text:
The Story of France with Firown (Pharaoh)

Is it possible that this mummy in front of me is the one who was chasing Moses?:Professor Maurice Bucaille

One of the best gifts that we can offer ourselves is forgiveness

Miracles Of The Quran

The unprecedented style and the superior wisdom inherent in the Qur'an is conclusive evidence confirming that it is the Word of God.

The Truth About Jesus Christ

Tells the truth about Christianity-How the gospels are unreliable- Audience member shouts at him a few times.

Parent-Child Relationship in Islam

Islam recognises family as a basic social unit. Along with the husband-wife relationship the Parent-child relationship is the most important one

Editor's Picks

31 January 2012

27 January 2012

Amazing Facts: The Wonderland of Frogs

Did You Know...?
  • All tadpoles develop into frogs, but all frogs do not develop from tadpoles.
  • Certain frogs swallow their eggs, then allow them to hatch into tadpoles and then mature into tiny frogs—in their mother's stomachs.
  • A frog's tongue is attached to the front of the mouth so that it can more quickly catch prey.
  • Some frogs can stay submerged under water for months. If left in a dry atmosphere, some species will die within 3 hours.
  • A Jamaican frog lays eggs in a cave and, after they hatch into frogletts, carries them out on her back to a friendlier environment.
  • A West Africa frog is covered with hair.
  • Most frogs eat only that which has a pulse, while 80% of the diet of the Indian green frog is leaves and flowers.
  • Some frogs can jump 20 times their own body length in one leap, over 50 feet for us humans. The longest known frog jump is about 33 feet.
  • Frog bones, like trees, form a new ring every year during hibernation
  • A painkiller with 200 times the power of morphine has been found in the skin of a frog.
  • Frogs cannot live in salt water.
  • Captive frogs have lived for as long as 20 years

Next time you are out in the country on a summer night, listen to nature's music all around you. Those high tenor voices coming from high up in the trees, those deep bass ones coming from way down the creek—you guessed it—it is the music of the wonderland of frogs.

What are frogs? Well, to describe them is a little tricky because there are so many varieties and they are so different.

Perhaps the best place to begin is with what frogs have in common. All are cold-blooded creatures that can live both in water and on land. Because their body temperature changes with their surroundings, they usually feel cold to us. They have two bulging eyes and a nose on top of their heads, external eardrums, no obvious neck, two front legs and two back legs, the latter being used for leaping. And they do not drink. How do they get moisture? All their intake is absorbed through the skin. Toads (a “land” variety of frogs) press against something moist to absorb water through their skin. They even have the ability to taste through the skin. And they have a body with insides very much like those of larger animals. Many high school students have dissected these creatures in biology classes where they saw intestines, liver, pancreas, lungs, spleen, etc.

I admit that this description is not very complete. But when our Creator decided to include frogs among earth's residents, He wanted them to be healthy and live in all kinds of places. So in many, many ways frogs differ, according to the region they inhabit. Of course, Pharaoh would not agree, but frogs in most places do provide a good service to their surroundings, helping to control insects, as well as being useful in medical research. Some are also used for food and are considered a delicacy, while others have poison in their skin.

What Does a Frog Look Like?

Of course, everyone knows what a frog looks like! If you have seen one frog, you have seen them all-right? Not exactly. Just look at the names of a few of the 2500 different species of known frogs, and you will have some idea of their diverse appearances. There is the Rocket frog, which actually resembles a rocket. Can you guess what the Horned frog, a native of South America, looks like? (It is as big as a large dinner plate and shaped like a mushroom with two little appendages on each side, has a couple of holes for breathing and two bulging eyes mounted over a huge smile.) Try to imagine what these look like: the Western Spotted frog, the Turtle frog, the Orange-crowned Toadlet (also a frog), the Clawed frog, the Wood frog, the Platypus frog, the White-lipped frog, the Goliath frog, and some 2500 others. Just how varied are they? They range in size all the way from less than half an inch to one foot!

Where Do Frogs Come From?

Some people used to think that frogs came from the sky during heavy rain. Before the rain started to pour down, there were no frogs to be seen. Then suddenly, they were everywhere. Being so sure they came from the sky, someone in England probably performed one of the first scientific tests: He put pans outside. It was soon discovered that they came from the ground, where they had hidden while waiting for the rain. Now they were hopping with joy.

Then came the theory that frogs evolved about 200 million years ago. Fossil remains have been found that were declared to be that old. Isn't it strange, though, if they came by evolution, that they still look like frogs after 200 million years?

Still others claim that they developed from tadpoles. This isn't exactly right either, as we will see later.

How Do Frogs Multiply?

Several species of frogs lay eggs—some lay as many as 4,000—in a mass of jelly (spawn) in water, and the eggs hatch into tiny tadpoles. Unlike frogs, the tadpoles have external gills for breathing under water (they do not have lungs,) and a tail for swimming. As they mature they begin to grow legs and develop lungs. Suddenly they quit eating for about four days. During this time, a remarkable change takes place: from tadpole to frog. Dr. Tyrone Hayes has commented on this amazing process: "In one tiny little egg, [are] two completely different animals." Is this evidence of evolution? No, the makings of the frog, as Dr. Hayes pointed out, are in the egg. An intelligent Designer placed everything in order many millions of years ago. Are they perhaps copies of something He created in the past on some other world?

What keeps the tadpoles from starving during the transition from tadpole to frog? Well, the Designer didn't overlook anything. He always cares for His creatures, small or large. You see, tadpoles don't just lose their tail, they absorb it. Nothing is lost except the gills, which disappear. Now little frogs, they hop out of the water.

But not all species of frogs lay eggs in water. One, the Foam Nest frog, lays eggs in a foam nest (in branches of a tree or bush). When the rains come, the nest dissolves and the eggs drop into the rain water, which is sufficient for the eggs to develop into frogs. (Just how did this frog figure out this unusual process, that they could build the nest and the rain would take care of the rest?)

Another group of frogs lay eggs in damp places instead of in water. These eggs do not hatch into tadpoles, but directly into baby frogs.

The Marsupial frog lays eggs in a brood patch on the mother's back, where they hatch and pop out as little frogs, ready to make their way in the world.

2 Poison-Arrow tadpoles on their mothers back. She will deposit them high up in a bromeliad plant "pool" to develop.

Do you think this is unusual? Read on.

Another Marsupial frog from the border between New South Wales and Queensland, Australia, lays her eggs in a patch of jelly right on the surface of the ground. The male keeps an eye on them until they hatch. The jelly then liquifies, allowing the tadpoles to swim freely-right into the males' "hip pockets" where they remain until they emerge as baby frogs.

As amazing as this is, it is a small wonder beside the incredible Gastric frog. Found in Queensland, Australia, this frog spends nearly all its time in water just relaxing. However, it is a powerful swimmer and is also capable of traveling long distances on land. The Gastric Brooding frogs, discovered in 1972 and 1984, had perhaps not been found earlier because of their small size and timid nature (males grow to about 1.2 inches, females to about 2.2 inches).

What is so strange about this frog? The female, after laying her eggs, swallows them—about 18-25 fertilized, cream-colored eggs. During the next 6 to 8 weeks, while the eggs develop into tadpoles, then into frogs, the female does not eat. The process switches off the production of hydrochloric acid in her stomach wall, shutting down the entire digestive process to prevent the mother from digesting the young. (Just think of the benefit for us humans if we could learn how to do this for patients with gastric ulcers.) The tadpoles do not feed either. As they mature, they become larger, filling most of the cavity inside the mother-so much so that she can't even take a deep breath.

Finally, after about 8 weeks, the mother opens her mouth wide and the youngsters are propelled into her mouth. They hop out, and go their way. Those that aren't ready for the outside world are just swallowed again until later. (How did the species survive while she was learning this remarkable process?)

Another type of Gastric Brooding frog rivals it closely. This frog also swallows its eggs, and in this frog no one knows how the young are prevented from being digested, because the gastric juices are not turned off. It is thought that the eggs may be covered with mucus, like the lining of the stomach wall, to protect them. These eggs hatch into tiny tadpoles, then into frogletts which mother frog expels at the appropriate time. Does this sound impossible? Perhaps you have been underestimating the ability of your Creator.* If He can make such creatures as these, we should have no doubt that He can fulfill what He has promised to His faithful children.

Music from Frogland

The sounds which frogs make are almost as varied as their means of reproducing. The pitch of the frogs' voice seems to be in direct proportion to his size: big frog, deep voice, tiny frog, high voice. For example, the Carpenter frog sounds similar to sawing a board with a handsaw, the Pig frog sounds like a grunting pig, and of course, the Bull frog sounds similar to a bull. (You can hear these and other sounds at Many of the frogs are identified by the sounds which they make (the Banjo frog, the Humming frog, the Moaning frog, the Quacking frog).

Home for Froggie

Frogs have something in common with just about every other living creature. Our Creator has designed them very specifically for the regions which they inhabit. And frogs inhabit just about every region on earth, the only exceptions being the regions of the Arctic and Antarctic. They are found in cold areas such as Alaska and Canada, in streams and lakes of the Deep South, rainforests, and even in the desert. How did the Creator equip these varying species to live in such varied places?

The answer to this question is more involved than the scope of this article, however a few observations will show us how little we know about our living companions on earth. We can only marvel at our Creator's handiwork.

Wood Frogs of the North

Let's visit the Wood frogs that live around the Alaskan ponds and forests. How do they survive?
When late July arrives, it's time to begin preparing to survive the winter. First, they disappear under the leaves in the forests to bed down for the winter. Even protected by the snow pack and bed of leaves, the temperature is believed to drop at least to 5° Fahrenheit. As the temperature drops and their eyeballs and brain begin to freeze, it seems that the cold sends a message to their tiny liver which begins to convert glycogen to glucose. The glucose floods their vital cells to resist drying (drying causes frostbite in humans). While the frog may appear dead, with eyes, and brain frozen rock solid, it isn't. When spring arrives it will thaw out and soon the melodies of frogland will be heard again.

How can evolution explain it? Any frog from the temperate or tropical zones would die under these frigid conditions. How did these frogs survive the Alaskan winters while they were "perfecting" their method of survival?

Frogs of the Desert

The desert frog's greatest need is that of every other desert animal: some special means of storing water. Some frogs that live in the Australian desert absorb so much water that the Aborigines catch them to drink their store of water during the dry season. The Australian water-holding frog forms a cocoon of its own shed skin that is so efficient at preventing dehydration that it can wait as long as seven years for water while it is burrowed underground.
The Wax frog can produce wax to cover itself, preventing dehydration during a dry season. (By what evolutionary process did it acquire the know-how and materials to make "wax"?)

Desert frogs, during intense heat, bury themselves in sand or clay and go into a state of torpor.

Tree Frogs

This group of frogs is found in North and South America, as well as Europe and Asia. Tree frogs are especially equipped for living in trees. They have little disks or pads on their fingers and adhesive pads on their toes, and a groove between the tip of the finger and the rest of the finger. Some tree frogs are even better provided for. They have a first finger that is opposed to the remainder (like our thumb) so they can grab onto branches. Their fingers and toes include special disks for sticking onto smooth surfaces.
Flying tree frogs, found in Central America and Southeast Asia, have webbed feet with fan-like structures that enable them to glide from tree to tree or to the ground without injury.

Of course, if a predator gets too close, the Tree frog can leap great distances, gliding to other trees or even sailing to the ground.

Self Defense

How do frogs defend themselves against predators? Some, like the Tomato frog, discharge a thick white substance which is irritating to animals and can produce allergic reactions in people.

Some frogs reflect the same amount of ultraviolet light as their immediate surroundings, making it very difficult to be spotted by predators such as snakes.

Others change their skin color to match the surroundings by expanding and contracting three layers of pigment cells in the skin. (How did Mr. Frog engineer the pigmenting of his skin in this most useful way?)

Many years ago hunters and warriors of South America discovered poisons in certain frog skins. They would kill the frog, then hold it over a fire, which caused the poison to drip out. Arrows dipped in the poison could be used for killing game or an enemy. This practice gave this variety of frog its name: Poison Arrow frog. Like other poisonous creatures and plants, the Poison Arrow frog is brightly colored. Some are blue, some green, some have bright yellow markings. This is code language to all who happen to come near, which means, "Leave me alone! I am not tasty at all!"
Of the poisonous frogs, the Golden Dart frog is most potent. It is said that one frog's skin contains enough poison to kill a thousand humans.

The tip of a dart is rubbed on this species of Poison-dart frog. The poison will be potent for more than a year.

The Frog Evolved?

Does it seem possible that with so much diversity among the frog family, all could have come about by evolution? Could each have designed itself for the exact habitat in which it lives?

For example, how can a frog swallow its eggs until they hatch and develop, without some Master Designer putting the right elements in place?

How long would a desert frog last if taken from the tropics and set free in a frigid Alaskan winter?

Each variety of frogs was specifically designed for its specific region. So masterful was this design that different species still exist, even after approximately 200 million years. What has changed with the process of evolution?

The frog is a rather delicate creature, especially in the larval state. Yet some frogs, those that lay the fewest eggs, are able to protect their young until they are ready to be on their own. Those that lay hundreds or thousands of eggs do so because only a few hatch and mature into frogs. The rest were designed to provide food for other small animals and fish. How did they survive and reproduce until they developed these peculiar features and instincts?

This is not to say that some frogs cannot live equally well in places which are not normal to them. But to introduce a different species to a totally different area can be devastating. Some years ago the cane toad,** was introduced into Australia to kill insects. It seemed like a great idea. These toads will eat almost anything that moves, including insects, small mammals, fish and other amphibians. And they reproduce very rapidly. Pharaoh thought he had a problem? His problem went away. Not so with the cane toads. There are parts of Australia that are literally crawling with them. To complicate matters, they are very poisonous! If animals, such as cats, dogs, birds, bite down on a cane toad, they die—no second chances. How does one figure this into evolution? The animals, since they die, can never learn to leave them alone!

No, frogs have not evolved. Our Master Designer created them and saw that they were placed in just the right environment to survive.

"There are signs for the believing nation in the creation of their (own) selves, and the creation of the animals He has scattered (across the world)." [Quran 45:4]

  • *This information was obtained from CSU (Charles Stewart University of Australia); ANCA (Department of the Environment and Heritage, biodiversity group, Australian Government); Monash University of Australia, and the University of Michigan, USA.
  • **Toads belong to the same family as frogs. The main difference is that toads generally have dry warty skin and spend more time on land than frogs. True frogs have smooth skin and can stay submerged without drowning.
  • This toad, "a living water bag" stores water during rain for time of drought.
  • Sources of Information used in this Article:
  • Charles Stuart University of Australia
  • Australian Nature Conservation Association 1996.
  • University of Michigan
  • ANCA (Department of the Environment and Heritage, biodiversity group, Australian Government)
  • Oregon Coast Aquarium;
  • Irish Peatland Conservation Council
  • Alaska Science Forum
  • The Exploratorium of San Francisco
  • Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio;

26 January 2012

Forced Marriages and Islam

“We have selected this girl for you”, “we have selected this boy for you for marriage”, these are the common words that come out from parent’s and guardians’ mouths when the children reach the age of marriage. Islam does not give provision to force the kids in the matter of their marriage. Marriage is the most important decision of one’s life. While deciding or thinking about it, parents must not force their kids to marry the person of their choice, instead they should give their children the liberty of choosing or at least expressing their likeness or dislikeness about the person.

Islam is the religion which gives full liberty to kids to decide for their marriage themselves. Boys are somewhat exempted from being forced but girls fell victim of forced marriages quite often. Their opinion is never considered worthy of giving a thought and mostly, they are forced to live happy with a person whom they do not like. This is very common in subcontinent.

"A girl once came to Muhammad s.a.w.w and said that she was given in marriage forcefully by her father and she did not like that person. Her nikah was nullified by Prophet s.a.w.w. at the spot” [Boook-Bukhari]

This hadith shows that when a girl is not ready to marry a person, her nikah cannot take place. Similarly, for those girls whose parents do not agree to marry her the person of her choice, the wali ship of father is nullified and the next in line paternal blood relation becomes her wali and if she does not find anyone then the qazi is her wali and if she then gets married, there will be no sin upon her. These are the provisions given by ALLAH swt, how can one challenge them?

Mostly, the case of marriage is made an issue of ego by parents. They think that since they have raised their kids, they are even entitled to decide for their lives. Islam says, when kids grow up they should be shown the world, they should be practical enough to take decisions boldly. But when parents jump in and out of ego, they stop their kids and make them to rebel; they actually go against the rules of shariah.

Surely, parents should be given prime importance while deciding about life and their suggestions should be given prime weight, but parents should not hinder their kids from respecting them or to make them do a thing which they will not like.

Forced marriages are not solution to problems, they themselves are problems. If your daughter spend her life without living a single day of happiness and she could not love her husband because that man was not liked by her or parents did not ask her before deciding, parents will be responsible for the discomfort for their daughter, same goes for the sons. So avoid forcing your kids to marry person of your choice but listen to them and also learn to honor their decisions. Similarly, kids must not rebel but make their parents understand first, if they do not listen, then there will be no blame on kids.
Related posts:

24 January 2012

Picture Perfect: Women of Islam

'If everyone knew the true status of a Muslim women in Islam, even the men would want to be women"

Collection of Best Hadith Reminders

Those Shaded by GOD

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “Do you know who will go first on the Day of Resurrection to the shade of God…Those who when given what is right accept it, when asked for something give freely and who judge in favor of others as they do for themselves.
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1042

The Best Charity

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “The best charity is that given to a relative who does not like you.
——— Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 100

Feed Those in Need

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “A man has sinned enough if he neglects to feed those in need.
——— Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 100

Religion is Very Easy

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “Religion is very easy, and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.”
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 38

Love the Poor

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “O God, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man and resurrect me in the company of the poor..” His wife asked him why he said that, and he replied: “Because (the poor) will enter Paradise (before) the rich. Do not turn away a poor man…even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you..God will bring you near Him on the Day of Ressurrection.
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376

Lawful Earnings

The Prophet Muhammad    was asked what type of earning was best, and he replied: ” A man’s work with his hands and every (lawful) business transaction.
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 846
.The Prophet also said: “A truthful and trustworthy merchant is associated with the prophets..
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 50
And also: “There was a merchant who would lend to the people, and whenever his debtor wasin difficult circumstances, he would say to his employees, ‘Forgive him so that God may forgive us.’ So, God forgave him.
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 292

A Seed of Faith

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “On the Day of Resurrection I will intercede and say, ‘O my Lord! Admit into Paradise (even) those who have faith equal to a mustard seed in their hearts.’
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 600

A Living Soul

A funeral procession once passed in front of the Prophet Muhammed    and he stood up out of respect. When he was told the person in the coffin was Jewish and not Muslim, he said: “Was it not a living (soul)?
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 399

The Rules of War

The Prophet Muhammad    once saw the corpse of a woman who had been killed in a military action, and he disapproved of it and forbade the killing of women and children.
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad and his successor as head of the Muslim community, advised one of his military commanders: “Do not kill women or children or an aged, infirm person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy an inhabited place.
——— Al-Muwatta, Volume 21, Hadith 9 and 10

Service and Humility

When asked what the Prophet Muhammad    did while in his house, his wife Ayesha relied: “He used to keep busy serving and helping members of the household.”
Anas bin Malik related that: “(Even the humblest) maid servant of Madina would take the Prophet’s hand and take him to any place (for the redress of her grievances).
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadiths 605 and 606

Be Dutiful to your Mother

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “God has forbidden you to be undutiful to your mothers, to withhold (what you should give) or demand (what you do not deserve), or to bury your daughters alive (a pre-Islamic practice).”
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith 8:6

The Learned are Heirs of the Prophet

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “The learned are heirs of the prophets, and the prophets do not leave any inheritance in the form of (monetary wealth), but they do leave knowledge as their legacy. A person who acquires knowledge, acquires his full share (of this legacy).
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Number 1388

Visit the Sick and Feed the Hungry

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “(God) will (question a person) on the Day of Resurrection (saying)): ‘O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.’ The person will say: ‘O my Lord, how could I visit Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?’ Thereupon (God) will say: ‘Didn’t you know that a servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him, and were you not aware that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him?’
(God will then say) ‘O son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me.’ The person will say: ‘My Lord, how could I feed Thee when Thou art the Lord of the worlds?’ (God) will say: ‘Didn’t you know that a servant of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him, and were you not aware that if you had fed him you would have found him by My side?’"
——— Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1172

The Best Jihad

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “The best (Jihad) is (to speak) word of justice to an oppressive ruler.
——— Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2040

Focus on the Positive

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “A believing man should not hate a believing woman. If he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another.
——— Sahih Muslim, Hadith 705

Good Conduct Toward Neighbours

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “He will not enter Paradise whose neighbour is not secure from his wrongful conduct.
——— Sahih Muslim, Hadith 15

A Way Out of Distress

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “If anyone continually asks pardon, God will appoint for him a way out of every distress, and a relief from anxiety, and will provide for him from where he did not reckon.
——— Abdu Dawood, Hadith 599

Say a Pleasant Word

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “(Each one) of you should save himself from the fire by giving even half of a date (in charity). And if you do not find a half date, then (you can do it through saying) a pleasant word (to your brethern).”
——— Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 394

Do not Turn Away the Poor

The Prophet Muhammad    once told his wife: “Do not turn away a poor man..even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you…GOD will bring you near HIM on the Day of Resurrection.
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376

Avoid Cruelty and Injustice

The Prophet Muhammad    once told his wife: “Avoid Cruelty and injustice..and guard yourselves against miserliness, for this has ruined nations who lived before you.
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 203

A Heart Free of Malice

The Prophet Muhammad    once said to one of his companions: “Son, if you are able, keep your from malice toward anyone.
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 59

Those Sheltered by GOD

The Prophet Muhammad    said: “Seven kinds of people will be sheltered under the shade of God on the Day of Judgment…They are: a just ruler, a young man who passed his youth in the worship and service of others for the sake of God…a man who is invited to sin…but declines, saying ‘I fear God’…one who spends his charity in secret, without making a show…and one who remembers God in solitude so that his eyes overflow.
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 376

Avoid What is Doubtful

The Prophet Muhammad    said “That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful is also quite clear. Between these two is that which is ambiguous, which most people do not know. One who avoids the doubtful safeguards his faith and his honor.
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 588

Good Manners

The Prophet Muhammad    said “A believer may achieve the status of one who regularly fasts (for religious reasons) during the day and spends the night in prayer, through his good manners.
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 629

A Clean Heart

The Prophet Muhammad    said “No companion of mine should tell me anything bad about another person. For when I meet you, I would like my heart to be clean (unbiased.)
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 1539

The Prophet Muhammad    said “(God) has revealed to me that you should adopt humility so that no one oppressess another.
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 1589

Avoid Jealousy

The Prophet Muhammad    said “Avoid jealousy, for it destroys good deeds as fire destroys wood.
——— Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 1569

A Superior Provision

The Prophet Muhammad    once asked Bilal to join in his morning meal. Bilala declined the invitation because he was fast . The Prophet then replied: “We are eating our provision and Bilal’s superior provision is in Paradise. Did you know, Bilal, that…the angels ask forgiveness for (someone who is fasting) as long as people eat beside him?
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 640

The Essence of Fasting

The Prophet Muhammad    said “Fasting is not (just abstaining) from eating and drinking, but also from vain speech and foul language. If one of you is being cursed or annoyed, he should say: ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.’
——— Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 3, Number 132A

Fasting Brings Forgiveness

The Prophet Muhammad    said “Whoever fasts in the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping for a reward from God, all his previous sins will be forgiven.
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 125

Fast for God

The Prophet Muhammad    used to say when he broke his fast: “O God, for Thee I have fasted and with Thy provision I have broken my fast.
——— Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 978

The Prophet Muhammad    said “If you are given health and security from evil in this world and the next, you have attained felicity.
——— Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 781

Say What is Good OR Keep Quite

The Prophet Muhammad    said “Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day (of Judgment) should not harm his neighbor. Anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously. And anyone who believes in God and the Last Day should say what is good or keep quiet.
——— Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 47

Source: Daily Reminders , Thank You :Islam The Way of Life

23 January 2012

Poem: Why do you ignore the command of your lord

Why do you ignore the command of your lord
Allah’s anger and disgrace can you afford?

Time, health, worship, a whole life time wasted
Shaitan came with failed promises and you hasted

Even though Allah told us innahu aduwun mubiin
Yet you were still ever so keen

My dear Ummah through the dhikr of Allah do hearts find peace
Every hour, every minute, every seconds you should seize

By the sight of Allah the mountains crumble
Isn’t that enough to make us humble?

Now your time is up and regret starts to build up
When shaitan called, you should of ignored or at least hanged up

Indeed Allah was sufficient for us but you turned away
Family and friends all in tears as they say;
ina lillahi wa inna illayhi rajioon

It was you who enjoyed the music and the lovely tune
Will the stars disobey Allah, the sun, the moon?

But you thought you had it cool
Indeed you played the biggest fool

Surely the promise of Allah will not fail
But your time is up and the ship of repentance has already sailed

Now you’re all alone 6 ft under the ground
Dark, cold, not even a single sound

22 January 2012

How a Lioness took the risk to save her cub!

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
"When Allah created the heavens and the earth, he created one hundred mercies, each one can cover what is between the earth and the heaven. He allocated to the earth only one, with which the mother is compassionate with her child; the beast and the bird are compassionate with their babies. When the Day of Judgment comes, Allah will complete His mercy."
(Book -Sahih Muslim)

"A mercy from your Lord! He is indeed, the all-Hearing, the all-Knowing!" [Quran 44:6]

Related post:Mother's Love in Animal Kingdom
Credit: These are dramatic photos taken by wildlife photographer Jean-Francois Largot at Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve. The photos chronicles a brave attempt by a lioness to rescue her lion cub from a ravine.

21 January 2012

Picture Perfect: Born Atheist

To download this image, Click here

You don’t need to see things to believe them. If someone slapped you right in your face, you will feel the pain. But can you see it? No, you can’t see the pain. But the pain is there, right?

Let us see in a different point of view.
Hey brother! Do you think there’s a life after death? Do you believe in God?
Naaah, I don’t believe these things, I’m an atheist. I mean have you ever seen God?
So, think about it!
"Did they come into being out of nothing, and without the Creator?
Or were they (their own) creators?
[Quran 52:35]

Humans Can Learn to "See" With Sound

With just a click of the tongue, anyone can learn to "see" with their ears, according to a new study of human echolocation….

Several animals, such as bats, dolphins, whales, and some shrews, are known to use echolocation—sound waves bounced off nearby objects—to sense what's around them.

Inspired by a blind man who also navigates using sound, a team of Spanish scientists has found evidence that suggests most humans can learn to echolocate.

The team also confirmed that the so-called palate click—a sharp click made by depressing the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth—is the most effective noise for people to use.

Sound Training

Daniel Kish, executive director of World Access for the Blind in Huntington Beach, California, was born blind. He taught himself to "see" using palate clicks when he was a small child.

Kish is able to mountain bike, hike in the wilderness, and play ball games without traditional aids.

To better understand Kish's skill, Juan Antonio Martínez and his colleagues at the University of Alcalá in Madrid trained ten sighted students to echolocate.

"It was very difficult to persuade some people to take part in the experiments, because most [of our] colleagues though that our idea was absurd," Martínez said.

The students were asked to close their eyes and make sounds until they could tell whether any objects were nearby.

CNN article on - Blind man uses his ears to see

Quranic signs

The Holy Quran refers to the importance of "hearing". So in many verses we found that the Hearing precede the "sight", Let's see this verse, Allah Almighty says:

"And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers knowing nothing, and gave you hearing and sight and hearts that haply ye might give thanks.)" [Quran 16:78].

So we can say: The Holy Quran compatible with new researchs.

By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

20 January 2012

Picture Perfect: Say: He is Allah, the One and Only

18 January 2012

This is how we miss out something called "Life"

A boy was born to a couple after eleven years of marriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes.. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open. He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife, preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot the matter. The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its color and drank it all. It happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed the mother hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband. When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child, he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.

Questions :
1. What were the five words ?
2. What is the implication of this story?

Answer :
The husband just said "I am with you Darling"

The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behavior. The child is dead.. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point in finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to keep the bottle away, this would not have happened. No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would be much fewer problems in the world.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are actually not as difficult as you think..

Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this way we miss out something called L.I.F.E

"Be sure we shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere" [Quran 2:155]

Weird Diseases That You Hardly Know ( Not for weak-hearten people )

Humans are the most ungrateful creature on this face of earth towards his Lord, God has set some examples for humans with some different types of diseases; to realized how much we are blessed with his mercy, yet there are humans who argue "If there is God, why sick people exist" but they fail to realized "If there is no God, we don't exist even to ask this question", let's be thankful to our lord who has created us and who has set signs and examples to realize that there is a God who has created us in perfect design.

"It is He Who gave you life, and He will give you death! Then, He will bring you back to life. Man, surely, is very ungrateful!" [Quran 22:66]

Are you able to finish your day to day work normally? If yes, God has designed you to do so, just like the machines are made to finish the given task, Imagine what if God makes your body with disorders.

Let's analyse some unheard diseases, may God protect us from such types of diseases!

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. But there are some disease which are very rare that you may hardly know. Such disease not only affect the human in health but makes the appearance of the infected person really worst. Not let's have a look at some of such deadly disease... ( Not for weak-hearted people )

These examples are set by God to make the rest of the human being to understand, there is a Designer who has made you in perfect shape.

"He it is, Who shapes you in (your mothers’) wombs any way He wills. There is no god but He, the most Powerful, the Wisest." [Quran 3:6]

Related Post :

17 January 2012

Picture Perfect: Follow the Sunnah

Wherever you may be or Whatever you do, Follow the Sunnah!

16 January 2012

Made to Love: Story Of Pencil & Eraser

Pencil: I'm sorry

Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.

Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.

Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you throughout your life. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)

I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whilst their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on).

Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.

"We have made the (care of) parents incumbent upon man. His mother carried him through the fatigue (of pregnancy) followed by the hardship (of labor). And the weaning takes two (more) years. Thank Me and your parents. (Remember)! Towards Me is your return!" [Quran 31:14]

15 January 2012

Picture Perfect: Decorated Mosques

Sayyidn’a Huzaifah narrated that the holy Prophet   predicted that seventy-two events shall occur in the period close to the Day of Judgment. one of those are:

"The Mosques will be decorated with beautiful writings and designs."

13 January 2012

An Eelectric Wonder - The Eel

Did You Know...?

  • it wasn't until 1745 that the first prototype capacitor was built while electricity was being used for defense, navigation and weaponry in prehistoric times?
  • there are over two hundred species of aquatic creatures that use electric signals for self-defense and hunting?
  • the electric eel can discharge up to 1,000 volts of electricity at one ampere, enough to kill small animals outright?
  • that while the adult electric eel cannot see, it has no problems finding its way around and catching fish?
  • the electric eel can discharge over 600 volts at will, several times per second in 3-millisecond bursts and recharge all the electric cells in one millisecond?
  • that a person can withstand one of these electrical discharges, but not several?
  • that the electric eel is not an eel but a fish?
  • that that the electric eel, though a fish, must surface for air no less than every 15 minutes or it would drown?
Eel-ectricity Came First

Around 600 BC, the Greeks found that by rubbing amber (a hard petrified resin) against a piece of fur it would attract particles of straw. This strange effect remained a mystery for over 2000 years. Then, around 1600 AD, Dr. William Gilbert coined the word “electric” in a report involving investigations of the reactions of amber and magnets. His experiments led to a number of investigations by many pioneers in the development of electrical technology over the next 350 years.

Finally, in 1745, it was discovered that electricity could be stored in a Leyden (a jar partly filled with water with a wire inserted through a cork into the water). The cork was used to seal the jar. The exposed wire was then brought into contact with a friction device, which produced static electricity and charged the jar. The jar was later coated with sheets of metal foil. This became the first prototype for capacitors, widely used in electronic devices today.

A few years later began the pioneering efforts involving the practical use of electricity, which we now take for granted.

However, thousands—perhaps millions—of years earlier, electricity was being used very efficiently in the Amazon basin of South America and elsewhere. It was being used for communication, navigation, self-defense and weaponry.

No, this is not about aliens from some other planet, but rather a long-time resident of planet earth: the electric eel (Electrophorus electricus).

A member of the carp or catfish family, the electric eel is one of over 200 species equipped with a bioelectric organ for making electricity. The nearest high-voltage record holder in the group is the electric catfish, which can discharge up to 450 volts of electricity. The electric eel can produce currents of one ampere at 600 to 1,000 volts—sufficient power to operate a toaster!

Long, long before the world's first hydroelectric central station at Vulcan Street Plant, Appleton, Wisconsin in 1882, this long, cylindrical, scaleless, gray brown creature was fully equipped with no less than three highly efficient generating plants. (If there be no intelligent design behind creation, how is this possible? How did the electric eel even know how to begin to equip itself with the right devises to actually make electric power in its body? What unguided chance could produce such eel-ectric wonders?

The Eel-ectric System

The eel's electrical system is composed of three parts. The main voltage plant is called the large electric organ. Another organ, called the organ of Hunter, is still somewhat of a mystery, although scientists believe that in some way it works with the large electric organ. A third organ, called the bundle of Sachs, is the power plant for the eel's radar transmitters.

Why does the eel need a radar system? Actually, it would be quite helpless either to navigate or hunt food without it, because the adult electric eel is blind. But even if it could see, visibility in the muddy waters of the Amazon basin, where the electric eel is native, is very near zero. So the Creator has equipped the eel with a remarkable radar system making it possible for the eel to navigate safely and find food without the aid of sight.

How does it locate and capture the frogs, fish and crustaceans that are its main source of food? The electric eel generates low voltage pulses from its bundle of Sachs. The electrical pulses strike any nearby object and bounce back to several special electroreceptors located on the forward part of the eel. By processing these signals, the eel can know precisely where objects are located and what they are. Is a tasty meal, such as a fish, within range? Boom! The eel emits a large burst of electrical energy, and the prey is either killed or stunned. Then, using its radar system, it quickly swims to the location of its meal and swallows it whole.

It is reported that even horses have been stunned by the eel's electrical discharge, falling into the water and drowning. Smaller animals have been killed outright. It is said that a human can withstand one electrical pulse but will succumb if the charge is repeated.

Eel-ectric Organs—How They Work

The eel's vital organs are located just behind the head, and just behind the vital organs lies its electrical equipment. Not surprising, the electric organs make up most of its forty-plus pounds and about four-fifths of its length (eels can be up to 9 feet long).

How does the eel generate so much electricity? The large electric organ contains many thousands of tiny cells called electroplates. These cells are said to be similar to battery cells. Each tiny cell stores a potential of 150 millivolts. To generate 1,000 volts would require more than 6500 cells connected in series. To generate 1 amp would require more than 50 of these series circuits connected in parallel.

Do you want to try building a replica of the eel's electrical equipment so that you can truly appreciate what “evolution” produced? To begin, you will need about 700,000 tiny flashlight batteries with small wires, being careful to connect plus to negative. If you used a common D size flashlight battery, your chain will be nearly 2000 feet long— excluding wire length! (If your assembly is to be a size suitable to fit inside the adult eel, you will have to reduce the size of each battery to less than the diameter of a human hair.)

You now have a replica of the eel's basic single series circuit capable of emitting 1,000 volts. However, your miniature circuit will not have nearly enough current to equal the eel's. To increase the current to one amp you must construct another of these assemblies identical to your first one (having 10,000 battery cells), then connect the two together, positive end to posivite end and negative end to negative end. Now you have what circuit designers call a “series-parallel circuit,” i.e., two series circuits connected in parallel. Continue building and connecting these circuits until you have added 68 more assemblies to your replica.

You now have a battery pack similar in capability to that which the Creator has enclosed in the tail section of the healthy adult electric eel (i.e., 700,000 tiny cells connected in a series-parallel circuit capable of producing 1,000 volts at 1 amp).

Of course, your replica is very much over simplified, and would hardly touch the complexity of the electric organs of the amazing creature of the Amazon.

Now think: if you were to set up such an electrical system, composed of 700,000 tiny cells all connected and able to generate power, wouldn't you want some credit for your work? And will you say that the lowly eel was able to develop all this marvelous mechanism on its own, unaided, by blind chance?

It would be simple enough to connect a few thousand batteries or capacitors in a series-parallel circuit. But you have a lot more “wiring” to do before you have an electric eel. If you would approximate the eel's capability, you must design and connect to your setup a special charger device so that you can recharge this “battery pack” in a millionth of a second without overheating or short-circuiting. Then you need thousands of electronic switches that are required for charging and then discharging at a desired rate (several times per second). Sound complicated? You still need to design and wire a central station to control all this maze of circuitry, as well as a very sophisticated radar system which works with the system.

Are we ready to give credit to God for a work of engineering far surpassing our understanding?

The Eel's Radar System

The adult electric eel, though blind, has no problems finding its way around and locating food in the murky waters of the Amazon because our Creator has equipped it with a s tate-of-art radar system. The radar system consists of a smaller “battery pack” for generating radar pulses. The eel sends out radar pulses at will, the pulses bounce off any object in the vicinity of the electric eel, and are received back by several electroreceptors along the top and forward part of the eel. Even the eel's head is optimally shaped for this task— the head is slanted downward at such an angle as provides good reception from three directions-above, front and both sides (was this special design left to the eel?). When the electrical pulse strikes an object, the signal reflected back to the eel is processed so precisely that the eel is able to know exactly where an object is, its size and construction, perhaps even more precisely than it would know if it could “see” it.

The electrical pulses are also used for communication with other eels. The dominant males make the loudest and most frequent emissions.

Who Designed It?

Assuming we had the technology to design and build such a system as the electric organs and their controls inside the electric eel, how many accumulated years do you suppose it would take for a team of chemical and electronic engineers to design, build and test a prototype that would equal the capabilities of the electric eel? (Hint: it requires months of accumulated time to turn out a prototype for just a rechargeable emergency light capable of regulating battery discharge and recharge with brownout capability.) This does not consider the months invested in the development and assembly of the individual electronic and mechanical components that the engineers already have at hand.

When the engineers are given an assignment, they have lots of theory already in mind about how to design and build the prototype. An intelligent designer is required to put it all together and make it work. The evolutionist, on the other hand, claims that the earth and all life evolved, that is, came into being by natural selection, by ever so slight hereditary changes. Look again at the electric eel. How did it get all those thousands of tiny electric cells with the electronic switches and nerve fibers connecting them? How is it that all those tiny cells can be recharged in a fraction of a second without failing?

Where did it get its navigation system, the radar system and the powerful processor to keep all these parts working in harmony without overheating or short circuiting— a major problem in designing power supplies today? This same processor also collects data from the various muscle and nerve cells in the eel's body and processes it to incredible accuracy and, in turn, sends signals to all the various parts, all automatically without any effort on the part of the electric eel! And if the electric eel did not have radar equipment by which it could know up from down it would drown in about 15 minutes15—because, though a fish, it must surface for air due to the low oxygen content of the murky waters where it lives.

Did it all just fall into place by selective hereditary evolution? What did the eel do while its electrical system was being perfected? How was the direction for development kept on course for all the billions of years claimed to develop such a marvel? Random chance seems to dictate that it would not stay on course. Would even billions of years be enough time for such a thing to occur?

I think our question regarding the electric eel has only one answer: there is an intelligent Creator who designed it, formed it and gave it life.

It is said that it can't be proved that there is a God, an all-powerful, omniscient creator.

Yet, when we look about us, the evidence speaks for itself. There is a God, a Creator, an organizer, an intelligent being over all! God is far greater than the scientist's laboratory. Yet, even there, if one looks close enough, they can see evidence of His creative genius in complexity, design and harmony far beyond our ability to understand.

"There are signs for the believing nation in the creation of their (own) selves, and the creation of the animals He has scattered (across the world)." [Quran 45:4]
1 Gilbert's experiments led to a number of investigations by many pioneers in the development of electricity technology over the next 350 years (Code Check ©1998 by Redwood Kardon,
2 Copyright 1994-1999 Encyclopædia Britannica
3 www.wikipedia
4, 5, 6 Copyright 1994-1999 Encyclopædia Britannica
7 Vulcan Street Plant, 1882- September 30, 1882, the world's first hydroelectric central station began operation
8 Dr. Erwin Moon (1959), Moody Institute of Science Video
9 (Site No Longer Available)
10 © Copyright 1997 Virtual Science Centre Project Team, (Website No Longer Available)
11 Small animals within range are killed outright, while large mammals may become dazed and drown, Pittsburgh Zoo Wildlife
12 Copyright 1994-1999 Encyclopædia Britannica
13 “There are about seventy columns of electroplates along each side of the body and each column contains from six thousand to ten thousand plates,” a total of 420,000 to 700,000 electroplates or electroplaques. “As most of the electroplates are connected in series, their charges, like those of a series of batteries, add up to produce a large voltage. Each electroplate contributes 150 millivolts. Like all-powerful electric organs, those of the electric eel produce brief bursts of pulses, each pulse lasting three milliseconds, the bursts being repeated several times in one second. The nerves supplying the electric organs are fired by a command center in the brain, so releasing the charges of the electroplates”-The Creationist Zone, (Site No Longer Available)
14, 15 © Copyright 1997, Virtual Science Centre Project Team (Site No Longer Available)


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

WARC-Type: response

text:
HOUSTON - A local man's roommate held him to a losing bet he made on the Super Bowl.

A KHOU 11 viewer says his friend lost a bet on the big game and had to wear a dress and high heels on the corner of Post Oak and Westheimer.

And like any good friend, the man's roommate documented the event and posted it to Facebook. Take a look here.

warcinfo:
robots: classic
hostname: ip-10-146-51-29.ec2.internal
software: Nutch 1.6 (CC)
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2018-13
operator: Common Crawl Admin
description: Wide crawl of the web for March 2018
publisher: Common Crawl
format: WARC File Format 1.0
conformsTo: http://bibnum.bnf.fr/WARC/WARC_ISO_28500_version1_latestdraft.pdf


WARC-Truncated: length

text:
Tag Archives: e-learning websites for kids

Educational Websites for Kids

The Internet is not only a source of entertainment it also serves as a repository of information, where kids and even elder learners can find educational and less known aspects of anything and everything. It is true that there is no single resource to show, which is accessible and infinite like INTERNET. Continue reading


text:
Thursday, March 14, 2013

Depression Hurts

After nearly a month of awful withdrawal symptoms, I’m throwing in the towel on being antidepressant free.  A look at Wikipedia’s SSRI Withdrawal Syndrome page is a laundry list of the past few weeks of my life:

"SSRI discontinuation symptoms... may emerge when an SSRI is abruptly discontinued, when doses are missed, and less frequently, during dosage reduction. In addition, the symptoms are not attributable to any other cause and can be reversed when the original agent is reinstituted, or one that is pharmacologically similar is substituted. SSRI discontinuation symptoms, in most cases, may be minimized by slowly tapering antidepressant therapy, but there have been several case reports where symptoms occurred consistently even through repeated attempts to taper therapy. Physical symptoms include problems with balance, gastrointestinal and flu-like symptoms, and sensory and sleep disturbances. Psychological symptoms include anxiety and/or agitation, crying spells, irritability and aggressiveness."

And even more disturbing:

Symptoms described as "brain zaps", "brain shocks", "brain shivers", "brain pulse-waves", "head shocks", "pulses", "flickers", or "cranial zings" are withdrawal symptoms experienced during discontinuation (or reduction of dose) of antidepressant drugs.[3][4] These result from a global downregulation of serotonin receptors in response to increased levels of serotonin in the synaptic cleft, but the specific mechanism through which this creates symptoms is not understood.[citation needed] Common responses to dose reduction or cessation include dizziness, electric shock-like sensations, sweating, nausea, insomnia, tremor, confusion, nightmares, and vertigo.[3][4] The MedDRA "preferred term" for coding these types of symptoms in adverse drug reaction reports (for use in pharmacovigilance databases such as under the Yellow Card Scheme) is paraesthesia.[5][6]

I could take the “brain shivers,” the vertigo, nausea, and loss of fine motor control. I literally rolled with the punches when my sense of balance short-circuited and from a stand-still I found myself tilting over to meet the floor.  I could even take the urges to cry at the drop of a hat (watching the Academy Awards was interesting.  I have no vested interest whatsoever in the Academy, and saw a total of maybe two of the films that were up for awards this year.  And yet, every single act of badly-performed sincerity had me reaching for the Kleenex box).

But the plummet in my self-esteem, the anxiety, the panic attacks that did their best to sneak up and knock me down out of the blue multiple times a day, the seething roiling pit in my stomach that would not go away for three weeks straight—I’ve navigated this cliff’s edge before, and had no desire to once again pretend that everything was fine as I secretly slid further and further down that mud-slicked slope into darkness.

I’ve been on antidepressants (name one, and I’ve probably tried it) since I was a sophomore in high school.  Fifteen years.  Half of my life.  I’d be the first to admit that without their assistance in leveling out my chemical imbalances, I probably wouldn’t be here today.  Most certainly not in the positive situations and conditions I find myself in today.  In exploring the past with Omma, discovering her own history of anxiety disorder and depression was a revelation.  This perpetual han—like my smile, my sense of humor, or a predisposition to heart disease—is an inheritance.  And I honor this inheritance by acknowledging it, by addressing it with the necessary psychological and medical help.

And yet, in today’s hegemonic society, the shame and stigma persists.  In tenth grade (coincidentally, the same year I started taking Paxil), I sat in the front row in class as my high school psychology teacher lamented that his friend who couldn’t deal with his depression on his own now had to take antidepressants.  “It’s such a shame,” I remember him saying with a shake of his head. “He’s going to be dependent on these drugs every day for the rest of his life.”  To this day, I regret not raising my hand and asking him whether he would see it as a similar weakness of character if his friend had had to rely on a daily pill to manage his high blood pressure.

Did I subconsciously take my psych teacher’s prejudices against mental health?  I admit, my formative high school years were spent trying to live up to anyone and everyone’s opinions on the construction of the ideal subject.  But more of it has to do with convenience in my day-to-day life.  Not being on antidepressants meant not having to deal with their side effects (lethargy, problems sleeping, my reaction to caffeine, etc.), not having to refill my prescription at the pharmacy every month, not having to schedule a check-in appointment with the student health services psychiatrist (who creeps me out just a little) every three months, and paying the medical services copays.

But these are small prices to pay for mental and emotional well being.  So I see my return to SSRIs as not a failure, not as a character flaw, but as a reaffirmation of my right to wellness. A small victory in self-regulation, of recognizing my need for help, catching myself before things snowballed out of control.  This is me taking control, exercising agency, and believing I deserve to be happy, and don’t have to struggle on my own.


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

text:
Your Personal Twin Cities Remodeler.

Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Klein Group Remodeling, your personal remodeling contractor for your Twin Cities home.

For room additions, kitchens, baths, basements and much more, KGR provides what many Twin Cities remodelers do: imaginative design, superb craftsmanship, the finest products.

KGR also gladly performs many of the home improvement services that others find too small – simple repairs, minor improvements, maintenance and upkeep, the items on your to-do list that never seem get done.

Free Remodeling Estimate - Minnesota


text:
You are here

Non-Contact Voltage Tester

Cat. No.:
Product Features
Non-contact detection of voltage in cables, cords, circuit breakers, lighting fixtures, switches, outlets, and wires
High intensity, bright green LED indicates the tester is operational and aids in illuminating the workspace
When voltage is detected, a high intensity, bright red LED illuminates and a warning tone sounds
Discrete digitally controlled ON/OFF power button
Auto power-off feature conserves and extends battery life
Microprocessor controlled low-battery indicator and tester shutdown
CAT IV 1000 Volt safety rating provides expanded operation and protection
50 to 1000 Volt AC power operating range allows broad application
Durable polycarbonate plastic resin construction
Lightweight compact design with a convenient clip to fit securely in your pocket
Package contains insert card w/ integrated owner's manual and 2 AAA 1.5 volt batteries
9.8 ft / 3 m drop protection
Conforms to CE requirements
Special Features:
Green Led Turns Off and Red Led Illuminates Continuously.
Drop Protection:
9.8 ft (3 m)
50 - 1000V AC
50 - 500 Hz
Pollution Degree:
CAT IV 1000V
Weight w/Batteries:
1.6 oz (45 g)
2 x AAA
Overall Length:
5-1/2'' (139.7 mm)
Overall Height:
1'' (25.4 mm)
Overall Width:
23/32''(18.3 mm)
0.80 oz (22.7 g)

Read, understand, and follow all warnings, cautions, safety information, and instructions in this manual before operating or servicing this tester. Failure to follow instructions could result in death or serious injury.

Never assume neutral or ground wires are de-energized. Neutrals in multi-wire branch circuits may be energized when disconnected and must be retested before handling.


text:
Başka bir renk deneyin:
Başka bir font büyüklüğü deneyin: 60% 70% 80% 90%

Actions the Trump Administration Should Take to Lower Prescription Drug Prices

Americans support strong action to reduce medicine prices and end the monopoly abuses of prescription drug corporations by wide margins and across party lines. During the campaign and early months of his presidency, Donald Trump supported a call to action to lower prescription drug prices. Reports indicate that the Administration has assembled a “Drug Pricing and Innovation Working Group” and is compiling an upcoming executive order ostensibly intended to lower prescription drug prices. Reports also suggest that policies included in the pending executive order will be friendly to prescription drug corporations, and represent a radical departure from the Donald Trump of the campaign trail who promised that he would take bold action to ease Americans’ pain and make medicines affordable. Below are Public Citizen’s recommended actions for the Trump Administration to take to bring down medicine prices.
End monopolies. Allow competition. Prescription drug corporations take advantage of government granted monopolies to charge as much as we will pay to care for our loved ones – and sometimes more. We should take away monopoly privileges when corporations charge unreasonable prices. We should authorize generic competition with high-price patented drugs as a means to reduce costs for public programs. o NIH and other sponsors of government-funded research should adopt licensing guidelines administratively. When U.S. government programs and consumers are charged more than other wealthy countries for medicines developed with U.S. government funds, we should allow competition on said product through March-In or other remedies that would challenge the infringing corporation’s monopoly. The NIH and other agencies should include such guidelines in future licensing agreements as well as adopt administrative guidelines that limit government granted monopolies on existing medicines under similar conditions.
Other triggers for licensing may include:
Anticompetitive, abusive or unfair practices (e.g. unlawful off-label marketing). The Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act (S.771, H.R.1776), introduced by Sen. Al Franken and 15 other senators, includes language that would rescind FDA granted exclusivities on a product when said product was involved in a finding or admittance of fraud or other wrongdoing, this may serve as a model for criteria (see Sec. 304).
Excessive cumulative revenues from the sale of the product that exceed the amount that would justify a temporary monopoly to provide incentive for drug development. Once a company has achieved a large enough return on its research and development investment, remaining exclusivity periods should be curbed to prevent windfall profits at the expense of consumers and taxpayers.
Refusals to license technologies, when such refusals present barriers to follow-on innovation.
Risk to public health through supply issues (e.g. stock-out problems) rooted in the monopoly.
Enabling the government to obtain low-cost versions of the products for the purpose of stockpiling products for emergencies.
Other situations where non-voluntary authorization is otherwise in the public interest. o Federal agencies should adopt similar criteria for authorizing the government use of patented medical technologies under 28 USC § 1498 when prescription drug corporations abuse their monopoly positions. Under § 1498, officers of the federal government may make use of patented inventions for public purposes at any time in exchange for financial compensation to patent holders. As distinguished from March-in, federal funding of the invention is not required under § 1498, which means § 1498 is applicable to a much broader universe of technologies: any patented invention. Application of the use, however, is limited to uses by and for the federal government. See a recent law review detailing the use of § 1498 to reduce drug prices.
In early May, the Louisiana department of Health Services proposed using this federal statute to license generic firms for the production of key, high priced Hepatitis C treatments distributed under Medicaid. The secretary of Health and Human Services should immediately move to approve this action. This would see immediate cost savings and set the tone for lower drug prices in the U.S. It would also open this strategy for use in other states. o The Department of Justice should revise its guidelines regarding antitrust and intellectual property issues to include pricing standards for the abuse of monopoly power and more robust standards against product tying (damaging medical innovation and access through anticompetitive controls on a technology essential for new combination products).
No backroom deals to keep prices high. Today, prescription drug corporations pay each other millions of dollars to delay price-cutting competition and maintain monopoly prices. Through mergers and acquisitions they reduce competition and dodge paying their fair share in taxes. Our government should prohibit backroom deals that keep prices high and hurt Americans. o While putting an end to anticompetitive reverse-payment agreements would require legislation, the FTC should continue to litigate aggressively to prevent, stop and recoup ill-gotten gains of payfor-delay deals between brand-name and generics firms that block competition and cost consumers and taxpayers $3.5 billion every year. o Additionally, the FTC should crack down on abusive, anti-competitive and unfair practices such as off-label marketing. o FTC must prevent anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions in the pharmaceutical industry that short-circuit and inhibit price-lowering competition. In our view, the increasing trend in generics industry consolidation is an important part of the story of why we’re seeing incredibly large overnight increases in prices offered by generics firms for certain products.
Crack down on pharma fraud. Many prescription drug corporations routinely break our laws, overcharge the states, bribe healthcare providers, manipulate safety data and illegally market their drugs. Federal agencies must crack down on corporate crime and demand that drug corporations are as accountable as the rest of us. o Legislation that stiffens civil penalties, under the federal False Claims Act, against prescription drug corporations engaging in these kinds of unlawful practices is needed. Until such legislation is passed, the Department of Justice should seek to maximize criminal penalties imposed on these companies as well as their executives, including, when appropriate, incarceration. o So-called Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs), into which companies enter with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as parts of civil settlements, should be strengthened to allow more rigorous federal monitoring of pharmaceutical companies in order to identify, and ultimately prevent, systematic fraud that has long been the norm. Annual compliance reports submitted to the OIG pursuant to CIAs should be made public and companies should be significantly punished for violating the terms of CIAs. o Rather than following PhRMA’s suggestion to weaken anti-kickback laws, OIG should crack down on enforcement against illegal rebates, kickbacks and bribes to prevent fraud and abuse. The Department of Justice should be instructed to pursue these cases vigorously.


text:
Carbon monoxide detected at NY mall, 1 dead -

Carbon monoxide detected at NY mall, 1 dead

Posted: Updated:
By Elizabeth Eisele By Elizabeth Eisele

HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. (AP) -- Police say a 55-year-old restaurant manager has died and more than two dozen others were taken to hospitals after being overcome by carbon monoxide at a New York mall.

A Suffolk County police spokesman identified the man who died Saturday as Steven Nelson, a restaurant manager at the Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station on Long Island.

Police said 28 others affected by carbon monoxide were taken to area hospitals.

Police earlier said three officers were among those overcome by carbon monoxide at the mall, which is about 35 miles east of New York City. They responded to a call shortly after 6 p.m.

Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless and can lead to death by suffocation.

Several restaurants at the mall were evacuated as a precaution.

The Walt Whitman Shops consists of more than 80 stores, including anchors Bloomingdale’s, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Powered by Frankly


text:
New Job Opportunity at The Foundling Musuem

Knowledge Quarter partner The Foundling Museum is looking for a Marketing & Communications Assistant to provide high quality support to their Communications Manager in marketing and publicising the Museum, its exhibitions and activities.

There are looking for someone who is keen to use their creativity to find new ways to engage and grow the Museum’s audiences, and promote its exciting programme. The role involves assisting with the development and delivery of integrated campaigns; using your excellent copywriting skills to put together e-newsletters, social media and website content; developing marketing partnerships; and supporting with the distribution of materials.

The ideal candidate will have experience of copywriting, social media and websites. You’ll have excellent attention to detail and are confident working as part of team and with external suppliers, as well as independently.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 29 August, midday. Interviews are set to take place on Thursday 7 September.

Click here for more information and to apply for this position.


text:
Advanced SearchSearch Tips
Extraction Method of Parameter of Self Excited Eddy Current Brake Using L-C Resonance and characteristic research
facebook(new window)  Pirnt(new window) E-mail(new window) Excel Download
 Title & Authors
Extraction Method of Parameter of Self Excited Eddy Current Brake Using L-C Resonance and characteristic research
Jeong, Taechul; Cho, Sooyoung; Ahn, Hanwoong; Jeong, Geochul; Park, Eung-Seok; Cho, Hyuntae; Lee, Ju;
  PDF(new window)
In recent years, numerous studies have attempted to find and explore the auxiliary brake and the oil pressure type and electrical type are mainly used. However, the model proposed here is to self-excited eddy current brake. The advantage of this is it does not require an external power supply and can be produced to reduce the size than others. This self-eddy current brake consists of RLC circuit so resistance, inductance and capacitance value can be considered a fixed value. But, inductance and resistance value changes depending on the shape, temperature and magnetic alteration. Therefore, in this paper, the focal point is characteristic analysis according to the parameter variations. Also, using this result, this paper explains how to estimate the capacitance.
SEIG;Eddy current brake;Parameter design;L-C Resonance;
 Cited by
Tae-Chul Jeong, Mi-Jung Kim, Ki-Deok Lee, Jae-Jun Lee, Jung-Ho Han, Seung-Joo Kim,and Ju Lee, "Eddy Current Brake performance improvement and analysis for commercial vehicle auxiliary brake application," KIEE, Summer academic conference, July 2013.

S. Sharif, J. Faiz, K. Sharif, "Performance analysis of a cylindrical eddy current brake", IET (Electric Power Applications), Vol. 6, No.12, pp.661-668, 2012. crossref(new window)

Dawit Seyoum, "The dynamic analysis and control of a self-excited induction generator driven by a wind turbine.", A thesis submitted to The University of New South Wales for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications March, 2003.

SM. H. Haque, Ali I. Maswood, "Determination of Excitation Capacitance of a Three-Phase Self-Excited Induction Generator", Power and Energy Society General Meeting, IEEE, 2012.

A.Chatterjee, K.Roy and D.Chatterjee, "Performance Evaluation of Single Phase Self Excited Wind Generator using Three Phase Machine", Automation, Control, Energy and Systems (ACES), 2014.

N.H. Malik and A.A. Mazi, "Capacitor requirements for isolated self excited induction generators", IEEE Trans. on Energy Conversion, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 62-68, 1987.

A.M. Eltamaly, "New formula to determine the minimum capacitance required for self-excited induction generator", Proc. of the IEEE 23rd Power Electronics Specialist Conference, Vol. 1, pp. 106-110, 2002.


text:
Bachelor Viewing Party with ProFlowers

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of reality TV. It's one of my guilty pleasures, with my most favorite show being The Bachelor and all its various spin-offs. There's just something about this franchise that keeps me coming back season after season.

For the past few years, I've watched each season (almost every episode) with my good friend Ashton. It's our Monday night ritual. We grab some popcorn, catch up till the show starts and silence is definitely in order till each commercial break. We take it THAT seriously (don't judge).

This season has definitely been one of the most dramatic. Whether it's Kelsey's "amazing" story, a cameo from Jimmy Kimmel or because of Ashley I.'s constant mental breakdowns. It has truly been an ah-mazing season (do I have to put a $1 in the Amazing Jar Jimmy?).

To help share in our drama filled Mondays, I invited a few more girls over to watch this past Monday's episode with Ashton and I. The lovely people over at ProFlowers (you know the ones who send the bright green boxes in the mail from your boyfriend) sent me some gorgeous roses and yummy snacks for us to enjoy while we counted down to the "dreaded 2-on-1" date.

I love how the flowers came wrapped so well, that they stayed fresh over a few days and not a single stem was broken. ProFlowers even provided the perfect size vase and instructions on how to make the bouquet last as long as possible. It has been almost a week since I received the roses and they're still as gorgeous as the day they arrived.

What's even more special about the bouquet is that it was specially made in collaboration with the Bachelor!! YES, ProFlowers and ABC's The Bachelor, teamed up once again to create a unique assortment. This time, some simple red roses with a pop of diamonds.

I've truly enjoyed having the bouquets displayed in my apartment all week. There's just something about fresh flowers and the aroma of them in the room -- take note gents!

It definitely wouldn't be a viewing party without some delicious sweets. ProFlowers sent over a box of snacks from Cherry Moon Farms, that featured an assortment of candies, gummies and nuts. I mixed those with homemade popcorn and my favorite cookies, to round out a great assortment of sweets.

You also can't have a Bachelor viewing party without some champs. So I made another version of my Bach-Tini, using champagne, Sprite and Cran-Lemonade. I even found some edible glitter from Harris Teeter that I put around the rims of the glasses. Didn't they turn out so cute?!

Recipe for Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was the perfect evening, filled with some fun girl talk and "oh my gosh did Chris really just do that" moments. I mean can we believe how this week's episode ended?! #yougoChrisSoules

Be sure to purchase your Bachelor Bouquet just in time for next week's all new episode, or gents you can order this wonderful arrangement for your lady. Just tell her the Bachelor picked it out and she'll love you forever! You can also checkout ProFlower's Bachelor Compatibility Quiz. See if you're compatible with this season's Bachelor! -- Is it too late to signup, cause apparently I am?!

Keep up with Kristyn on FacebookInstagramTwitter and Bloglovin'!

**ProFlowers is the official floral partner for The Bachelor. Thank you so much to ProFlowers for supplying the roses and snacks. Photos and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Primp & Proper going. XO


text:
Willie Bill Edwards, Jr. | Ksst Radio

Willie Bill Edwards, Jr.

Funeral services for Willie Bill Edwards, Jr., age 75, of Sulphur Springs, will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, April 22, 2017 at St. Luke Baptist Church with Rev. Troy Young officiating. Interment will follow at St. Luke Cemetery with Michael Edwards, John Edwards, Richard Corona, Ken Taylor, Bryant Jackson, and Mannie Mitchell serving as pallbearers. There will be no formal visitation. Mr. Edwards passed away Monday, April 17, 2017 at his residence.

He was born on August 16, 1941 in Hopkins County, the son of Willie B. Edwards, Sr. and Ora Lee. He was of the Baptist faith. He worked as a butcher at Krogers for 25 years and later worked in maintenance for Texas A&M Commerce for several years. He married Mary Jean Smith on March 30, 1963 in Hopkins County. She preceded him in death on July 5, 2016.

He is survived by daughter, Barbara Nash of Sulphur Springs, grandchildren, Kesha Nash and Nikki Harper both of Sulphur Springs, great-grandchildren, Jadyn Harper and Jaslyn Carter, brothers, Billy Wayne Edwards, Jimmy Edwards and wife Patricia, both of Sulphur Springs, sister, Patrica Weatherall of Sulphur Springs.

In addition to his wife he was also preceded in death by his parents, brother, Willie James Brooks, sister, Maggie Finnie, and sister-in-law, Cassie Edwards.

Arrangements are under the direction of West Oaks Funeral Home.

Author: Jimmy Rogers

Share This Post On


text:
Pets help homeless youth - - No One Gets You Closer

Pets help homeless youth

© / Greg Nicholas © / Greg Nicholas

 (HealthDay News) -- Pets may bring many health benefits to homeless children, but they can also make it tougher to find shelter or to use other social services, new Canadian research suggests.

A team of researchers, led by scientists at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, found homeless young people who have pets are less likely to abuse drugs or engage in risky behavior.

Pets may also help ease depression among those living on the streets, according to the study published recently in the journal Anthrozoos.

"So many of these youth have lost trust in people, and the animal gives them unconditional love. They will do anything for their pets, which means they are less likely to commit potentially harmful acts," study author Michelle Lem, a graduate of the veterinary college, explained in a University of Guelph news release.

Jason Coe, a professor of population medicine at Guelph, added that, "We also found those without pets are three times more likely to be depressed, though we have not yet determined if this is directly relatable to having a pet."

Homeless young people with pets may also confide in veterinarians about the personal difficulties they are facing, the researchers found.

"We're able to collaborate with public health and social workers as they attempt to reach these marginalized people, essentially using the human-animal bond and veterinary care as a gateway to provide accessible social support and health care," said Lem. She is also the founder and director of the Community Veterinary Outreach, which offers mobile veterinary services to homeless people in Canada.

Despite these health benefits, there is a downside to pet ownership for homeless youth, the study showed. Pets can become a barrier to social services for these young people.

"Many shelters do not allow pets, so these youth may be limited in where they can sleep," Coe explained.

The researchers argued that pet-friendly shelters are needed to accommodate homeless people who have dogs and other animals.

"There is an opportunity here to use this information when we're developing services and plans for young people," said Bill O'Grady, a sociology and anthropology professor at Guelph.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on the health benefits of pets.

Copyright © 2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.


text:
accessibility ACCESSIBILITY
Patient Information

The first step towards a beautiful, healthy smile is to schedule an appointment. Please contact our office!

Patient Forms

If you are a new patient to our office, please visit our Patient Forms page to open the "Health History"  form that will need to be filled out before you arrive at our office. Filling the form out ahead of time will allow us to attend to your medical needs more quickly than completing them on your arrival.  Thank you and please contact our office if you have any questions.

Payment Options

For your convenience, we accept cash, personal checks, money orders, and most major credit cards. Payment is expected at the time services are performed.  Feel free to contact our office If your treatment plan requires more comprehensive dental work and you want to discuss financial arrangements.

Dental Insurance

We accept most Dental Insurance policies. Please contact our office for Insurance details.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click Here to view some of the most frequently asked questions patients have about dentistry and oral health issues.

Interesting Dental Websites

In addition to our own website, there are other sites on the Web that provide interesting and helpful dental information.  Because we are committed to improving the oral healthcare knowledge of our patients, we provide a selection of links to other sites you might find interesting and informative. To view these visit our Links Page or Click Here.


text:
Freezing roads expected - KWWL - Eastern Iowa Breaking News, Weather, Closings

Freezing roads expected

AMES (KWWL) - Roadways currently considered wet or partially covered with ice and snow are likely to refreeze overnight as air and pavement temperatures plummet.

The Iowa Department of Transportation warns, winds continuing through the evening hours, gusting in the 20s, will also cause areas of blowing and drifting snow.

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation's road weather sensors, pavement temperatures in the northwest and portions of southwest and north central/central Iowa are already at or below the 20-degree threshold necessary for salt to be most effective.

Roadways sensors are currently showing pavement temperatures as low as 10 degrees in Ida Grove, 14 in Mason City, 15 in Red Oak, 17 in Ankeny, and 18 in Waterloo.

Travelers are advised to closely monitor changing travel conditions by calling 511 or visiting

The DOT reminds drivers throughout the winter months, carry winter survival kits. They can be especially valuable if your vehicle becomes disabled or you are stranded during these frigid periods.

Online Producer: Maria Magner

Powered by Frankly


text:
Own or manage a bar? You've come to the right place! We have vinyl lettering stickers with liquor, dining, and wine themes that can enhance your space.

Have a quote idea that we DON'T have on our site? Email me at with your suggestion
and let my creative mind whip up something amazing for you!

Not valid for clearance items or designs made though the custom design live sessions.
Cannot be combined with any other sales and promotions including Groupons.
It's Wine O'Clock
Product ID : K-157
My Kitchen My Rules
Product ID : K-116
Wine Rules
Product ID : K-199
Wine Tall List
Product ID : K-175


text:
LADY AT THE BAT: Through The Years: The Yankees & The First Year Player Draft

Monday, June 10, 2013

Through The Years: The Yankees & The First Year Player Draft

On Saturday, the Yankees' 22nd round draft pick from over 20 years ago notched his 250th career win. That same year Pettitte was drafted, the first round pick was Carl Everett. He didn't turn out to be as likable or successful as Pettitte, but had a respectable 14 year career in the big leagues, including two all star appearances and one world championship.

As the Yankees were trying to hold on to the lead Saturday night, Pettitte's son was himself drafted by the Yankees in the 37th round. This year's draft saw the Houston Astros take pitcher Mark Appel as the first pick overall, while the Yankees managed to score two compensatory first round picks.

Although the draft is followed closely by the average fan now more than ever, I'll have to admit, I paid it no mind this year. I've had my share of prospect adoration and, through that, realized how the draft is much more irrelevant than it is a predictor of any one team's future success. Unless you score the rare phenoms like Jeter, Harper, or Strasburg, it will be the players drafted in later rounds that will make an impact on a team, or players that were not in the draft at all. Present day MLB leaders like Robinson Cano, Mariano Rivera, Miguel Cabrera, Felix Hernandez, and Jean Segura were amateur free agent signings.

In 1996, when the Yankees started their most recent run of championships, less than a quarter of the everyday guys were home grown. Four of those players were not from the draft; they were amateur free agent signings: Bernie Williams, Jim Leyritz, Ramiro Mendoza, and Mariano Rivera. As the frequency of championships has dwindled and fans are seeing the Yankees having to grind out late season wins to make it to the post season, interestingly, there has been an increased presence of Yankee farm hands among the active rosters. By the 2000 championship, over a third of the roster was made up of players that were drafted by the Yankees and had made their way through the farm system--from core players like Jeter, Rivera, and Pettitte to memorable youngsters like Shane Spencer and Ricky Ledee. In 2009, over half of the everyday players were Yankee bred. Aside from the "Core Four", we saw utility players like Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena, and Brett Gardner perform key roles in getting the Yankees their 27th World Series Championship.

In the process of winning four championships in five seasons, that accomplishment only needed one first round draft pick--Derek Jeter. We didn't see game changing first round draft picks on the active roster again until Hughes and Joba came on the scene. Now that almost half of today's active roster is made up of Yankees farm system alumni, it's still not the first rounders making it to the bigs.

In yesterday's win over the Mariners, a 2008 14th rounder gave up only 3 hits in 6 innings (David Phelps), a 2005 3rd rounder went 4 for 5 (Gardner), a 2006 17th rounder got the win (David Robertson), and a player that wasn't even part of the draft the year he was signed got the save (Mariano Rivera). High draft picks like Andrew Brackman, CJ Henry, Jeffrey Marquez, or Eric Duncan were nowhere to be found. Proof positive that the MLB draft is, indeed, more of an irrelevant event than a predictor of future success.

1 comment:

Jose Velazquez said...

Looks like you and Deadspin are of a mind today:


text:
• slide1.jpg
  • slide2.jpg
  • slide3.jpg
  • slide5.jpg
  • slide6.jpg
  • slide7.jpg
  • slide8.jpg

Hide Main content block

Customer reviews on TripAdvisor

The truth is that I can only comment about the pizzas... but that ... very very tasty !! Crisp, accurate measurement and good taste ... the best I've ever eaten. By the way ... excellent treatment!
Delicious pizzas made with fresh ingredients in a wood oven. There are many pizzerias in Tossa and La Grotta is definitely one of the best. A real pleasure to dine there.
Thanks to one of the waiters, that was strolling in the morning, conquered us with their kindness and we decided to go to dinner, and it was the best choice !! Excellent Pizzas, good size, fine pizza dough cooked in a wood oven and a reasonable price. The restaurant was crowded. Two pizzas,...
They made us feel like at home from the beginning, excellent food, really friendly, I loved the relaxed atmosphere. The pizzas are great.
The staff was very friendly and spoke very good English. Menus are available in a variety of languages. The menu is simple but comprehensive, covering local seafood, pizza, pasta, salads, etc. . Both ate pizzas and salads and everything was really delicious. The wine was fine. I really loved the...
We have gone on several occasions, both inside and outside and even on the first floor. Everything perfect, nice and familiar treatment. What to say about the pizzas, amazing !!! The mushrooms, salmon, amazing calzone (one of the most comprehensive I've seen). Everything spectacular. 100%...
Template Settings
Select color sample for all parameters
Orange Dark_Green Crimson Green_Yellow Indigo Maroon Medium_Violet_Red tomato
Background Color
Text Color
Select menu
Google Font
Body Font-size
Body Font-family
Background Color
Scroll to top


text:
Lancaster County Beekeepers Association

To promote better beekeeping in Lancaster County, South Carolina

Beginner Class - 2017

Thank you for your interest in our 'Beginner Level Beekeeping' course. If you're interested in learning to keep bees yourself, or if you just want to learn about how important bees are to the way we all live our every day lives, we'd be glad to sign you up to take our class. You'll find all the relevant information below. If you'd like to sign up or if you have any questions, please contact our President or Vice President. You can find their contact information here.

Armory at the Fair Grounds

823 South Main St.

Lancaster, SC 29720

Duration: 6 Weeks, February 12th, 2018-March 19th, 2018

Time: Every Monday night, from 7pm-9pm.

Cost: $55.00 per person, Includes a book, all instructional material, membership to the LCBA and State Organization for 1yr.

Give you all the basics to understand how to keep honeybees, the different types of honeybees, equipment, honey harvesting, how to legally sell honey, dealing with pests and diseases, history of beekeeping, and more.

You also have the additional option of taking a written test and field day to get a certificate, certifying you as having passed the state requirements as a beginner level beekeeper. This will be important if you later decided to become a journeyman or master beekeeper.

Additional Info:

If you're a student (12-18yrs), the LCBA is offering several scholarships that cover the cost of the course and the handbook. Applicants for scholarship are required to submit a 150-200 word essay on "Why I want to learn how to be a beekeeper". Please submit essays by January 31, 2018 to [email protected].

Seating is limited to register early.


text:
Louisiana Housing Alliance Listening Tour
Tell a Friend About This EventTell a Friend
Louisiana Housing Alliance Listening Tour

The Louisiana Housing Alliance is proud to announce the dates for its 2012 Listening Tour. During the first and third week of September, we will host nine meetings across the state of Louisiana to reflect on our previous year's Policy Priorities, hear the concerns and successes of housing providers, advocates, local elected officials, and everyone else who is concerned about housing in their area, and discuss action steps for raising the issue of housing for the next year.

When: Wednesday the 19th
From 2 till 5 PM
Where: Bolton Avenue Community Center
315 Bolton Avenue
Alexandria, Louisiana  71301
United States
Contact: Ashley Lewis

« Go to Upcoming Event List

The Listening Tour is a critical event that shapes the state-level policy priorities for the Louisiana Housing Alliance each year.

We will review our 2012 Policy Priorities including: the Louisiana Housing Corporation, Housing and Transportation, Tenant Protections and Landlord Accountability, Homelessness, Foreclosure and Asset Building, Adjudicated properties, and other research.

In addition, policy priorities will be discussed and evaluated for the coming year, including a closer look at what steps we can take to secure additional funding sources for affordable housing development through the Louisiana Housing Trust Fund.

Your voice is critical to the success of the Louisiana Housing Alliance and its mission to promote equitable housing policy and ensure that all Louisianans have access to a range of housing options.

For more information please contact Nathan Cataline at

Association Management Software Powered by YourMembership  ::  Legal


text:
$1 Blackjack At Sahara

The Sahara hotel on the north end of the strip offers $1 blackjack at certain times. The last time i was there in August they didn’t have it but when they do its a good bargain. All cards are dealt face up in front of you and you are not allowed to touch the cards.


text:
Beauty On The Run: How to Create the Perfect Top Knot in 3 Easy Steps

Welcome to Beauty On The Run, where we bring you beauty tips, the hottest trends, and the top products on the market.

MORE: Beauty On The Run: How To Create A Simple Braid

In three easy steps, celebrity hairstylist David Lopez shows us how to create the trendy top knot — a total lifesaver for a bad hair day. Watch above!