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Monthly Archives: December 2012

Mistranslation of Durr al-Mukhtar

Shiapen (previously known as answering-ansar) says:

Eighth Example of Sunni morality – The Permissibility to pay a woman for sex, without fear of Islamic punishment

We read in Dur al-Mukhthar, Volume 2, Page 474 (a compilation of the great Fatwas of Imam Abu Hanifa) as follows:

We read in Fathul Qadeer that if a man informs a woman that he is paying her for sex then he cannot be subject to any manner of Islamic penalty.
Dur al-Mukhtar, Volume 2, page 474

The right translation is as following:

فتح القدیر میں کافی سے منقول ہے اگر مرد نے عورت سے کہا کہ میں نے تجھ کو اتنا مہر دیا، میں تیرے ساتھ زنا کروں تو حد واجب نہیں

It is narrated in Fathul Qadir from kafi that if a man tells a woman that I give you such amount of dowry in return for zina, then hadd is not wajib.

First of all, here the word dowry is used, secondly translating ‘hadd wajib nahi’ as ‘he can not be subject to any manner of Islamic penalty’ is highly misleading. Because if hadd is not wajib, it doesn’t mean that tazeer can also not be given, and tazeer is also an Islamic penalty. Shiapen aka Answering-Ansar is very fond of mistranslating such important points to make its articles ‘more appealing’ to the readers.

Note : The book ‘Kafi’ mentioned here is not the famous hadith book of Shias.

Secondly after mentioning what is written in fathul qadeer, the author of the book, durr al Mukhtar, says:

ان سب صورتوں میں حق یہ ہے کہ حد واجب ہے اس واسطے کہ باعتبار معنی اور حقیقت کے کتاب اللہ اس کے معارض ہے ، حق تعالٰی فرماتا ہے  الزانية والزاني فاجلدوا

In all these cases, the right thing is that hadd is wajib because in its meaning and in its reality, it is against the Book of Allah, Almighty Allah says : The woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them (Quran 24:2)

Shiapen aka Answering-Ansar never bothered to mention this in its article, while it is written in the very next line. But how can a people, whose aim is to misguide others care, about these things?

Is the version of hadith thaqalayn ‘Kitabullah wa sunnati’ weak?

Answering-Ansar (which has shifted its website to says:

As for Ibn al-Hashimi’s version to the ‘Quran and AhlulBayt’ version of Hadith Thaqlayn and his spontaneous citation of ‘Quran and Sunnah’ version, we would like to advance the words of present day Salafi scholar Shaykh Hassan bin Farhan al-Maliki who in his book “Qeraah fi Kutub al-Aqaed”, page 71 stated:

(…كتاب الله وسنتي) وهو حديث ضعيف عند محققي أهل السنة

“(…The book of Allah and my Sunnah) this is a weak tradition according to scholars of Ahle Sunnah”

This Shaykh Hassan bin Farhan al Maliki is an old friend of Rawafidh, and the Muslims don’t give him 1% credibility in the science of hadith. Now lets turn our attention to whether this version of hadith thaqalayn is weak or not.

The Prophet (saww) said :

خلفت فيكم شيئين لن تضلوا بعدهما; كتاب الله و سنتي, و لن يفترقا حتى يردا على الحوض

I have left among you two things after which none of you will go astray; the Book of Allah and my Sunnah, and they will never separate until they return to me at the pond.

This version of hadith thaqalayn is present in the following books.
Mustadrak al Hakim
Kinzul Ummal by Ali al Muttaqi al hindi
Mishkat al Masabih by Tibrizi
Jami al Saghir by Imam Suyuti
Sunan by Imam Darqutni
Sunan al Kubra by Imam Baihaqi (two different asnaad)
Muwatta by Imam Malik
al-aitqad  by Abul Qasim
al Targheeb by Ibn Shaheen

Imam Hakim has graded it sahih, Imam Dhahabi remained silent in talkhis so it shows his approval, and Shaikh Albani and Ibn Hazm (in al ahkam) also authenticated it.

Now lets look at Shia books

We read in al Kafi
عدة من أصحابنا، عن أحمد بن محمد بن خالد، عن أبيه، عن النضر بن سويد، عن يحيى الحلبي، عن أيوب بن الحر قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: كل شئ مردود إلى الكتاب والسنة
A number of our people has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father  from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Yahya al-Halab from Ayyub ibn al-Hurr who has said the  following.  “Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) has said, ‘Everything must be referred to the holy Quran and the  Sunnah”

al Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 69

Majlisi has graded it sahih

This sahih tradition from al-kafi shows that even the traditions of ahlelbayt should be referred to Quran and Sunnah, so from this,we learn that sunnah is the primary thing, and ahlelbayt’s narration is to be verified with the sunnah. If it is in agreement with the sunnah, we should accept it, otherwise, we should discard the sayings of ahlelbayt as well since the primary thing is Quran and Sunnah.


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About Us

The Ab-Hibe Consulting Group services education and foreign organizations with technical assistance in the project consulting and management fields for public entities, private companies and non-profit organizations.. By partnering with the Ab-Hibe Consulting Group at the local, regional and national level, municipalities, development agencies, educational institutions and various associations have implemented many projects which have contributed to the success of the country's economy through the quality of services offered by our organization. Our creative and dynamic team will always be conscious of our social responsibility and continue to pursue studies in business ethics and execute our business relationships with our customers with mutual trust.

About us

Our organisation aims to deliver quality and confidential consulting services to all individuals who wish to implement their ideas in the European integration process. Our goal is to be mentioned with success and praise not only in Turkey but internationally.

  • Develop a working trust with all of our customers
  • Develop improved relations between EU and other parterning countries by assisting our customer's in their European Union Projects
  • Respond to our customers' needs by implementing innovative and quality projects.
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Our Values

  • Honesty and Trust
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Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I can't believe it's 2013. Time flies!

We just got home from a trip to NY to visit my in-laws, and i'm ready to start a fresh new year. I have big plans for myself, my family, our home, our budget, and this blog. I thought long and hard about resolutions that would relate to the plans I hope to achieve, and I decided that the best way to tackle them is one month at a time.

(I absolutely love the Happiness Project by Gretchen Wilson, so I've based my plan very loosely on her book.)

Each month I will have one over-arching goal that I set for myself. I'll have several smaller goals or tasks that will help me reach that goal each month. I will check in here once a week to keep myself on track and help myself reach my goals.

January's goal is to get healthy. I know losing weight is a common New Years resolution, and it's kind of cliche, but it's also very important and very necessary. I had amazing weight loss success in 2012 and felt very healthy and proud of myself, only to gain most of it back during the last 3 months of the year. I need to get back on track!

To help myself get healthier I need to:
~Drink more water (at least 8 glasses a day)
~Log all my food intake into My Fitness Pal
~ Exercise most days of the week
~Go to bed by 11 each night
~Get up at 6am so I can have a cup of coffee before my family wakes up. (My days are less stressful and more calm when this happens.)
~Eat one healthy snack in the middle of the day and one at night. (Not a whole meal's worth at each snack time, like I've been doing lately.)

I'll be posting the success of my first week next Tuesday! (As for today, I've logged all my food and done 30 minutes of cardio. Not bad for the first day.)

I hope you all had a healthy, happy and fun New Years Eve (we stayed at my Mother-in-Laws and watched the ball drop in our jammies, which is my preferred way to celebrate!) and please feel free to share your plans for the new year with me.

  1. Those are very reasonable. I never seem to log anything into my My Fitness Pal even though I have it on computer, my phone and tablet. I'm going to try to start tomorrow, we shall see. Good luck!

Thank you so much for leaving comments! They are always welcome, and I always appreciate the feedback. I do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you click the "subscribe by email" button underneath the comment box, you will get notified when I comment back. Thank you for visiting!

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Thursday, 30 March 2017

30% Armed Forces Discount - Longleat Safari & Adventure Park

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Employees must present a valid company ID card on arrival to validate this offer.


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Julia Darling’s top 10 books about northern England

Julia Darling is a playwright, poet and novelist and the winner of the 2003 Northern Rock Foundation writer’s award. Her second novel, The Taxi Driver’s Daughter, is longlisted for the Booker Prize 2003

1. Out of One Eye: Jimmy Forsyth, photographer by Anthony Flowers and Derek Smith
This is a book about Jimmy’s life and shows a range of his photographs up to the present day. I find these pictures both magical and memorable. Jimmy lets us look into the eyes of people in the north-east and see their dreams and hopes. It’s a book I return to again and again.

2. 1956: a collection of short stories edited by Margaret Wilkinson
Some of these short stories show us a refreshing view of the north-east, as seen by a dazed New Yorker. Through Wilkinson’s eyes we look with wonder at over-heated sitting rooms and coal fires in August. We hear the confusing dialect and puzzle over strange words. Some stories are set in New York and all have a sense of being ‘outside.’

3. Counting Stars by David Almond
Almond is a wonderful short story writer. His work is filled with a kind of visionary tenderness. You can feel the history of the north-east, as far back as St Bede, running through his veins. His writing makes me feel happy.

4. Cousin Coat: selected poems by Sean O’Brien

O’Brien inhabits an imaginary and dangerous north. his world is one that is filled with visions and demons and the dark and forgotten parts of England; his style is fruity and compelling. This poetry is full of new ideas and is always a joy to pull down from the shelf. Some of it is vehement and angry, but there are tender poems too that make me feel like weeping.

5. Broke Through Britain by Peter Mortimer

Peter Mortimer has been living and writing in the north-east forever. Broke Through Britain tells the story of Peter’s journey on foot from south to north when he relied on the kindness of strangers, having not one penny in his pocket. It’s a book about the English capacity for kindness (and cruelty) and is strangely gripping.

6. Lintel by Gillian Allnut
Allnut’s poetry is vivid and ethereal and you have to work hard at it, but I have recently become a complete fan, and find her work marvelously other-worldly and important. You feel as if every line has been considered over months. I think she is a visionary.

7. Loving Geordie by Andrea Badenoch
Andrea has written several excellent crime books, and this one is the most recent. It inhabits the landscape of the slum clearances in Scotswood in the 60s at the time of the Mary Bell murders. She also used some of Jimmy Forsyth’s images as inspiration. It’s a really moving, cracking read that shows us a northern landscape at its most terrifying.

8. 2nd: the second collection by Andrew Waterhouse
This collection has just been published by Rialto Press. Waterhouse was an emerging poet at the time of his death in 2001. His work is tremendously intelligent and also fragile, and is filled with humour that is never cynical.

9. Only A Small Boat by Cynthia Fuller
Fuller’s poems are thoughtful and impressive. She notices the details in domestic life, and speaks of subjects like grown up children visiting home, of old flames who won’t leave you alone. These poems are full of female wisdom and sensitivity and, like all the poetry I enjoy, they ‘speak to my condition.’

10. The Madolescents by Chrissie Glazebrook
This is an entertaining, witty book about a great teenage character called Rowena. The cover makes it looks light and frothy, but in fact it’s extremely sharp and very well written. It makes you laugh and cringe simultaneously.

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2003/mar/20/bestbooks.fiction


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Anupam Rajey

A seasoned professional with cross functional experience of more than a decade, in diverse industries spanning IT, ITEs, & Education services. He is an expert in new business development with his theory of addressing customer needs and exceeding their expectations.

He has previously worked with leading IT companies based in India for North American Market before laying the foundation stone of Acelerar Technologies in 2010 with a vision "To be an organization housing world's most skilled resources".

He holds a bachelor's degree in Commerce, and a Post graduate diploma in Business Management with major in Marketing.

He has been invited and delivered lectures at various prestigious business schools in India namely IIM-L, IIPM, Amity, and JIMS on new venture planning and sales.
Anupam is nicknamed 'Gandhi' by his close friends in support of his characteristic integrity and honesty.

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asthma mist review

Asthma mist is a natural homeopathic formula that helps in preventing asthma attacks and provides instant relief from the symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and lack of breath. It is FDA registered product and hence it is safe for use. It is in form of homeopathic spray that controls asthma attack from triggering. Asthma mist review informs about the asthma mist formula. It is to be sprayed below the tongue thrice for instant relief. Although, it is not a substitute for inhalers and other medicines prescribed by a doctor or any health professionals.neither it claims to cure asthma permanently. It simply prevents the asthma symptoms from triggering.


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November 19, 2010

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware

A selection of articles and news items that caught my eye this week.

It's not about the tweeting.

Years ago, when I first broke in to publishing, self-promotion by authors was not only optional, it was considered rather tacky. Fewer books were being published back then, and there was less competition for reader eyeballs. Plus, the merger mania that has transformed the face of publishing hadn't yet begun; there were no big corporate owners to demand corporate-style profits from a traditionally low-profit business.

All that has changed, of course. Self-promotion can still be tacky, but it's no longer optional (although no publisher should ever contractually enforce it; if you see self-promo requirements in a contract, it's a signal that the publisher is trying to shift a big part of its job onto you). As a result, it seems that everywhere you turn you find discussions of self-promotion, tips for self-promotion, and articles on successful self-promoters. Many of these are of dubious usefulness (press releases, for instance, are a completely ineffective way to sell books), or present the same old suggestions (yes, we know we have to adopt social media), or assume that one promotional size fits all (when in fact, as for publishers, what sells one book won't necessarily sell another).

So I rarely recommend self-promo articles. This one's an exception, though: "Should I Tweet?" by literary agent Betsy Lerner. She makes the point that it's not so much about what kind of promo you should do, but about cultivating the mindset you need to market yourself.
Whether you should tweet is a little beside the point. The task at hand is to decipher what is most powerful in your work and connect it to every person, institution or media outlet who will listen. It’s not the form, it’s the content. What do you have? Why does it matter?

The down side of small press.

Canada's prestigious Giller prize is known to spur book sales, which has resulted in an unexpected snag for this year's winner: her tiny publisher isn't able to keep up with consumer demand.

One reason for the problem is the publisher's unusually high production standards. But this story points up an issue that can potentially handicap any small press author: small publishers often have very limited production and distribution capacity, and may not be able to meet strong demand. If you're thinking of signing a small press contract, and especially if you have ambitious promotion plans, this is something you should consider.

A digital underclass?

In all the prognostication about the digital revolution, there are a couple of issues I wish the pundits would pay more attention to. The first is the threat of obsolescence. Technology and software progress incredibly swiftly; will the ebooks of today be readable in ten years? What does that portend for the long-term survival of written work? The second is the assumption that seems to be implicit in so much discussion of electronic media--that everyone is on an equal digital footing. In fact, this isn't so. Will that change, or will the world's rush to digital create a digital underclass?

From ZDNet, here are interesting posts on both sides of this question. One writer fears that the shift to digital will eventually kill the public library, and as a result "the 'Have Nots' of society may find themselves denied access to an entire range of content they enjoyed previously with the printed book, newspaper or magazine." A second writer is more optimistic. Libraries will survive, and together with "the Internet, copyright holders, and public institutions can...bridge the digital divide and prevent the disparities."

What do you think?

Find where your passion meets the market.

Should you write to the market? Or should you write what you want, market trends be damned? Agent Rachelle Gardner argues that it's not about choosing one or the other, but about finding a balance.

The real reason publishing is in trouble.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that things aren't good in publishing these days. Corporate conglomeration, economic meltdown, reader apathy, the digital revolution--all are drastically changing a venerable industry.

But that's not the worst of it. Oh, no, my friends. The real culprit behind the troubles in publishing is...Writer Beware. At least, according to an anonymous (hi, Michele!) comment left on one of my older posts (scroll down to the bottom).
You have destroyed an otherwise thriving industry since you started your witch hunts. Wake up people, in 2006 when the Worst LIsts were published there was an average of 200 books being published by each publishing department in NY. Each year the list of books published went down, and this year, most publishing departments, if they haven't yet closed their doors, are doing 0 to 10 books per year. Down from 200 to 0 to 10! Writer Beware is the biggest trash maker in publishing history. Lost a job in publishing? Blame it on Writer beware. They are destroying traditional publishing because they secretly work for Pay to Publish companies.
GAAAAH! We are exposed! How will we work our evil now?

Daryl Sedore said...

That's some comment at the end of this post.

At least it shows two things:

1. You're on the right track doing what you're doing.

2. You can't please everybody.

Harold Underdown said...

What's funny about that piece of hate mail is not that the opinion expressed is wrong-headed, but that the writer doesn't even get the facts right! Or cares about getting them right. What legit. publisher with a list of 200 books/season has shrunk that much? What legit. publisher has ever been "exposed" by Writer Beware?

Very odd. said...

Vic, as always, your posts are wonderful and informative. One thing I'd like to clarify is the bit about small publishing. Often, we small fries get a bad wrap - and not undeservedly so - and get lumped in with the bad eggs.

We work achingly hard for our reputations; we have first rate distribution, can handle very large print runs, and promote the heck out of our books, so it singes the soul to be looked at with suspicion.

My heart goes out to Ms. Skibsrud, and I don't blame her for being upset. She should be. But please don't brand all us wee ones with the same iron. In this case, the publisher is a flaming idiot to upset the distribution line for a great-selling book. OTOH, was Ms. Skibsrud aware of her publisher's peculiar printing issues?

As with everything publisher, authors need to be aware of the industry because, hey, Dorchester looked mighty fine, and look what happened to them.

DeadlyAccurate said...

They are destroying traditional publishing because they secretly work for Pay to Publish companies.

You'd think the guys who pay you would be upset you keep telling people it's a bad idea to do business with them.

Since you're solely to blame for the publishing industry's slide, can we also blame you for the rest of the recession, my cats fighting, and traffic jams?

Jenny said...

What is it about publishing that attracts so many crazies?

That said, I have to put in a good word for the press release. They're extremely helpful for selling nonfiction but only if a person knows how to write a press release that will turn into an article published in a venue that is read by the target readership. I've sold a lot of nonfiction using press releases to get my book written about.

For fiction, however, no.

Anne R. Allen said...

Isn't it marvelous to have so much power you can bring down an entire industry?

"Reasoning" like this would be comical if it weren't so dangerous. It's like saying that back when women wore girdles there was no terrorism, so women who don't wear girdles are terrorists.

Liz said...

Thank you for sharing that comment at the end of your post. That laugh so made my morning.

Ereaders are annoying. With no consistent format, unlike "real" books, you really cannot read them everywhere, if the format of the one you purchased does not match your - is it a hardware or software problem? One of my LiveJournal friends is researching the market to buy an ereader for her parents, and she's looking for an idiot-proof one for them, as they are not tech-savvy.

christine tripp said...

WOW, I always had a lot of respect for Writers Beware but had no real idea of the POWER you had over a whole multi billion dollar industry world wide!!!!!!
Now that you have destroyed "traditional" publishing, does that mean there is an open market for "commercial" publishing.... If so, thanks so much :)

Jeff Pearce said...

Great posts as always, but as a Canadian, I can't resist commenting on your tidbit about the Giller Prize. What those outside Canada may not realize is that the "consumer demand" for this book has been artificially created. The merits of the book and the publisher notwithstanding, it's only flourished because up here, we're in a heavily subsidized publishing environment with a clique that prefers to annoint the obscure and ignore what is written for entertainment.

One of our leading crime writers explains it much better:

Keep in mind that in Canada, a laughable 5,000 copies is considered bestseller (the print run alone for one of my erotica novels was 35,000 in the U.S.). The bottom line is that no one ever heard of this book before the Giller, and those who wanted to impress their friends ran out to get it because it had won the "prestigious" prize. Ironically, while our mainstream publishers continue to take money from the government without having to be really competitive, the most successful publisher in the world is also in Canada: Harlequin Enterprises. Oh, but serious "literary" readers and writers look down on them. Is it any wonder then that our great Canadian SF writers, our mystery writers and romance writers ignore both small and large pubs here and look to the U.S.? We'll take the cash over the "prestige" any day.

Warren Caterson said...

You know, I always had a gut feeling that you were secretly working for pay-to-publish companies. This quote confirms my suspicions. But as one aspiring to be a traditional publisher, I'm not worried because I have my tinfoil hat and secret decoder ring close by at all times. Neither you, or the Illuminati, or that little green man who lives in the front right hubcap of my car can distract me from my publishing dreams and eventual world domination. Bwwahahahah!

Yours (with tongue firmly planted in cheek),

PS. Keep up the good work!

Carolyn Rosewood said...

You're secretly working for pay-to-publish companies??? Right ... makes a lot of sense since those are the scams you expose. "Anonymous" needs to put down the crack pipe before he/she posts.

Carolyn said...

As usual I loved this article and found it very informative and helpful. I thought that it was both funny and sad that the person who thinks Writer Beware is destroying the industry actually believed what they were saying.
I hope they come back to read the comments-these comments are great and so funny!
I just wanted to add something about the E-books. I have my books both in print and in E-book format. I have met people who just love the E-book format so I decided to take my print books and give another option. I think it is great to have the option but I would be wary about just having my books as E-books because of all the reasons stated in this article. Thank you for the heads up!

Tim A Martin said...

I've seen "Writer Beware" as a watchdog for authors. I always check in every day or two to see the latest to watch out for. Thanks, you have great content!

S.M. Carrière said...

Ah hah hah hah hah! Bless!

Oh that quote was priceless! What power you must have, to so affect the publishing industry! And your reverse psychology regarding vanity presses is the master shot.

Thanks again for both your diligence and today's first laugh!

error7zero said...

Can you also "fix" television?
And the movies?

J. Nelson Leith said...

I want to give you a gigantic hug (but I guess a gigantic Thanks will do) for the following two lines:

"Self-promotion by authors was not only optional, it was considered rather tacky."

"If you see self-promo requirements in a contract, it's a signal that the publisher is trying to shift a big part of its job onto you."

A surprising number of people (even industry pros) seem gleefully ignorant of the fact that the self-marketing expectation is a recent trend and that -- whatever the short-term efficiencies and margin bumps it might bring to individual publishers -- its long-term effect on the health of the industry as a whole has not yet been properly analyzed.

Thank you for bringing a little honest perspective to the hordes of "just the way it is" shoulder shruggers.

Jenna said...

Lost a job in publishing? Blame Writer Beware.

Got a fat ass? That's probably Writer Beware's fault, too.

Know what else they caused? Bird flu.

Damn you, Writer Beware!

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Does anyone know the process for adopting an adult who is in the US on a temporary status visa?
I haven't been able to find anything on the USCIS website. Thanks for any insight!
It's my understanding you can adopt an adult but it will not change his/her immigration status. They won't qualify for the same rights as a minor adoptee.
Speak with an immigration lawyer and an adoption lawyer because it involves 2 different situations really.
People can be adopted only under the laws of their country of citizenship. For instance, a USA person can only adopt a Chinese adult if Chinese law allows it. (Which it does not.)
And adopting a person over the age of 16 will not have any impact to the person's visa status. US law allows for an adoption visa to be granted to children under 16, but not to those over 16. And there is no other type of visa that allows their status to be changed solely on the basis of having been adopted.
Thank you for the info! Is there a specific source from where you got this info, so I can pass it along as "proof"? Thanks again!
Be very careful when you or the adult in question discusses this issue in a public forum. It could appear as if the individual got a temporary visa with the intent of staying in the U.S. permanently, which could be construed by the USCIS as intent to commit visa fraud, a felony under federal law. It could get the person's temporary visa revoked, and could cause him/her to have to return to his/her homeland and never come back to the U.S.
That's a good point. Thanks for the warning. We're not adopting an adult, and we're already US citizens, but I was asking out of curiosity after a conversation I had with someone about this.


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Top 10 Ocean Voyage Essentials

A cruise ships sails in Australia's New South Wales harbor. See a cruise gone wrong in pictures of the Titanic.
Walter Bibikow/Getty Images

"Love -- exciting and new. Come aboard, we're expecting you!" That's right folks, the love boat promises something for everyone.

Or at least the kitsch television show of the late 1970s and early 1980s did. Captain Stubing kept the Pacific Princess on course and steady. Cruise Director Julie McCoy made sure smiles abounded on the shuffleboard court. Doc Bricker was on hand to see to the medical and romantic needs of female passengers. Yeoman-purser "Gopher" Smith satisfied the whims of each and every passenger onboard, and Isaac the bartender served up liquid courage and advice to shy men wearing Speedos.

What you didn't get on "The Love Boat" was a good packing list. It seemed like every passenger aboard the Princess was a cruise veteran. There were never any episodes about seasickness or overpriced toiletries. That wouldn't exactly make for good television. Lucky for the cruise novices of the world, HowStuffWorks is here to fill you in on the most essential things you'll need for your maiden ocean voyage.

Before we get to that, let's take a look at a few things you shouldn't take on a cruise ship:

  • Towels -- If there's one thing a cruise ship has plenty of, it's towels. Leave yours at home.
  • Alcohol -- Despite warnings, people try to sneak alcohol onboard a cruise ship. Alcohol sales are a big source of revenue and shunning a B.Y.O.B. policy helps a cruise ship to ensure passengers aren't over-served and unsafe.
  • Too many clothes -- Cruise cabins are small and there are valet services onboard, so don't overdo it with the luggage.
  • Tuxedo -- File this one under unnecessary. For most formal dinners, men can get by with a nice suit, and if not, you can rent a tux onboard.
  • Iron -- Leave this at home. Your room will have one, just like a hotel would.
  • Cash -- Bring some, but not too much. Cash is risky and theft is common on cruise ships. Most ships have a sign-and-pay policy anyway, so your cash won't be necessary.

These are just a few things you should leave behind. To find out what you should absolutely bring, read on.

More to Explore


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Policy Development Appeal Committee

The AFRINIC Policy Development Appeal Committee, or the Appeal Committee, is a committee appointed by the AFRINIC Board, intended to adjudicate on appeals in terms of the Conflict Resolution section of the AFRINIC Policy Development Process (PDP). Any such appeal will involve a disagreement regarding the actions taken by the Chair(s) of the Policy Development Working Group (PDWG).

The need for this Appeal Committee is specified in section 3.5 of the Consolidated Policy Manual.

 The relevant section says:

A person who disagrees with the actions taken by the Chair(s) shall discuss the matter with the PDWG Chair(s) or with the PDWG. If the disagreement cannot be resolved in this way, the person may file an appeal with an Appeal Committee appointed by the AFRINIC Board of Directors. An appeal can only be filed if it is supported by three (3) persons from the Working Group who have participated in the discussions.

The appeal must be submitted within two weeks of the public knowledge of the decision. The Appeal Committee shall issue a report on its review of the complaint to the Working Group. The Appeal Committee may direct that the Chair(s) decision be annulled if the Policy Development Process has not been followed.

Appeal Committee Terms of Reference | PDF Version

On 19 July 2017 The Board Called for Comments on the Terms of Reference. The call for comments is open until 19 August 2017.


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Real Estate Marketing Software by Agent Sauce

Real Estate Marketing Platform

Are you looking for real estate marketing platform that will enhance your business? A system that will work for you instead of you having to work it? Agent Sauce is an integrated Real Estate CRM, Email Marketing, Lead Generation and Marketing Automation platform built specifically for Real Estate Agents. Agent Sauce provides you with all the tools necessary to generate, nurture, and manage your contacts, leads, and marketing in one place.

Real Estate CRM

Easy to use Real Estate CRM

  • Contact Manager
  • Integrated Calendar displays emails, birthdays, action items
  • Action Item Reminders for emails, calls, appointments and more
  • Listing Manager
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Real Estate Lead Generation

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Real Estate Lead Generation
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Real Estate Marketing Automation

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I can’t say enough good things about Agent Sauce … It’s going to do great things for your business!

Chris Castetter, Broker, F.C. Tucker Co., Inc.

  • Real Estate CRM
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Want to see what we can do for you? Press the 30-Day Free Trial button to enjoy 1 free month of our services. No Credit Card needed! Once you see how easy and effective our system is, you’ll have the opportunity to add your billing information later.

Real Estate Marketing Features

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From Our Blog

Inbox Scanner | Real Estate Marketing

We are excited to announce the Inbox Scanner. The Agent Sauce Inbox Scanner automatically imports email addresses to your Real Estate CRM contact list. This is a new feature for our customers on the Plus program. When enabled this feature allows Agent Sauce to import...

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Quantifying seasonal velocity at Khumbu Glacier, Nepal

Evan Miles1, Duncan J Quincey2, Katie Miles3, Bryn P Hubbard3 and Ann V Rowan4, (1)University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2, United Kingdom, (2)University of Leeds, School of Geography, Leeds, United Kingdom, (3)Aberystwyth University, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth, United Kingdom, (4)Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth, SY23, United Kingdom


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For the most up-to-date information during a campus emergency, parents and families are advised to check the web site frequently.

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Four years later, Dale and Sue Meier are more convinced than ever that AU was the right place for their daughters.

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Family on steps of Carnegia Hall Fall Family Weekend - September 15-17, 2017

Fall Family Weekend is designed to give you an opportunity to visit with your student, to enjoy special events and activities and to experience the coming of Fall to our beautiful campus. Plans are underway to bring you a fun-filled weekend and updates will be posted on our Fall Family Weekend page as they become final. We encourage families planning to attend to make lodging reservations as soon as possible because spaces at local hotels, motels and bed & breakfasts fill up very quickly. Plan now to join us for this very special, enjoyable weekend for all!

News for Parents

Updates from campus, just for you.


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5 Things You Need to Know About VBS

ImageWe are super excited about this year’s EPIC VBS!  Here are some things that you need to know:

1. We will have 1 EPIC event this year.  Our VBS will be held at night only from 6:30- 8:45

2. We will be hosting VBS June 9-13 (Sunday – Thursday)

3. If you are one of the first 100 kids to register (completed 5K-5th grade), you’ll receive a really cool gift!

4. We are very excited to get parents involved with our Fanfare Finale this year.  You WON’T want to miss this!

5. There are many amazing opportunities for your whole family to serve at VBS this year.  For more information on this, check out ewestwood.org/vbs.

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Tag Archives: rant

I don’t want to be the new face of America, but thanks anyways

If there’s one thing tolerant people love, it’s photos of mixed people.

This National Geographic piece and accompanying photo essay made the rounds a couple of months ago, and while it’s well-intentioned, I’m starting to wish that the media could talk about mixed people without exhibiting us.

Every few years the newest census data rolls in and some major news outlet writes or films a trend piece about mixed people and how we sometimes identify as more than one race and how race is changing and the mixed child is going to be the new face of America blah blah blah and inevitably this piece is accompanied by a photo gallery of mixed people, sometimes user-submitted, sometimes taken by a photojournalist on staff, sometimes artistic (see above). These photo galleries are in theory a great way to increase the visibility of mixed people and give voice to their stories, but in practice…I’m not so sure.

Here’s the truth, plain and simple. If you’re a mixed person, people really really care about how you look. Not just like, your friends or your family or whatever, but random people like the store clerk at CVS, the checkout lady at the grocery store, the server at the restaurant, your coworker’s mom or even just strangers who initiate interactions that are based around commenting on the way you look and some combination of the questions where are you from/wait no where are you really from/wait no where are your parents from/wait no what is your ethnicity. People will guess your ethnicity and feel proud of themselves when they get it right, tell you that you are such a interesting combination of features, tell you that their daughter married an Asian/Black/Hispanic/whatever man and how they wonder if their babies will look like you, ask you who you’re dating and what their race is and then calculate the percentage of each race your babies would be, and you know what? IT IS REALLY WEIRD. IT IS SO WEIRD.

I’m all for giving voice to the voiceless and increasing visibility and all that, but when a major microaggression faced by mixed people is constant commentary about their looks, does a photo essay exhibiting mixed people in all of their unexpected-combination-of-features glory accomplish anything more than giving people more examples of unusual physniogamy to gawk at?

I mean, the answer is yes. It is more than that. The version of me that existed ten years ago needed to see mixed faces in media, needed things like the HAPA project to help her feel less alone, to help her realize that there were others out there who looked like her and sometimes felt like her. There are things about these projects that are empowering. It can be empowering to stand up and say, “I am here. This is what I look like. This is who I am” and have people listen.

But the version of me that exists now wonders how many more times the same article is going to be written before something changes other than the date. How many more headlines will be written about the new face of America before people stop sticking the words “new” “change” or “different”  in front of my face like it’s a surprise that I’m American? Before people stop contrasting me to the “old” face, whatever that is? Before people stop finding it so damned interesting that my parents had sex? (Just so we’re clear, the only thing that’s new about interracial sex in America is that these days, it’s typically consensual.)

When does my face cease to be a statement? When does it become a statement I can control?

I’m tired of feeling like my existence is curated by someone else. The faces that the media chooses to represent me and people like me are not necessarily representative, because the whole point of doing a photo essay on mixed people is to take and show pictures of people who look “interesting” and “different,” not to show pictures of mixed people who aren’t obviously mixed. You can walk out your door every day and see someone who looks white or who looks black or whatever; you’re here to see something NEW.

But at the same time, you’re here to see something that adheres to a certain aesthetic/ideal of mixedness- the ideal that people have when they stop interracial couples on the street and tell them that their children will be beautiful.  There is a comfortable, identifiable version of mixedness that doesn’t challenge expectations or beliefs about race, because you can TELL that they’re mixed and then can project whatever stereotypes upon them that you need to in order to feel comfortable interacting with them, and then there’s my quarterish-Chinese boyfriend who looks white but checks the Asian box and who no one ever believes is what he says he is.

When you look at me or him or anyone else, you’re not color blind.

Despite what you want to believe, the construct of mixedness does not abolish race because mixedness can only exist in a system where there is something to be mixed. Mixed people do not exist outside of racial politics–we do not live in a fairyland where no one will judge us for the shape of our eyes or the color of our skin, and even if we can pass as ambiguously white it hurts us to use a privilege that is denied to our parents or our siblings or our cousins. I do not call for the abolition of race and ethnicity, the erasing of cultures, identity, and history that people claim is evidenced by my skin, my face, my existence, my parents’ love– I call for the abolition of their use as a tool of oppression. I am not particularly interested in the silencing of all of these thoughts and feelings through the appropriation of my body as a symbol for a cause I don’t believe in.

A word or two or three to the people who tell me I’m America:

Mixed people aren’t new; what’s new is that we’re legal. We have existed for as long as people have had feet to walk with and tongues to talk with and hearts to love with but also sometimes hands to grab and hold and take. Biology didn’t make us, society did. We are an American creation insofar as we are the creation of the imperial-capitalist complex that brought our mothers and fathers here sometimes by choice and sometimes by force, but we do not owe our existence to your” tolerance” and “open-mindedness”, although we appreciate real tolerance and open-mindedness where we find it.

Don’t feel good about yourself on my account.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep.

Filed under Race


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It’s been almost a year since my last post and I wanted to update you all on my life and make more of an effort to post regularly on here. If you read my last post you know that I moved to New York for graduate school in August. Being in school feels like a magnificent dream that I’m not totally sure I want to wake up from.  I just turned 26 at the end of February and am happy to say that for the first time I am actually happy with where I am in my life. For a long time after completing my undergraduate degree I felt completely lost. I was working in environments where I felt completely unfulfilled and often questioned where I was going with my life and if I would ever amount to anything as a person. I often wondered “is this what the rest of my life is really going to be like?!” Needless to say going to graduate school has always been a goal of mine and I still can’t believe that I have the opportunity to make this particular dream come true. I feel like I am living out a total fantasy and am determined to graduate with my Master of Arts degree in Fashion Studies from Parsons the New School for Design next spring. One thing that I’ve learned over the last few years is that hard work definitely pays off. It may not seem like it in the moment but if you are willing to work hard there is no reason why all of your dreams can’t come true.  I love being in school and am constantly inspired by my classmates and this amazing city that has become my second home.

One thing that I have been working on outside of completing my school work is pairing down my wardrobe so that it only consists of key essential pieces and things that I truly love. This means only buying things that I really like. That might seem obvious, but I have a tendency to buy things on a whim since I find retail therapy extremely relaxing (before the stress from working out my credit card sets in.) My new goal is to really think about what I’m buying and to get away from paying so much attention to brands and focusing more on the garment itself. Is it love at first sight? Will it work with other pieces I already have in my wardrobe? Will I want to wear it five years from now?  I hate to admit this but for awhile I thought that in order to look good I needed to buy strictly designer pieces. While I can’t ignore the fact that I have a weakness for designer bags and coats being a student has made me recognize that while some things may be worth splurging on, other things aren’t and that what you buy should be about how much you love the piece and how well it’s made rather than the label in it. I’m not saying I wouldn’t love to have a wardrobe filled with Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Lanvin and Celine…but I also recognize that at this point in my life that’s not always possible. As a result, my new goal is to focus on only buying things I really like (and can afford) and saving up money for those really special pieces. Hopefully that way I will be able to build a more timeless and sustainable wardrobe.

So here’s to a New Year of continuously working towards my goals both on an academic and personal level and looking chic while doing it.


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Water Heaters

When is the right time for a new hot water heater?

By |Categories: Water Heaters|Tags: , , , , |

As Chicago, IL, plumbers, we often maintain, repair and install water heaters. It’s not always easy to know when your water heater is about to break. However, there are tell-tale signs that you can look for to avoid the inconvenience of a broken water heater in your home. Here are a few things you can do [...]

How to choose the right water heater

By |Categories: Water Heaters|Tags: |

Choosing the right water heater at a Chicago IL plumber is essential if you want to have a constant stream of hot water running through your home. As Chicago can become very cold in the winter time, it is beneficial that you get the right water heater for your home at any Chicago IL plumber company. [...]

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Political Posters for Patriots!

Words of Wisdom for people I love and care for!

What the Press is Afraid to Print: Showing Barrys Most Embarrassing Moment!

This post is ReBlogged to support the new Anti-Dictatorial blog at “ObamaScare”

The Rest of the Story: What the Media Didn’t Show Us Of BO’s Embarrassment!

Originally published 6 Jan 2014

Updated Jan 7, 2015 to support our friends at “ObamaScare” the newest blog for stopping the dictator-El Duce Obama!

Taking selfies and flirting with the PM… Carrying on like this at a funeral? What class… and now Moochie is staying behind in Hawaii while the Prez and kiddies come back… here are the pictures the media won’t show us…
click the link below if the pictures do not show below:
The cowardly media only showed this!The cowardly media only showed this!BO's photo kept hidden1BOsHiddn2BOsHiddn3BOsHiddn4BOsHiddn5BOsHiddn6

Oh, yes! Just discovered-Michelle delivers the “coup de grace”

10 comments: (of many)

Whitehall said…

What would have Reggie done?
8:45 PM

carlito said…

I pity the fool.
10:45 PM

Anonymous said…

Whatta goof!
12:04 AM

Anonymous said…

Late Night should be slamming this mini-series out of the comedy park.What a clown!
7:04 AM

View original post 542 more words

How to Lose at Least 22 lbs of Stomach Fat in Just 1 Month.

Special Report 2014: How to Lose at Least 22 lbs of Stomach Fat in Just 1 Month.

This report was created by Fit Life Report to expose the truth behind a new effective product!
Where is Helen? Maybe they used Megan Kelly to indicate Fox News.

Staff reporter Helen Crisell investigates a weird weight loss solution that is quickly gaining popularity in the United States.

By Helen Crisell | views 2,391,558 | comments 656

(Fit Life Report) – “No magazine cover will have my photo and the word “fat” together, ever again” says Cameron Diaz in her shocking revelation about her two secret fat burning weapons that helped her shed 18 lbs in under a month. For the past couple of months our readers have been going crazy over the same two internet products that are helping women across the world lose weight. As both products have been featured on countless popular TV shows, proven to be safe for ongoing use and best of all, are affordable on any budget, we decided to investigate the incredible results thousands of women have been blogging about and sharing via Facebook and Twitter on a daily basis.

Waves of celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, and Jennifer Hudson have lost a significant amounts of body fat by taking 2 simple diet cleanses daily. The combined effect is clinically proven to not just shred fat off your physique but flush out all the junk and toxicity that builds up in your body, while also increasing your metabolism. Studies of these natural nutritional supplements show that these rapid benefits all happen without harming your immune system.

As we all know, losing weight often feels like an impossible challenge and all too frequently the results of complicated weight loss programs and diets are painfully disappointing. As we investigated these groundbreaking new products taking the fitness world by storm, we noticed the testimonials from real people as well as major TV docs and celebrities all seemed to actually back the promise that these products were the real deal. Keep reading and you’ll find out why we created this exclusive, special report for women around the world.

http://www.tinyurl.com/ignitemaxx     combines both ingredients for maximum results!

Cameron Diaz used the diet to lose 18 lbs in just 1 month.

The reason for why most diets fail, in our opinion, is that they impose unrealistic restrictions on how you live your life. Some advocate eating tons of protein others emphasize carbohydrates. In either case, you’re left with having to make rather drastic changes to the types of food you eat and when you eat it. In this special report, we take an in-depth look at an emerging and promising weight loss trend that we believe is a game changer, and it won’t break the bank.

You may have heard of the enormously popular Garcinia Cambogia in the news. It’s a completely organic pumpkin-shaped fruit native to Indonesia – scientifically proven to tear away fat from you body. In studies taken out by renowned health research institution GNP Labs in Los Angeles – Garcinia Cambogia was proven to ignite your metabolism and therefore fat burning capabilities by around 300% when taken regularly. That said, the problem is that very few Garcinia products out there are pure. Most fluctuate between the 60-70% purity levels – well that’s off course until we ran into the product ‘Garcinia Cambogia Plus ‘. The Garcinia Cambogia Plus Formula claimed they delivered 95% pure Garcinia Cambogia Plus extract to your body so to put it simply – we were intrigued.

Further to the above, we had also researched that those taking Garcinia Cambogia Plus experiencing shocking weight loss were also using the natural detoxifier Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra. Together, testimonials claim the combined usage of these two products led to significant weight loss, more energy and generally a healthier day to-day feeling. If you’re skeptical, you’re not alone. When we first learned about this weight loss combo, our diet fad radar went off right away.

Nevertheless, as we began to investigate the countless success stories reported by people from all around the globe, we decided that this weight loss trend was worthy of a closer examination. Moreover, we found it of particular interest that these people had not significantly changed their current lifestyles.

proof2-300x147Jennifer McCarthy from Hollywood, California was reported to have lost a healthy 22 lbs in just 5 weeks while being on the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra combo diet.

In the story on her blog she states, “I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I didn’t change my diet or my daily routine, but the fat melted off like it butter. I love this stuff! Finally a diet that just works.”

For the Fit Life Report test, it was inevitable that I was to be the guinea pig for this diet since I was about to get married. I wanted to lose 14 lbs for my wedding. In order to try the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra diet, I ordered the two products online. Although there are many Cambogia Extract products available, I chose Garcinia Cambogia Plus on the basis that it had been clinically tested and approved at GNP Labs in Los Angeles, California – an organization renowned for their strict guide lines on weight management products.

The bottle of Garcinia Cambogia Plus was delivered in a few days after ordering. All I had to do was pay the $4.95 shipping fee. Garcinia Cambogia Plus is one of the most concentrated and purest weight loss products on the market. This was our shared opinion.

Garcinia Cambogia Plus has been clinically proven to:

  • Cause 4 Times More Weight Loss Than Diet and Exercise
  • Boost Energy
  • Be Richer in Antioxidants Than Blueberries, Goji Berries, and Acai Berries
  • Promote Cardiovascular and Digestive Wellness

Although we were pretty skeptical, we wanted to find out for ourselves if this product could actually do everything that it claimed. Most of the success stories talk about combining Garcinia Cambogia Plus with a cleansing product called Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra to achieve maximum weight loss. The idea behind combining the products is that while the Garcinia Cambogia Plus encourages weight loss and increases energy whilst the Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra helps rid your body of toxins and allows yourbody to work and burn calories more efficiently. After further research, we put Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra to the test.

Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra has been clinically proven to:

  • Help Eliminate Bad Toxins That Have Built Up Over the Years
  • Destroy harmful parasites in your digestive tract
  • Remove ‘Sludge’ From the Walls of the Stomach
  • Help Get Rid of Gas and Bloating
  • Help Regulate the Metabolism
  • Increase Energy

The Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra product like is backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Putting the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra Combo to the Test

Both the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra arrived within 4 days of having placed my order online.

  1. Take one Garcinia Cambogia Plus pill per day (in the morning)
  2. Take one Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra pill per day (in the evening)

My Results – 22 lbs In Just 1 Month4-weeks-1

Week One:

After one week on the diet using both products I was surprised at the dramatic results. My energy level was up, and I wasn’t even hungry. A welcomed side effect of the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra diet is its power to curb the appetite.

I honestly felt fantastic!

Best of all, I didn’t even change anything about my daily routine. On Day 7, I got on the scale and couldn’t believe my eyes. I had lost 3.5 lbs. But I still wasn’t convinced, since they say you lose a lot of water weight at the beginning of any diet. I wanted to wait and see the results in the upcoming weeks. But it sure was looking up! I now weighed under 122 lbs for the first time in years!

Week Two:

After two weeks of using both supplements, I started the week off with even more energy, and actually sleeping more soundly than before. I was no longer waking up during the night and tossing and turning because my body was actually able to relax (this is a result of getting rid of the toxins, I think). Plus I still managed to lose another 7 lbs, putting me at an unbelievable 10.5 lbs of weight loss, in just 2 weeks.

I must admit that I’m starting to believe that this diet is more than just a gimmick.

Week Three:

After 3 weeks, all my doubts and skepticism had absolutely vanished! I am down, 2 full dress sizes after losing another 3.5 lbs. And I still have a ton of energy. Quite often, around the third week of other diets, you tend to run out of steam. But with the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra diet my energy levels don’t dip, instead they remain steady throughout the day. I no longer need that cat nap around 3pm in the afternoon! I am even noticing that my stomach is digesting food so much better. No bloating or embarrassing gas after I eat.

Week Four:

After the fourth week, my final results were shocking. I lost an unbelievable 22 lbs since starting the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra diet! Actually everyone at Fit Life Report is kicking themselves for not having volunteered to be the guinea pig. Using the Garcinia Cambogia Plus and Green Coffee Cleanse Ultra in week 4, I lost an additional 2.2 lbs. The results are consistent! But to be honest, I really didn’t have much more than that left to lose. I am definitely going to continue taking the Garcinia Cambogia Plus afterwards because it has so many antioxidants and vitamins that makes my skin look unbelievable.

I couldn’t be any happier with the results. I Lost 22 lbs in 4 Weeks, No Special Diet, No Intense Exercise.

In conclusion, if you are a little doubtful about the effects of this diet, you need to try it for yourself; from our own test, the results are real. We at Fit Life Report had our doubts initially, but we were quickly turned into believers. After conducting our own study, we are pleased to see that people really are finding success with the diet.


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Ana’s Baby Shower!

One of our amazing team members, Ana, is expecting a new addition to the family next month. Everyone at American Hat Makers is excitedly awaiting the arrival of the newborn, so we decided to show our love for Ana and throw her a baby shower! We always take the opportunity to show our appreciation and support of all of our team members, and were grateful to be able throw an awesome party in celebration of Ana. All in all, it was an awesome day spent celebrating our beloved team member and this new chapter in her life. Here are some pictures we took at the party!

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Monday, 22 August 2016

Private George FORSYTH

George Forsyth enlisted in the 47th Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Forces on the 24th of January 1916.  His rank was Private, service number 1654.
On his attestation paper, George stated he was born in the Parish of Pitsligo near Fraserburgh, Scotland.
He was 25 years and 3 months of age, single and gave his occupation as labourer.
George’s parents were John Gill Forsyth and Jane nee Birnie of Hillfoot, Cortes, Lonmay, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. (pictured above)
John Gill Forsyth was the younger brother of my great great grandfather Robert Forsyth who settled in Kaiapoi, New Zealand.
Thanks to Sandra Playle on the Australian genealogy facebook page I learnt that George enlisted at Charter’s Towers in Queensland.
His mother states on the Honour Roll form that he was 18 years of age when he came to Australia.
George was living in Friezland, via Cloncurry.His younger brother, Robert, had also enlisted but he was with the Gordon Highlanders in Scotland.
One question George was asked on his enlistment in Australia was “had he ever been rejected as unfit for His Majesty’s Service and if so for what reason?”
His reply …. Yes, defective teeth.George was 5 foot 7 and a half inches tall.  He weighed 136 pounds, chest measurement 36 inches.  Complexion fair, eyes blue, hair colour dark brown and his religious denomination was Presbyterian.The attesting officer who signed his enlistment form was Fred Johnson.
20 – 4 – 1916    Embarked at Sydney per H.M.T “Hawkes Bay”
27 – 5 – 1916    From 12th training Btn, allotted to 47th Battalion at Tel-el-kebir
2 – 6 – 1916    From H. T “Caledonia” proceeded to join B.E.F at Alexandria
9 – 6 – 1916    Disembarked at Marseilles.
The 47th Battalion was raised in Egypt on the 24th of February 1916.  About half its new recruits were Gallipoli veterans and the rest were fresh reinforcements from Australia, the majority being recruits from Queensland and Tasmania.
Arriving in France on 9 June 1916, the 47th entered the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 3 July. It participated in its first major battle at Pozières. Initially, the battalion provided working parties during the 2nd Division’s attack on 4 August, and then, with its own division, defended the ground that had been captured. The 47th endured two stints in the heavily-contested trenches of Pozières
Transcript of Battalion war diary:
5 – 8 – 1916    Battalion moved from Tara Hill and took up position near Pozières as reserves to front line.
7 – 8 – 1916     at 6.30 am received message to reinforce front line occupied by 48th Battn.  despatched C Coy at 6.40am. Three platoons returned at 7.15 am and the other remaining.
At 2.30 pm commenced relief of front line occupied by 48th Battn. Relief was completed by 4.30 pm.  A  and D companies occupying front line.  O, G, I and B Coy in close supports in Tramway Trench.
One platoon of C Coy which reinforced the 48th Battalion at 6.40 am was sent back to join up with remainder of C Coy at Sunken Road.  C Coy remained in support.
The relief of the 48th Battalion was carried out under a heavy bombardment by the enemy and considerable casualties were inflicted on the Battalion.
On the 9th of August 1916 Private George Forsyth was killed in action at Pozières, although his sister, Jean Butcher of Taupo, New Zealand had received notification of his death on dates in both August and November 1916.  She wrote to the war minister In Nov 1917.
She received a reply in December.
On his war service record, it states that he is buried “500 yards N.E. of Pozières”.
Underneath are location co-ordinates 57D SE X5A R35C Martinpuich.
I am told the coordinates may be taken so they can go back and retrieve the body for burial.
Sometimes the bodies cannot be found and that is when the soldier’s name and details are put on the memorials.  I’ve yet to work out if George’s body was found for burial.
Martinpuich village is about a mile north-west of High Wood,and like the wood was captured on September the 15th, 1916.
It is ironic that troops of the 15th (Scottish) Division took the village.
Military historian Matt Smith of    says “Martinpuich is the village NE of Pozieres. The name refers to the trench map, not where he was buried. George would have been killed and buried on the old German Line OG1 and OG2, probably attacking the Windmill site. It is the site of the current 2nd Australian Division memorial.”
commemorative certificate
George’s name is included on the Villers-Bretonneux memorial at Somme, France.
Both George and his brother Robert are also commemorated on the War Memorial at Rathen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Rathen war memorial G and R Forsyth

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Shuddh Desi Romance: Review

Shudh Desi Romance is the primarily the story of three characters Raghu (Sushant Rajput), Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra) and Tara (Vaani Kapoor) set in Jaipur, and the love triangle between them. The focus for the majority part of the movie is more about the insecurities and fears of commitment the three face. Rishi Kapoor plays the character of Mr. Goyal who is caterer and manages baarats.

Plot Synopsis:

Raghu is a registered tour guide, but also makes money from commissions he gets from stores where he dupes foreigners to buy things at exaggerated prices. Apart from this, he is a baraati for hire. Gayatri is also a baraati for hire and works at a coaching class. The story starts with Raghu and is baarat on their way to Ajmer for his marriage with Taara. In his talk with Gayatri(whom he has hired for his baarat) he confesses that he agreed to get married to Taara because she was good looking, however he now has his apprehensions as he doesn’t know if the two are compatible or not. He learns that Gayatri is an independent woman who likes to live on her own terms, and has had been in a relationship before.

He goes on to confess that he is attracted to Gayatri. He can’t handle the pressure of marrying someone he doesn’t know and runs away, leaving Taara in the middle of the ceremonies. Gayatri runs into Raghu two weeks later, and Raghu still feels the attraction towards her. He moves in to her house and they try start a live in relationship. When the two of them decide to get married, it is not the turn of Raghu to be left at the altar as Gayatri runs away.

Raghu runs into Tara, when he is a baarati for hire. There is an interesting confrontation between Taara, her uncle and Raghu. Taara and Raghu meet in Jaipur, and start a relationship. Taara’s actions bring a better understanding in Raghu as to how it feels when someone leaves you without an explanation. Things turn for a toss when Raghu and Taara run in to Gayatri at another marriage.

The movie starts with a monologue by Raghu in which he breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience. There will be one such monologue by each of the three characters at key junctures of the story. Raghu mulls over the fascination of the nation with arranged marriage. There are four key parts of this monologue:

  • Not only men but women also have desires, and they look for different things when they check out/look for a partner. While in itself it is not the revealing of a hitherto unknown fact, but the admission of it is deviation from many Bollywood movies.
  • Even if a guy and girl just talk, they become Vikram and the rest of the world becomes Vetaal to hound them.
  • He can’t understand why people tell him ‘Zyaada mat socho, bus settle ho jaao.’ (Don’t think too much, just settle down) as if ‘Shaadi na hui, glucose/ ICU ho gaya, har chees ka ilaaj’ (As if marriage is like glucose/ ICU which is a treatment for every ail)
  • The best part was: ‘saara hindustan settlement karane pe laga hai… saatth saal se do padosi se settlement kara nahi paae bade chaudhary bante hain’ (The whole nation is behind getting settled, they couldn’t settle two neighbors in 60 years but still think of themselves as something great)

Another interesting scene of mention is the confrontation between Raghu, Taara and Taara’s uncle at a marriage. While Raghu initially tries to avoid running into him, they come face to face. The uncle creates a ruckus and calls on some people to beat him up. When Taara intervenes to stop the scene, he tells her that she is her ‘responsibility’. What follows is pure brilliance.

Taara goes on to ask him when was it that her parents (who had died quite some time ago) handed over responsibility to him. She says that she alone is responsible for her life, and that doesn’t need help from an uncle who met her only once in the last four years which was also in a marriage. In fact they were doing this not because they felt for her, but they wanted revenge for themselves.

Taara is my favorite character in the movie. While Gayatri is an independent woman as well, Taara shows more presence of mind, an understanding for human emotions, and is the only character who accepts things for what they truly are, so that she can move on. When she is left standing when Raghu runs away, her reaction is to ask for a cold drink instead of breaking down (for which she gives a good reason later).

There are many nuances that are built in the story and dialogues that make it a gem. When Raghu and Taara are to get married and the baaratis ask her to show her face from beneath her ghunghat (veil) someone comments in the back that such a beautiful girl is being married off to Raghu because she is orphan and her relatives want to get rid of her. The opening song sequence shows many different couples in the city, how they are moving about, including wannabes who ogle at girls who pass by or the cops punishing couples found in parks by making them do sit ups. My personal favorites are the monologues by the characters, in which the double standards of our systems are traditions are questioned.

This is why I believe that the star of the movie is not an actor but writer Jaideep Sahni (who also wrote the script), who has written the scripts for ‘Chak De! India’ and ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’ before. Director Maneesh Sharma does a good job. The chemistry between between Sushant and Parineeti is better than that between Vaani and him.

Watch out for the opening song ‘Chanchal mann’

and ‘Gulabi’ which has Sushant and Vaani in different parts of the pink city.

When the phone rings…

He was taking deep long breaths. Slowly as he gathered more strength, he crawled in her direction. He left a trail of blood in his wake, from having been shot in the gut. She was lying motionless a few feet away. Her body didn’t move except for the occasional heave her chest gave when she would take in a breath. She was hanging on like him, for a precious few moments before they would both give way to their injuries. It didn’t take him more than two minutes to crawl up to her, and place his hand over hers but it seemed like forever to her. He smiled, and with great effort opened his mouth to tell her that in the end it would be all right. He turned his face and opened his mouth to speak.

What the bloody hell?

This is exactly what first comes to my mind when the phone of someone next to me rings in the cinema while I am all engrossed in the movie. I mean, it is only basic manners to keep your phone on silent or off while you’re in the cinema. Not only can some people not do that, they have to carry on extended loud conversations. I can understand if it is an emergency, or if you’re telling that ‘I am in a movie where I won’t be able to talk to you properly on account of the sound from the speakers ‘, but I cannot understand people telling their dinner plans on the phone. Take it outside and call them back. But let me listen to what is happening in the movie.

But loud chatty callers are not the only ones that get to me. It’s the people who come late, especially if they’re friends. I think there should be an entry time limit, if you’re later than this you can’t enter the cinema house. On the normal day, I can put up with the late comers as long as they don’t give too much of obstructions. But you will have some one or the other who cannot find his way, or will walk abnormally slow and keep coming in front of the screen. It is worse when it is a friend who is late. Because now I will have to wait for them outside with their ticket to get them in. This will primarily lead to two scenarios. In the first I wait for them and miss out on the starting scenes, or I go inside catch the starting and come out when they call me. Not only am I missing out on some scenes, but I end up disturbing other cinema patrons too.

I remember that I had taken a day off to catch the first show of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and had to cancel the plans as one of my team members had to apply leave for a family emergency. Since only one of us could go on leave, I cancelled mine on account of his reason being more crucial than mine. The next day I went in for the morning show to enjoy the movie in peace. I had already cancelled two calls, but someone from work kept calling. I went out to take the calls, and missed slightly more than five minutes of the movie in trying to explain something (after having the other person fail to understand that I was out to watch a movie). I couldn’t sit back, and left the cinema to catch a different show where I wouldn’t be disturbed. And this was only thirty minutes into the movie.

I have tried discussing this with some friends whenever I have made my first ever movie plans with them. A friend in particular says that movie watching is a leisurely activity, and it is ok for people to come late as they have bought the tickets. I agree that they have bought the tickets, just in the same way that I bought mine. That doesn’t mean that they should come in the way of the leisure of other audience due to having coming late and so on …

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

A Hug award/tag

It’s been a long time since someone tagged me for a blog. Since this comes from a blogger whose posts I enjoy reading, I am having an early go at it. So this is also me saying a thank you to Vishal for his hug to me.

The questions are as follows:

1. What is the meaning of life?

In simple terms, I believe that the meaning of life is to exist and be happy with it.

2. Happiness is all about?

Happiness has always meant different things at different times. When I was very young, it meant having a bowl of Maggi (which stands true to this day as well). As I grew older it meant getting good marks in the school tests, and later it meant being able to play cricket without making an ass out of myself. At one time it meant being able to finish all of school work and get to snuggle with any of the Harry Potter books (which to this day makes my mum roll her eyes). Gradually it meant more things, like receiving a Google chat ping from a particular someone, making a presentation at work, and being at Barista with friends and chatting away. Right now happiness means to go through the day without having to shrug something off and cooking a new dish.

3. Why did you start a blog?

I felt the urge to write. I had once maintained a collection of the short stories and poems I had written in a book that I misplaced, so I took to online logs. I came to know of blogging where I could not only write, but read things other people wrote. Soon, it became a box of wonders and happiness.

4. What is more important in your life relationships or fame?

I will be honest here, I do enjoy fame. Ever since I was young, fame in the school or later in college and now work. I like to be famous, to be known for the things that I do or can do. However fame from people I do not know can bring only a temporary joy. Hence if you ask to me think over it, I will choose relationships. One may not have loads of fame, but if you have good relationships then it will be all worthwhile.

5. One thing which you like the most about blogging?

The people I come to know. Many of my friends, people on FB, are there because I came to know of them through blogging. Some of you are just awesome people, and should take a bow. Some of you are people whom I have not yet met in person, but I know about your life through what you share with me on the blogs and Facebook.

6. What’s the best decision you ever made?

Buying capris. India can get hot many times, and Capris are a welcome relief for me. I would wear them throughout the year had it not been for the chilly winds in mid-winter that travel up them and try to freeze my privates. Seriously speaking though, they are so comfortable.

7. Do you believe that unconditional love really exists in any kind of relationship?

No. Love cannot be unconditional. Sometimes we think that love is unconditional when the person being loved does all sorts of things that the lover may not like or would pain them, but the lover still continues to love them. That is not unconditional love that just means that the object/person of their love still means a lot to them. They would gladly go through that pain because they still value their love (or are flipping idiots to stay in an abusive relationship)

8. What would be your first reaction if your physician recommends you to see a psychologist?

Hain?! Yup, that is what I would say. Of course it would be interest me to all sorts of levels to understand why my physician thinks that I must visit a psychologist, and more so of inputs the psychologist would give me. I would want to get a second opinion of a different psychologist and see what they say as well.

9. Do you believe in Karma, if yes then what are bad and good karma according to you?

Yes. Karma is nothing but what you do and allow to happen. People around us see what we do and allow to happen, and take that as to what we are ok with. They in turn do the same to us. Sometimes karma can come from intentions as well as from results of our actions. I may intend for something bad to happen for a person, but my acts can lead to something good happening for them (or the other way around).

10. Do you believe in rebirth or afterlife if yes then why?

I have stopped trying to actively think about it. I am in no way qualified or of expertise to comment on this, since I don’t know anyone who has come been reborn or is in afterlife. What if afterlife doesn’t have a way for us to communicate with them? What if afterlife is the things we imagine as fiction? What if once we die, we just die and cease to exist while only a select few of us get an afterlife? What if there is not afterlife? So this is only a ‘what if?’ and loads of questions to think about for me.

11. What is the best moment of your life?

It is difficult to zero in on one particular moment, as there have been many such moments for me (and are for everyone). However if I think about it, then the one best moment of my life is when I began to think for myself. I don’t know when that moment came for me and when it is for you, but there is a moment from which you can think for yourself. You can think that what is right and wrong, what can or does make you feel happy or sad. The moment when you know can want a particular thing, when you can express desire. When you can be the ‘I’ in ‘I am’, it is that moment that I speak of.

As per the tag, I nominate this tag/hug to few people. I may miss some of you guys, but these are the people that come to my mind for this right now:

Shail Di

Ms. Dey

Cracking Saks (who is as of now on an indefinite blog composing hibernation)

R’s Mom

If you’re reading this and want to do this (tagged or not), please let me know of the link so that I can connect it to this post.

We respect husbands more than wives

The term ‘you’ is a universal term in the English language in the sense that you can use it independently of the person’s sex, age, position, etc. You may be calling out a boy or a girl, your boss or your subordinate; it is still ‘you’. This however, is not the case when it comes to Hindi. In Hindi there are two different terms, namely ‘Tu’ and ‘Aap’. ‘Tu’ is used when addressing some one of the same age/position as yourself or lower while ‘Aap’ is used for someone who is older and/or commands respect.

Long time ago I was watching a movie with mom when the lead character while talking to his mother, addressed her as ‘Tu’. I began to take notice of this and observed that in many cases the father would be addressed as ‘Aap’ while the mother was addressed as ‘Tu’. This had me totally miffed, and I asked mom why it was acceptable to address the father with more respect than the mother as both are equally parents to a child and cheekily asked if I should be calling her ‘Tu’ now. She thought over it a bit and said that because kids bond over more with their mom while they are bring brought up instead of dad, they think of mom as a friend and confidante and hence address her as ‘Tu’.

I raised a brow in apprehension and asked her what about the families where kids bond with their dads too, and consider him as friends. To that we don’t have an answer. In fact kids don’t bond with dad so much (because the dad is away due to work or other reasons such as resting after  being back from Over time , social activities, etc.) he is more of a distant character. As one never gets to have as free a hand with him as mom, and must behave in his presence to not disturb him, he commands more respect and gets addressed as ‘Aap’. Which is also why you will have many people who refer to their moms as Ma, mom, etc, but refer to their dad as Pitaji, Babuji, and so on with the ji being added to convey respect.

This however is not just the matter of kids addressing their parents but a matter of the dynamics of a man and woman in a relationship. I have seen couples call each other ‘Tu’ before marriage and have the girl shift to calling the guy ‘Aap’ post marriage. Many a times he doesn’t have to ask to be called so, but the wife calls him so by default. In the event that she calls him ‘Tu’ as an equal (because horror of horrors, a wife and husband are to be equal in their relationship), someone from the family or friends will take her aside and go “HAAAWWW!! You should call your husband Aap, show some respect.”

You get many people who tell the wife to show the husband respect. Show some respect, yes, but why should she not be respected as well?

For those of you who are wondering, I still call address mom with an ‘Aap’

He was standing near the hospital entrance waiting for the rains to stop. The sudden rains had brought things to a jam in the city. Since he hadn’t brought an umbrella he couldn’t walk and the traffic was too slow moving to take a cab. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and the lighter. Out of habit he ran his fingers along the length of the stick before inhaling it in before flicking the lighter open and lighting it up. He hadn’t been smoking for a while, but today he had remembered to pick up the pack and lighter from the drawer in the office up in the hospital. He was feeling tensed, scared for himself and for her. He half had a mind to call her up to check up on her, but he had already done that a couple of minutes back.
The ambulance came in to a screeching stop near the entrance, and the orderlies rushed towards it as two patients were brought out of it. It was a young man and a woman both seemed to be in their early twenties. Both seemed to have been beaten up pretty bad. The boy had bruises and assault marks all over him and seemed to be bleeding from his mouth. His shirt had been ripped apart half way through and he winced every time someone touched him to support him while he was being moved on a stretcher. The girl seemed to have had it worse. She was beaten up as well, but had bite and scratch marks all over her naked body. It wasn’t that she wasn’t covered up, there was a sheet covering her body but her clothes were missing, and the sheet slipped when she was lifted to be put on the stretcher. One of the female nurses stepped back when she was being wheeled through along with him to the emergency room. He threw the half smoked cigarette and put on his apron as he ran through with the stretchers, ordering the orderlies to prep the room and the supplies he would need.
He and the team tried to work the best they could through the two hours that followed, but the girl did not make it through. Apart from the marks visible on her body, she had suffered two broken ribs, severe trauma on the head and her vagina. She had been raped. Gang raped, brutally. She had tried to put up a fight like anyone would do defend themselves, but was over powered by the men who had gone down on her. Turn by turn. The boy it seems had tried to intervene to help her but was beaten up brutally by the same men. He would however go on to live. He was standing still standing there in room slightly taken aback at the condition of the two. He was pulling of the gloves off his hand to wash them when a man came running in. “Please doctor, please save Riya. She is the only daughter I have.  She has been through enough for a life time. Please doctor, please save her!” He didn’t know what to say. Almost robotically he started “I am sorry sir, but we did all that we could. I am afraid the injuries she has had are far too severe.  She has had too much blood loss and I am afraid there is nothing we can do to save her.”
The father kept on speaking as he tugged at his scrubs. He didn’t hear a word of what was being told, but could only see the expressions on his face as it contorted with pain, anger and helplessness. An orderly came in and lead the weeping father out. He walked out after them. A group had gathered outside the room, probably friends and family of the two. He kept hearing while he stood there. It seemed that the boy and girl were engaged, and had gone to a bar in the city to celebrate. They had run in to a rowdy group of men when they were leaving the bar. The same group proceeded to beat them before proceeding to rape the girl. He couldn’t stand there anymore as more people tried to ask him if anything could be done for the girl. He changed into his clothes and took a cab to home. It was early morning now, and she was still sleeping when he came in. He did not wake her up but just lay next to her and kept staring at her till he dozed off to sleep. When he woke up in the evening she was predictably not there. She would have gone to her shift in the hospital but he still called her up to check up on her. He felt a sense of relief when she answered. She had come to know of the case too, and asked him to come and check up on the boy was sleeping now.
He took an hour to get ready, had a long hot bath to come to his senses before he left for the hospital. The police were there in the boy’s room with both the families when he entered.
“Yes officer, I had kissed her before the three of them started calling names at us.”
“What time was it? Were you drinking?”
“It was slightly past eleven, I remember paying the bill around eleven. We had been drinking, yes, but only a beer or two while the match was on.”
“Any other description of the three people who raped her?” He winced when he heard that word. “No, all that I remember of them I have already told the officer who came in just before you.”
“Very well, the bar has a CCTV camera near its entrance where you were attacked; we will try to pull up some useful footage from it. I am deeply sorry for your loss. I understand that you were recently engaged, and you have my word that we will try all we can to catch the men responsible for this. Doctor, will you please come with us, we need to just go through your statements as well.”
He left with the cops to give his statements in a different room. The officer had the presence of mind to not take his statements in front of the families thinking that they would it hurt them even more. He went down to her section to meet her once. He waited for her to come out of a patient’s room. The two of them did not talk much, but just sat together for a while before she went off on her rounds again, and he to the boy’s room.
“Why were you drinking and kissing her on the street? Have you no sense of shame, how to behave decently?”
“Decency, you ask me to behave decently father? So it was indecent in kissing her as we walked out of the bar? Just a small innocent kiss. Yes, that was indecent of me. Do you know what they did to her?”
“Of course I do.”
“You weren’t there when it happened. The three of them were drunk silly. They called us names, and when we walked away, they ran after us. We called for help but there was no one nearby.
They beat me first while one of them held her. She tried to fight as well, but the guy holding her, he pulled her hair and kept slapping her. When they were done with me they went on to rape her. She fought, but they bit her, punched her and one after other raped her.
I had only kissed her, but they stripped her naked and beat her before raping her on a street. Where is the decency in that? Where is the decency in that?”
Everyone went silent. He asked them to leave the room so that the nurse could change his dressings. The nurse was not due for another hour, but he felt that the boy could do with this little comfort.
“You know doctor, I loved her and she loved me back. We were so happy to have been engaged. Even our parents approved of it. I still remember the kiss she gave me that night. Her lips were so soft and moist. I still remember it like an old memory that you keep thinking of, because she always kissed me like that. I don’t think I have the will to live much longer. But I must tell you this because I am told you tried to save her. You did more for her than the rest of the world could. That night we had planned to save up to buy a house for ourselves to movie in to when we would get married.
I still cannot understand why they did this to us. Why do they hate us so much? Ours was an act of love, why did they do this to her…to anyone…”
“Hush now, you need to be quiet and rest. The nurse will be on her way soon. I will give you a dose of sedative to put you to sleep. You need more rest to recover.” He gave him a shot before calling the nurse in.
He was standing near the hospital entrance waiting for the rains to stop. The sudden rains had brought things to a jam in the city. Since he hadn’t brought an umbrella he couldn’t walk and the traffic was too slow moving to take a cab. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and the lighter. Out of habit he ran his fingers along the length of the stick before inhaling it in before flicking the lighter open and lighting it up. He hadn’t been smoking for a while, but today he had remembered to pick up the pack and lighter from the drawer in the office up in the hospital. He was feeling tensed, scared for himself and for her. He half had a mind to call her up to check up on her, but he had already done that a couple of minutes back.
The boy had taken a blade and slit his wrists in the bathroom. He was dead minutes before his family had noticed that he was taking too long in the bathroom. Today was his funeral. It seemed odd that it should rain today in the winters. He finished smoking his cigarette before he threw the stub on the ground and crushed it with his heel. He pulled up the collars of his jacket before walking off. He was going to attend the funeral.

Utopia, The word brings a flood of thoughts and imagery to me. For me Utopia is a place and time where everything is seemingly perfect. Where all senses are passions, when being yourself is a joy. I can imagine many such futures.

The wind is blowing against my face and is caressing my hair as I stand on the top of ledge on a beach. I can still smell the sweet fragrance from the bed of flowers behind me, while my eyes feast on the beautiful array of colours that lies there. Rows of plants, flowers and fruits decorate the patch of land. Bees dance around the flowers intoxicated by the essence of the nectar, and tiny furry squirrels run up and down the trees squeaking merrily. The birds fly to their perch and sing songs; their music so touching and lifting that even has the flowers shaking their petalled appendages in rhythm.

I can feel the wind’s gusts as I spread my hands and take a step ahead off the ledge. It’s a big fall and I land on the sands of the beach. I see a figure sitting there running her hands in the foam of the oncoming waves. She turns and smiles at me and waves me over. I walk towards to my love. She’s beautiful. Her long brown locks come down in curls near shoulders and go all the way to her waist. The sparkle in her deep green eyes is followed by mysterious blinking of her eyes. As we get nearer she gives me a mischievous smile and splashes water on my face. The cool water hits me and as if it were a carrier of her contagious mischief I start splashing water on her too. She gets up and rolls in to my arms. Her essence is invigorating and I slide my arms around her waist pulling her towards me. We stare in each others’ eyes and something takes us over and we kiss, her moist, soft lips providing comfort to me. She smiles and we sit down and let the waves drench our bodies, enjoying every wave together as it comes.

Utopia is a world I believe that cannot exist, or rather we as humans do not deserve. We are way too diverse, too different to achieve it. Everyone has their different views and if those are different than the ones we have we tend to despise them. All of a sudden what matters more is the colour of the skin, the god we pray to, the place where we were born, or with whom we want to go for a hump ride and not the fact that we are all god damned humans. Instead of being amazed by the diversity of abilities we can exhibit we tend to turn against each other for those differences. I can imagine a one man, one rule, and one empire scenario. A situation where one individual or a set of individuals control the world. But then won’t it be forced on those who choose to differ and again that would be no different than tyranny or dictatorship. How about a no rule scenario? Total freedom would lead to total anarchy. With freedom comes order, something we as a species tend to lack. And we have a problem with authority. Whenever someone rises, good or bad, wrong or right people get ready to make them fall. We have turned the very blessings of knowledge and choice in to curse. We have knowledge, and we continue to significantly add to it, but not to excel. We make choices and more recently we tend to make the wrong ones, well at least the ones that make the most damages.

I know I sound hypocritical for the very least, may be even a bit of a misanthrope. Better embrace the reality than deny it. It’s a dream that is used as hope that someday we will survive ourselves, our choices, and our very root nature.

So yeah, I was supposed to write my little bit about Utopia here. I did start off with the little utopian dream of mine but then it got me thinking, and I got another dream, a coin flip should you say. Utopia is a vision, a dream of a perfect or near perfect reality. If we are to make Utopia a reality if not for ourselves then at least for our children and theirs we have a long way to go. I’ve always believed in miracles. It’s only a miracle that today I am writing this, and you are reading this. Let’s hope for a big one.