or sucrose, along with the standard diet. the concentration of sugar in the sucrose solution was the same as is found in some commercial soft drinks, while the high - fructose corn syrup solution was half as concentrated as most sodas, including the orange soft drink shown here. ( photo : denise applewhite ) high - fructose corn syrup and sucrose are both compounds that contain the simple sugars fructose and glucose, but there at least two clear differences between them. first, sucrose is composed of equal amounts of the two simple sugars - - it is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose - - but the typical high - fructose corn syrup used in this study features a slightly imbalanced ratio, containing 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose. larger sugar molecules called higher saccharides make up the remaining 3 percent of the sweetener. second, as a result of the manufacturing process for high - fructose corn syrup, the fructose molecules in the sweetener are free and unbound, ready for absorption and utilization. in contrast, every fructose molecule in sucrose that comes from cane sugar or beet sugar is bound to a corresponding glucose molecule and must go through an extra metabolic step before it can be utilized. this creates a fascinating puzzle. the rats in the princeton study became obese by drinking high - fructose corn syrup, but not by drinking sucrose. the critical differences in appetite, metabolism and gene expression that underlie this phenomenon are yet to be discovered, but may relate to the fact that excess fructose is being metabolized to produce fat, while glucose is largely being processed for energy or stored as a carbohydrate, called glycogen, in the liver and muscles. in the 40 years since the introduction of high - fructose corn syrup as a cost - effective sweetener in the american diet, rates of obesity in the u. s. have skyrocketed, according to the centers for disease control and prevention. in 1970, around 15 percent of the u. s. population met the definition for obesity ; today, roughly one - third of the american adults are considered obese, the cdc reported. high - fructose corn syrup is found in a wide range of foods and beverages, including fruit juice, soda, cereal, bread, yogurt, ketchup and mayonnaise. on average, americans consume 60 pounds of


born into poverty on a farm in missouri, he was the author of how to win friends and influence people ( 1936 ), a massive bestseller that remains popular today. he also wrote how to stop worrying and start living ( 1948 ), lincoln the unknown ( 1932 ), and several other books. after saving $ 500, dale carnegie quit sales in 1911 in order to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a chautauqua lecturer. he ended up instead attending the american academy of dramatic arts in new york, but found little success as an actor, though it is written that he played the role of dr. hartley in a road show of polly of the circus. when the production ended, he returned to new york, unemployed, nearly broke, and living at the ymca on 125th street. it was there that he got the idea to teach public speaking, and he persuaded the " y " manager to allow him to instruct a class in return for 80 % of the net proceeds. in his first session, he had run out of material ; improvising, he suggested that students speak about " something that made them angry ", and discovered that the technique made speakers unafraid to address a public audience. from this 1912 debut, the dale carnegie course evolved. carnegie had tapped into the average american ' s desire to have more self - confidence, and by 1914, he was earning $ 500 – the equivalent of nearly $ 10, 000 now – every week. one of the core ideas in his books is that it is possible to change other people ' s behavior by changing one ' s reaction to them. download a free copy of his principles and learn why! these are the same key principles we use in our training and consulting services for professionals and companies of all sizes in all business segments around the world. you will learn how to : communicate with diplomacy and tact become a more persuasive communicator be an effective leader go to : http : / / www. dalecarnegie. com /


jamaal ud - deen az - zarabozo from ' the prerequisites of the declaration of faith, al - basheer magazine ' ( vol. 7, no. 5 january - february, 1994 ) every muslim knows that the key to paradise is the statement, " there is none worthy of worship except allaah. " yet too many muslims simply rely upon this statement and believe that as long as they have made this statement, nothing will harm them. they think they will be granted paradise because of this mere verbal statement of the shahadah. there is no question that the mere saying of, " i bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except allaah and i bear witness that muhammad is his servant and messenger, " is not sufficient for salvation. in fact, the hypocrites used to make this statement quite often yet allaah describes them as liars and says that they shall abide in the lowest abyss of the hell - fire. as many scholars state, though, this statement or testimony is the key to paradise. the famous follower wahb ibn munabbih was once asked, " isn ' t the statement of la ilaaha illa allaah the key to paradise? " he answered, " yes, but every key has ridges. if you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open for you. " that is, the statement must meet certain conditions. these conditions are what will differentiate the person who will benefit from his making of that statement from the one who will not benefit from that statement, no matter how many times a day he may have made that statement. before discussing the conditions of the shahadah, there is one more point that i feel compelled to make. that is, some people have a tendency to take one hadith or one verse and then based on that one text, they will make some conclusion that, for example, whoever simply says, " there is no god except allaah, " will enter paradise. but, actually, we should all realise that all of the qur ' aan and hadith complement each other and explain one another. to find the correct position on any one question, one must bring together all of the related verses and hadith and see what the true islaamic position is of that question. the same is true for the conditions of the shahadah. if we study the verses of the qur ' aan


one must bring together all of the related verses and hadith and see what the true islaamic position is of that question. the same is true for the conditions of the shahadah. if we study the verses of the qur ' aan and the hadith of the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam, we will find that the conditions of the shahadah are seven, eight or nine in number depending on how we look at them. it is important that all of us make sure that we are meeting these conditions in our own lives and in our own testimony of faith. we must do our best to satisfy these conditions before it is too late and our testimony will be of no avail whatsoever. it is not simply for the sake of teaching these conditions, indeed there is no benefit to that. but it is, instead, for all of us to look to ourselves and to make sure that we are actually meeting these conditions so that, by allaah ' s mercy, the doors to paradise will be open for us by our key of la ilaaha illa allaah. the first of these conditions is knowledge : that is, one must have the basic and general knowledge of what is meant by the shahadah. one must understand what the shahadah is affirming and what the shahadah is denying. allaah says in the qur ' aan : similarly, the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam said, " whoever dies knowing that there is no one worthy of worship except allaah shall enter paradise. " ( recorded by muslim ). in fact, the shahadah itself is a testimony. when one testifies to something, one must know what it is that he is testifying concerns. obviously, a testimony about something that one does not have any knowledge about is absolutely unacceptable. allaah says in the qur ' aan, now this condition probably sounds obvious ; if someone said to you, " there is no god except allaah, " and then said that what he meant by allaah was jesus, you would immediately tell him that this shahadah is nonsense. yet can you imagine that there is a muslim country in the world that until recently used to have a yearly week - long celebration to " the gods of the sea "! all along they call themselves muslims and they make the shahadah numerous times a day. this clearly shows that they have no idea what the meaning of their shahadah is. do you think that this kind


" the gods of the sea "! all along they call themselves muslims and they make the shahadah numerous times a day. this clearly shows that they have no idea what the meaning of their shahadah is. do you think that this kind of shahadah will open the doors to paradise for them? today, there are many muslims who wonder why we should not accept secularism. they think that there is nothing wrong with secularism! many of these muslims pray five times a day and utter the shahadah repeatedly. yet they see nothing wrong with accepting a lawgiver other than allaah? what kind of shahadah are these people making? all of us do our best to learn at least the basics of islaamic beliefs, the basics of what shahadah means. in this way, allaah willing, we will be making the correct shahadah. we will be witnessing to the truth as we are supposed to be witnesses to it. the second condition of the shahadah is certainty ( or al - yaqeen ) : this is the opposite of doubt and uncertainty. in islaam, in fact, any kind of doubt is equivalent to kufr or disbelief. we must, in our hearts, be absolutely certain of the truth of the shahadah. our hearts must not be wavering in any way when we testify to the truth of, " there is none worthy of worship except allaah. " allaah describes the believers in the qur ' aan as those who have belief in allaah and then their hearts waver not. allaah says, similarly, the messenger of allaah sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam said, " no one meets allaah with the testimony that there is none worthy of worship but allaah and i am the messenger of allaah, and he has no doubt about hat statement, except that he will enter paradise. " ( recorded by muslim. ) indeed, allaah describes the hypocrites as those people whose hearts are wavering. for example, allaah says : many scholars have stated that the diseases of the heart, or the doubt and suspicions that one allows into one ' s heart, are more dangerous for a person ' s faith than lusts and desires. this is because lusts and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still knows them to be wrong and he may control himself and repent and give up that evil deed. on the other hand, the doubts and suspicions may linger in the heart,


because lusts and desires may be satisfied at some time yet the person still knows them to be wrong and he may control himself and repent and give up that evil deed. on the other hand, the doubts and suspicions may linger in the heart, with no cure, until the person finally leaves islaam entirely or continues to practice islaam while, in fact, in his heart he does not have the true faith. the greatest cure for these doubts is seeking knowledge. it is through sound knowledge of the qur ' aan and the sunnah that most of these doubts will be removed. by study and understanding, one will attain certainty. and as one studies and learns more, his certainty will be made firmer and firmer. i will give you just one example on this point ; this is related to all of the doubts, suspicions and misconceptions that are circulating about the authenticity of the hadith literature. for example, some muslims even claim that hadith were not recorded until at least 200 years after the death of the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam. indeed, there are muslims who seem to have a great deal of doubt about hadith and very quick to reject hadith on that basis. but, in fact, if one actually takes the time to study the history and preservation of hadith, one will immediately recognise that all those claims and charges against the hadith are not based on anything scientific whatsoever. they are nothing but false claims that come from satan and which muslims with poor understanding and knowledge have allowed to creep into their hearts. let me make one last point about this condition of certainty. as i alluded to earlier, doubts and misconceptions are very dangerous for a person ' s faith. doubt and wavering are tantamount to apostasy in islaam, as i mentioned earlier. hence, every muslim should do best to safeguard himself from such doubts and remain away from the sources of doubts - especially if they are not well grounded in the islaamic sciences and do not have the knowledge to refute such doubts and misconceptions. hence if a person has an associate or friend, even if he be a muslim friend, who is always making him doubt allaah or the religion, then he should remain away from that person in order to safeguard his own religion. many muslims nowadays study courses on islaam taught by orientalists and because of their weak backgrounds in islaamic studies, they are influenced by the nonsense that some of these orientalists are teaching in the


that person in order to safeguard his own religion. many muslims nowadays study courses on islaam taught by orientalists and because of their weak backgrounds in islaamic studies, they are influenced by the nonsense that some of these orientalists are teaching in the name of " science ". similarly, many brothers and sisters nowadays are spending hours at a time with the computer news groups and bulletin boards. a lot of nonsense and falsehood are posted on those news groups and bulletin boards. again, the one who is not very knowledgeable of his religion may easily be influenced and affected by the misconceptions and false arguments that he reads in those bulletin boards. he should remain away from those things and get a deeper knowledge of islaam through the authentic sources of the religion. again, the greatest counterforce that can defeat doubts and misconceptions, after the bounty and guidance of allaah, is sound knowledge and understanding of the religion. when a person has that, he will not be affected by the weak arguments put out by the enemies of islaam and he will be, allaah willing, from among those described in the qur ' aan, the third condition of the shahadah is acceptance ( or al - qabool ) : if a person has knowledge of and certainty in the shahadah, this must followed by acceptance, with the tongue and heart, of whatever that shahadah implies. whoever refuses to accept the shahadah and its implications, even if he knows that it is true and certain about its truth, than he is a disbeliever. this refusal to accept is sometimes due to pride, envy or other reasons. in any case, the shahadah is not a true shahadah without its unconditional acceptance. the scholars all talk about this condition as a general condition in the way that i have just stated. however, there is also a more detailed aspect that we must all be aware of. the believer accepts whatever the implications of the shahadah are. this also means that he believes in whatever is stated in the qur ' aan or stated by the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam, without any right to choose what he wants to believe and what he wants to reject. allaah says in the qur ' aan, this is one aspect that the muslims must be aware of. although it is not the same as the complete refusal to accept the truth, by rejecting part of the truth that has come from allaah, one also negates his


' aan, this is one aspect that the muslims must be aware of. although it is not the same as the complete refusal to accept the truth, by rejecting part of the truth that has come from allaah, one also negates his testimony of faith. unfortunately, many muslims are doing this nowadays in various ways. although not all of these forms may necessarily be considered apostasy, they are still very dangerous. for example, if they do not like what is stated in a verse in the qur ' aan, they simply reinterpret the verse according to their liking. if they do not like what is stated in a hadith, they simply state that the hadith must not be authentic although they are not scholars in that area. this kind of behaviour is the antithesis of the behaviour of the true muslims. whatever comes from allaah and his messenger sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam, the true muslim believes in as the truth. this goes hand in hand with their testimony of faith. the fourth condition of the shahadah is submission and compliance ( or al - inqiyad ) : this implies the actual physical enactment with our deeds of our shahadah. in fact, this is one of the main meanings of the word islaam itself, " the submission to the will and commands of allaah. " this is what allaah commands in the qur ' aan, " turn unto him repentant, and surrender unto him " ( al - zumar : 54 ). allaah has praised those who submit to his command by their actions. allaah says, actually, allaah has clearly made it a condition of faith that one submits to the command of allaah and his messenger. allaah says, unfortunately, there are many who claim that there is no relationship between faith and deeds. you can even hear one muslim saying about another, " that is the best muslim i have ever met, " yet the other person performs scarcely any of the deeds of islaam whatsoever. this incorrect understanding of faith has spread throughout the muslim world. indeed, our shahadah or testimony of faith must be implemented or realised in our hearts, tongues and actions. in our hearts, we must have love for allaah, fear allaah and hope in him. with our tongues we must testify to the shahadah. and with our actions, we must implement what the testimony of faith requires from us. anyone who claims to be a muslim and yet does no deeds, either does not


and hope in him. with our tongues we must testify to the shahadah. and with our actions, we must implement what the testimony of faith requires from us. anyone who claims to be a muslim and yet does no deeds, either does not understand islaam whatsoever or is bearing testimony against himself that his testimony of faith is not a true and correct testimony of faith. this does not mean that the true believer never commits a sin. indeed, true believers do commit sins, but as long as they recognise that what they did is not correct and it is inconsistent with their obligation of submitting to allaah, then they have not violated the soundness of their testimony or shahadah. but do not forget, they are still sinners. and what is the minimum of submission that is required from a person beyond which there can be no claim to faith? for those scholars who say that the abandonment of prayers is infidelity, it is the five daily prayers. whoever does not perform, at least, the five daily prayers has gone beyond the limit that is acceptable for lack of deeds. allaah knows best. the fifth condition is truthfulness ( or as - sidq ), as opposed to hypocrisy and dishonesty : this means that when we say the shahadah, we are saying it honestly. we actually mean it. we are not lying when it comes to our testimony of faith. the prophet ( peace be upon his ) said, " no one bears testimony to there being no one worth of worship save allaah, sincerely from his heart, except that allaah makes the hell - fire forbidden for him. " ( recorded by al - bukharee and muslim. ) we are all familiar with those who say the testimony of faith yet they are not saying it honestly. they do not believe in it but they are simply saying it in order to protect themselves or to get some gain from doing so ; these are the hypocrites. allaah has described them in the opening of the qur ' aan with the following words : " and of mankind are some who say, ' we believe in allaah and the last day, ' when they believe not. they think to beguile allaah and those who believe, and they beguile none save themselves, but they perceive not. in their hearts is a disease, and allaah increases their disease. a painful doom is theirs because they lie. " al - quran 2 : 8 - 10 obviously, the shahadah of those who


none save themselves, but they perceive not. in their hearts is a disease, and allaah increases their disease. a painful doom is theirs because they lie. " al - quran 2 : 8 - 10 obviously, the shahadah of those who become muslims simply to benefit from being muslim and not because they believe in islaam will be rejected by allaah in the hereafter. they will face a painful punishment due to their lying. the sixth condition is sincerity ( or al - ikhlaas ) : that is, when we make the shahadah, we must do so solely for the sake of allaah. we must not do it for any other reason. and we must not do it for anyone else ' s sake. in this manner, the meaning of sincerity is opposite of shirk or ascribing partners with allaah. we became and remain muslims solely for allaah ' s sake. allaah says in the qur ' aan : " worship allaah, making religion pure for him. " [ al quran 39 : 2 ] and allaah also says : " and they are ordained not else than to serve allaah, keeping religion pure for him, as men by nature upright and to establish worship and to pay the poor - due. that is true religion. " [ al - quran 98 : 5 ] and the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam added : " allaah has forbidden for the hell - fire anyone who says, ' there is no one worthy of worship except allaah, ' and say so desiring the face [ and pleasure ] of allaah. " ( recorded by muslim ). this is something that we should all think about, especially those of us who grew up in muslim families and were born muslim. we should make it very clear to ourselves that we are muslims only for the sake of allaah. we are not muslims for the sake of our parents, friends, family or community. it must be clear in our minds that we are muslims for the sake of allaah first, last and only. one of the signs that we are muslims for the sake of allaah is that we do whatever allaah asks of us, regardless of what anybody else desires or wants from us. that is, in the same way that we are muslims solely for the sake of allaah, all of our actions are done for the sake of allaah. however, sometimes one begins to wonder whether this condition is met by some people. some people from the muslim world practice


same way that we are muslims solely for the sake of allaah, all of our actions are done for the sake of allaah. however, sometimes one begins to wonder whether this condition is met by some people. some people from the muslim world practice islaam to the extent that it is pleasing to their families. if there is anything in islaam that their families do not like - although their families are muslim and therefore they actually should like all of islaam - then they do not practice that aspect of islaam. one common example of that nature is mixing between men and women. sometimes a brother, here in the u. s., will not mix with women and his wife will remain separate from the men. yet, when they return to their homes, because this is not pleasing to their families who want to mix between men and women, they easily, simply and happily compromise their religion for the sake of their parents. these people must sincerely ask themselves why they are muslims. are they muslims for the sake of their parents and therefore whatever their parents like they will do and whatever their parents do not like they won ' t do? or are they muslims for the sake of allaah and therefore whatever allaah dislikes they will not do and whatever allaah is pleased with what they do? the seventh condition is love ( or al - mahabbah ) : that is, the believer loves this shahadah, he loves in accordance with the shahadah, he loves the implications and requirements of the shahadah and he loves those who act and strive for the sake of this shahadah. this is a necessary condition of the shahadah. if a person makes the shahadah but does not love the shahadah and what it stands for, then, in fact, his faith is not complete. it is not the faith of a true believer. and if he loves something more that this shahadah or if he loves something more than allaah, then he has negated his shahadah. the true believer, the one meeting the conditions of the shahadah puts no one whatsoever as an equal to allaah in his love. allaah says in the qur ' aan : and elsewhere allaah says : the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam said, " whoever has three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith. [ the first of these ] is that he loves allaah and his messenger more than he loves anyone else... " ( recorded by al - bukharee


wa sallam said, " whoever has three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith. [ the first of these ] is that he loves allaah and his messenger more than he loves anyone else... " ( recorded by al - bukharee and muslim. ). this is one of the most important aspects of islaam yet, for some reason, it is missing from the lives of many muslims. they act in islaam as if islaam were a chore instead of doing things out of the love of allaah. when allaah orders us to do something, like bear witness to the faith, we should realise that that thing is pleasing to allaah and, therefore, out of our love for allaah, we should be very pleased to do the acts that are pleasing to allaah. but, as i said, this feeling is missing from many, many muslims today. the eight condition of the shahadah is that the person who makes the shahadah must deny every other object of worship : although that is clear in the words of the testimony of faith, it does not seem clear to everyone who makes that testimony. therefore, i am mentioning it explicitly here. in surah al - baqara, allaah clearly reminds us of this important aspect of the shahadah, the shahadah is not merely an affirmation but it is both and affirmation and a negation. allaah states, perhaps the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam made this point even clearer when he said, " whoever says there is no one worthy of worship except allaah and denies whatever is worshipped besides allaah, then his wealth and blood are protected and his accounting will be with allaah. " ( recorded by muslim ) although this condition should be obvious to everyone who says the words of shahadah, you can still find muslims who say the shahadah and then make acts of worship for beings or things other than allaah. you will find them going to the graveyards and worshipping those in the graves. they will perform acts of worship, not for the sake of allaah, but for the sake of the dead " saints " in the grave. what kind of shahadah have these people made? do you really think that their shahadah will mean anything on the day of judgement as long as they believe that acts of worship may be done for other than allaah? the ninth condition of the shahadah is that the muslim adheres to the shahadah


that their shahadah will mean anything on the day of judgement as long as they believe that acts of worship may be done for other than allaah? the ninth condition of the shahadah is that the muslim adheres to the shahadah until he dies : this is must if the shahadah is to mean anything for you in the hereafter. you cannot rest on your laurels of what you may have done in the past. no, indeed, the shahadah must be your banner until your death. the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam said, " a man spends a long time doing the deeds of the people of paradise and then he ends his deeds with the deeds of the people of the hell - fire. and a man spends a long time doing the deeds of the people of the hell - fire and then he ends his deeds with the deeds of the people of paradise. " ( recorded by muslim ) in another hadith, the prophet sallallaahu ' alayhi wa sallam said, " by the one whom there is no other god, one of you does the actions of paradise until there is just a handspan between him and paradise and then the book [ preordainment ] overtakes him and he does the actions of the people of hell and he enters into it. " ( recorded by al - bukharee and muslim ) and allaah says in the qur ' aan, " o believers, observe your duty to allaah with right observance, and die not save as muslims [ surrendering yourselves to allaah ]. " [ al quran 3 : 102 ] dear brothers and sisters, these are the conditions of the shahadah. these are the aspects of the shahadah that each and every one of us should look to in ourselves and ask ourselves, " is my shahadah meeting those requirements? am i saying it sincerely, honestly and out of love for allaah? am i saying it based on what it really means? am i denying all other false objects of worship?... " these questions we should ask ourselves now before we meet allaah. allaah willing, we shall ask ourselves these questions now and we shall find that we have all the right answers for them. or, if we find we have some deficiency, we shall work to remove that deficiency. such that, by allaah ' s mercy, in the hereafter, our shahadah will be the key to paradise for us and the


them. or, if we find we have some deficiency, we shall work to remove that deficiency. such that, by allaah ' s mercy, in the hereafter, our shahadah will be the key to paradise for us and the gates of paradise will swing wide open for us and we will be able to live forever in the bounties of paradise, with allaah being pleased with us. again, it is not simply a matter of knowing these conditions. indeed, one can meet many muslims who have these conditions memorised, yet when one looks to their deeds and behaviour, one can see that these conditions have no effect on them. this means, in fact, no matter how well he knows and can rattle off these conditions, he, in fact, is not fulfilling them. in the hereafter, his knowledge of these conditions will be of no avail to him. indeed, his knowledge will be a proof against him as he clearly knows what the conditions are that he must satisfy yet he has shown that he is not willing to satisfy them in his life. some people have a wrong notion that entering into th islamic fold requires an announcement from the concerned person in the presence of high ranking scholars or shaikhs or reporting this act to courts of justice or other authorities. it is also thought that the act accepting islam, should, as a condition, have a certificate issued by the authorities, as evidence to that effect. we wish to clarify that whole matter is very easy and that none of these conditions or obligations are required. for allah, almighty, is above all comprehension and knows well the secrets of all hearts. nevertheless, those who are going to adopt islam as their religion are advised to register themselves as muslims with the concerned governmental agency, as this procedure may facilitate for them many matters including the possibility of performing hajj ( pilgrimage ) and umrah. if anyone has a real desire to be a muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that islam is the true religion ordained by allah for all human - being, then, one should pronounce the “ shahada ”, the testimony of faith, without further delay. the holy qur ’ an is explicit on this regard as allah states : “ the religion in the sight of allah is islam ” ( quran 3 : 19 ) in another verse of the holy qur ’ an, allah states : “ if anyone desires a religion other than islam ( submission to allah ), never will it be accepted of him ; and in the hereafter he will be in the ranks


19 ) in another verse of the holy qur ’ an, allah states : “ if anyone desires a religion other than islam ( submission to allah ), never will it be accepted of him ; and in the hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost ( their selves in the hell fire ). ” ( qur ’ an 3 : 85 ) in addition, islam is the only religion prevailing over all other religions. allah states in the holy qur ’ an : “ to thee we sent the scripture in the truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety : …. ( qur ’ an 5 : 48 ) mohammad, the prophet of allah ( peace and blessing of allah be upon him ), said : “ the superstructure of islam is raised on five ( pillars ) : testifying that there is no god ( none truly to be worshipped ) but allah, and that mohammad is the messenger of allah, performing the prayer, paying the zakah ( poor - due ), fasting the month of ramadan, and performing hajj. ” the english translation is : however, it would not be sufficient for anyone to only utter this testimony oraly either in private or in public ; but rather, he should believe in it by heart with a firm conviction and unshakeable faith. if one is truly sincere and complies with the teachings of islam in all his life, he will find himself a new born person. this will move him to strive more and more to improve his character and draw nearer to perfection. the light of the living faith will fill his heart until he becomes the embodiment of that faith. what would be next after declaring oneself a muslim? one should then know the real concept underlying this testimony which means the oneness of allah and meet its requiremants. one must behave accordingly, applying this true faith to every thing one speaks or does. what do the words of the “ shahada ” signify? the significant point which every muslim must know very well is the truth that there is no god ( deity ) to be worshipped other than allah. he - glory be to him – is the only true god, who alone deserves to be worshipped, since he is the giver of life and sustainer and nourisher of mankind and all creation with his unlimited bounties. man must worship allah, who alone is worthy of worship. the second part of the shahada “ i. e., wa ash - hadu anna mohammadan abduhu


should disown all forms of polytheism and false beliefs. he should reject evil and be rigtheous. such rejection of evil and being righteous is one of the requisites of the motto of islam – that is, laa ilaha illallah. allah states in the holy qur ’ an : ( qur ' an 2 : 256 ) we have to consider that when declare from our heart that “ there is no god ( deity ) worthy to be worshipped but allah ”, it implies on our part love, devotion, faith and obedience to the rules of islamic legislations which are legally binding on all muslims. it is a requiremant of “ there is no god worthy to be worshipped but allah ” to love for the sake of allah and to reject for the sake of allah. this is the firmest anchor of belief which materialise the meaning of “ al wala ” and “ al bara ”. it means that a muslim should love and be loyal to his muslim brothers. he should, as a practise, dissociate himself completely from the unbelievers and refuse to be influenced by them, both in wordly and religious matters. we conclude with a humble prayer to allah that may he cleanse the hearts and souls of those who are genuine seekers of truth and may he bless the community of believers. by : sheikh muhammed salih al - munajjid


november 14, 2012 | [ ap / wide world photos ] | the aftermath of hurricane sandy has shown that the nation needs to be more prepared for emergencies, particularly when it comes to communications, darren hayes, a professor at pace university in new york, writes for thehill. com. in areas that lost power, some utility companies lacked alert systems, and cellphone communications were often scant. radio reports were devoid of specifics about local communities, hayes says. communications problems could have been mitigated with a more effective use of technology, he argues. the long island power authority reportedly was using a 25 - year - old mainframe computer system that couldn ’ t track power outages, and its engineers were working with paper maps and highlighters. the company ’ s mobile - user website was inoperable for days. for problems like finding gasoline, official communications were often unhelpful, so new yorkers turned to social media like twitter and websites like gasbuddy. com. hayes argues for the introduction of county, state and possibly federal legislation that would spell out the reporting and communications requirements that utilities must follow during disasters. power outages are inevitable, hayes writes, “ but poor planning and ineffective communication is inexcusable. ” — greg beaubien


pittsburgh supercomputing center october 3, 2000 nsf awards $ 2. 9 million for web100 project pittsburgh - - the national science foundation has awarded $ 2. 9 million to the web100 project, a research effort aimed at bringing data transmission rates of 100 megabits per second to the desktops of researchers. the three - year grant, effective september 15, provides funding to develop software that can automatically " tune " computer operating systems to fully exploit available network bandwidth. " progress in network access and electronic interaction utilizing the internet requires more than increased bandwidth, " said aubrey bush, director for the nsf ' s division of advanced networking infrastructure and research. " a real challenge now is providing end - to - end performance. this project will address some key network issues that limit internet performance and work toward effectively removing barriers. the goal is to better take advantage of available resources. " most researchers today have access to networks that can transmit data at rates of 100 megabits per second ( mbs ) or higher. the networks, however, rarely attain performance above three mbs. connections across networks are managed by the transmission control protocol ( tcp ), and research has shown that operating systems are often configured in ways that inhibit tcp performance across long - distance networks. through the web100 project, researchers at the pittsburgh supercomputing center, the national center for atmospheric research ( ncar ) and the national center for supercomputing applications are collaborating to address this problem. the objective is to develop software that interacts with the operating system and user applications to automatically tune performance of tcp. " the web100 project seeks to provide solutions to the bandwidth - delay - product problem, " said basil irwin, senior network engineer at ncar, " by automatically and transparently optimizing tcp ' s transmit and receive buffer sizes using congestion feedback information extracted from actual network conditions as they are reflected in the host ' s tcp code execution. " more information on the web100 project can be found at : http : / / www. web100. org / the pittsburgh supercomputing center is a joint effort of carnegie mellon university and the university of pittsburgh together with the westinghouse electric company. it was established in 1986 and is supported by several federal agencies, the commonwealth of pennsylvania and private industry. the national center for atmospheric research, ncar, was established in 1960 to serve as a focus for research on atmospheric and related science problems. the national center for supercomputing applications ( ncsa ) began operations in


shots - health blog wed january 25, 2012 with age, men may lose thinking ability faster than women men are more apt than women to lose thinking ability as they age, according to new research. and that mild cognitive impairment often leads to dementia. but people can reduce their risk of mild cognitive impairment by staying healthy and educated, according to rosebud roberts, a professor of epidemiology at the mayo clinic who led the study. " there is a lot that people can do, " she told shots. lower levels of education is one risk factor for mild cognitive impairment. obesity, diabetes and hypertension are others. other studies have found that older people who challenge themselves mentally tend to do better. the studied followed 1, 450 people between the ages of 70 and 89 in olmsted county, minn., who were free of dementia in 2004. they went through testing every 15 months. after three years, 296 people had developed mild cognitive impairment. the study was published in the journal neurology. men were more likely to be diagnosed, with 72 per 1, 000 people developing a mild cognitive impairment ; in women, the rate of diagnosis was 57 per 1, 000. overall, 6 percent were diagnosed with memory loss. it may be that men are coming down with mild cognitive impairment earlier than women, roberts says, because in the oldest age group, 85 to 89, the incidence was the same in men and women. those earlier cases in men may be caused by the fact that they also tend to develop cardiovascular disease earlier than women, she speculates. but clearly, whatever protection women have evaporates by the time they are in their 80s. some people saw their symptoms improve from one checkup to the next, but roberts says we shouldn ' t take hope from that. " there might be variability in symptoms and how they present, " she says. " mci is a very subtle condition. most people won ' t know someone has mci from talking to them. it ' s only people who live with them or are close to them who will notice something a little bit different. " however, a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment doesn ' t mean you are fated to get alzheimer ' s disease. scientists have yet to come up with a reliable test of who ' s likely to go down that road.


purdue remembers neil armstrong neil armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, and a purdue university aeronautical engineering alumnus, died saturday august 25, 2012. in 1947, armstrong enrolled at purdue university on a navy scholarship to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering. in 1949 the navy called him to active duty in the korean war. as a navy pilot, he flew 78 combat missions. he received three medals for his military service. in 1952 he returned to his studies and completed his bs at purdue and an ms in aerospace engineering at the university of southern california. as a research pilot at nasa ' s flight research center, edwards, calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high - speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000 - mph x - 15. he flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders. armstrong transferred to astronaut status in 1962 and was assigned as command pilot for the gemini 8 mission. here he presents purdue president frederick hovde a flag that he carried with him on his mission. the gemini mission was the first successful docking of two crafts and was integral to the success of later missions. armstrong received honorary doctorates from 17 countries, and was the recipient of many other honors, including the presidential medal of freedom, congressional space medal of honor, explorers club medal, nasa distinguished service medal, harmon international aviation trophy, royal geographic society ' s gold medal, federation aeronautique internationale ' s gold space medal, and the american astronautical society flight achievement award. armstrong was a regular visitor to campus his entire life. he was part of the purdue marching band and the phi delta theta fraternity. armstrong enjoyed purdue football immensely. students have remarked how surprised they were at armstrong ’ s genuine interest in their academic pursuits. armstrong retired from nasa in 1971 after the apollo 11 flight. although frequently in the company of politicians, armstrong remained largely undefined politically, unlike many other astronauts. rather, he devoted himself to teaching, serving as professor of aerospace engineering at the university of cincinnati, 1971 - 1979. he served on many boards and was a tireless champion for engineering and aeronautic education. 23 purdue graduates have been selected as nasa astronauts. in 1985 purdue hosted an astronaut reunion. armstrong ’ s footprint on the lunar surface may endure for millennia. his impact on purdue endures as well. armstrong hall is the flagship building for purdue ’ s world - renowned engineering program. designed to inspire the spirit of discovery of the space program, it is the manifestation of a true friendship between a world


low - cholesterol dos and don ' ts you ' re working hard to eat right so you can lower your cholesterol levels. you ' re reading nutrition labels, buying fewer pre - packaged foods, and testing yourself often. but you ' re still struggling to keep your cholesterol down. what are you doing wrong? the answer may surprise you. according to the american heart association ( aha ), many foods that claim to be low cholesterol are high in saturated fat and / or trans fat. since both saturated fat and trans fat contribute to high blood cholesterol, these foods may not be as healthy as their labels suggest. be a savvy shopper the aha has several tips that can turn anyone looking for low - cholesterol foods into a savvy shopper : - check the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, and calories in one serving of the product. a serving could be smaller than your normal portion, so it ' s important to take that into account. - look at the ingredient list. the first ingredient listed is the one used most in the product. fats and oils appear lower on the list in healthier products. - watch out for trans fats. the food and drug administration requires the amount of trans fat to be labeled on each product. it ' s ideal for trans fat to account for less than 1 percent of your total daily calories. in addition, beware of ingredients in baked goods, casseroles, and other dinner and lunch entrees. almost all baked goods contain eggs, a major source of cholesterol that counts toward your daily intake. eating out makes it hard to guesstimate exactly how much cholesterol is in a food, so the aha recommends that you : - look for entrees that are steamed, broiled, baked, grilled, or roasted. these foods often have less fat and calories than foods that are fried, crispy, or sauteed. - have dressings and sauces placed on the side, so you can choose how much to use or skip them altogether. - limit the amount of salt in your food by asking that it be prepared without added salt or msg. - see if the restaurant can substitute fat - free milk for whole milk and vegetable or olive oil for butter when preparing your food. the same guidelines apply when you ' re cooking at home, and the aha recommends choosing lean cuts of meat and trimming off the visible fat before


substitute fat - free milk for whole milk and vegetable or olive oil for butter when preparing your food. the same guidelines apply when you ' re cooking at home, and the aha recommends choosing lean cuts of meat and trimming off the visible fat before cooking. an added benefit of staying home : you ' ll be better able to control portion sizes since you ' re the chef. sign up for free newsletters ask your doctor the right questions! the most from your doctor visit. emailed right to you! the ask your doctor email series may contain sponsored content. 18 +, us residents only please. explore original articles about... get the most from qualityhealth - top searches - 1. arthritis management : nature heals - 2. 5 digestive to - dos - 3. men : should you shave it or leave it? - 4. today ' s top fitness trends - 5. sugar and osteoarthritis : the link - 6. can ' t afford your hospital bills? - 7. stay energized all day long - 8. phobias : who has them and why? - 9. what if your epipen fails? - 10. 5 costly medical billing mistakes - 1. ice falls can cause serious injuries - 2. can inactivity act like a disease? - 3. kale snack recipe for diabetics - 4. how running affects arthritis - 5. sugar and your immunity system - 6. do weight loss supplements work? - 7. 5 super foods for spring - 8. the hazards of reusable bags - 9. how to avoid ingrown hairs - 10. health tip : constantly change shoes - 1. 4 common treatments for epilepsy - 2. what does a urogynecologist do? - 3. gerd without heartburn? it ' s possible - 4. graston technique : can it work on you? - 5. music therapy can help autism - 6. 8 ways to fight ms - related fatigue - 7. can you still bleed after menopause? - 8. be your own health care advocate - 9. why is syphillis on the rise? - 10. ideal weight vs. happy weight the material on the qualityhealth web site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a physician or other qualified health provider. see additional information.


ramsar and wetland values included in japanese school curricula [ resolution vii. 9 of cop7 adopted " the convention ' s outreach programme 1999 - 2002 ", an extremely important part of which is found in paragraph 44 of the programme itself, in which parties are urged to ensure that ramsar and wetland values are included in the curricula of primary, secondary, and tertiary educational institutions. ( see also recommendation 4. 5, resolution vi. 19, and strategic plan 1997 - 2002 ' s action 3. 2. 5 in this regard. ) ] sixth grade students in the elementary school " wakasa shougakkou " in the city of tokorozawa, japan, studying an article on the ramsar site kushiro - shitsugen. ( photo : ms setsuko suzuki ) article from a japanese textbook used for the 6th grade under the subject of environmental protection and humans [ translation from the japanese ] title : kushiro - shitsugen ( marshland ) and tanchou ( red - crowned crane ) author : reiko nakamura, secretary general, ramsar center japan tanchou lives only in the eastern part of hokkaido and is a national endangered species. until the mid - 19th century, tanchou could be seen throughout broader areas of hokkaido, but it has rapidly decreased its numbers in the late 19th century due to development. traditionally, japan has transformed marshland into paddy field, forming its unique culture based on rice cultivation. people from the mainland developed hokkaido and successfully raised rice and vegetables despite the cold temperatures. as a result of the humans prosperity, however, tanchou was deprived of habitat, and it was believed that it had become extinct. in 1924, some ten to twenty tanchous were found at kushiro - shitsugen, in eastern hokkaido. people from neighbouring villages tried to feed the tanchous in an effort to increase the endangered waterfowl, but the cautious birds did not accept the food given by the humans. in february 1952, a blizzard attacked the kushiro region, and tanchous almost starved to death. farmers and schoolchildren gave them corn, and tanchous finally accepted to eat the food from the humans. since then, there has been a recognition of the need to save tanchous. people fed them out of their scarce food. the cost of the feed has since been appropriated from the national budget. now, the number of tanchous is counted at more than 600. the places where more than 100 tanchous


##chous. people fed them out of their scarce food. the cost of the feed has since been appropriated from the national budget. now, the number of tanchous is counted at more than 600. the places where more than 100 tanchous come to be fed have become protected areas. kushiro - shitsugen was designated as an internationally important site of the ramsar convention in 1980, and the 28th national park in 1987. on the other hand, however, kushiro - shitsugen has reduced its size by 2 / 3. trees are cut down, and water is contaminated. its ecosystems are not capable to host 600 tanchous any longer. under such an environment, tanchous are able to survive because the humans continue to feed them. if the humans stop feeding them, how many tanchous will be able to survive? as the humans are deeply involved in tanchous ' survival, feeding cannot be stopped. by feeding, the humans protect tanchou in the wild. nevertheless, the humans have deprived tanchou of the environment they rely upon. it is like a " zoo without fences. " our responsibilities as the humans are to protect the environment where tanchou can survive without human support and to keep working to retrieve the lost marshland area. the textbook ' s article is accompanied by illustrations not shown here, and by an additional page showing the ramsar sites in japan, with photos and a map and explanatory text about the convention. in addition, the students in wakasa shougakkou school spent time with the superb bilingual environment agency of japan 36 - page brochure entitled " & # @ > ( ^ $ * & # $ % " in japanese and " people and wetlands in japan " in english, which thoroughly surveys japan ' s wetland situation and the legislative and institutional mechanisms for implementing the convention, and describes all of japan ' s ramsar sites in considerable detail. the brochure also describes japan ' s assistance to other countries on a number of ramsar - related issues. students of the wakasa shougakkou school examine page 16 of the people and wetlands in japan brochure ( below ). ( photo : ms setsuuko suzuki )


shaggy dog stories play upon the audience ' s preconceptions of the art of joke telling. the audience listens to the story with certain expectations, which are either simply not met or met in some entirely unexpected manner. one such story is " the encounter with the horrible monster, " a shaggy dog story that is told as if it were a horror story. the story is a tale of a horrible monster ( or an escaped lunatic, or an escaped prisoner, or a gorilla ), that pursues a character implacably. after a lengthy exposition describing the pursuit, during which the audience ' s expectations of a horrendous climax are built up, the monster eventually corners his victim, at which point he touches him saying " tag! you ' re it! shaggy dog story has come to also mean a joke where a pun is finally achieved after a long ( and ideally tedious ) exposition. this is also called a feghoot. the humor in the punch line may be due to the sudden, unexpected recognition of a familiar saying, since the story has nothing to do with the usual context in which the phrase is normally found, yet the listener is surprised to discover it makes sense in both situations. therefore, if the audience is not already familiar with the phrase used in the punch line, or is not aware of the multiple meanings of the words in the phrase, the surprise ending of the joke cannot be recovered by explaining the joke to the audience. an example of this type is the rarie, in which a cute pet grows so large ( described in many stages ) that its owner cannot keep it. he loads the rarie onto a lorry and drives to a cliff, and is about to tip the animal over the brink when it looks out and says " hey, that ' s a long way to tip a rarie "... another example is the ' war story ' joke, in which the narrator presents his audience with insurmountable odds, and as the antagonistic forces close in, ends the story. when the audience clamors to know what happened next, the narrator simply responds, " i died. " a shaggy dog story may not have a pun at all ; the humor ( if any ) is then derived from the fact that the joke - teller held the attention of the listeners for a long time ( such jokes can take five minutes or more to tell ) for no reason at all ( an anticlimax ). one joke of this type is " the purple flower. " in this


teller held the attention of the listeners for a long time ( such jokes can take five minutes or more to tell ) for no reason at all ( an anticlimax ). one joke of this type is " the purple flower. " in this joke, with much detail and narration, a young boy is expelled from his elementary school and abandoned by his parents because he called a girl a " purple flower. " he eventually hears of an old woman who can tell him why the term is so offensive ; as he goes to find her, he sees her across the street and runs towards her, getting hit by the bus and dying as he crosses the street. the audience is then told that the moral of the story is that you should look both ways before you cross the street. a more ribald or scatological version is the aristocrats. isaac asimov, whose specialties included both science fiction and humor and who was a self - described " punster ", wrote a short story called " shah guido g., " referring to the story ' s atlantean ruler. the story ends on an anticlimax, and when a reader protested that it was " nothing but a shaggy dog story, " asimov pointed out that the title " shah guido g. " could also be read as " shahgui [ i. e. shaggy ] dog, " indicating this had been his intention. a boy owned a dog that was uncommonly shaggy. many people remarked upon its considerable shagginess. when the boy learned that there are contests for shaggy dogs, he entered his dog. the dog won first prize for shagginess in both the local and the regional competitions. the boy entered the dog in ever - larger contests, until finally he entered it in the world championship for shaggy dogs. when the judges had inspected all of the competing dogs, they remarked about the boy ' s dog : " he ' s not so shaggy. " however, authorities disagree as to whether this particular story is the archetype after which the category is named. eric partridge, for example, provides a very different story, as do william and mary morris in the morris dictionary of word and phrase origins. according to partridge and the morrises, the archetypical shaggy dog story involves an advertisement placed in the times announcing a search for a shaggy dog. in the partridge story, an aristocratic family living in park lane is searching for a lost dog, and an american answers the advertisement with a shaggy dog that he has found and personally brought across


a report, according to un revealed that the world ' s only global system of carbon trading, which specifically helps developing countries to achieve sustainable development and assists them in complying with their emission reduction targets, is collapsing and needs to be rescued. an expert panel appointed by un warned that the prices of the climate credits is dropping as countries failed to accomplish their future emission reduction commitments, and it would collapse if countries don ' t make any efforts to boost the climate credits market. it will put future flows of finance at risk, until the system adapts to new political and market conditions. the clean development mechanism ( cdm ) was one of the key components in the kyoto protocol ( ipcc, 2007 ), a protocol of united nations framework convention on climate change ( unfccc ). the un - established kyoto protocol follows the basic principle of unfccc, ' common but differentiated responsibility ' and helps 37 industrialized countries to achieve emissions reduction targets. to help developing countries achieve those targets, the protocol introduced three flexible mechanisms - the clean development mechanism ( cdm ), joint implementation ( ji ) and international emissions trading ( iet ). the cdm is one of the most flexible mechanisms defined under the kyoto protocol, which aims to invest in sustainable development projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in poor or developing countries. it allows countries with emission - reduction commitment to fund projects in developing or poor countries. more than 1, 000 cdm projects have qualified for the carbon credits so far, and billions of dollars have been raised through the system for the projects like solar panels and windfarms. but lack of government guarantees to continue with the kyoto protocol ' s mechanism and spiraling prices of cdm credits has created some serious issues about whether the system will survive. concerns have also been raised related to the weak carbon market and governments are not taking this critical situation seriously, said joan mcnaughton, a former uk civil servant in a statement. cdm has helped countries to cut around one billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, resulting in huge funds to developing countries over the past decade and if the cdm collapses, it would be much difficult in future to raise funds for the developing and poor countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions, said the panel.


the children ' s hospital of philadelphia follows the largest and most diverse population of children with neurologic, psychiatric and developmental disabilities in the country. in recent years, breathtaking discoveries have improved our understanding of the nervous system, providing an unprecedented opportunity to study the causes of these disorders and to develop new therapies. outstanding clinical and basic scientists partner with the hospital ' s clinical care programs to harness new knowledge for practical applications in children ' s health. the neuroscience affinity group fosters these collaborations to rapidly translate basic research into clinical treatment. the group focuses on four themes : autism / complex neurobehavioral disorders, epilepsy, neuroprotection and stress biology. a troubling number of children have diseases of the nervous system, including epilepsy, stroke, head trauma, autism and attention - deficit hyperactivity disorder ( adhd ). up to 5 percent of children will experience a seizure between 3 months and 5 years of age. although stroke is often associated with the elderly, recent studies show that neonates are also at increased risk of stroke. autism has been estimated to afflict as many as one in 150 children. many genetic disorders, including those that result in altered metabolism, are often accompanied by brain dysfunction. there is evidence to suggest that the incidence of some of these nervous system diseases is increasing, further highlighting the critical need for neuroscience research. neuroscience investigators at children ' s hospital are currently conducting a pediatric stroke program and a multisite study on stroke in children and adolescents. researchers are also examining the changes in neurons that lead to epilepsy and studying novel therapeutic approaches. one goal is to understand how a ketogenic diet - high in fat, low in carbohydrates and protein - reduces seizures. autism research at children ' s hospital is supported by the regional autism center ( rac ), which provides assessment and management for research in children and adolescents with autistic spectrum disorders. neuroscience affinity group members are actively involved with the institutional mental retardation and developmental disabilities research center ( iddrc ), which has been coordinating mental retardation research at children ' s hospital and the university of pennsylvania for over 15 years. the iddrc provides services to more than 90 nih - funded projects, which have an aggregate value of more than $ 22 million. affinity group researchers also collaborate with the center for dynamic imaging and the attention - deficit hyperactivity disorder center. the neuroscience affinity group aims to provide a fertile training ground for the next generation of clinician - scientists


our collection of old civil war photos and posters are filled with historic value. photos of old battle scenes, generals, president lincoln, and other civil war related items are brought back to life. you will find illustrated posters recreating the battle scenes of such epic civil war battles like : antietam, bull run, williamsburg, fort wagner, and many more. these old civil war photos have been digitally restored as much as possible. some of these photographs were in bad shape due to being so old and taken from the battlefields. this civil war era photo shows a view of soldiers in front of a slave pen in alexandria, va. building says price birch and co. - dealers in slaves. this old civil war photo dates to between 1861 and 1869. learn more photograph from the main eastern theater of the war, burnside and hooker, november 1862 - april 1863. left to right : capt. w. g. jones, maj. laurence kip, a. d. c., lt. col. joseph h. taylor, a. a. c., gen. sumner, capt. j. m. garland, chief of ambulances, capt. s. s. sumner, a. d. c., unknown, lt. col. w. w. teall. learn more photo shows president abraham lincoln talking with general george b. mcclellan and his officers. photograph from the main eastern theater of the war, battle of antietam, september - october 1862. 1. col. delos b. sacket, i. g. 2. capt. george monteith. 3. lt. col. nelson b. sweitzer. 4. gen. george w. morell. 5. col. alexander s. webb, chief of staff, 5th corps. 6. gen. george b. mcclellan. 7. scout adams. 8. dr. jonathan letterman, army medical director. 9. unknown. 10. president lincoln. 11. gen. henry j. hunt. 12. gen. fitz - john porter. 13. unknown. 14. col. frederick t. locke, a. a. g. 15. gen. andrew a. humphreys. 16. col. george a. batchelder, ordnance officer, 1st div., 5th corps learn more retro snapshots offers thousands of old photos, posters and panoramics. our vintage photos have been digitally restored by professional artists, who painstakingly remove scratches, tears and improve contrast and coloration of all of our


( thousands of trucks ) | light trucks ( < 6, 001 lb ) | | 50, 545. 7 | | 62, 798. 4 | | medium trucks ( 6, 001 to 19, 500 lb ) | | 5, 906. 5 | | 6, 737. 1 | | light - heavy trucks ( 19, 501 to 26, 000 lb ) | | 732. 0 | | 729. 3 | | heavy trucks ( > 26, 000 lb ) | | 3, 074. 5 | | 3, 986. 9 | key : lb = pound notes : weight is the empty weight of the vehicle plus the average vehicle load. excludes vehicles owned by federal, state, or local governments ; ambulances ; buses ; motor homes ; farm tractors ; unpowered trailer units ; and trucks reported as sold, junked, or wrecked prior to july 1 of the year preceding the survey. source : u. s. department of transportation, bureau of transportation statistics, national transportation statistics 2002 ( washington, dc : 2002 ), table 1 - 21, also available at http : / / www. bts. gov /, as of april 2003. the original source of these data is the u. s. census brureau ' s vehicle inventory and use survey ( vius ). the truck categories in national transportation statistics and this report differ from those in vius, which has the following categories : light trucks - 10, 000 lbs or less ; medium trucks - 10, 001 lbs - 19, 500 lbs ; light - heavy trucks - 19, 501 lbs - 26, 000 lbs ; and heavy - heavy trucks - 26, 001 lbs or more.


it can be safely assumed that databases with a high volume of data or a complicated relational setup ( like, perhaps, a lexical database for a living language ) must be accessible to many users and operators at the same time. ideally, it should be possible to use existing different hardware and software platforms that can be combined into the actual system. in order to reduce the implementation cost, only one system, the database server, needs to be powerful ; the user stations typically just display data and accept user commands, but the processing is done on one machine only which led to the name client - server database. in addition, the user interface should be easy to maintain and should require as little as possible on the client side. a system which meets these criteria can be built around the following items of protocols, concepts and software : supplies the operating system. it is a stable unix implementation providing true multi - user multi - tasking services with full network ( tcp / ip e. a. ) support. except from the actual media and transmission cost, it is available free of charge and comes in form of so - called distributions which usually include everything needed from the basic os to text processing, scripting, software development, interface builders, etc. is the hypertext markup language used to build interfaces to network systems like intranets and the www, the world wide web. html is very simple and can be produced with any ascii - capable text editor. are text - based ( e. g. lynx ) or graphical ( e. g. mosaic, netscape, arena etc. ) applications accepting, evaluating and displaying html documents. they are the only piece of software which is directly operated by the database user. using browsers, it is possible to display various types of data ( text, possibly images ) and communicate with http servers ( see next ) on about every popular computer model for which a browser has been made available. provide access to the area of a host computer where data intended for public use in a network are stored. they understand the http protocol and procure the information the user requests. structured query language is a language for manipulating data in relational databases. it has a very simple grammar and is a standard with wide industry support. sql - based databases have become the core of the classical client / server database concept. there are many famous sql systems available, like oracle, informix etc., and then there is also msql which comes with a very low or even zero price tag if it is used in academical and educational environments.


the routledge international companion to gifted education edited by tom balchin, barry hymer, dona j. matthews published september 25th 2008 by routledge – 400 pages the routledge international companion to gifted education is a ground - breaking collection of fully - referenced chapters written by many of the most highly - respected authorities on the subject from around the world. these fifty contributors include distinguished scholars who have produced many of the most significant advances to the field over the past few decades, like joseph renzulli and robert sternberg, alongside authorities who ask questions about the very concepts and terminology embodied in the field – scholars such as carol dweck and guy claxton. this multi - faceted volume : the international aspect of the companion, and its juxtaposition of points of view – whereby chapters are deliberately positioned and accompanied by editorial commentary to highlight the contrasts with each other – ensures that different views are addressed, allowing the reader to absorb and reflect upon the many perspectives on each issue. the companion is a guide to the new ideas and controversies that are informing gifted education discussion and policy - making around the world. it is a first class resource to students and researchers alike. foreword by james h. borland authors ’ biographies introduction : reflections on the road ahead part i. models, definitions & conceptual challenges 1. brightening up : how children learn to be gifted, guy claxton & sara meadows 2. neural interconnectivity and intellectual creativity : giftedness, savants, and learning styles, john geake 3. making connections : cognition, emotion, and a shifting paradigm, dona j. matthews & christy folsom 4. giftedness : the gift that keeps on giving, dean simonton 5. talent development : dmgt, francoys gagne 6. the nature of creative giftedness and talent, todd lubart, asta georgsdottir & maud besancon 7. the future of the english definition of giftedness, thomas balchin part ii. international perspectives 8. gifted education from the german perspective, kurt heller 9. education practices for gifted learners in france : an overview, pierre vrignaud, denis bonora, & annie dreux 10. high ability education in sweden : the swedish model, ake edfeldt & inger wistedt 11. a proposal for gifted education in reluctant schools : the case of the greek school system, elias matsagouras & evangelia dougali 12. we can still do this, or can we? the russian system of educating and promoting talent in


. a proposal for gifted education in reluctant schools : the case of the greek school system, elias matsagouras & evangelia dougali 12. we can still do this, or can we? the russian system of educating and promoting talent in mathematics and science, ida jeltova, konstantin lukin & elena l. grigorenko 13. russian strategies for talent development : stimulating comfort and discomfort, victoria s. yurkevich & boris m. davidovich 14. gifted but underachieving : australian indigenous children, graham m. chaffey 15. lay conceptions of giftedness among the chinese people, david w. chan part iii. psychosocial development 16. the ethics of gifted education - what can we learn from medical ethics? annie haight 17. ethical sensitivity and giftedness, kirsi tirri 18. morality and giftedness, joan freeman 19. emotional intelligence : re - examining some preconceptions, maria dolores prieto & mercedes ferrando 20. too long neglected : giftedness in younger children, valsa koshy 21. teaching the able child … or teaching the child to be able? jan hughes 22. global success and giftedness, carmen cretu 23. a reconsideration of the widely held conviction that gifted students prefer to work alone, lisa r. french & bruce m. shore part iv. theory into practice : differentiation strategies, tools, and approaches 24. a computerized strength assessment and internet - based enrichment program for developing giftedness and talents, joseph renzulli and sally reis 25. acceleration : meeting the academic and social needs of students, nicholas colangelo & susan assouline 26. recognising and fostering creative production, thomas balchin 27. programming for talent development : expanding horizons for gifted education, donald treffinger, carole a. nassab & edwin c. selby 28. special educational needs and dual exceptionality, diane montgomery 29. visual thinking : a gifted boy with asperger syndrome, wieslawa limont 30. challenge and creativity : making the links, helen wilson 31. educating for enquiry : personalising learning through dialogic teaching, robert fisher part v. expanding horizons : supporting gifted development more broadly 32. wisdom, intelligence, creativity, synthesised : a model of giftedness, robert sternberg 33. fostering giftedness in urban and diverse communities : context - sensitive solutions, ian warwick & dona matthews 34. the role of gifted education in promoting cultural diversity,


intelligence, creativity, synthesised : a model of giftedness, robert sternberg 33. fostering giftedness in urban and diverse communities : context - sensitive solutions, ian warwick & dona matthews 34. the role of gifted education in promoting cultural diversity, joyce vantassel - baska 35. developing pupils ' problem - solving and thinking skills, belle wallace 36. creating inclusive and inclusional understandings of gifts and talents through living educational theory research, marie huxtable 37. beyond compare? thoughts towards an inclusional, fluid, and non - normative understanding of giftedness, barry j. hymer 38. self - theories and lessons for giftedness : a reflective conversation, carol s. dweck 39. turning points and future directions in gifted education and talent development, sally m. reis tom balchin is a research fellow and lecturer in gifted education, based in the brunel able children ’ s education centre at brunel university, uk. he is also a visiting lecturer at the institute of education, reading university, uk. barry hymer is a visiting fellow at newcastle university ' s centre for teaching and learning in the uk. he is a freelance educator, chartered psychologist, trainer and writer, specialising in the fields of thinking skills, creativity and gifted education. dona matthews is a visiting professor at the ontario institute for studies in education of the university of toronto and, until recently, the director of the center for gifted studies and education at the hunter college, city university of new york, working with the new york city department of education on gifted education policies and practices.


issue number : 93 shiva in his incarnation as ' tripuravajaya ' ( victor of the three cities ), c. 950 - 60. shiva in his incarnation as ' tripuravajaya ' ( victor of the three cities ), c. 950 - 60. shiva in his incarnation as ' tripuravajaya ' ( victor of the three cities ), c. 950 - 60. take the cholan express to tanjore along the kaveri river and you ’ ll see why marco polo thought south india the ‘ most splendid country in the world ’. temple towers rear above the forest at every stop like exotic, petrified vegetation as the train rumbles over swirling monsoon - swelled rivers – some of the 40 streams that spread out in a filigree of water and chocolate - dark alluvium to form the rich rice fields of the delta. this was the foundation of the wealth of the chola empire that dominated the region from the tenth to the thirteenth centuries, and sent armies to sri lanka and the ganges plain, despatching trade missions and planting colonies across the indian ocean to java, bali and the malacca straits, some of which are still there today. famed for their brilliant artistic and cultural achievements, the chola are often compared to the ancient athenians. like the greeks, their culture went back into the deep past – the earliest surviving tamil nadu literature is pre - christian - – and in music, dance, poetry and sculpture, they were as inventive and expressive as any civilisation on the planet. and as idiosyncratic : this was an age that created love poetry of almost postmodern awareness, as in this stanza from a hymn to shiva : ‘ … on that day when you looked at me, you enslaved me in grace entered me and out of love melted my mind. ’ — manikkavachakar, tiruvachakam, hymn 38 yet the chola also produced bloodthirsty battle eulogies in which gruesome punishments are meted out to defeated foes. a time of blood and flowers, then, evoking strange parallels : feudal japan perhaps, or even the aztecs. bronze casting was one of the arts that the chola raised to unsurpassed levels. the bronzes were made for use as portable images for festival processions, but also as icons for worship in temples. for the devotees, they came to be a channel for bhakti, or as tamils say, anbu – a word


the bronzes were made for use as portable images for festival processions, but also as icons for worship in temples. for the devotees, they came to be a channel for bhakti, or as tamils say, anbu – a word that translates as love or personal devotion to god. this great devotional movement began in early medieval south india, and its poetry is still performed by travelling singers, the oduvars. so we should not see these bronzes just as works of art, but as images for worship and mnemonics of culture. viewing them in a gallery as museum exhibits, it is hard to imagine them in context, amid the sights, sounds and smells of south india. but few experiences are more delightful than to be in a tamil temple by the kaveri river at sunset puja ( ceremony of worship ), with the sound of nadeswaram ( wind instruments ) and drums in the air, the scent of incense, jasmine and ghee, and the glow of bronze in the light of the flame – a dancing shiva, or a voluptuous bare - breasted bhoga shakti ( shiva ’ s consort ) – the goddess as all - powerful woman. south indian worship is nothing if not sensuous. best of the chola bronzes perhaps are the stunning pieces from the days of rajaraja the great, the builder of the chola empire, who reigned from around 985 to 1018. of the 66 bronzes dedicated to his own great temple in tanjore, only one has survived and is still under worship : a wonderful dancing shiva. but sembiyan mahadevi, rajaraja ’ s aunt and one of the greatest chola patrons of the arts, left dozens of masterpieces in many places, including gorgeous works in konerirajapuram, vriddachalam and tiruvalangadu. ( what may be her portrait, incidentally, is to be seen today in the freer gallery of art in washington. ) the finest, many would argue, come from the temple of tiruvengadu deep in the delta, where over 30 ancient bronzes have survived the vagaries of time. some are still in living worship ; others recovered from hoards buried in time of war are now in the magnificent collection in the old thanjavur palace museum in tanjore. they are all swaying lines and lovely curves ; wasp - waisted goddesses, androgynous male divinities with a hint


time of war are now in the magnificent collection in the old thanjavur palace museum in tanjore. they are all swaying lines and lovely curves ; wasp - waisted goddesses, androgynous male divinities with a hint of puppy fat above their jewelled waistbands. the bronzes depict ancient themes : god as the dancer, the yogi or beggar and the goddess as virgin, benign wife, or dark mother ; themes still endlessly reinvented today in indian cinema and television. my own favourite is a four - feet - high masterpiece cast in 1011 that shows the god shiva in his archaic role as lord of the animals. but, here, the wild boy of prehistory is a sinuous cowherd with a turban of snakes, legs nonchalantly crossed, left arm provocatively hanging by his hip ; naked but for the skimpiest wrap around his thighs, which serves only to draw attention to his heavenly attributes. there had been nothing like it since the ancient greeks, and – saving donatello perhaps – there has been nothing like it since. who were the artists, the sthapathis, who produced these great sculptures? scholars suspect they often worked in families, like the tiruvengadu casters whose work is found over at least five decades. several other distinctive groups have been identified in the kaveri river delta ; maybe others travelled widely to serve wealthy patrons. their successors can still be found today. in the leafy jungle of the kaveri less than 40 miles from tanjore in the village of swamimalai, several families of sthapathis live, hereditary bronze casters who still make temple idols. one of the oldest families, s. devasenapathy and sons, has a workshop near the murugan temple behind an unprepossessing modern shopfront. three brothers now run the business, and they have made images for temples in the us and the uk, as well as all over south asia. one of the brothers brings out a crumbling unbound volume from the 1961 census of india, where a fold - out genealogy traces his ancestry back through seven generations of named craftsmen here in the village. family tradition takes them much further back. the story handed down from their ancestors recounts that they originally came from gingee, one hundred miles to the north, and that they moved to tanjore a thousand years ago when rajaraja gathered craftsmen for his great temple. later, they migrated to darasuram,


their ancestors recounts that they originally came from gingee, one hundred miles to the north, and that they moved to tanjore a thousand years ago when rajaraja gathered craftsmen for his great temple. later, they migrated to darasuram, where a sumptuously ornamented royal temple was built in the twelfth century. finally, in the middle ages, they settled in swamimalai, an old centre of bronze - making and bell - casting known for its fine - grained river clay. one of the devasenapathy brothers tells me of the process of making the bronzes. ‘ we do things exactly as the chola did a thousand years ago, ’ he says. ‘ this means we still use the lost - wax process ’. behind the office and the finishing shop is a big, thatched workshop that opens on to gardens at the back. cows wander around nonchalantly as the fire roars ready for the heating of the bronze. here, under a rattan roof are the earth pits where they bury the hot moulds. as we talk, four barefoot workmen gingerly carry in a glowing fired clay mould on a wooden stretcher. he tries to lift a massive, shapeless charred lump of clay out of which, rather like michelangelo ’ s giants emerging from their prisons of stone, one can make out the legs and front arm of a dancing shiva, the quintessential tamil image of the divine. it is this conception that rodin thought the most perfect representation of rhythmic movement in all the world ’ s art ( ra magazine, autumn 2006 ). as the french sculptor put it, ‘ above all, there are things that other people do not see : unknown depths, the wellsprings of life. there is grace in elegance ; above grace, there is modelling ’. back in the office, mr devasenapathy shows me some finished images, gleaming disconcertingly like chrome on a new car : quite unlike the soft browns, blue - greens and lead greys shading to a kind of gunmetal black, all of which are found in the patinas of old works. nearly twenty years earlier, i had met his father here and asked him who was the best of the chola masters. ‘ the standard was very high, ’ he replied. ‘ when you think, even today, there must be thousands of ancient bronzes surviving. but the best, i think, were the tiruvengadu sthapathis. they were great artists who had a


high, ’ he replied. ‘ when you think, even today, there must be thousands of ancient bronzes surviving. but the best, i think, were the tiruvengadu sthapathis. they were great artists who had a vision that added something to religion. they made the greatest masterpieces. ’ what distinguishes bronzes made in the chola period from later versions, and those made today, is their exquisite detail. the chola sthapathis were able to cast the most delicate nuances, such as rings on toes, strands of hair and tightly clasped fingers from the original wax model, giving their bronzes a seamless, organic beauty. today, despite following the same methods of lost - wax bronze casting perfected by the chola, craftsmen are no longer able to cast such fine details, so they are carved into the bronzes at the finishing stage. ‘ the best sculpture, ’ he continues, ‘ is the half - man, half - woman, ardhanarisvara, now in the chennai government museum. it is a unique image : impossible to copy. we have tried. but even if we could make an exact copy in every detail, it would be inferior. the point is not so much a technical one. though their technical ability was top quality, it went beyond a matter of technique. they attained the spiritual essence of art. ’ a great modern tamil scholar described this as the last classical civilisation. it is certainly true that if you want to know what it is like to belong to a traditional civilisation, tamil nadu is the place to come, and the divine chola bronzes, in their making and their meaning, in their living role in festival, poetry and worship, are a crystallisation of the tamil view of the world and their place in it. chola : sacred bronzes of southern india, the sackler wing, royal academy of arts ( 020 7300 8000 ), until 25 feb ; michael wood ’ s talk south india : the last classical civilisation, reynolds room, royal academy of arts, 9 feb, 6. 30 – 7. 30pm.


english civil wars muskets click on each thumbnail image to enlarge. the musket was used by infantry and dragoons. it usually had a barrel four feet long with a diameter that was 12 bore or big enough to tale a lead ball weighing one twelfth of a pound. most muskets used by the infantry were matchlocks. the muskets used by dragoons were usually more expensive flintlocks because of the dangers of riding a horse with burning slowmatch. at the beginning of the 17th century muskets were very heavy and were fired using a rest to support the weight of the barrel. by the english civil wars muskets had become lighter and the rest was rarely used. to load a matchlock musket the burning slowmatch was held in the left hand, which also held the musket at the point of balance. then a small quantity of powder was put in the priming pan and the pan - cover closed. the main charge was then poured down the barrel, followed by a musket ball and some paper wadding. this was then firmly rammed down to the bottom of the barrel with the rammer, or scouring stick as it was sometimes called. to fire the musket one end of the burning match was placed in the jaws of the serpent, the pan was opened and the trigger pulled. this would lower the match into the pan, ignite the priming powder and then the main charge. gunpowder produces large clouds of white smoke and when a lot of guns were firing it was often difficult to see. musketeers made up about two thirds of the infantry and, unlike the pikemen, they wore no armour. the muskets, which cost about 10 / - each, weighed about 7kg and were muzzle loading, which means that the gunpowder and the lead musket ball had to be loaded down the barrel from the muzzle end. the gunpowder was carried in small wooden cylindrical boxes that hung from a bandoleer or crossbelt. one box held enough powder for one shot and there were usually twelve on a bandoleer. during the early years of the seventeenth century many musketeers carried a forked rest to rest the musket on to fire it. by the time of the civil wars had got lighter and the rest was soon abandoned. the musket was fired by using a length of burning slow match. this made it very difficult to use in the rain and night the glow of the match and the rattle of


a career in pharmacy are you interested in chemistry and its uses in the treatment of illness and disease? you should consider a career as a pharmacist. pharmacists are responsible for dispensing, preparing and providing advice on the proper use of prescription drugs or over the counter medications. pharmacists advise people including health professionals about medicines ( both prescription and over the counter medicines ), including appropriate selection, dosage and drug interactions, potential side effects and therapeutic effects. what does a pharmacist do? there are six major areas of employment for pharmacists : community pharmacists are involved in dispensing prescriptions, providing advice on drug selection and usage to doctors and other health professionals, and providing education and support to customers on the proper use of medicines. hospital pharmacists operate as part of a health - care team, monitoring medication usage, counselling patients, providing drug information, conducting clinical trials and preparing products for patients use. most hospital pharmacists will visit wards to work with the medical team and help patients manage their medicines, especially when they go home from hospital. industrial pharmacists are involved in clinical trials, research and the development, manufacture, testing, analysis and marketing of pharmaceutical and medical products. they often have to liaise with government bodies to gain approval of their drugs. they also provide clinical information to health professionals and consumers during the marketing phase of the drug. government pharmacists work in the area of regulation and control of pharmaceutical and medical products, at either the state or commonwealth level. academic pharmacists are involved in teaching pharmacy to students and qualified pharmacists. they will also undertake research into drug discovery, drug effects and patient ’ s use of medicines. these pharmacists may also provide education to other health professionals on medication such as general practitioners and nurses. accredited pharmacists work with patients in their homes or aged care residences and hostels. they work closely with patients gp ' s, review patients medicines and may recommend changes. where can pharmacists work? pharmacists are employed in private practices, private and public hospitals, research companies, government departments, the defence force and academic institutions. there are management opportunities also available. how much do pharmacists get paid? approximately $ 45, 000 - $ 95, 000 per annum plus depending on the number of hours worked, experience and where they work. can pharmacists specialise? the areas of specialisation for ph