival guide calls it an "astonishing" film. For me, the only astonishing thing about it is how awful it is. As a treatise on death, it is tepid at best, flippant at worst. As a narrative construction, it is over-earnest and cliché-ridden. Crucially, the film is unnatural – nothing in it rings true, the characters, the settings, the ideas. The characters are so self-conscious – they converse with each other spouting lines like "What kind of a line is that?" This is embarrassing. It's a sign of immaturity – in the characters and in the scriptwriter (Watt herself). Indeed, combining this film with Lantana (Ray Lawrence, 2001), I reckon we now have twin towers of fool's gold hovering above us, in the search for a more intelligent, mature Australian cinema. Mind you, I'm in the minority here (Adrian Martin and others have given Look Both Ways positive reviews upon its subsequent release in Melbourne). I also found the 50-minute Stranded (Stuart McDonald, 2005) cliché-ridden and average at best.
Next in the festival guide, some Asian sections. It was a delight to see all of Chinese auteur Jia Zhang-ke's films again. As well as being a rigorous formalist, Jia has a beautiful feel for the ordinary person, evidenced by the numerous scenes where his main characters interact with their families. His new film Shijie (The World) (2004) is disappointing however: its form verges on the conventional, and it also betrays a bizarre desire to "entertain", especially with its animation sequences. The Jia retrospective was placed within the Horizons: New Chinese Cinema section, which contained a dozen more films, unseen by me.
Sliced Life: Fruit Chan was the major retrospective presented by MIFF this year, comprising seven of the director's works. Most of the films, however, were screened just once, and they were out of order (some are connected), so the scheduling left much to be desired. As a result, I caught only two of the films – Xilu xiang (Little Cheung) (1999), which I found engaging and enjoyable, if somewhat conventional, and the newest work, Gaudzi (Dumplings) (2005), which is a minor work no matter which way you look at it. Of the Brain Monkey Sushi Japanese works, on the opposite page to Fruit Chan, I saw none.
Uchida Tomu: A Visionary Discovered was another retro, and a welcome one at that, of a little-known director who directed over 60 features. The package presented (only) five of those films, from the latter part of his career ('50s and '60s). I caught two of them – Chiyari Fuji (A Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji) (1955) is an impressive, eclectic samurai film, full of marvellous moments and unexpected twists; Naniwa no Koi no Monogatari (Chikamatsu's "Love in Osaka") (1959) is a more sober affair, but still constructed with confidence and flair.
The much-loved Regional Focus section graces the festival guide next. There were 23 titles in the section this year, of which I saw seven. The unexpected highlight was Yeoja, Jeong-hye (This Charming Girl) (Lee Yoon-ki, 2004) from South Korea. One of the particular thrills known to cinephiles is the delicious sensation of experiencing a great director's work for the first time. Yes, I have no doubt Lee is a great director. As usual with any virginal cine experience, it can take a while (maybe 10 minutes, maybe 30) to pick up on the director's distinct style, tone, feel. This Charming Girl is disorienting early, as Lee utilises a fast style (hand-held camera, jump cutting) on completely banal material (our heroine watering her plants, etc.). But the film, and the viewer, settles in. Building slowly, with very economical flashbacks, the portrait of our damaged heroine develops and attains an astonishing power by the end – when we see her crying late in the film, it is profoundly moving because it is a shock to see her do so. Despite her trauma and grief, all film, she didn't cry, not once. It's a cheap effect in films, and Lee wisely avoids it. Then again, this suits this character – she is stoic, brave, able to overcome tragedy. Damn MIFF schedulers again – This Charming Girl was on only once.
Okay, I know the revered masters also had films in Regional Focus. Tian bian yi duo yun (The Wayward Cloud) (Tsai Ming-liang, 2005) is a scream: poignant romance, porn, comedy, musical, all rolled into one, it truly is the work of a master; Hou Hsiao-hsien fares a little less successfully with his own divertissement, Kôhî jikô (Café Lumière) (2003), as its exterior scenes don't resonate as they should, even if its interiors are gentle and beautiful; Bin-jip (3-Iron) (Kim Ki-duk, 2004) is a modest but lovely film from one of the world's most exciting auteurs currently, as he manipulates his abiding themes of violence, redemption and love in increasingly inventive ways; and another South Korean modern master, Hong Sang-soo, weighed in with Keuk jang jeon (Tale of Cinema) (2005), again a modest film, but again an interesting variation on the director's abiding themes (cinema, destiny, the battle of the sexes).
Cinema Argentino contained eight titles, of which I saw two: the realistic Los Muertos (Lisandro Alonso, 2004), with its wonderful extended real-time passages, and quiet, cumulative power; and El cielito (Little Sky) (María Victoria Menis, 2004), an intelligent work (but with a somewhat implausible narrative), the director having a great sense of space and a great sense of editing.
The nine titles in New Europe: Visions from the Edge now look very interesting to me, but at the time, I caught only one of them: L'Intrus (The Intruder) (Claire Denis, 2004). As a director of bodies, feelings, movements, colours, sounds, Denis is firing on all cylinders at the moment – the moment-to-moment cinematic play is extremely enjoyable. Somehow, she represents the characters in her world in both a corporeal and poetic manner. And she has the confidence to not only utilise ellipses, but to also infuse the realistic narrative with traces of metaphor that aren't telegraphed to the viewer. Michel Subor is extraordinary, as a man attempting to alleviate his eternal ache, but his is only one of numerous extraordinary visages in the film.
Emergence: New Women Filmmakers from Europe contained six films, of which I saw two: Innocence (Lucile Hadzihalilovic, 2004) has a great overall idea, but its details are bland – it's a clever allegory on femalehood, with a feminist sensibility, but it is simply poorly executed, the script not honed enough, and the editing lax; El cielo gira (The Sky Turns) (Mercedes Álvarez, 2004) has a similar problem – again, a great premise, but the final result not as sharp and effective as it should be (even given the film's contemplative nature).
Homelands Now: The Middle East in Focus was a major program, with just under 20 sessions devoted to it. Clearly a "festival within the festival", I decided to not attend any of it, as I felt seeing only several titles wouldn't do justice to the themes on show. I also missed all of the films in the Zero to Hero: Survival of the Fittest (sporting films) and Documentaries sections. But I did catch one of the films in the Film on Film section, the inspiring portraiture Le Fantôme d'Henri Langlois (Henri Langlois: Phantom of the Cinémathèque) (Jacques Richard, 2004), and I also had some fun with a number of the films in the Backbeat: Music on Film section.
Of the Sideshow: New Media, Animation Gallery, Animation Shorts and Short Films sections, I just saw a few things here and there, nothing to really comment on. But within the Experimental program, amongst a number of good short films, was the new work from the Austrian supremo Peter Tscherkassky, Instructions for a Light and Sound Machine (2004), another glorious 35mm B&W quasi-horror film, via the reconstruction of found footage – forget about any notion of "moment-to-moment" cinematic play, here we have a "frame-by-frame" play, and it is truly exhilarating.
As you can see by all the sections I've listed in this report, MIFF is an expansive, impressive festival. Staging around 450 sessions is no mean feat, and the organisers should be congratulated. The worst thing that could happen to the festival is that it becomes smaller. The best thing is that its programming becomes more adventurous. But that is unlikely to happen, because, broadly speaking, Melbourne audiences are conservative. As MIFF now begins to plan its 2006 incarnation, we hope it continues to, at the least, look both ways when programming its material: to the crowd-pleasers, but also to the difficult films. It really can't compete with international festivals in the vein of Venice or Rotterdam, but at least it can continue enhancing its stature as a solid, non-glitzy, user-friendly third tier festival. As director for the past few years, James Hewison has also given MIFF a distinctly Asian flavour, which has drawn both praise and criticism from people. But it is bold initiatives like that that will help keep MIFF interesting and an event to look forward to each year, rather than one that is to be increasingly accepted in its averageness.
The Age, July 16, 2005.
Welcome to Issue 36 of our journal!
Bill Mousoulis is the founding editor of Senses of Cinema. He is an Australian independent filmmaker now based in Europe.
Shadows on the Pier: The 48th Thessaloniki Film Festival
Jared Rapfogel
Let Your Mind Wander: 65th Melbourne International Film Festival
Dominic Barlow

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Kittenz
Kittenz Galleries
Kitten of the Month
Kasanova Kitten Video's
Kasanova Magazine
Welcome to KASANOVA. Log into your account
KASANOVA
AllAirLandSea
PURE McLAREN RACE ACADEMY AIMS TO TRANSFORM TRACK DAY REGULARS INTO…
The Official Release of the BAC Automotive USA with the mono…
INFINITI AND RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE JOIN FORCES TO CREATE PROJECT…
New Learjet 85 Continues 50-Year Legacy
The Do's and Don'ts of Falling in Love with a Booty-Call
Bring your A Game-In The Game Of Sex & Love, You've…
How To Tell Her She's Bad In Bed: & How To…
The Key To Enjoying Anal Together
How To Summon Her Freaky Side!
Home Rides Land Aston Martin Vantage V12
Aston Martin Vantage V12
The new Aston Martin V12 breathes a fresh breath into the Aston Martin line, by giving the new Aston Martin the best of what the company has to offer. A crisp responsive frame that handles corners as if the tires were super glued to the ground coupled, with all the power of cramming the flagship V12 engine found in the DBS into the vantage. This car has enough good looks and charm to make even James Bond feel flushed and nervous. The company wanted to takes it rightful place as a leader in the supercar world and I think they hit the bulls eye with this one.
Looking at the car it has the same beautiful aesthetics we've come to expect from the fine British automaker with some noticeable aerodynamic changes. These include a louvered hood carbon fiber front and rear air dams and really stylish side skirts borrowed from Aston Martin Racing. The car is a also wider than the V8 vantage which gives the car a more race bred stance all the while still staying true to the Understated design Aston Martin has employed throughout the years. The interior of the Aston Martin also holds true to the lavish styling that we have seen in past models, Alcantara leather and suede are used throughout as well carbon fiber accents. The interior is surprisingly comfortable yet you still get the feeling that you are in a supercar.
The Aston Martin Vantage V12 is just as comfortable being thrown around the track as it is driving your Kitten to an extravagant dinner affair. The V12 Vantage has ample power and a smooth torque available thorough out its 6500 red line. The V12 pushes out 510 horse power and 420lbs of torque at 5750 rpm. That power means this Vantage has more get up and go than any Aston Martin to date excluding the one-77 model. It has impressive performance stats. It goes from standing still to 60mph in just 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 190 mph. This car has been designed to be a pure sports car. It has a 6 speed transmission mounted behind the driver for better weight distribution. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage also has an impressive lateral acceleration of 1.3g on the skid pad. It also has the classic sports car layout of rear wheel drive and front mounted engine.
The Aston Martin V12 Vantage is manufactured alongside its DBS, DB9 and V8 Vantage brethren in the state of the art production facility located at Aston Martin Headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, this facility combines years of handcraftsmanship with high tech manufacturing process of the 20th century. If you like what you've read so far you had better be ready to pull out your check book and get one that is if you live in Europe. A lace we won't be getting this machine on our shores, because the production run on this jewel of a car is limited to 1,000 over the life of this car. I am sure there are already fans of the car clamoring to get their very own Vantage V12. The limited run makes this a truly exclusive sports car.
The price of the Aston Martin V-12 Vantage is $247,000 US Dollars puts it firmly in the race for clients that are looking at the Lamborghini Gallardo, the Porsche 911 GT2 and Porsche GT3. Aston has hit the mark with this finely crafted machine and it is sure to win the hearts of many adoring fans. Who can't fall in love with a light weight car with the biggest possible engine crammed into it and still providing a luxurious cockpit. I know what I'm putting on my wish list.
Previous articlePorsche Cayman R
Next articleAUDI R8 FSI 5.2
PURE McLAREN RACE ACADEMY AIMS TO TRANSFORM TRACK DAY REGULARS INTO RACING DRIVERS
The Official Release of the BAC Automotive USA with the mono supercar
INFINITI AND RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE JOIN FORCES TO CREATE PROJECT BLACK S
Hybrid Cars: The Performance Cars of the Future
THE HOUSE OF ROLLS-ROYCE ANNOUNCES SPRING/SUMMER 2017 COLLECTION
NEW BENTLEY CONTINENTAL SUPERSPORTS: THE WORLD'S FASTEST FOUR-SEAT CAR
ABOUT KASANOVA
KASANOVA is your news, entertainment, music fashion website for men. We provide you with the latest breaking news and videos straight from the entertainment industry.
KASANOVA 2257 Compliance
Tweets by KASANOVAonline
© KASANOVA 2016. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Severe drought in Horn of Africa drives 13m people to hunger crisis
in News, World News
Vast swathes of land stretching from southern Ethiopia to northern Kenya and Somalia are in the grip of a severe drought that has left 13 million people facing hunger.
Across these regions, where people eke out a living from mainly agro-pastoral activities, the three rainy seasons since the end of 2020 have been marked by low rainfall, exacerbated by a locust invasion that devastated crops between 2019 and 2021.
"The population of the Horn makes up only four percent of the global population, but it represents 20 percent of the population that is food insecure," Michael Dunford, World Food Program (WFP) regional director for eastern Africa, said earlier this month.
According to the UN agency, 5.7 million people need food aid in southern and southeastern Ethiopia, including half a million malnourished children and mothers.
In eastern and northern Kenya, where the president declared a state of national disaster in September because of the drought, another 2.8 million people need assistance.
In Somalia, the number of people classified as severely hungry could rise from 4.3 million to 4.6 million by May if urgent action is not taken.
The authorities there declared a "state of humanitarian emergency" in November.
"Malnutrition has reached crisis levels," said Victor Chinyama, a spokesman for UNICEF in Somalia. "The time to act is now."
"If you wait until things get worse or until famine is declared, it may be too late," he warned.
In 2017, early humanitarian action prevented a famine in the troubled country.
But in 2011, some 260,000 people – half of them children under the age of six – died of hunger, partly because the international community did not act fast enough, according to the UN.
Currently, the UN's annual appeal for $1.46 billion (1.23 billion euros) for Somalia has scraped in just 2.3 percent of the target.
Beyond the direct and potentially deadly consequences on the people affected, the shortage of water and grazing land is a source of conflict, particularly among herders.
The drought also threatens the animal world.
Cattle – an essential source of subsistence in the region – are dying en masse.
In Kenya alone, as many as 1.4 million livestock died in the final three months of 2021, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.
"We are most definitely now sitting on the brink of catastrophe," said Rein Paulsen, director of the FAO's Office of Emergencies and Resilience.
"We have a window to the middle of the year, to June, which is a very time-sensitive, narrow window for urgent actions to scale up to prevent a worst-case scenario."
Wildlife is also at risk. In Kenya, there have been many cases of wild animals such as giraffes or antelopes perishing for lack of water and food, their carcasses rotting on barren scrubland.
In drought conditions, wild animals will leave their usual habitat in the hunt for water or food, often straying closer to developed areas.
In central Kenya, big cats have attacked herds of livestock, while elephants or buffaloes have taken to grazing in farmland, angering the inhabitants.
Tags: AfricadroughtEthiopiaKenyaSomalia


The Miami University Libraries public computers are provided primarily to enable access to the electronic resources provided and supported by the Libraries in advancement of scholarship and research. In addition, the Libraries endorse the Library Bill of Rights and the Freedom to Read Statement of the American Library Association.
The Libraries do not monitor or filter information accessed through public computers and cannot be held liable for the content or quality of information accessed. Discretion is advised when utilizing the Internet as information may not be accurate, and may be inappropriate or offensive.
Logins are required on all computers. Miami students, faculty, and staff login with their Unique ID and Password. Those who are not affiliated with Miami obtain a guest login from the Circulation or Information desks throughout the libraries.
Computer use is expected to contribute to a comfortable and safe environment through respectful use of the Internet and public access computers.
Library computer hard drives should not be used to store information. Miami students, faculty, and staff may save files to their Netdisk space. Files may also be saved to USB drives which can be purchased at King Library's Circulation desk.


Combos Pizzaria Cheese Snack Pretzels. One of America's favorite snacks. Just the right size for snacking. Combos Pizzaria Cheese was our most requested flavor. All have a crunchy pretzel shell filled with Combos Pizza Flavored Cheese.


The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability is a tremendous asset for churches and non-profits. ECFA is providing—for free—their two popular annual tax guides—Ministers' Taxes Made Easy and Church Reporting Made Easy. These eBooks are now available on ChurchEXCEL.org/Xpastor.
Sign in to ECFA's free resource community at ChurchEXCEL.org/Xpastor.
Click "Electronic Tax Guides" icon on the dashboard.
Thanks to ECFA for helping churches and making this available to the XPastor community.


text:
Category: Adventure Action 7.4k total views
Holy Diver is the debut album by American heavy metal band Dio, released in 1983. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had just finished his first tenure in Black Sabbath, whose drummer Vinny Appice he took with him to put together his own band. The roster was completed by his former band mate in Rainbow Jimmy Bain on bass and by the young guitarist Vivian Campbell, coming from the NWOBHM band Sweet Savage. The album was critically acclaimed by the music press and is the most successful of the band.
Nobunaga no Yabo...
Route-16 Turbo
play Bubble Bobble Shitmongers (Hack) online
John Elway's Quarterback
play Clyde's Revenge (Pac-Man Hack) online
nes Super Pitfall
Famista '94
Final Mission
nes Silver Surfer
Kero Kero Keroppi no Daibouken 2 - Donuts Ike ha Oosawagi


text:
Home Africa Letter from the SMA to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and...
Letter from the SMA to the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Fr. Maurice Henry SMA
"And I put it to you as President of Ireland, how do we want to be seen from abroad? Giving a lead in matters like this, which a country like us, given our population size, given our record, can do so well. Or to be people who have recoiled, simply, in the politics of fear…"
– President Michael D Higgins
"I firmly believe this proposal presents Ireland with a unique opportunity to showcase increasingly strong leadership on Africa. The Great Green Wall's vision of a self-empowered and resilient Continent is fully aligned with the outcomes of the 5th European Union-Africa Summit, which calls for European support for African-led solutions, in particular to the growing challenges of youth unemployment, peace and security and mobility and migration."
– Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary, UNCCD
Editor's Note: Below we publish a letter, signed by Fr. Maurice Henry SMA, on behalf of the Society of African Missions, to Minister Denis Naughten, in support of the UNCCD's proposal to the Irish Government, inviting Ireland – the Emerald Isle – to take a leading role in championing Africa's Great Green Wall.
Background to the Letter:
On Tuesday 27 March 2018, the Society of African Missions facilitated a meeting between the United Nations Convention and Irish Government Ministers whose portfolios include Climate Action. The meeting followed the very successful gathering at Aras an Uachtaráin the evening before, hosted by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins. Unfortunately, the much anticipated meeting with Government Ministers proved to be frustrating and unsatisfactory as the Ministerial Cabinet meeting, expected to end by midday, ran over. The meeting was dominated by pressing political matters resulting in them arriving late which, apart from Minister for State Andrew Doyle TD, meant they missed the excellent and moving presentation by the UN Executive Secretary, Monique Barbut.
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten TD
What was positive, however, was the fact that, despite their busy schedules, the Ministers did make the effort to attend.
Following an impassioned intervention by the Society, the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Denis Naughten TD, requested the UNCCD to forward a proposal to his office which he promised to bring to Cabinet. The UNCCD, in turn, requested the Society of African Missions to write to Minister Naughten in support of their proposal which was based upon Madam Barbut's Op-Ed, published in the Irish Independent on the morning of our meeting, and which we published last week on the SMA website. The Op-Ed may be read by clicking here.
A response to the letter is assured and we will inform our readers of the outcome.
The contents of Fr. Henry's letter follows:
Minister Denis Naughten T.D.
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment
Department for CCAE
29-31 Adelaide Road
D02 X285
Dear Minister Naughten
On behalf of the Society of African Missions, I wish to thank you for your participation in the recent meeting, facilitated by Chief Whip, Mr Joe McHugh, between your Department, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Executive Secretary, Ms. Monique Barbut, and Communications Officer Mr. Alex Asen, to discuss the Convention's proposal to Ireland concerning Africa's Great Green Wall.
We welcome your openness to consider the UN proposal which offers Ireland a unique EU and international ambassadorial role in championing the cause of this epic African initiative.
The SMA made the point during the meeting that the UNCCD's invitation is too important to let slip through our hands. That is a position we continue to hold and will maintain.
From an Irish perspective, the proposal of the UNCCD and its link with the Society of African Missions' initiative to promote tree planting and biodiversity in Ireland opens up many important opportunities.
It has been widely acknowledged by the Government, as well as many NGOs and Voluntary groups, that Ireland is falling substantially short of its commitments under the Paris Climate Accord. This is not only avoidable, but unacceptable and must motivate all parties concerned to seek immediate and effective ways of addressing these shortcomings in both current policy and practice.
The Proposal made by the UNCCD to the ministerial meeting on March 27th clearly offers a concrete way to address the current inadequacies of Ireland's activity and an innovative way by which to help realise 15 or the 17 SDGs.
More than that, however, it offers Ireland the opportunity to be a global leader in supporting this unique initiative and in re-establishing Ireland's "green" credentials on the world stage. It offers Ireland the chance to position itself as a country which has benefited from the affluence of the Celtic Tiger and has withstood the impact of the financial crash, and now sees beyond itself, beyond the alleviation of national debt and the re-ordering of financial accountability. It allows Ireland to acknowledge on the international stage that other issues are now on its national agenda, issues which derive from our global citizenship, which embrace Ireland's history, with its experience of oppression, of hunger, of migration. Furthermore, it demonstrates a determination by Ireland to address climate change as the common and overriding threat to the wellbeing of so many, including those new Irish citizens who, until recently lived with such realities, realities with which SMA members have been all too familiar in their years of service in Africa.
These are benefits, not measurable by simple monetary contributions, important as those may be. These are benefits which can help to shape and build a national mindset and confidence, inclusive of all members of our society, regardless of their ethnic, religious or cultural background. This is an initiative which can offer the "New Irish" a meaningful channel of integration into their adopted homeland through recognition of the realities of their countries of origin.
Africa's Great Green Wall will become a world wonder. And it will succeed because it is an African initiative, being delivered on the ground by the African people. In pursuit of this, one of the top UN officials, Monique Barbut, has come to Ireland and offered us a unique role in helping to deliver and grow it. We know from our contacts with schools, the faith community, civil society, as well as the Irish Presidency, that Africa's Great Green Wall has the power to capture the imagination of all. This truly is a wall the whole world can believe in.
At the recent Aras reception, President Michael D Higgins, reiterating the opportunity which currently exists, issued the following challenge:
We believe that the proposal presented to the Irish Government by the UNCCD represents an immense opportunity for Ireland to imaginatively lead on a new hope-filled journey of solidarity with Africa and renewed commitment to making the critical and unforgiving issue of our age, climate breakdown, a top priority. The Great Green Wall will inspire our young people to act locally and think globally through protecting biodiversity at home and being part of the growing of a world wonder. In addition, it offers a context within which to encourage young Irish people to emulate their ancestors' impact on the wider world, whether as emigrants, pioneers or missionaries, and to ask what contribution they themselves can make to the global family, what they can do to shape the future of the human family, how they can address issues of universal concern.
The World Meeting of Families in August, and the attendance of Pope Francis, will bring international media attention to Ireland. This presents an opportunity to establish Ireland as a world leader in caring for the global family, incorporating care for others and care for creation in the vision of the Irish government and people, by way of a response to the challenge of Pope Francis in Laudato Si' to establish "a new and universal solidarity".
In conclusion, we entirely concur with the following statement by Monique Barbut which accompanies the UNCCD's proposal and echoes the declaration of President Higgins:
We recognise that this is an issue within your ministerial portfolio and that this alone merits its consideration by you. However, we would also wish to acknowledge your interest and engagement with the matter by your efforts to attend the meeting, despite your limited availability. We therefore ask you to consider this proposal with the generosity and imagination it deserves; and to also consider it as a visionary opportunity for the Government of Ireland to lead at home and abroad.
SMA Provincial Council
Cc An Tánaiste, MinisterSimon Coveney, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
MinisterMichael Creed, Department of Agriculture
Minister Joe McHugh, Government Chief Whip
Minister Andrew Doyle, Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture
Climate Action and Environment; UNCCD
Previous articleJewel of the Universe
Next article5th Sunday of Easter 2018 – Year B


So called because they are supplied flat but wrap around the wrist to form a band when 'slapped' on, thanks to a spring steel core. Easy to remove by unwinding, when they click back to flat. Great for gigs, festivals, parties, conferences and promotions of all kinds, at Mail Boxes Etc. Bath we can print them in spot or full colour.


text:
FYI: John Brown Sites of Interest
Jefferson County Courthouse Where John Brown Was Tried
Photo by Roger Dean Meyer, September 30, 2006
Marker is in Charles Town, West Virginia, in Jefferson County, at the intersection of North George Street and East Washington Street (U.S. 340), on the right when traveling north on North George Street.
Jonathan Roos, "Iowans Gear Up for Civil War Events," DesMoines Register On-line, July 16, 2007 (Excerpt)
[Iowa] State historians are hot on the trail of abolitionist John Brown, documenting the 15 Iowa stops he made after returning with a dozen freed slaves from raids in Kansas and Missouri. . . .
"That was a big event before the elections in 1860," when Abraham Lincoln won the presidency, said Lowell Soike, deputy state historic preservation officer.
Brown's Iowa stops included one at the Jordan House in what is now West Des Moines.
A meeting is scheduled for this week with Kansas and Nebraska officials to see whether those states would be interested in marking their portions of the route taken by Brown's raiding party. Image source: The Weekly Gazette [Davenport, Iowa], Nov. 1877.
Posted by Louis A. DeCaro, Jr. . . at 9:31 AM No comments: Links to this post
John Brown's Great-Great-Granddaughter: A Long-Distance Phone Chat with Eleanor Clausen Blangsted
Following the news of the death of John Clausen, a descendant of John Brown the abolitionist (see this blog for July 9), I was prompted to make contact with his surviving sister, Eleanor Clausen Blangsted, a woman in her ninth decade of life and living on the west coast. I introduced myself to her over the telephone, finding her lucid, thoughtful, and highly appreciative of my passionate interest in her great forebear.
Ms. Blangsted made it clear that she and her late brother made every effort to continue their great-great-grandfather's legacy by advocating for justice and equality for all people. Indeed, she informed me, she had marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was even an invited guest for the 10th anniversary celebration of King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. An accomplished artist, two of her works hang in the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Atlanta.
Besides being an artist and activist, Eleanor Blangsted was also a professional dancer. According to the San Diego Visual Artist's Guild website, Eleanor Blangsted
started her professional career as a teenager under contract to Warner Brothers Studio in the late 1920's. She had a successful stage career as an actress and dancer before she switched to fine art. She taught art for many years in both Los Angeles and San Diego. Her artwork has won several awards and she has exhibited widely in galleries, museums, and juried exhibitions throughout Southern California, New York, and overseas. These include the San Diego Museum of Art, Nehushtan Museum in Israel, Downey Art Museum, Mount Saint Mary's College, University of Southern California, Los Angeles County Art Museum, Oceanside Art Museum, and the Hunter Gallery in New York City. Her work is featured in numerous public and private collections.
In our converstation, Ms. Blangsted acknowledged that many people hate her great-great-grandfather, and that she is glad to know that there is a growing interest in him that is positive. She was especially delighted to learn that Brown has been chosen to be inducted into the National Abolitionist Hall of Fame this October.
Ms. Blangsted's descent from John Brown is simply sketched as follows (unfortunately I do not have complete information)
1. John Brown + Mary Ann Day Brown--daughter Ruth
2. Ruth Brown + Henry Thompson--daughter Ella
3. Ella Thompson Towne by marriage--daughter Adelene
4. Adelene Towne + Carl Clausen [Danish immigrant]--daughter Eleanor Clausen Blangsted
Ms. Blangsted and her late brother, John Clausen, have long advocated along the lines of a progressive political viewpoint, earning the contempt of the lovers and protectors of the status-quo. A good example of her gentle wit is found in a 2003 letter to the editor of the North County Times [San Diego, Calif.], expressing criticism of the brash, abusive tendencies of the right-wing pop-media commentator, Rush Limbaugh, after his issues with drug addiction became known:
I am sorry Rush Limbaugh has had terrible problems with his back and ears. As he suffers with withdrawal from the drugs, will he spend time remembering the mean things he said on the radio, most important, making fun of Amy Carter and Chelsea Clinton when they were young teenagers? That could have been so hurtful. I wonder if he is sorry. How ugly he sounded calling some women femi-Nazis. Will he soften? Will he ever apologize for his cruel remarks?
ELEANOR BLANGSTED
John Brown has many children in spiritual and ideological terms, those who revere his legacy and seek to extend his work in their respective spheres of activism. But it is also the case that Brown's real descendants walk this land today, although the Brown name is no longer carried by his progeny. Eleanor Clausen Blangsted, the great-great-granddaughter of the abolitionist is a proud descendant, and makes no apology for the love she feels for him. Before our telephone conversation ended, she sent me a "hug" over the phone and thanked me "for loving her John Brown." Her John Brown indeed!--LD
John Brown's Descendant Dies at 97: John Carl Clausen
Source: The Tehachapi News [Tehachapi, Calif.] on-line, July 9, 2007
It is with a sad heart that we announce the passing of our beloved John Carl Clausen. John was born in Pasadena, Calif., in 1910 to Carl Clausen, an author, and Adelene Clausen, granddaughter of abolitionist John Brown. He has two sisters, Adelene Craig (deceased) and Eleanor Blangsted, of Alameda.
In 1938 John married his great love, Merry Waters. They were happily married for 65 years until Merry passed away in 2003. John worked for the telephone company for 40 years and in 1947 led a national strike against AT&T, founding the Communications Workers of America and serving as president for two and a half years. He also served as the president of the Los Angeles AFL-CIO in the 1950s. John and Merry settled into a house in Tujunga and raised their two children, Nancy Lomeland and John R. Clausen.
John and Merry were both very politically active. They were involved in the 1960 and 1968 presidential campaigns, and were at the Ambassador Hotel when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated. Through the years John stayed very active and engaged in local and national politics. He was a prolific writer of letters and articles and was actively engaged to help adopt positive change in our world for all people. He was very involved with the Cesar Chavez labor union and was friends with both Cesar and his daughter, Dolores Huerta. In Tehachapi, John was a longstanding member of the Tehachapi Mountain Democratic Club and was a frequent contributor to the "liberal viewpoint" column in the Tehachapi News.
John was a lifelong dirt-bike motorcycle lover. He was a lifetime member of the Shamrock motorcycle club in southern California. He frequently took his family with him out to desert meets, and we all have amazing memories of camping in the desert and cheering on our riders. John loved the outdoors and traveling. He loved to go fishing and would take any opportunity to go to a stream or lake and catch some trout or bass. Camping trips to Yosemite were also a favorite. Once John and Merry retired, they would take their fifth-wheel and go stay at various beaches for months at a time. In 1984, they took their grandkids on a three month camping trip across the U.S. and Canada — priceless memories last of that time. John and Merry were both passionate in having fun and loving the outdoors. They passed on that passion to their kids and grandkids. John was also an avid photographer and was never happier than when he was at the controls of a slide show for friends and family. John will be deeply missed by his family and many, many friends.
John is survived by his sister Eleanor Blangsted, of Alameda; brother-in-law Clark Waters, of San Diego; daughter Nancy Lomeland, of Vacaville; son John R. Clausen, of Tujunga; grandchildren Katy Lindsay, of San Francisco; Merry Burns and her husband Bill, of Bay Point; Kelly Lomeland, of Aliso Viejo; and Robert V. Clausen, of Tujunga; great-grandchildren Mariah and Sarah Clausen, and Hailey and Ashley Burns; and many nieces, nephews and cousins in his extended family.
Posted by Louis A. DeCaro, Jr. . . at 4:24 PM 2 comments: Links to this post
Independence Day Reflection
Stan Goff, a military veteran, has an essay for July 4th entitled,"'Peace is Patriotic' is the Perfect Oxymoron." It is dedicated to "three American combat veterans: John Brown, Harriet Tubman and Crazy Horse. They disobeyed." Well worth checking out, even if you're one of those folks who think that Brown was simply another "great American." (here)
FYI: John Brown Sites of InterestJefferson County ...
John Brown's Great-Great-Granddaughter: A Long-Dis...
John Brown's Descendant Dies at 97: John Carl Clau...
Independence Day ReflectionStan Goff, a military v...


This comm element condo home located at 701 Sheppard West Avenue, Toronto is currently for sale and has been available on Zolo.ca for 1 day. This property is listed at $899,000 with an estimated mortgage of $3,309* per month. It has 3 beds, 2 bathrooms, and is 1200-1399 square feet. The property is 6 years old. 701 Sheppard West Avenue, Toronto is in the Clanton Park neighborhood Toronto. Bathurst Manor, Downsview Roding CFB and Englemount Lawrence are nearby neighborhoods.
Property Details Home facts for 504 - 701 Sheppard West Avenue: utilities, exterior, parking etc.
Rooms Room details for 504 - 701 Sheppard West Avenue: size, flooring, features etc.
Homes like this sell on average in 5 days. There is an 48% chance that this home will be sold within one week of listing.
Sheppard Ave. W. At Bathurst St.
It was constructed within the last 6 years. Monthly maintenance is $924 per month and taxes are approximately $3,934. It is friendly to pets (with restrictions). Unit 504 faces South West. Enjoy the terrace balcony. The home has cooling provided via central air. The main level consists of a living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom, 2nd bedroom and 3rd bedroom. A Walkscore of 68 means some activities can be done on foot .
With 33 homes for sale (Clanton Park), 5686 homes for sale in Toronto, finding your ideal home will be easy.
701 Sheppard West Avenue is a property located in Toronto, Ontario. It is found in the district of Clanton Park in Toronto. Bathurst Manor, Downsview Roding Cfb and Englemount Lawrence are nearby neighborhoods. Sheppard West Avenue has 1 posting currently for sale, while the community of Clanton Park has 51 properties for sale. Of the 5,686 total properties on the market in Toronto, Clanton Park makes up just 0.9%. postings in Clanton Park are listed for an average listed price of $1,651,895, or an estimated monthly mortgage of $6,029.* That is 87% higher than the average list price of $884,882 found across all Toronto properties for sale. Properties listed in Clanton Park are an average of 31,483 sq ft, with 3 beds and 3 baths. The majority of active real estate postings in the district around 701 Sheppard West Avenue are houses.


text:
Q: How to hide the empty Column Using C# & asp.net
if there is no data's in the table, gridview displaying one rows (it was empty)
I want to hide the gridview empty row.
How to do this.

A: Assuming that you can normally delete that one visible row just check that if a field that would normally have a value is empty and the row count is 1 then delete that row.
if(String.IsNullOrEmpty(mydatagrid.Rows[0][0].ToString()) && mydatagrid.Rows.Count==1) //Check a field that would normally have a value
{
     mydatagrid.Rows.RemoveAt(0);
}

Let me know if this helps/works

A: If you are manually data binding than you can check at that time and hide or disable the control if there is no data. If you are data binding using the design view than you should subscribe to the DataBinding or the PreRender events on the control and check then.

A: you can check if the datatable doesn't have any rows
use:
mydatagrid.DataSource=null;

mydatagrid.DataBind();

A: As the other two comments you can either check in code and set MyDataGrid.Visible to true or false to hide the entire table, or you can not bind the datasource, or you can EmptyDataTemplate option to display whatever you want when there is no data for the GridView to display normally.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.web.ui.webcontrols.gridview.emptydatatemplate.aspx

A: The normal behavior for GridView is to render NOTHING if there are no data rows. (Well, almost nothing; it insists on rendering a <div> wrapper, but that'll be empty.)
If you specify an EmptyDataTemplate, however, a one-celled wrapper table is generated to contain whatever is in your template. Even if your template is empty, you'll get that wrapper table (with its one cell, empty). Sounds like the answer to your question is don't specify an EmptyDataTemplate.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The US CRO market is predicted to have a healthy future, with the greatest potential for growth in the preclinical sector, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan.
In areas such as toxicology studies outsourcing penetration is low, according to the report, which presents an opportunity for companies willing to invest in the sector.
The report says an increase in capital expenditure will be necessary to build or acquire the facilities needed to enter the preclinical toxicology market.
Despite this the report notes that several contract research organisations (CRO) have been making investments in their early stage capacity.
The report predicts that such investments will help the US CRO market grow from the $9.77bn it earned in 2008 to $23.78bn by 2015.
Biotechs are predicted to be the strongest driver of growth, followed by specialty pharmaceuticals and niche and startup small molecule companies.
Although the report predicts a bright future for the US CRO industry it also highlights necessary adaptations if companies are to prosper in an increasingly competitive and fragmented market.
It also forecasts that these factors will result in lower margins for contracts and consequently companies may find it difficult to translate a strong backlog into revenues.
In addition, the global nature of many CROs means that companies will need to work closer with IT vendors to ensure their systems are suitable for the changing market.
Consequently the report predicts that CROs will play an increasing role in choosing IT systems and platforms, with the power to make decisions shifting away from sponsors.


Ma Maison Tonkatsu has one of the better tonkatsus I've had in Singapore, and it's closer to the excellent ones I had in Japan.
It's also pricier than most of the other tonkatsus in Singapore but I think the tenderness of the cutlets is worth it.
Go here if you're willing to pay for some high-quality tonkatsu, and prepared to wait in a long queue if you're late because apparently there are lots of other tonkatsu lovers in Singapore too.


A class action suit seeks damages from a company that allegedly used underhanded tactics to inflate its worth.
Dean Rosales and Nirav Shah, individually and on behalf of others similarly situated, filed a lawsuit April 27 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Forcefield Energy Inc., David Natan, Jason Williams and Richard St. Julien, citing significant losses and damages.
According to the complaint, the defendants are in the alternative energy industry, bringing market products such as light emitting diode commercial lights and fixtures or utilizing "waste heat," which involves making clean electricity from manufacturing sources. However, the suit states, Forcefield made false or misleading statements about the company and even enlisted paid promoters to inflate stock and hid some of its employees history with "fraudulent companies."
Once the media caught wind, the complaint states, the company's shares fell 21 percent in one day, April 15. Five days later the company's former chairman, St. Julien, resigned his position, was arrested and charged with "scheming to boost the company's share price in part by making secret payments to conspirators through a firm based in Belize," according to a published report.
Rosales and Shah ask the court to validate their action and award compensatory damages, costs and expenses. They are represented by attorneys Joseph E. Guglielmo, Thomas L. Laughlin and Joseph V. Halloran of Scott and Scott in New York, and David R. Scott of Scott and Scott in Colchester, Connecticut.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York case number: 1:15-cv-03279.


Guestserve consults with the lodging industry on a global scale. Built on 20 years of experience in interactive communications and multimedia marketing to the guest, Guestserve delivers in-room communications and guest relationship management in an interactive E-business world to the virtual office 24 hours a day.
Guestserve has been in the vanguard of convergence in multimedia communications linking the global hotel marketplace to the hotel room...'the home away from home, the office away from office'.
Marketing the hotel corporation to the World Wide Workplace. Creating the interactive portal for in-room communications to 'the best guest - the guest already checked in' on the iTV Guestsurf™ Suite Spot.


text:
Russian Trolls, Bots, and Political Activists To Blame For 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Backlash According To Study
By eelyajekiM | @ | October 2nd, 2018 at 5:00 pm
This may be a case of art imitating life. Whenever there is a Russian character in a film, chances are audiences are going to root against them considering that they almost always play a villain. But in reality, they are in the news for a variety of reasons from political interference to technological hacking.
And now it seems, at least according to a new study, they've gone one step further by trolling Star Wars: The Last Jedi. More on the story below.
Topics: Movies, News, Sequels
Tags: Morten Bay, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
'Star Wars': J.J. Abrams Had A Much Different Plan For Who Rey's Parents Are
By eelyajekiM | @ | April 4th, 2018 at 5:00 pm
What Rian Johnson did for Star Wars in The Last Jedi was very interesting. It challenged what we knew about the universe, but it also rubbed people the wrong way. Not only that, but it offered a very polarizing answer to one of the trilogy's biggest questions: who are Rey's (Daisy Ridley) parents.
Now we are learning that The Force Awakens and Episode IX director J.J. Abrams had a much different plan for who Rey's parents are. Hit the jump to see how Johnson's creative decisions may have hurt Episode IX. Spoilers below if you're not caught up.
Leave a comment: 1 Comment »
Tags: Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm, Simon Pegg, Star Wars Episode IX, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
4K Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
By eelyajekiM | @ | March 28th, 2018 at 10:00 am
4K l Blu-ray l DVD
Screenwriter: Rian Johnson
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Rated PG-13| 152 Minutes
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now available on Blu-ray. So you can bring each and every exciting minute of one of the best Star Wars films home.
Of course, there are so many more things to look forward to than just the movie. There are a ton of extras to dive into. A lot of these extras will explain the creative choices we see in the film, as well as some of the narrative ones. Which may help explain why it is one of the most polarizing Star Wars films to date. So check out what bonus features you will be getting plus a mini review of it all below.
Topics: Blu-ray, Blu-ray Review, Movies, News, Reviews, Sequels
Tags: Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Anthony Daniels, Benicio Del Toro, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, John Williams, Kathleen Kennedy, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Lucasfilm, Lupita Nyong'o, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Last Jedi, Walt Disney Studios
Watch: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Deleted Scene With Finn and Captain Phasma
By eelyajekiM | @ | March 8th, 2018 at 10:00 am
The joys of watching a deleted scene are imagining how it could have fit into the film in the first place. Some of the scenes are cut out because of the film's runtime. Other times they are necessary because of pacing. So there will be plenty of time to figure out why certain scenes in Star Wars: The Last Jedi ended up on the cutting room floor.
While deleted scenes almost seem like a necessary addition to any DVD, there is one deleted scene from The Last Jedi involving Finn (John Boyega) and Captain Phasma (Gwendoline Christie) that will have fans questioning why it was cut out and chosen over the scene that made the final theatrical cut. Check it out below, but beware of spoilers ahead.
Topics: Movies, News, Sequels, Videos
Tags: Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Walt Disney Studios
Watch: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Home Video Release Date Trailer
By The Movie God | @ | February 20th, 2018 at 8:45 pm
A trailer has been released announcing the release dates for Star Wars: The Last Jedi on digital, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD.
Also announced for the home video release are the various special features that will be available, including over two hours of bonus footage, a feature-length documentary, and more.
You can find all of the details and watch the trailer below.
Topics: Blu-ray, DVDs, Movies, News, Sequels, Trailers
Tags: Lucasfilm, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Last Jedi
Rian Johnson Explains Knights Of Ren Absence and "New" Jedi Powers In 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
By eelyajekiM | @ | January 23rd, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has been taking a lot of heat for the creative liberties he took in the sequel. The film, which took place directly after The Force Awakens didn't have the narrative luxury some of the other film have, with some sequels having months or years long gaps. This may explain why the Knights of Ren didn't make an appearance in The Last Jedi. But it doesn't explain how Johnson came to the decision to have Luke Skywalker Force Project himself from across the galaxy to confront his nephew, Kylo Ren, on the mining planet of Crait.
But the director is now taking the opportunity to explain some of those decisions. One comes down to being unable to due to screen time, while the other, he had to go back to the old "Jedi Texts" to prove such powers exist. Check them all out below.
Leave a comment: 2 Comments »
Tags: Lucasfilm, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Mike Lee's Top 10 Favorite Movies Of 2017
By eelyajekiM | @ | January 3rd, 2018 at 5:00 pm
To say that 2017 was an incredible year for films would be a vast understatement. The year was full of extraordinary films ranging from the typical blockbuster tentpoles like Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Wonder Woman to the indie darlings like The Big Sick and Lady Bird. And the best thing about it, a lot of these movies come from first-time directors, women, and veterans like Jordan Peele, Patty Jenkins, Greta Gerwig, and Rian Johnson. It's not easy to see all of the films that are released within the one calendar year, but I make sure I damn well try to see as much as I can, and 2017 was no different. I went out to see over 100 films, and to narrow it down to 10 best within the field of exceptional titles that were released was hard. While best is subjective, I tried to narrow it down to the 10 films that meant the most to me that I enjoyed thoroughly.
So, you'll find the 10 of my favorite movies of 2017 that I could not stop thinking about, along with a few honorable mentions. Check them all out here below.
Topics: Features, Movies
Tags: Baby Driver, Best Of, Best Of 2017, Blade Runner 2049, Coco, Films of 2017, Get Out, I Tonya, It, Lady Bird, Logan, Molly's Game, Movies of 2017, OKJA, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Big Sick, The Post, The Shape of Water, War For The Planet Of The Apes, Wonder Woman
'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Cast On What Carrie Fisher and Leia Means To Them
By eelyajekiM | @ | December 18th, 2017 at 8:00 pm
Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a major hit over the weekend, earning over $220 million in the domestic box office. While the film is polarizing, no one can deny the profound impact that Carrie Fisher and her character of Princess Leia had on the immensely popular franchise. Having gone from princess to general, Fisher carved her own mark and defined what it means to be a badass woman. A notion that she had carried with her until her death, and one that has inspired not only her co-stars, but almost every woman on earth.
We had a chance to sit down with our fellow journalists to talk to the female cast of The Last Jedi about what it meant to them to star alongside Fisher and what they learned from her during the production of the film. Check out what they had to say here below.
Topics: Features, Interviews, Movies, Sequels
Tags: Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Gwendoline Christie, John Boyega, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Lucasfilm, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi
'Star Wars: The Last Jedi': Director Rian Johnson Kills Your Snoke Theory
Now that Star Wars: The Last Jedi has been released, fans have had time to digest and think about what they have just seen. It also means that there will be some spoiler pieces coming out this week. And we will be covering them as it pertains to the future of the franchise and Episode IX. So fair warning, if you haven't seen the film yet, there will be spoilers in the following post. So if you haven't seen it yet, then you might want to avoid this post. But if you have already seen it, and want to know more about Snoke's role in The Last Jedi, continue reading.
Tags: Adam Driver, Andy Serkis, Daisy Ridley, Lucasfilm, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Walt Disney Studios
'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Director Rian Johnson On Rey's Parents
Full disclosure, if you haven't watched Star Wars: The Last Jedi, this latest article will be full of SPOILERS. It pertains to who Rey's parents are and how it might have an impact on Episode IX. So again, if you haven't seen the new movie and have been avoiding social media this past weekend – I should give you a medal for that if you have – then do not continue reading below. But if you have watched it, and are fully interested in where director Rian Johnson takes the franchise, then check out what he had to say below.
Tags: Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Lucasfilm, Mark Hamill, Rian Johnson, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Last Jedi, Walt Disney Studios


text:
Q: Remove SQL Server 2005 I have a production server with following server configuration.

*

*IBM XSERIES 346

*Intel Xeon 3.23 GHz

*RAM 4GB

Now, I have uninstalled Microsoft SQL Server 2005 recently and tried to reinstall SQL Server 2005 again. But it is saying that existing components are already installed and can not reinstall again.
Note that I found nothing in Uninstall Programs and Features list. I have cleaned the registry, and other caches. But the problem is still there.
Can you please help me with solution?

A: I would first start by reviewing the setup logs, here.  The log should show more information in regards to what it does not like.  SQL does install components that are listed in "Uninstall Programs" with names other than "SQL", in other words hidden in plain sight.


Montréal-based city lover and visualizer, I am a multidisciplinary designer with a main practice in graphic design. Interactive and playful projects are my kind of soup. Curious about urban design and sustainable design, I think we all need to be in some way.


text:
Special update: Hillary goes West
It's been a long wait since the Victorian election but WA produces lots of great political fodder.
It's been a long wait since the Victorian election but WA produces lots of great political fodder.
It's Crikey's first election and Hillary is reporting from the spot, perched with a laptop on the rocks at Rotto watching the quokkas frolic in the West's bright sun. And without any more ado, on with the show.
State of Excitement (not)
After hanging on to office long enough to pass his father Sir Charles Court's length of term in office, family runt Richard has finally announced his big date with the people on 10 February.
Having announced the date several days earlier than he had to, wasn't it an interesting coincidence it occurred on a day when the Bulletin spent four pages trying to bring the delights of the Queensland electoral rorts saga to Western Australia.
But anyway, back to Rich the Runt. Rich inherited two things from his father. One is the peculiar pronunciation of his state as WES-tern Australia. The other is the family motto of "I blame Canberra". To this, the Runt has added another motto, "I blame Brian Burke/Peter Dowding/Carmen Lawrence/anyone who ever had anything to do with a Labor government".
Which is where young Rich has a few problems. It's eight years since Dr Feelgood was defeated, and now five years since Emperor Paul departed. He is having to stand on his own record, and it appears the electorate is a little underwhelmed.
The Runt spent last year deploring Canberra for all these illegal migrants arriving in the West not surprising from a Premier who said Paul Keating could only visit the state if he went through the formal channels. One wonders what Rich would have actually done with those boat people if for some reason the West had had control over the defence forces.
Anyway, Hillary digresses there. With the result depending on a string of outer suburban and regional seats, the pork barrel is out. Already it appears the government is promising that no pensioner in Bunbury will ever have to pay a bus fare again (two marginal seats there you see), and the government is happy to piss the proceeds of the Alinta Gas sale up against the wall for a railway to Mandurah (another two marginals there).
Whatever you say, Hendy
With the government certain to lose seats even though it will probably retain office the the power of National Party leader and Deputy Premier Hendy Cowan is likely to be increased.
Hendy is a big bloke. He played more than 300 games for Narembeen Football Club, and his approach to politics sometimes looks like the approach of a big bloke to football. The shortest distance to the ball is always in a straight line and if there is someone smaller between you and the ball, well, that's their problem.
No one suggests that Hendy terrifies Rich the Runt, but there are not many people in Cabinet who ever willingly want to pick a fight with the Merredin Mauler. But don't ever think he's you're old-fashioned redneck. On several occasions Rich has hinted at holding a death penalty referendum in conjunction with a state election, and it was Cowan that helped stamp the idea out. The WA National Party is a bit different than in the other states, having a rather green tinge. They started the Coalition backdown to protect the old growth forests in last year's forests dispute with Wilson Tuckey.
For some reason, Tuckey seems to hate the National Party. Odd given he ran for them as a candidate in 1974. (For some reason they formed an alliance with the DLP that year and called themselves National Alliance. Poor choice of name.)
Hillary in fact thinks it would be good sport to lock Hendy Cowan and Wilson Tuckey in a room and see who survives. You could sell tickets to watch. It would be more entertaining than most Fremantle Dockers matches, anyway.
Labor's woes in Pilbara
In the last decade, Labor has struck a few problems in its traditional mining heartland. Some have been simple demographic change. Less and less mining towns are being built, with the growth of fly-in fly-out operations. The folk who live in mining towns are more likely to be on individual contracts, and Labor's old strength built on union solidarity has diminished.
Back in 96, when Graeme Campbell slagged off multiculturalism one too many times, Paul Keating kicked him out of the party. The Labor Party has been undergoing splits in the Federal electorate of Kalgoorlie ever since. The current state parliament ends with one lower house and two upper house Labor MPs from the area sitting on the cross benches.
The old blue collar but in reality small business mining sector has got mightily pissed off that Labor seemed to be worrying about Aborigines, and the conditions of the strippers and prostitutes in Kalgoorlie. What a hide! Don't the Labor Party understand blokes have rights too?
Anyway, the Labor Party have picked a few too many female candidates for the blokes liking. One, female lawyer Megan Anwyl, should hold on to her seat in Kalgoorlie, but the Liberals are sniffing about. But up in Pilbara, the Labor Party disendorsed Larry Graham, the son of a former Labor Deputy-Premier, in favour of a female drug and alcohol counsellor, Jacki Ormsby.
Graham hasn't taken it lying down and is now running as an independent. Former Labor Leader Ian "I love Brian Burke" Taylor has let his party membership lapse to campaign for Graham, and a Morgan poll last year indicated he will win the seat.
Still, new Labor candidate Ormsby is off and running. But choosing to sponsor a local horse race did not have the required effect. Rather than attract publicity, the Jacki Ormsby ALP Handicap rather highlighted the problem she has created for the party.
King Canute and the Kimberley
Hillary can't quite remember the full story of King Canute, but it had something to do with tides, hence the link with Kimberley. At first this tale sounds obscure, but if the election is as close as some pundits are suggesting, then the whole fate of government could rest on the result in Kimberley.
Kimberley has been held since 1980 by the state's only Aboriginal MP, Ernie Bridge. He had to fight long and hard to originally become an MP, the Court (the elder) government even changing the law in the 1970s to make it harder for blackfellas to vote in an attempt to prevent Labor winning the seat.
Bridge, as well as being an accomplished country and western singer (not that Hillary likes songs about trucks, dogs, the road and unfaithful wives), was a minister in the Burke, Dowding and Lawrence governments with a pet scheme to bring water from the Ord River to the state's south-west. Even governments silly enough to spend 200 million bucks on non-existent petrochemical plants weren't prepared to come at that pipe dream.
In fact back when Labor was desperately trying to find a replacement for "Slick Pierre" Dowding they were desperate for someone different. They passed on having the first legless Premier (Graham Edwards) and the first Aboriginal premier (Ernie Bridge) and went for the first female Premier in Dr Feelgood.
Anyway, up in the Kimberley, they are trying to do something about the local power grid. Energy Minister Colin Barnett wants to put in gas fired generators. For some reasons, the locals, backed by Wilson Tuckey and various green groups, want to build a tidal power station, to make use of the areas vast tidal range.
Now, sure it is good for the environment in terms of global warming but how many untouched inlets are going to have to be dammed for this project. Anyway, the locals want it, and in a close election, they are going to get at least part of their scheme. Hendy Cowan said to do it, and the rest of Cabinet wanting to leave the Cabinet room with all their limbs attached, agreed to the Merredin Mauler's idea.
So what turned the National party around? Well, the answer comes from a messy Labor Party preselection last year. Ernie Bridge resigned as a Labor MP before the 1996 election, and was re-elected as an Independent, though without a Labor opponent. He is retiring at this election.
Labor Leader Geoff Gallop was backing Derby-West Kimberley Mayor Peter McCumstie for preselection, but some mad factional deal that involved protecting an upper house MP in Perth resulted in Labor choosing local social worker Carol Martin, who now has the chance to become the state's first female aboriginal MP.
This created two problems. First, Ernie Bridge has said he doesn't support Martin, some suggest because her husband ran against him as an Independent in 1996. Second, having been rebuffed by Labor, McCumstie threw his lot in with the National Party and is now their endorsed candidate. Hence Hendy Cowan's support for the tidal power station.
McCumstie is built as broad as the region's boab trees, though he probably would have done better as an Independent Labor MP. By not choosing him as their candidate, Labor passed up a certainty to win and have thrown the race for Kimberley, and possibly for government, wide open.
Not that it is the first case of power policy being determined by the fate of marginal seats, as Geoff Gallop would remember.
Back in the dying days of Dr Feelgood's government, Cabinet agonised over the state's next power investment. It had two options.
One was banks of 20Mw gas turbine generators. You could set up several of these in banks on greenfield sites, and they basically could turn themselves on or off depending on the amount of power required by the grid, sort of like a gas water heater turning itself on as required. They employed few people, with the main on-going task associated with the generators being someone turning up to mow round them once a week. The state was awash with natural gas, they were good on greenhouse gas emissions, and only produced as much power as required.
The alternative was a new base load power plant at Collie. This was more expensive in both capital and labour cost. Because it burned Collie's poor quality brown coal it was worse on greenhouse gas emissions, and as a base load generator it produced 300Mw whether you needed it or not. Clearly the gas turbines were the better option.
So which option did the Feelgood government choose, and the Runt Cabinet concur with later? The Collie power station. Why? Well, Collie was a marginal seat, and despite the state's commitment to north-west gas, no-one was going to tell the voters of a marginal electorate they were no longer interested in their brown coal.
Mooner Murray's decision to use Brian Burke and Noel Crichton-Browne as election commentators for his show on 6PR has provoked much comment. And so it should. They're both scumbags.
True, only Burkie did time, but NCB is also a convicted criminal. And both continue to exercise a malign influence on their respective parties that will have significant affects on the outcome.
Let's look at NCB first. The Court Government's biggest liability is Fair Trading (ha-ha) Minister Doug Shave and his conduct over the finance brokers' scandal. In any decent government, Shave would have gone but he still has his job because he's one of NCB's boys.
Then there's Burke. Hillary calls him "Colonel Kurtz" as there he is, perched out in the wilderness, fat, bald and mad but still commanding a band of loyal soldiers. WA Inc remains one of the Liberal's strongest cards because Burke won't go away.
Outta site
Hillary has been bemused by the WA National Party's new web site. Why have they got an internet presence at an address with a United States domain name?
All Australian websites have the suffix "au" tagged on the end but the Nat's new site is at www.nationalswa.com, not an Australian domain name.
Are they trying to get away from local laws for something they plan to do in the campaign?
Recognition at last
You normally have to wait to you're dead, but the Western Australian Electoral Commission are clearly on the ball. They've got in early and named a seat "Hillarys". Maybe we should run there as an independent.
Hillary Bray can be contacted at [email protected]
Court waffles about WA Inc but won't probe the brokers scandal
Pauline cuddles up with Minister who dudded retirees
Emperor Barnett challenged by the photo-bombing mayor


text:
Tawheed
Manhaj
The Sanctity Of Life (Ethics 1.3)
4th January 2016 Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wahid Educate Yourself, The Basics 1
Life, Death and Ethics
1.3. The Sanctity Of Life
How is the human special?
There should be no doubt in anybody's mind that human life has a very special status, more than that of animals. Muslims believe that the first human Allāh created was the Prophet Ādam (peace be upon him), He created Ādam with "His own two Hands." Allah created him from clay, then Allāh taught him, and then commanded the Angels to bow down to him.
Then Allāh created from Ādam, his wife, Eve (Hawwa), and from them both came the whole of mankind. Humans, the offspring of Ādam and his wife, have the ability to think logically, we have developed sophisticated forms of communications, we have creative skills that we use in architecture, building, travel and science. Humans also have the God-given ability to choose between right and wrong. Muslims believe Allāh has commanded humans throughout the ages to worship Him alone and to behave in a manner that He, the Most High, has commanded and is pleased with. By behaving in accordance to the religion of God, mankind lives in peace and security with each other, and Allah showers upon them an abundance of bounties and blessings.
Muslims also believe in other creatures created by Allāh in the "unseen" world. So there are the "Jinn" that were created from smokeless fire. They have the same obligations upon them as human beings, and they are also given the ability to choose between right and wrong. Also from the "unseen" creatures are Angels. Angels were created from light and are utterly obedient to Allāh. Animals have no such free will, and they do only that for which they are created.
You can see from this that human beings have a unique position amongst creation according to Muslims. However, this does not mean that we can abuse other living things just because we are superior to them in many ways. Islām has guidelines in place that ensure that humans only use animals when needed to advance human life in a manner that is pleasing to Allāh. So Muslims, for example, can eat meat but have to make sure the animal is cared for when alive and killed humanely. Humans use certain animals for agriculture, others for riding upon, and others for their wool in the case of sheep. All of this is permitted for Muslims but without mistreating animals. the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, once passed by a camel that was so emaciated that its back had almost reached its stomach. He said,
"Fear Allāh with respect to these beasts who cannot speak." (Abu Dawud).
A group of Companions were once on a journey with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and he left them for a while. During his absence, they saw a bird with its two young, and they took the young ones from the nest. The mother bird was circling above in the air, beating its wings in grief, when the Prophet came back. He said,
"Who has hurt the feelings of this bird by taking its young? Return them to her." (Muslim).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that a prostitute once saw a dog on a very hot day going round and round a well, lolling its tongue because of its thirst. She drew some water for it using her shoe, and for this action her sins were forgiven (Reported by Muslim).
The Messenger of Allah, once saw a donkey which had been branded on its face and he said, "May Allah curse the one who branded it." (Reported by Muslim). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"A woman was once punished after death because of a cat which she had kept confined until it died, and because of this she entered the Fire. She had neither given it food or drink while confining it, nor had she let it free to eat the creatures of the earth." (Reported by Muslim)
The Sanctity Of life
The fact that human life is special leads us to the concept of the sanctity of life. This means that in Islām, the lives of humans are protected from being harmed and killed. Allāh stated in Qur'ān:
"To kill one person is like killing the whole of mankind, while if any saves a life it is as if he saves the lives of all mankind" (Quran 5:32)
In a narration the Prophet Muhammad said:
"The killing of one believer is more severe in the sight of Allāh than the destruction of the Ka'bah [in Makkah]."
In another narration he said:
"Whoever kills a non-Muslim under covenant will never smell the fragrance of Paradise."
These authentic sayings show the importance of the preservation of life. This means that no person has the right to damage and destroy the life of another against the wishes of Allāh.
There are certain issues that have arisen in modern times that Muslims must deal with in light of the Quranic and Prophetic teachings that deal with the question of when life begins. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Each of you is gathered as a creation in the womb of his mother as a seed for 40 days, then as clot of blood for a like period, then as a morsel of flesh for a like period. Then an Angel is sent who blows the breath of life (soul) into him and is commanded to write down for him four matters: his means of livelihood, his lifespan, his actions, and whether he will be happy or miserable."
This tradition shows that life is not blown into the foetus until 120 days have passed. Issues such as abortion have been discussed and researched by the scholars in light of this and other Prophetic traditions that help Muslims make difficult decisions related to child birth. This will be discussed in a later study sheet.
Allāh said:
"Nor can a soul die except by Allāh's Will, the term being fixed as by writing in the pre-Decree." Qur'ān 3:145
Tip: You should learn this and use it when writing about about Muslim attitudes to death. A soul has a fixed term to live, and only Allah knows how it will die, when it will die and in which land it will die. No life is taken except by His Will. So even if one is killed by another, it is because that is what Allāh had written for it. And that is the case even if one kills oneself by suicide. Allāh has forbidden human beings from murder and suicide, but Allāh allows it but that does not mean He is pleased with it – so remember that distinction. Allah knew everything that would occur and had written it, "fifty thousand years before the creation of the Heavens and earth," as the Prophet stated in a narration.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The best of you are those who have long lives with many pious deeds."
He also said:
"Amazing indeed is the affair of the believer.. when he is struck with a calamity, he is patient and that is better for him."
People may consider whether an illness or particular way of life allows them to lead a comfortable and dignified life. Certain illnesses that require constant painful treatment may cause a person to seek to end his own life. This of course is forbidden in Islām under the principle of "the sanctity of life". Allāh said:
"Do not kill yourselves (or have yourselves killed), for indeed Allāh has been with you most merciful." (Quran 4:29)
"..and Allah is the one who gave you life, then shall He ordain you to die, then shall He give you your life again, truly mankind is ungrateful" (Quran 22:66).
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that Allāh will punish severely the person who takes their own life. The question of continuing treatment for a person who is suffering immensely and unlikely to benefit from treatment is also a consideration. The former Mufti (Jurist) of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Ibn Bāz stated that there are categories of people who may not be resuscitated due to the likelihood that they will die regardless, or they are considered "brain-dead" because their bodily organs have failed. This also will be discussed in in detail in a later class.
How do you define the quality of life from an Islamic perspective? i.e. What is a good life?
How did humankind begin as Muslims believe?
What do humans know of the pre-decreed Will (Qadr) of Allah?
What do Muslims believe about suicide?
Question: Does being a member of the human race, and being "superior" to animals affect the way animals are treated? Do you feel a sense of responsibility?
Key terms:
Sanctity of life is the sacredness of life. It cannot be harmed or taken without strictly valid reasons.
Quality of life: A measure of fulfilment – how good or bad life is in all its aspects.
I initially compiled these worksheets for my students at the Redstone Academy (aged between 13 and 16 years), Moseley Road, Birmingham, UK who are working towards their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). I felt that others who do not attend the school can also benefit from these topics since they are presented in simple bitesize chapters. I have relied upon GCSE text books and adapted them for my classes.
There will inevitably be typos (or other mistakes). Please leave a reply below if you see any.
Hijabi says:
3rd November 2020 at 9:24 am
Mashaa Allah very beneficial. May Allah reward you greatly ya ustaadh
Leave a Reply to Hijabi Cancel reply
Categories Select Category About Us Animals Aqeedah Grave Hereafter Iman Names & Attributes Pre-Decree Bidah Biographies Books 40 Hadeeth on Women 40 Hadith on Tawheed Advice after choosing Salafiyyah Al-Adab Al-Mufrad Al-Ibanah of Al-Ash'ari Birthday of the Prophet Book of Divorce Book of Marriage Bulugh al-Maram Creed of the Raziyayn Fundamentals of Tawheed Hā'iyyah Ibn Abee Dawūd Kitāb at-Tawheed Righteous Wife Science of Hadeeth Sharhus-Sunnah Barbahārī Simple Guide to Prayer and Wudu Sunan Ibn Majah The Excellence of Islam The State of the Ummah Three Fundamental Principles Usoolus-Sunnah Imām Ahmad Warning From The Day Of Regret What is Salafiyyah Celebrations Christianity and Judaism Dawah History in the West Educate Yourself Extremism & Terrorism Family Fatwa Adhan and Iqamah Contraception Death and Funerals Eid Fasting (Siyām) Finance and Interest Food and drink Hijrah Imitation of Kuffār Law Marriage Medicine Natural blood of women Oaths and Vows Parents Prayer Purification Sins Travelling Udhiyah Udhiyah Sacrifice Weddings Women Wudu (Ablution) Fiqh Eid Fasting (Siyām) Ramadan Funerals Hajj & Umrah Prayer (Salāh) Purification Travelling Zakāh Free Leaflets & Booklets General Hadeeth Health Cancer History Jihad Knowledge Manhaj Manners and Behaviour Marriage Marriage and Divorce Politics and Rulership Purification of the Soul Quranic Tafseer Refutations Ruqyah Magic Possession Salafism Sayings of the Salaf Scholars Sects and Sectarianism Asharis Society Softening the Hearts Stories Sunnah Supplications (du'a) Tawheed The Basics Women's Issues Youth and Young Adults Fine examples for youth
The Da'wah In Birmingham | Must-Read Portfolio | An Excellent And Trusted Place For Your Sadaqah:
30th March 2018 0
Is it allowed to hold the Mus'haf and recite from it in the Taraweeh Prayer? And how to Establish the Taraweeh at Home in Ramadān while under COVID-19 Restrictions
21st April 2020 3
The Early Years: Prophet Muhammad In Makkah (Islam 1.9)
21st January 2016 0
The Fundamentals of Tawheed (Monotheism) ―Part 2: Where do we begin?
The steps in performing 'Umrah according to the Sunnah: Ibn 'Uthaimeen, Al-Albāni and Ibn Bāz
1st April 2017 2
VIDEO: Saudi Foreign Minister explains the Saudi position on Iran and the execution of a terrorist Shi'ite cleric
7th January 2016 0
A son wishes to move out of his father's house with his wife to live separately, is this allowed? ―Shaikh Ibn Bāz
3rd April 2020 0
Sharhus-Sunnah of al-Barbahaaree: Yunus bin Ubayd Advises his Son that Sin is better than Bid'ah
2nd December 2013 Comments Off on Sharhus-Sunnah of al-Barbahaaree: Yunus bin Ubayd Advises his Son that Sin is better than Bid'ah
She Can't Tell Whether It's Menstrual Blood or Not? By Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen
28th January 2014 Comments Off on She Can't Tell Whether It's Menstrual Blood or Not? By Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen
There has never come an innovation except from the ignorant rabble who follow anyone who calls out wildly… Al-Barbahāri, Al-Fawzān, Rabee' Al-Madkhali (Sharhus-Sunnah no. 102)
E-Book "Beautiful Yet Simple Supplications From The Qur'ān And Sunnah." And A New Simple Umrah Guide
30th May 2019 0
Muslim Attitudes to Alcohol and Intoxicants: The effect upon societies and individuals: (Islam 4.4)
What does a woman consider first: Duty to parents or obedience to the husband? And can he prevent her from seeing her parents?
FREE Flier: Combatting ISIS Al-Qaeda & "Islamist" Insurgencies Worldwide
20th September 2014 Comments Off on FREE Flier: Combatting ISIS Al-Qaeda & "Islamist" Insurgencies Worldwide
Hadeeth 4: "Women should not wear tight-fitting clothes and thin materials outside the home (dressed yet naked)―or have humps like camels on their heads, nor call other women to their sins." (40 Hadeeth on the Manners and Conduct of Women)
23rd February 2021 4
What is the Difference between the 'Aqeedah and the Manhaj? By Shaikh Rabee' Al-Madkhali
7th October 2018 0
Introduction to the Life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (Islam 1.8)
Shaikh Rabee's Advice on Dealing with Ahlul-Bid'ah in the West and the affair of Al-Mawāzanāt
18th December 2013 Comments Off on Shaikh Rabee's Advice on Dealing with Ahlul-Bid'ah in the West and the affair of Al-Mawāzanāt
May 1996: A Final Visit To The Head Of JIMAS In An Attempt To Convince Him
18th December 2013 Comments Off on May 1996: A Final Visit To The Head Of JIMAS In An Attempt To Convince Him
This World is the Abode of Imaan and Islaam, by Al-Barbahaaree, Explanation of Al-Fawzaan
28th August 2014 Comments Off on This World is the Abode of Imaan and Islaam, by Al-Barbahaaree, Explanation of Al-Fawzaan
Get The Latest Posts
Muslim Identity, the Honour that Islam Brings and the Danger of Blindly Following Non-Muslim Cultures that Clash with Islam and the Sunnah
Worship in the home, its significance and an example of "my Islamic home" through the eyes of a Muslim child. (Islam 5.8)
How do you know if a calamity is a trial or a punishment? Answered by Shaikh Sālih Ibn Fawzān Al-Fawzān
New: Eleven Ways to Perform Ruqyah on Yourself for Sickness, Evil-Eye, Possession, Madness and Magic
Only True Friends and Righteous Companions Will Benefit You
Al-Albāni on the Niqāb of the Muslim woman, whether it is wājib or not, the permissibility of uncovering her face and hands―and the danger of displaying her beautifications in public.
Click a Keyword
40 Hadith on Tawheed (19) Aqeedah (138) Bidah (61) Biographies (17) Book of Marriage (29) Books (151) Bulugh al-Maram (33) Dawah History in the West (21) Educate Yourself (72) Extremism & Terrorism (44) Family (43) Fasting (Siyām) (15) Fasting (Siyām) (44) Fatwa (141) Fiqh (191) Free Leaflets & Booklets (38) General (19) Hadeeth (26) Hajj & Umrah (22) Health (31) History (29) Kitāb at-Tawheed (31) Manhaj (163) Manners and Behaviour (14) Marriage and Divorce (37) Names & Attributes (30) Politics and Rulership (46) Prayer (15) Prayer (Salāh) (39) Purification (13) Purification of the Soul (44) Quranic Tafseer (16) Ramadan (39) Refutations (78) Ruqyah Magic Possession (13) Scholars (20) Sects and Sectarianism (52) Sharhus-Sunnah Barbahārī (25) Society (78) Softening the Hearts (34) Sunnah (30) Tawheed (79) The Basics (55) Women's Issues (61) Youth and Young Adults (25)
Leaflets & Booklets
© abukhadeejah.com 2020 Whole articles are not allowed to be copied and distributed from this website, but short excerpts with their url links can be shared freely.