text:
Pleasure and Perfection
With a little consideration in his own being, each person can very clearly realize that he is by nature in search of pleasure, happiness and comfort, and that he escapes from pain and agony. The indefatigable efforts and endeavours in life are for the purpose of enjoying more powerful and more enduring pleasures and of escaping from or at least, diminishing the pains, agonies and illnesses. When these coincide, they are compared; that is to say, slight pain and hardship is endured for being released from greater pain and affliction, and a slight and limited pleasure is sacrificed for a greater and more enduring enjoyment.
Likewise, enduring slight pain to reach a great and lasting pleasure and dispensing with a slight pleasure to be relieved of great pain are the requirements of man's reason and nature. All rational functions are performed on the basis of these calculations. Differences seen in people with regard to preferring certain pleasures and pains are due to differences in discernment, mistakes in calculation and other factors which will be discussed later.
Therefore from one angle, pleasure is the motive behind activity and effort in life, and from another angle it is the outcome and result of this effort. From a final viewpoint, it can be regarded as perfection for sensible beings because it is an existential trait which human beings are apt to possess.
An act which provides pleasure and draws pain away is desired and wanted by man. Man likes and is fond of anything which is pleasurable to reach. Likewise, the term affection is used in the case of desirable deeds and traits. And this clears up the relationship among pleasure, determination and affection.
But it must be borne in mind that, at times, man aspires for a specific pleasure reaching which requires a great deal of preparations. As a result, he decides to carry out deeds, each of which might be a preparation itself. In fact, the determination to carry out each of the deeds is a reflection of the genuine will accorded to performing the main deed.
In the same way, genuine affection is given to a being that is genuinely desired by man. In the light of this, minor affections are developed towards its preparations and attachments, reaching each of which brings about a minor pleasure and conforms to its relationship with the genuine object of desire and pleasure.
In earlier discussions, we arrived at the conclusion that man's true perfection is the ultimate existential degree and the most sublime perfection which man is able to reach. All other perfections are like preliminaries and are organic or relative. Their being preliminary perfections hinges on their effect in making man reach his true perfection, even though the latter might be of various degrees.
As a consequence, true perfection is man's genuine desire and the desirability of other objects is minor and depends on their involvement in reaching true perfection. Likewise, the pleasure desired by man is one derived from reaching true perfection. Other pleasures are like preliminary steps, because, as already pointed out, genuine pleasure is derived from fulfilling a genuine desire.
Consequently, recognition of true perfection depends on recognition of genuine pleasure. Conversely, recognition of genuine pleasure hinges on recognition of true perfection. As genuine pleasure provides the greatest pleasure possible, recognition of genuine pleasure is accompanied by recognition of something which can provide man with the greatest, the most sublime, and the most enduring of all pleasures. For this reason, if we get to know the most pleasurable beings, we will also recognize the genuine pleasure and true perfection.
Thus it is befitting to ponder over the reality of pleasure and the reason behind differences in its degrees, so that we could recognize the most sublime and the most enduring pleasures of man.
What is Pleasure? And what Are the Most Sublime Pleasures of Man?
What we experience within us and interpret as pleasure is a conceptual state overcoming us when we reach a desired objective, provided that we consider that objective as desirable and that we be aware of it and pay heed (to it) upon reaching it. Thus if we do not regard something desirable, reaching it will bring about no pleasure for us. Likewise, if we pay no heed to reaching something, we will derive no enjoyment from it.
As a consequence, in addition to the presence of one who takes pleasure (in something) and the object of desire, taking pleasure depends on having a specific perceptual power with which reaching the desired objective could be perceived. In the same way, it hinges on recognition of desirability and paying attention to reaching it. Various degrees of pleasure depend on the intensity and weakness of perception, as well as desirability or attention paid by man.
That is to say, a person's enjoyment of eating delicious food might be more than someone else's, as he might have a stronger and healthier taste. Or a person might derive more enjoyment from eating a particular type of food, as it might be more pleasurable for him. Or a particular person might derive more enjoyment from a special dish when he fully concentrates on the food rather than on other objectives. In like manner, two students might derive different types of enjoyment from learning a specific branch of science due to their different views on the desirability, utility and practicality of it.
It is also clear that the stability of the pleasure depends on the endurance of conditions which lead to its emergence. The supposed pleasure is cut off when the one taking pleasure or the object of pleasure is destroyed or when it is no longer desirable or when the person changes his mind or ceases paying attention to it.
The multiplicity seen among the person taking pleasure, the objective of pleasure and the conditions leading to the emergence of pleasure has general applicability in the case of ordinary pleasures. The essence of pleasure however, can be traced in other cases where no such multiplicity exists. In these cases, the word pleasure could be used with a kind of conceptual interpretation as is the case with regard to science and affection.
For example, to gain knowledge, the presence of the scholar, the object of learning and the trait of having knowledge is required, but its interpretive meaning also applies to the soul's speculative knowledge of itself or Almighty Allah's knowledge of Himself, even though in these cases, there is no multiplicity among knowledge, the scholar, and the object of learning likewise, the common meaning of affection requires the presence of the lover, the beloved, and the state of love but no such external plurality exists in the case of self-love.
As a consequence, instances of pleasure can be found which do not require the said multiplicity. For example, in the case of Almighty Allah, it could be said that enjoyment emanates from Him, even though in this case, the Bihjat interpretation is more befitting as some scholars have remarked. In the same manner, with regard to man, it could be said that he takes pleasure from his own being.
As his own being is dearer than anything else for him, the pleasure he derives from himself will be more than what he experiences in the case of other pleasures due to its desirability. In other words, all other pleasures serve as a reflection of his self-enjoyment because they have emerged in the process of reaching a phase and perfection in his being.
Failure to derive pleasure in normal conditions is due to inattention. Whenever man can pay full attention to himself and ignore aught else by the help of external factors such as great dangers, exercise and concentration, he will derive exceptional pleasure. For example, if a person is sentenced to death and considers the verdict binding, he will derive an unparalleled enjoyment when he later realizes that the verdict has been annulled.
Of course, in this example, pleasure is related to being brought back to worldly life after being disappointed at it. Yet it is a good example for our discussion, as it elucidates man's love for life and his enjoyment of himself.
The outcome of discussion is that the pleasure experienced by man is either derived from his own being or his own perfection or from other beings which he is in need of and is somehow related to. Thus, he will reach the most sublime status of pleasure if he can see himself tied to one who embraces all connections and links, and who makes man needless of any other dependence. If he finds his own being linked to Him and sees no independence for himself, he will take the pleasure of independence from Him.
As a consequence, man's true object of desire from whom he derives the greatest pleasure is one to whom he is inextricably linked. Genuine pleasure is derived from seeing his own relationship with Him or from seeing Him while he himself is linked to him or in fact, from viewing a reflection of His grandeur and elegance.
The Peak of Desires and Extreme Limit of Aspirations
The conclusion derived from earlier discussions is that man's innate desires extend to infinity. There is no limit or boundary to any of these desires they do not require restriction or halt at a particular level. On the contrary, they all lead man to the ultimate (point). Having boundless desires is verily one of the characteristics of man. Temporary and limited success does not content man. Even the non-religious philosophers do not deny man's innate desires. Rather this is regarded as one of the most important principal differences of man and animals.
Russel notes (as below):
"One of the most important principal differences of man and animals is that human desires, as opposed to those of animals, are boundless and cannot be fully materialized.1."
Although these wishes are variegated, they are all finally brought together and their ultimate satisfaction is summed up in one thing: relationship with the Infinite source of Knowledge, power, beauty and perfection. It is the feature of the states of being that the more severe, powerful and perfect they become, the more they incline towards unity and extension. Human faculties which are dispersed when belonging to the body are united when attached to the soul. While possessed of unity and extension, the soul embraces all human powers:
In like manner, the extreme point of each of the innate desires which extends to infinity and which is then united with other desires is, in fact, one ultimate desire perceived from various viewpoints and angles. And that is dependence on a perfect Infinite Being, that is to say, proximity to the Almighty Allah.
In such a state, man realizes his complete relationship with the creator. He sees himself dependent on and linked to Him or rather (he sees himself as) the incarnation of dependence on and relationship with Him. Before His presence, man observes no independence for himself. In this state, he sees all objects dependent on the holy divine Being and acquires speculative knowledge of the realities of existence. On the basis of his own existential involvement, he reaps benefit from rays of divine grandeur and beauty. Then man's innate desire to recognize the realities of existence is materialized.
Likewise, in this state, man finds a way to the source of infinite power. By being related to this source, man obtains the power to perform whatever he wills and wishes. Thus, his innate desire to seek power is satiated.
Similarly, in this state, man can reach the greatest degree of love for the most eminent of the beloved. And he can establish ultimate proximity, closeness, union and true relationship with Him. In other words, he can see his proximity and relationship very clearly and can consequently reach the best and most permanent pleasures:
"فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُقْتَدِرٍ"
"In the seat of honour with a most powerful king (54:55)."
As a consequence, innate human desires which spring from humanity and which are the requisites of this present state and of his type lead man to infinity. Their full satisfaction is not feasible without establishing proximity to Allah (SWT) and being linked to eternal world.
Thus man's true perfection is (to reach) the state of proximity Allah (SWT). Other physical and spiritual perfections are only a means to reach this end. And these means should be used on the basis of criteria already set forth, that is to say, to the extent of their impact on reaching true perfection. None of them - not even the most sublime and delicate one of them - could be regarded as genuine human perfection, even if they are the distinctive features of man and are not found in other animals.
To put it in other terms, man will truly and actually become a human being and go beyond the animal state when he takes strides towards the proximity to Allah (SWT). Prior to stepping in this path, he is either a potential human being while he still has the gift to reach this state or he has totally fallen and has been ranked as animals or below animals, while he has lost this gift by misuse of his will-power.
It is for this reason that the Holy Qur'an regards the kafirun (disbelievers) who have lost the gift of faith and piety as the worst beings and elsewhere regards them as being more misled than the quadruped.
In Suratul Anfal, He says:
"إِنَّ شَرَّ الدَّوَابِّ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ"
"Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve, then they would not believe (8:55)."
In another verse, He says:
"وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لَأَسْمَعَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّوْا وَهُمْ مُعْرِضُونَ"
"Surely the vilest of animals, in Allah's sight, are the deaf, the dumb, who do not understand (8:22)."
In chapter Araf, He says:
"أُولَٰئِكَ كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْغَافِلُونَ….."
"... They are as cattle, nay, they are in worse errors; these are the heedless ones (7:179)."
Is Full Satisfaction of Innate Desires Feasible?
At this point, the doubt might arise that even though innate desires incline towards infinity, can they be satisfied fully, especially with regard to the fact that man is a weak and infirm creature with limited natural and acquired powers which are finite in terms of time and which cease with the approach of death no matter how extensive these powers are?
To remove this doubt in terms suited to the style of this discussion, (it can be said) that (man's) nature in itself is proof for their feasibility, because innate desires are among objective realities and the laws and principles of being. They resemble attractions which are proof of the attractive force. They are not like mental pictures which are developed through the senses and the mental powers. Their relation to objective realities is like the relation of the discoverer to the discovered, so that there would be the possibility of their being contrary to the truth.
But limitation of human powers and their cessation with death is based on materialism and on restriction of life to the material world, both of which are in contradiction to (man's) nature. Man's innate desire for metaphysical perfections and for life in the Hereafter renders the afore-cited point null and void and amply proves the metaphysics and life in the Hereafter.
Of course, (man's) nature is not the sole proof for this matter. Numerous logical and historical proofs can be cited for them. We will make reference to just one of them.
Deliberation on the system of creation indicates that, ranging from the smallest atoms to the greatest galaxy, everything follows a wonderful and astonishing order. The permanence of the world and the evolvement of its numerous phenomena are indebted to this firm, measured and calculated order. The more the sciences are promoted, the better they can unveil the grandeur of this order and the subtlety of its mysteries and philosophies.
The wonderful human inventions and industries have taken place in the light of discovering these mysteries and the relationship among the creatures. As a result of this, one cannot regard the development of a phenomenon in the world as unaccounted for and superfluous and (one cannot) deem it void and useless, because its evolvement is an outcome of this system. It is in itself a part of this system; an element in the grand system of creation, and it is effective in the system's movement towards the objective and the ultimate end.
Principally a void and useless being will, willingly or unwillingly, bring about disorder and corruption. Thus the presence of innate desires in man will not be void and useless. Rather it is an important factor for man's progress, development and attainment of prosperity and happiness. If man's happiness and perfection was exclusive to material prosperity and was limited, the presence of boundless wishes would have been null and void.
Placing these desires in man's being without the possibility of their satisfaction is like showing someone a path and feigning that it is very long and far off such that the person musters all his courage to tread the path and moves towards the imaginary destination at full speed. While moving with full speed, his head would suddenly collide with a stone and he would realize that the path was nothing but a blind alley. It goes without saying that this act of deception is not befitting Allah, the Wise. It is only done by the foolish ones who enjoy deceiving the people and who take pleasure in the suffering and failure of the people because of their own psychological complexes and who finally laugh in a languishing manner at the disappointment of those deceived.
The Holy Qur'an says:
"….. أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ ۗ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ"
"Do they not reflect within themselves: Allah did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them two but with truth….(30:8)."
"…. وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ.…"
"… And reflect on the creation of heavens and the earth: Our Lord! You have not created this in vain! Glory be to you …..(3:191)."
"وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا لَاعِبِينَ"
"And we did not create the heaven and the earth and what is between them for sport (21:16)."
"أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ"
"What! Did you then think that we had created you in vain and that you shall not be returned to us? (23:115)."
Is A Completely Conscious Relationship with Allah Rationally Possible?
On the basis of the conclusion derived from earlier discussions full satisfaction of man's innate demands is possible only in the light of complete and conscious relationship with the source of being. The possibility of such a relationship can be proven by philosophical reasoning. And that is: all creatures are inseparably linked with their lord and the essence of their beings is relationship with and dependence on Him. As man can have conscious speculative knowledge about his essence and as his essence is nothing but relationship with the lord, he can establish a fully conscious relationship with Him. Or in other words, he can recognize and objectively see his own complete existential relationship with Him.
Divine philosophers unanimously accept the speculative knowledge of the soul. Whenever man dispenses with concern for sense perceptions and sensual desires and whenever he focuses attention on his own being, he will realize this through speculative knowledge. This knowledge is traced in other conditions as well, even if ample attention could not be paid to it due to being occupied with other perceptions. One can strengthen this (knowledge) by way of diminishing material attachments, practicing self-examination and focusing attention on oneself, and can elevate it to a state of clarity and awareness.
Existential relationship with and dependence on the Lord can be proven by (using) the principles of sublime wisdom as explained by the late Sadrul-Mutaallihin, in this manner that existence has linear degrees. The descending degrees, with radial order range from sublime degree, its effect and what is linked to it.
True causality refers to existential relationship (but) not between two objects which exist independently because in this case, neither would be in need of the other object for existence. It rather exists between an independent being and a dependent one whose being is linked with and dependent on the cause. Thus the relationship of the effect to the true cause that imparts existence to him is nothing but absolute link and intuitionist annexation. If a person sees its reality, he will find it as dependent on the cause and as a reflection of it.
As a result, whoever succeeds in seeing his essence will find himself dependent on and linked with the Lord. Or, he will find himself as the incarnation of dependence on and relationship with the Lord. Such an observation will not be separate from observing ray of Almighty Allah's illuminations because understanding the relationship of the dependent being is impossible without understanding the possessor of relationship and the independent Being who eternalizes it:
"Enlighten our inward eyes towards yourself with the light of sight, so that the inward eyes would strip off the curtains of light and reach the source of grandeur and our souls would be attached to your sacred presence.2."
Thus observation of the essence of being is coupled with the independent observation of a ray of divine light of beauty and grandeur:
"Whoever recognizes himself has recognized his Lord."
The vaster the existential sphere of the soul, the more perfect its status, and the more profound and concentrated its observation, the greater and more will the understanding of divine illuminations be:
"And link me to the most luminous ray of Your power, so that I would know You only and turn away from aught but You.3"
The better man understands this attachment and dependence, the greater attention he will pay to the promoter of (this) attachment and the Genuine and Independent Being, and the more he will derive benefit from the rays of His glory, so much so that he will become a thorough reflection and a perfect manifestation of the Almighty Allah (glory be to His power):
"There is no separation between You and them, except that they are Your servants and creations and that their management is in Your Hands and that they begin (their lives) from You and return to You"4
By finding such a connection, man's desire to seek the truth and to pursue power is fully satisfied. By obtaining what he truly desires and establishing an existential link with Him, man reaches the greatest degree of pleasures. The most perfect phase of this develops when the soul totally dispenses with the management of the body, when it pays attention to nothing but Allah, when worldly occupations do not attract its attention and do not keep it from submerging in observation:
"And on the day of meeting You, light up our eyes with seeing You. 5"
The Simplest Way
The simplest way to believe in the possibility of connection with Almighty Allah is that which Allah has shown the people through His messengers and through this, He has greatly favoured His servants and given them the final notice:
"… لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ…."
"...So that people should have no argument against Allah after the (coming of) the messengers...(4:165)."
Without exception messengers of Allah have called the people towards proximity with Allah and connection with the source of Infinite knowledge and power. They have given tidings to the people to enjoy eternal blessings, infinite pleasures and whatever they wish:
"لَهُمْ مَا يَشَاءُونَ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ"
"They shall have with their lord what they please; that is the reward of doers of good (39:34)."
"…فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِيهِ الْأَنْفُسُ وَتَلَذُّ الْأَعْيُنُ …."
"... Therein shall be what their souls yearn after and (wherein) the eyes shall delight... (43:71)."
"…فَلَا تَعْلَمُ نَفْسٌ مَا أُخْفِيَ لَهُمْ مِنْ قُرَّةِ أَعْيُنٍ"
"So no soul knows what is hidden for them of that which will refresh the eyes... (32:17)."
"لَهُمْ مَا يَشَاءُونَ فِيهَا وَلَدَيْنَا مَزِيدٌ"
"They have therein what they wish and with us is more yet (50:35)."
"…الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي صَدَقَنَا وَعْدَهُ وَأَوْرَثَنَا الْأَرْضَ نَتَبَوَّأُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ حَيْثُ نَشَاءُ…"
"... (All) praise is due to Allah, who has made good to us His promise and He has made us inherit the land; we may abide in the garden where we please... (39:74)."
The principal privilege of their call over that of other reformers is that they remind (the people) that this limited and transient life is not man's final abode. It rather is a prelude to reach eternal prosperity and it is a bridge to get to an eternal world:
"بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى .إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَىٰ صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى "
"Nay! You prefer the life of this world, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting. Most surely this is in the earlier scriptures, the scriptures of Ibrahim and Musa (87:16-19)."
As the main reason behind the denial of the disbelievers and the rejection of the messengers has been (due to) considering this truth improbable:
"وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هَلْ نَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ يُنَبِّئُكُمْ إِذَا مُزِّقْتُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ إِنَّكُمْ لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ"
"And those who disbelieve say: Shall we point out to you a man who informs you that when you are scattered the utmost scattering you shall then be most surely (raised) in (to) a new creation (34:7)?"
" زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنْ لَنْ يُبْعَثُوا ۚ قُلْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّي لَتُبْعَثُنَّ ثُمَّ لَتُنَبَّؤُنَّ بِمَا عَمِلْتُمْ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌَ….يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ التَّغَابُنِ ۗ وَمَنْ يُؤْمِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِ وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ َالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ "
"Those who disbelieve think that they shall never be raised. Say: Aye! By my Lord! You shall most certainly be raised, then you shall most certainly be informed of what you did. And that is easy to Allah... On the day that He will gather you for the day of gathering, that is the day of loss and gain, and whoever believes in Allah and does good, He will remove from him his evil and cause him to enter gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein forever; that is the great achievement. And (as for) those who disbelieve and reject our communications, they are the inmates of the fire, to abide therein evil is the resort (64:7, 9, 10)."
"وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا. ذَٰلِكَ جَزَاؤُهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالُوا أَإِذَا كُنَّا عِظَامًا وَرُفَاتًا أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ خَلْقًا جَدِيدًا. أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ قَادِرٌ عَلَىٰ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُمْ وَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ أَجَلًا لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَأَبَى الظَّالِمُونَ إِلَّا كُفُورًا"
"... And We will gather them together on the day of resurrection on their faces, blind and dumb and deaf; their abode is hell; whenever it becomes allayed We will add to their burning. This is their retribution because they disbelieved in our communications and said: What! When we shall have become bones and decayed particles, shall we then indeed be raised up into a new creation? Do they not consider that Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth, is able to create their like, and He has appointed for them a doom about which there is no doubt, but the unjust do not consent to aught but denying (17:97 - 99)."
The messengers of Allah did not suffice with invitation, promise, and warning. Rather, with the permission of the Lord, they reflected instances of the signs of relationship with divinity and with the infinite source of knowledge and power, so that everyone would understand that resorting to the limited material means is not the sole way of acquiring knowledge and power and that it is possible for man to use divine sciences and metaphysical powers.
By presenting news of the unseen, discovering hidden secrets, and expressing the sciences and the philosophies while being unschooled, the messengers practically proved the possibility of establishing connection with divinity and acquiring unseen are mystical sciences:
"….وَعَلَّمَ آدَمَ الْأَسْمَاءَ"
"And He taught Adam all the names... (2:31)."
" وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِنْ لَدُنَّا عِلْمًا…."
"... And whom We had taught knowledge from Ourselves (18:65)."
"وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحُكْمَ صَبِيًّا…."
"... And We granted him wisdom while yet a child (19:12)."
…"قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا. قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا"
"... They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle? He said, surely 1 am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet (19:29 - 30)."
"…وَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا تَأْكُلُونَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُونَ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ ۚ…"
"... And I inform you of what you should eat and what you should store in your houses... (3:49)."
"…عُلِّمْنَا مَنْطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ…"
"... We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given all things,- (27:16)."
"…وَكُلًّا آتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا…"
"…And to each one We gave wisdom and knowledge... (21:79)."
Above all is the Holy Qur'an which is the eternal miracle of the prophet (SA) of Islam, which has been revealed to an unschooled individual in a degenerated and backward society and which, from its revelation, has challenged the jinn and the men to bring a chapter like it. And as we know, despite numerous claims in this regard, no one has ever been able to challenge it. And on the basis of the explicit foretelling of the Qur'an, this will never be materialized.
In like manner, by performing extraordinary deeds and triumphing over natural forces, the divinely appointed messengers have practically proven the possibility of freedom from material bonds and attainment of an invincible power.
Emergence of a live cattle from the heart of the mountain by Prophet Salih, Prophet Ibrahim's deliverance from Namrud's great fire, transformation of a cane into a dragon or the ripping of the sea or making twelve springs flow from a stone by Prophet Musa, curing those blind by birth or giving life to the deed by Prophet Isa, taming of perceptible and imperceptible forces for Prophet Sulayman are examples of the extraordinary deeds performed by the prophets as related by the Holy Qur'an. The successors of the messengers and even many of their true followers also enjoyed possessing such knowledge and powers.
A holy hadith given by the Prophet (SA) states:
"My servant, obey me that I make you an example of myself. To whatever I say "Be", it will be created. I will make you such that to whatever you say "Be", it will be created."
And if the miracles proven by authentic and successive relations are gathered, they will make up great many volumes.
With all this is it befitting that some people, blindly and impudently, deny the existence of the metaphysics and the possibility of establishing connection with it and preclude others from pursuing this path as well.
The truth is that even if such miracles and clear verses did not exist, it would be apt for man to implement the programmes set forth by the messengers even experimentally and to evaluate their grand impact on man's material and spiritual prosperity. Because the matter is of such great importance that it justifies any sacrifice to have it fulfilled, especially with regard to the fact that implementing the programmes of the messengers, as opposed to many other plans, does not require dispensing with all worldly blessings and pleasures, it rather guarantees comfort and peace in this world as well. Among the messengers and their followers, there have also been people who have enjoyed worldly blessings more that the mammonists have done.
Would not the unexceptional insistence of all messengers on this matter and the unrivalled sacrifice of themselves, their successors and their true followers to propagate it, develop in the heart of the just person the possibility of the rightfulness of their claim?! What a great thing fairness is!
Is the value of such a reality less than the value of discovering natural secrets and conquering heavenly spheres? Enduring great pain and difficulty and using numerous natural forces as well as man power for scientific discoveries is worthy of attention and praise but using a part of (these) forces to establish connection with the infinite source of knowledge and power and to reach eternal prosperity and happiness is not correct and logical? What a great thing wisdom and far-sightedness is!
Proof from the Verses and the Narrations
What we deduced from moral and rational premises is confirmed by the Book and the Sunnah. In some instances, we made reference to traditional proofs. Now we will mention some other examples from among the verses and narrations.
The Holy Qur'an introduces man as pious by nature and claims that all human beings, in a phase of being, have clearly observed their Lord and confessed His divinity:
"… أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ…"
Am I not your Lord? They said: Yes! (7:172)
The worldly life is for the sake of carrying out the covenant of servitude and determining man's fidelity towards this innate promise and covenant and finally reaching voluntary development through piety:
"وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ"
"And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me (51:56)."
For this evaluation, various conditions are put forth so that each person would freely choose his path:
"… لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا…"
"... That He might manifest you, which of you is best in action (11:7)."
In the dark labyrinths of life, only those who love their Lord, who take refuge with Him, and who seek His satisfaction are guided unto the right and safe path and unto Allah:
"...And those who believe are stronger in love for Allah... (2:165)."
"…قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ"
"Say: If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you (3:31)."
"يَهْدِي بِهِ اللَّهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ رِضْوَانَهُ سُبُلَ السَّلَامِ وَيُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ"
"With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path (5:16)."
"…وَمَنْ يُسْلِمْ وَجْهَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ"
"And whoever submits himself wholly to Allah and he is the doer of good (to others), he indeed has taken hold of the firmest thing upon which one can lay hold... (31:22)."
فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِهِ فَسَيُدْخِلُهُمْ فِي رَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ وَفَضْلٍ وَيَهْدِيهِمْ إِلَيْهِ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا
"Then as for those who believe in Allah and hold fast by Him, He will cause them to enter into His mercy and grace and guide them to Himself on a right path (4:175)."
Such people will finally succeed in meeting the grace of Allah and reaching His proximity and being united with their Beloved:
"يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ .ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَرْضِيَّةً. فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي. وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي "
"O soul that art at rest! Return to your Lord, well - pleased (with him), well - pleasing (Him), so enter among My servants, and enter into my garden (89:27-30)."
"In the seat of honour with a Most Powerful King (54:55)."
"وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ. إِلَىٰ رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَة "
"On that day, some faces shall be bright, looking to their Lord (75:22-23)."
But those who dote on worldly ornaments, who prefer the love of others to that of Allah and who have no eagerness for His mercy will suffer an infinite and painful torment and will be deprived of seeing their innate Beloved.
"إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا وَرَضُوا بِالْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَاطْمَأَنُّوا بِهَا وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا غَافِلُونَ. أُولَٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ"
"Surely those who do not hope in our meeting and are pleased with this world's life and are content with it and those who are heedless of our communications. (As for) those, their abode is the fire because of what they earned (10: 7-8)."
"قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ"
"Say: If your fathers and your sons and your brethren and your mates and your kinsfolk and property which you have acquired, and the slackness of trade which you fear and dwellings which you like, are dearer to you than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way, then wait till Allah brings about His command... (9:24)."
"كَلَّا إِنَّهُمْ عَنْ رَبِّهِمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لَمَحْجُوبُونَ"
"Nay! Most surely they shall on that day be debarred from their Lord (83:15)."
In the Prophetic ahadith and the narrations of the Ahlul Bayt (AS) there are also numerous proofs, instances of which will be related from the holy ahadith narrated by the Prophet (SA), as well as the prayers of the infallible Imams (AS).
In Hadith-ul-miraj, the Holy Prophet (SA) is addressed as below:
"Whoever is to please Me will be accorded three traits by Me: I will teach him a gratitude which will not be coupled with ungratefulness, a dhikr which will not have forgetfulness, a love by which he will not prefer the love of the creatures to that of Mine. I will love him when he loves Me and I will make him loved by My servants and I will open up his inward eyes to My glory grandeur and I will not hide from him knowledge of the select of My people in the darkness of night and in the light of day, I will tell him secrets so that his conversation with creatures and with his companions will be cutoff (i.e. so that his heart will always be inclined towards Me and he will deem Me the partner to his conversation). I will make him hear My words and the words of my angels and I will reveal to him the secret I have hidden from the people ...
I will make his mind overflow with My knowledge and I will substitute for his reason (i.e, I will manage his affairs in such a way that he would not need the working of reason in them and that he would use his reason only in the way of knowing Me). (When the believer's soul leaves the body and receives kindness before Allah, it says:) O Allah ! You made Yourself known to me, so by knowing You, I became needless of Your servants. By Your power and glory, if Your satisfaction lay in my being torn to pieces and severely killed for seventy times, I would prefer Your satisfaction.... (Almighty Allah confirms His words and says in His right): I will open his eyes and ears so that he would hear My words whole heartedly and see My glory and grandeur with inward eyes.
O Ahmad! If a servant prays as much as the (entire) dwellers of the heavens and the earth, if he fasts as much as the (entire) dwellers of the heavens and the earth, if he takes no food like the angels and if his clothes are like those of the naked (scant), he will not be in proximity with Me if I see in his heart only a tinge of love for the world or concern for the reputation, mastery, fame or ornaments of the world, I will draw My love away from his heart and I will make his heart gloomy, so that he would forget Me and I will not make him taste the sweetness of Knowing Me. My peace and mercy be upon you."
In another hadith, He states:
"The Almighty Allah states: None of my servants will seek proximity with Me by that which is more dear to Me than things I have made wajib to him. Then with the nawafil, he will seek proximity, so that I would love him, When I love him, I will be the ear with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees, the tongue with which he speaks and the hand with which he takes hold (of things). If he calls Me, I will answer his call. And if he makes a request, I will grant it."6
In another hadith, He says:
"O son of Adam! I am a Needless One who will not become needful. Obey Me in what I have ordered, so that I would make you a needless one who will not become needful. O son of Adam! I am a living one who will not die. Obey Me in what I have ordered, that I would make you a living one who will not die. O son of Adam! To whatever I say "Be", it will be (created). Obey Me in what I have ordered so that I would make you say "Be" to whatever you wish and it will (be (created)."7
In the prayer of the month of Sha'ban, Amirul-Muminin(AS) addresses Allah as below:
"Set my effort in a comfort derived from reaching Your names and Your holy presence... O Allah, grant me the ultimate connection with Yourself. Open our inward eyes with the light of observation towards Yourself; so that the inward eyes would tear apart the veils of light and reach the treasure of glory and our souls would cling to Your holy presence... Attach me to the most luminous ray of Your power, so that I would know You alone and would turn away from aught but You."
In Kumayl Prayer, he says (the following) to Almighty Allah:
"O Allah, supposing that I bear patience on your torment, how could I bear patience on being separated from you? And supposing that I have patience on the heat of your fire, how could I have patience of not looking towards your glory and greatness?"
The Imam (AS) is related as saying:
"I saw nothing except that I saw Allah before (seeing) it."
In response to a person who asked him: "Have you seen your Lord?" he said: "Would I worship One Whom I cannot see?"
In the Arafah prayer, the sayyidush-shuhada', Al-Imam Al-Husayn(AS) says (the following) to Allah..
"O Allah! Through the variety of Your signs (in the world of being) and the changes in states and conditions. I found that the purpose is to make Yourself known to me in everything, so that I would not be ignorant of You in anything... O Allah! Association and engagement with the signs creates a gap in meeting (You), so grant me the blessing of service that would near me to You. How can they set proof of Your existence, a being that needs You for existence? Is there any other appearance that You lack, so that it would lead to Your appearance? When have You been absent to require proof? And when have You been away, so that Your signs would draw (the others) to You?! Blind be the eyes which do not see You keeping a watch over them and unprofitable be the transaction of a servant to whom You have not bestowed Your love. O Allah! You have ordered reference to the signs, so draw me to Yourself by the overflow of the illuminations and the guidance of mental insight, so that like the moment of entrance (into Your presence, I would return in such a way that my heart would be immune from observing the sign and trusting them. O Allah! Teach me with your treasure of knowledge and preserve me with Your veil of immunity. Inform me of the truth of those seeking Your proximity and guide me to the path of those You draw towards Yourself. With Your management and will-power make me needless of my own management and will-power. You are the one Who cast rays in the hearts of Your friends so that they recognize You as being possessed of unity. And You are the One who removed (love for) the others from the hearts of those fond of you so that they would not love and resort to aught but You. You are their Companion when everything appalls them. And You are their guide when the signs become manifest to them. What has been gain, by one who has lost You? And what has been lost by one who has found You? Whoever prefers others to You has verily become disappointed. And whoever turns away from Your presence will suffer great loss. O Lord! Call me with your mercy, so that I would reach You so that would turn my face….eager from observing your beautiful visage."
Munajat ul Raghibin includes (the following):
"I beg You on the manifestations of Your visage and Your holy illuminations. I abjectly want You to fulfill my conception as to what I wish from You through Your sentiments of mercy and subtleties of beneficence: (my wishes are) with respect to Your bounteous honour and beauteous reward; with respect to proximity with and closeness to You; and with respect to seeing You."
Munajat ul Muridin includes (the following):
"O Allah! Lead us towards reaching You and set us out on the closest way to come to Your Presence. You (and naught but You) are my aim. My wakefulness and vigil are for You and for naught by You. Meeting You is the refreshment of my eyes. Being united with You is my heartfelt desire. I am infatuated with Your compassion. I am enamoured of You. Your satisfaction is my objective. And meeting You is my desire. And proximity with You is my ultimate demand....O heaven and blessing of mine! O world and hereafter of mine!"
Munajat ul - Muhibbin includes (the following):
"O Allah! Place us among those whom You have chosen for Your proximity and guardianship, whom You have made sincere for Your love and friendship, whom You have made eager to meet You and satisfied with Your satisfaction, whom You have granted seeing Your visage, whom You have favoured with Your satisfaction, whom You have safeguarded from being away and separated from Yourself, whom You have placed in the true status before Yourself;... whom You have chosen to observe (Your elegance )...and grant me the favour of seeing You."
Munajat ul Mutawassillin includes (the following):
"And place me among those whose eyes you have lighted up with seeing You on the day of meeting (You) and whom You have made the inheritors of real abodes in Your presence."
Munajat ul Muftaqirin includes (the following):
"Nothing but union with You would extinguish my mental agony. And nothing but meeting You would put out the fire of my heart. And nothing but seeing You would quench my avidity. And nothing but closeness to You would calm me down... and nothing but proximity with You would remove my sorrow and grief."
Munajat ul Arifin includes (the following):
"(Place me as one of those) whose eyes have been refreshed by seeing their Beloved. How tasty Your compassion is and how wholesome each sip of Your proximity is! So grant us refuge from expelling and driving away."
Mundial ul Dhaikirin includes (the following):
"O Allah! Infatuated hearts are enamored of You. Various intellectuals have gathered around Your knowledge, so the hearts will not calm down except by Your remembrance and the souls will not be at rest except by seeing You…. And I deprecate any pleasure but Your remembrance, any comfort but acquaintance with You, any happiness but proximity with You, and any deed but worshipping You."
Munajat uz zahidin includes (the following):
"Plant trees of love in our hearts and make perfect for us the rays of Your knowledge…. And refresh our eyes with seeing You on the day of meeting (You)."
Conclusion Derived From Previous Discussions
Efforts made in the course of life in various scientific, practical, individual and social spheres will be human only when they take place for the purpose of reaching man's true perfection. In other words, these moves which forcibly have a direction will be deemed human endeavours when they are directed towards human perfection. Giving them a human direction will be possible only in case they are regarded as the ultimate point of man's development, because man's movement for perfection is scientific and voluntary and requires an objective and a direction. Thus recognition of the objective is not possible prior to acquiring moral and speculative understanding. Then it will forcibly be a mental idea and image. Thus the more vivid and conscious this recognition is, the more possibility for voluntary and optional development there will be.
Without a tinge of doubt, man's development takes place with the help of internal forces and psychological motives vested in his being. As a result, giving direction to innate desires is the best means for the recognition of man's ultimate goal and true perfection. The result of deliberation on the direction of each of these desires is that they all lead man towards infinity. A temporary and limited materialization of their demands does not fully satisfy man. Their full satisfaction is not feasible except by having connection with the source of knowledge and power and by being linked with the infinite treasure of Beauty and Perfection. It is only in the state of proximity with Allah and attachment to the illumination of divine glory that man sees his own essence and that of the entire world of existence dependent on Almighty Allah:
"And I will open up his inward eyes to My glory and grandeur and I will not hide from him knowledge of the select of My people."
And his desire to seek the truth is fulfilled. He will, likewise realize the influence of Allah's infinite power through his own will and he will create whatever he wishes with the permission of Allah:
"So that I would make you say "Be" to whatever you wish will be (created)."
Thus, man's desire to have an invincible power is satisfied. In this state man will be united with a Beloved possessed of infinite beauty and perfection, will see himself embraced by His endless grace and favour, and will have all his needs fulfilled by Him. Truly, how pleasant is the elimination of a need carried out by the beloved and coupled with His endless grace and compassion:
"When I love him, I will be the ear with which he hears..."
In this state, he will engage in nothing but uniting with Him and will think of nothing but satisfying Him:
"You and naught but You are my aim."
"Being united with You is my heartfelt' desire.. and Your satisfaction is my objective."
"… وَرِضْوَانٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۚ…"
"... And best of all is Allah's goodly pleasure... (9:72)."
And there will be no separation between him and his Beloved till eternity and he will not suffer from His separation.
"Then the veil between Him and me will be lifted and then He gets attracted to my conversation and He looks towards me with affection."
"Whom You have safeguarded from being away and separated from Yourself."
Finally in this state, man sees his being possessed of ultimate perfection and dependent on the Creator and reaches the greatest of all pleasures. As he sees no independence for himself in this observation, his self-love is also deprived of independence. His genuine, independent affection is bestowed upon Allah. Instead of loving Allah for himself, he will love himself for Allah, he will thus no longer have any concern for himself and he will be totally submerged in the beauty of the Beloved:
"I will make his mind overflow with My knowledge and I will substitute for his reason."
As a result, man's true desire and inherent beloved is Almighty Allah and man's true perfection lies in connection and proximity with Him. Other material and spiritual perfections should be used in the way of reaching this perfection. All forces should be mobilized to reach this goal. Each step man takes in a path other than this draws him away from the destination and any power he uses in a path other than Allah's satisfaction will be to his loss:
"And I deprecate any pleasure but Your remembrance, any comfort but acquaintance with You, any happiness but proximity with You and any deed but worshipping You."


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Mini Fruit Pizzas with Marshmallow Creme Frosting are customizable, sweet, and delicious.
I made you a first-day-of-Spring/Easter treat: Mini Fruit Pizzas with Marshmallow Creme Frosting!
Easter was one of my favorite holidays growing up – probably right up there with Christmas in terms of excitement levels!
Every Easter Sunday my brothers and I would wake up super early and go on our annual Easter Egg Hunt throughout the house. Overnight the Easter bunny had hid candy in color coded plastic eggs for us to find and shake, imagining the goodies that were snapped inside. Blue and green for Ryan, pink and purple for me, and orange and yellow for Justin. (Although, I am just now seeing a purple egg peeking out of Justin's basket that clearly doesn't belong. Thief!)
Anyways, as we hunted for eggs, we'd keep our eyes peeled for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so to speak. Our Easter baskets!
They'd always be hidden in the craziest of places like inside the dryer or oven. On top of a ceiling fan, or somewhere in the garage. If we were having trouble finding them my Dad would help us by playing the "hot or cold game."
Cold…ice cold! he'd warn if we were getting too far away from our basket.
Hot! You're on fire! You're burnin' up! he'd cry when we were close!
Once located, we'd tear through the contents to find socks and other non-candy spring essentials, in addition to new kites decorated with what we were into at the time. (Apparently I couldn't get enough Shark Bites this particular year?) After church my Dad would assemble the kites and we'd all head out to the park behind our house for an afternoon of kite flying. To be concluded by the inevitable kite snapping. Those plastic kites don't hold up well, but they sure are fun for a few hours! ;)
In the spirit of tradition, and in an effort to channel spring (it's 30 degrees here today, y'all) I decided to share these fun, Mini Fruit Pizzas with Marshmallow Creme Frosting with you.
Mini Fruit Pizzas with Marshmallow Creme Frosting are homemade sugar cookies slathered in a fluffy marshmallow creme frosting, then decorated with fresh fruits and berries.
They're the mini version of everyone's favorite springtime dessert – fruit pizza – and are also perfect for making on a weekend afternoon with your family for a sweet, Easter-time treat. Make it a fun tradition every year, along with egg dying…or kite flying!
Start by making sugar cookie dough (recipe below) then letting it chill in the refrigerator until hard – 1 hour or up to overnight.
Roll the dough out on a heavily floured surface until 1/4″ thick. Tip: I use two 1/4″ dowel rods as rolling pin guides to make sure my dough rolls out to the same thickness. Works like a charm!
Next use a small, round cookie cutter to cut the dough out. This is a 2-1/2″ ring, but small or bigger is fine too!
Place the cookie dough onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets then bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through. Note: these cookies will remain pale even when baked, so be careful not to over-bake!
While the cookies are cooling, whip up the Marshmallow Creme Frosting. OMG THIS FROSTING! It's essentially the same recipe as my Best Fruit Dip. EVER. except I used a tiny bit of lemon juice instead of orange juice concentrate. Regardless – NOM. (And I hate the word nom.)
First spoon 7oz marshmallow creme into a large, microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 20 seconds. This just makes it less sticky and easier to work with. Then add 8oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese that's softened to room temperature.
Finally add 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and stir the mixture until smooth. Pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes or so to firm back up.
Once all the cookies are baked and cooled, slather them with the frosting.
We're talking a generous slather, too. The more of this frosting – the better. Trust me!
Now turn your attention to zee fruit! I used fresh blueberries, kiwi (here's a ridiculously easy way to peel a kiwi >, by the way!) and sliced strawberries.
Decorate the tops of your mini fruit pizzas any way you want with the fruit – this is a great activity for kids. Once you're done, pop the pizzas into the fridge overnight. They're good fresh, but they're GREAT once the cookies have softened a little under the frosting and fruit!
Mini Fruit Pizzas with Marshmallow Creme Frosting
Mini Fruit Pizzas with Marshmallow Creme Frosting are customizable, sweet, and delicious.
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Strawberries, sliced
- Kiwi, peeled and sliced
- Blueberries
- For the Marshmallow Creme Frosting:
- 7oz marshmallow creme
- 8oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Mix together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl then set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla then beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing until just combined before adding the next batch. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to overnight, or until very firm.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut dough in half then place one half onto a heavily-floured flat surface and sprinkle the top with more flour. Roll out to 1/4" thickness then cut out cookies with a 2-1/2" round cookie cutter. Repeat with remaining dough. Place cookies onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets then bake for 8 minutes, rotating pan 180 degrees halfway through. Note: Cookies will not be golden brown when done. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- For the Marshmallow Creme Frosting: Spoon marshmallow creme into a large, microwave-safe bowl then microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in softened cream cheese and lemon juice until very smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Spread chilled frosting on cooled cookies then top with sliced strawberries, kiwi, and blueberries. Refrigerate overnight and then serve. Serve leftover frosting with fresh fruit.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
You'll have a little extra frosting leftover at the end, so serve it alongside the mini fruit pizzas with fruit as an insane fruit dip.
It's good with any fruit – pineapple, grapes, melon – but especially strawberries. Like Heaven!
Happy Easter, and spring, everyone! May the warmth be with you!

subset: commoncrawl


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Are you sick of people pointing out the dog hair on your clothes? Companion Promise Shed Essentials Plus for Dogs provides the perfect combination of ingredients to substantially decrease the amount of shedding your dog experiences. Shed Essentials Plus is … Continue reading
May 24, 2013
by Emily Pope
1 Comment


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Expand the role of allied dental professionals (e.g., hygienists, therapists, etc.) via changes to statute, dentist supervision requirements, etc.
Policies & Programs
Policies and programs that can improve health
filtered by "Access to Care"
34 results
Allied dental professional scope of practice
Provide prenatal care in a group setting, integrating health assessment, education, and support
Community health workers
Engage professional or lay health workers to provide education, referral and follow-up, case management, home visiting, etc. for those at high risk for poor health outcomes; also called promotores de salud
Community water fluoridation
Adjust and monitor fluoride in public water supplies to reach and retain optimal fluoride concentrations
Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)
Increase support for non-profit health care organizations and deliver comprehensive care to uninsured, underinsured, and vulnerable patients regardless of ability to pay; often called community health centers (CHCs)
Financial incentives for new nursing faculty
Offer loan repayment, tuition assistance, competitive academic salaries, etc. to students who teach in nursing programs after completing an advanced degree
Grady Memorial Hospital Interpregnancy Care Program
Provided case management, care coordination, medical care, and substance abuse treatment and referrals to black women who had recently delivered a very low birthweight infant in the Atlanta area
Health insurance enrollment outreach & support
Provide health insurance outreach and support to assist individuals whose employers do not offer affordable coverage, who are self-employed, or who are unemployed
Health literacy interventions
Increase patients' health-related knowledge via efforts to simplify health education materials, improve patient-provider communication, and increase overall literacy
Healthy Births for Healthy Communities
Provided case management, medical care, reproductive education, a medical home, and help with reproductive and self-management goals in the 18 months after an adverse birth outcome for Chicago-area women


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Steve_Murgatroyd needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 99 designs submitted by 34 freelance designers.
We ended up with this long title for legal and technical reasons. Now we have to make this Institute look and feel "sexy" Help!
Institute for Applied Innovation and Strategic Management
Making Learning Work
Desired Style:
Contemprary, serious with no refernces to tradiitional academic images.
Accepted File Formats:
Standard Web Formats (.jpg, .gif or .png)
The Institute is a for profit educational centre which will offer in Canada and elsewhere Masters and PhD degrees as well as web based e-learning, workshops, learning forums and newsletters. We need a contemporary logo that gives the Institute a distinctive identity.
Not easy I know, whch is why this is a challenge and a contest.
While the major brand we will use for a lot of activity will be the Canadian Centre for Work Based Learning, we need the Institute identify as well.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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They say when a door closes, another (stellar) one swings open, and that phrase couldn't be any more true in this city's ever-changing, head-spinning shopping scene. Case in point: The Future Perfect landing in our very own Pacific Heights hood! The New York City-based boutique has jumped coasts to supply us with its covetable selection of home-décor knicks and knacks. Consider it a house doctor pumping some new life back into your space.
Inside, you'll find everything from a colorful coffee table of reclaimed wood and geometrical terrarium cases to ornate baskets and light fixtures that could have easily been taken off the set of a sci-fi flick.
If you missed the opening launch a few nights ago, don't trip — we've got detailed snaps of the shop so you can ogle the quirky treasures right here, right now! And, after visiting the kitschy space, your abode's future prospects should be as close to perfection as it gets.


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Mahle BehrMI, United States
This product line includes a wide range of starter motors designed for all types of internal combustion engines with a displacement ranging from 0.8 to 19 liters. Different starter motor families are manufactured in 12 V versions with output from 0.8 kW to 5.5 kW, and in 24 V variants with output from 1.4 kW to 9 kW. With regard to power output, the excitation of the motor part is performed through permanent magnets or electrically by means of windings.
We manufacture directly driven starter motors as well as modern reduction gear starter motors. Various versions of these starter motors ensure long life under adverse operating conditions. They provide outstanding resistance to salt, fog, humidity, water, dust, mud, vibration, extreme temperatures, and aggressive liquids.
Their design complies with the standards of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and with other international directives and standards. Our starter motors are produced using environmentally conscious technologies and materials.
Robert Chaston
2700 Daley Dr., MI, United States


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- Grenouille: "I cannot go with you to the market today, Crapaud."
- Crapaud: "But Grenouille, I cannot carry the cow alone."
- Grenouille: "You know, Crapaud, that I am to be Keeper this morning. Who will stop the Quaffle if I do not?"
- — Extract from Hélas, Je me suis Transfiguré Les Pieds[src]
Grenouille is a character in the 15th century play Hélas, Je me suis Transfiguré Les Pieds ("Alas, I have Transfigured My Feet") by the French writer, Malecrit.
In the play, Grenouille has to refuse help to Crapaud since he is to play as a Keeper in a Quidditch match.[1]
"Grenouille" is the French word for "frog".
- Quidditch Through the Ages (Mentioned only)
- Wonderbook: Book of Spells
Notes and references
- ↑ Quidditch Through the Ages, Chapter 8 (The Spread of Quidditch Worldwide)
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.


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Jemison Demsey Installs Multi-Cut Blanking Line
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Monday, September 1, 2008
The Sumter, SC, service-center location of Jemison Demsey Metals has installed a 0.135- by 72-in. multi-cut blanking line from Red Bud Industries, Red Bud, IL. The line features a CNC programmable slitter and a dual-motor grip-feed system that delivers length tolerances to ±0.005 in. Coil capacity is 60,000 lb. Jemison Demsey Metals also has facilities in Cleveland, OH, and Gadsden, AL
See also: Red Bud Industries, Inc.
Related Enterprise Zones: Materials/Coatings
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I decided to get to work with the Scrapbook Artist software. I recently purchased MyMemories and was thrilled with the ease of use of that software. Scrapbook Artist is really quite simple as well. And less complicated in that nothing needs to get downloaded within the program. It comes pre-loaded with a number of digital back grounds, embellishments, letters and frames. The add-ons are easy to load, easy to use and it is easy to change the colour using the colour wheel.
I wasn't as thrilled with the journaling in this program and journaling is a very integral part of preserving memories for me. And many of the add-ons need to be purchased, whereas MyMemories offers TONS of freebies with new things being added weekly.
However, if I hadn't already had MyMemories, I would be quite content with all that Scrapbook Artist has to offer. Here's the final product:
The pages can all be saved as Png files (picture files) which can then be "dropped" into a photobook program and then printed/bound for gift giving. This particular page is of my mum and will be included in a book about her for my children.
Here's to preserving family keepsakes!


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I have a Wordpress 3.4.1 installed on a local WAMP server.
I am in the process of upgrading it to a network, but I now realise my admin account has no admin privileges:
- No access to the Updates page (update-core.php) - I receive "You do not have sufficient permissions to access this page."
- No ability to install plugins.
- No ability to edit users.
No ability to go to Tools > Network Setup - same error as above.
- The wp_capabilities of my user account is a:1:{s:13:"administrator";b:1;}
- The wp_user_level is 10
What is wrong here?
Update - I added another admin account using PHPMyAdmin following this tutorial, but I receive the same symptoms for this 2nd admin account.


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Honda CB 750 RC42 NTR R1 Twin Shocks
Reliable performance gas mono-tube for twin-shock bikes to be enjoyed on the road...
Using the latest materials and technologies ensures your bike will benefit from the ultimate in twin-shock dampers, with not only the best looking shocks available, but also ones with the highest performance in comfort, reliability and speed. Fully re-buildable and modifiable, these shocks can be tuned to your requirements and should last as long as your bike.
Simple Yet Effective
The NTR R1 Twin shocks have one damping adjustment. The adjustor knob affects both compression and rebound simultaneously for simple and road-biased set up. The shock features spring preload as well as shock length adjustment. It comes preset for damping and preload and includes the bearing end spacers and preload adjustment tool.
Style Options
Having the right look for a bike with twin shocks can sometimes be as important as the performance upgrade so please choose from 3 distinct style options to match your bike. Our Classic (Titanium/ Black), Stealth (Stealth/ Black) & NTR (Titanium/ Blue) styles are all built using the same high grade hard-anodised parts and polished chrome piston rods, but with more refined colour choices to suit any bike.


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BALTIMORE – UMBC women's soccer opens its 2013 campaign on Friday, Aug. 23 when it plays host to Mount St. Mary's. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Retriever Soccer Park, with live action and statistics available, free of charge, at UMBCRetrievers.com. The Retrievers conclude the weekend with a trip to Washington, D.C., as they take on American on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. on Reeves Field.
Friday also marks High School Night at the Retriever Soccer Park, where local teams are invited to attend the season-opener at a discounted ticket price. Sunday's contest will have video available for purchase and free live statistics, both of which can be found on UMBCRetrievers.com.
UMBC head coach Leslie Wray enters her second season with the Retrievers and returns nine starters and 14 letterwinners from a year ago, including America East All-Conference Second Team goalkeeper Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas) and All-Rookie Team honoree Amira Walcott (Beltsville, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt).
Kadet was named to the College Sports Madness Preseason All-Conference First Team after leading the league in saves (105) and saves per game (6.56) last season. Kadet enters the year second all-time at UMBC in career saves (308), 31 behind the current leader, Nadine Henchcliffe (339).
Veterans Jessy Brown (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage), Stephanie Smith (Severna Park, Md./Archbishop Spalding) and Lilly Rydon (Stirling, South Australia/Concordia College) will be looked upon to lead the Retrievers offensive attack in 2013.
The young black and gold welcome back a talented sophomore class which accounted for eight of the team's 12 goals in 2012 and helped secure a backline that ranked fourth in the conference in goals allowed per game (1.53).
Mount St. Mary's head coach Tom Gosselin is set to begin his seventh season at the helm of the program and is coming of the team's most successful season since 2000, posting a 7-11-1 overall mark. The Mount was picked to finish seventh in the Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and return their leading goal scorer and point getter in junior Alicia Mirando, who netted to most goals for an MTSM player since 2005 (seven) during her second season with the squad.
The Mount's offense also returns a trio of seniors; Ragan Cote, Jackie Corley and Keriann McGettigan, who combined for nine goals and eight assists a year ago.
American first-year head coach Anabel Jimenez Hering looks to lead the Eagles back to the Patriot League Tournament for the second straight season for the first time since 2004, after a 4-2-1 record in league play last year. AU was picked to finish eighth in league's preseason poll after graduating its top two scorers. American does bring back junior goalkeeper Charlene Belanger, who registered a 6-8-3 record last season and allowed 1.41 goals per game.
The Eagles kick-off their season on Friday at home against George Washington.
Weekend Notes
-UMBC takes on Mount St. Mary's for the first time since Sept. 21, 2006.
-The Retrievers hold a 12-1 record against the Mount, with UMBC's only loss coming on the road.
-American holds a 12-3-2 series advantage over the black and gold.


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Medical examiner: 'The worst I've ever seen'
NEWTOWN -- Death was swift for the 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the state's chief medical examiner said Saturday.
All of them died from rifle shots. All were hit by more than one bullet. Very few died at close range. One victim had 11 wounds, in the worst murder scene that Dr. H. Wayne Carver II has witnessed.
"All the wounds that I know of at this point were caused by the long rifle," said Carver, of the high-powered Bushmaster .223 assault-style weapon that was suspected to be one of more than three weapons Adam Lanza took into the school after apparently murdering his mother about five miles away.
"This is a very devastating set of injuries," Carver said, adding that any who lived after being shot didn't survive for long.
"I've been at this for a third of a century," Carver said. "This is probably the worst I have seen or the worst that I know of any of my colleagues having seen."
Carver told reporters that he, four doctors, 10 other staff members and a college intern kept family members away from the bodies of the murdered, instead using photographs of the victims' faces for confirmation.
"There is a time and a place for up-close and personal in the grieving process, but to accomplish this, we thought it best to do it this way and you can control the situation, depending on your photographer," Carver said.
A temporary facility in the parking lot was set up for identification of the victims, who were later transferred to the medical examiner's offices in Farmington by 1 a.m. Saturday. Post-mortem examinations of the children were completed by the early afternoon.
Carver said he planned to perform the autopsies on Adam Lanza, the shooter and his mother, Nancy, on Sunday.
email@example.com; 860-549-4670; twitter.com/KenDixonCT; facebook.com/kendixonct.hearst; blog.ctnews.com/dixon


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valentine's day breakfast ideas for boyfriend
You already have your Valentine s Day lunch box planned for your tot, but how will you start their day? A touch of love for the first meal of the day is the What are you serving for Valentine's Day? Do you make a special breakfast? Maybe a lunch for your little ones? Or a special dinner for your sweetie? If you answered bbc worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the bbc (and just the bbc). © 2016 Condé Nast love is in the air with these valentine's day recipes for everything from a romantic dinner for two to sweet treats everyone will love. All rights reserved Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective ) and Privacy Policy (effective nothing says "i love you" more than heartwarming fare… especially when it's served in bed. Add some romance to your Valentine s Day menu with these breakfast recipes, dinner ideas and favorite desserts valentine's morning is the perfect excuse to indulge in berry. From romantic recipes for two and sweet chocolate make your valentine s day perfect with the most romantic valentine s day recipes including ideas for your dinner menu desserts and more from food network. Express your love with handmade Valentine s crafts and decorations valentine's day cake pops. 10 Easy Valentine's Day Candy and Treats Recipes i've already made some cake pops that look like conversation hearts, using pastel candy coatings and a heart-shaped cutter. Our number one treat for virtually any holiday is candy show your love with special valentine s day recipes, romantic date night dinners, and decadent chocolaty desserts. Here are some of our favorite Valentine's Day candy once your rice crispy treat mixture is made, it is time to melt your chocolate. What s in season? Find out what to eat when with our calendar of seasonal produce anyway, so you take your mold, and you melt some chocolate or candy melts i usually do. View our seasonal calendar These Valentine s Day recipes from F&W feature decadent chocolate desserts, our sexiest dishes for two, and more romantic ideas for the love-struck holiday you don t have to spend a lot to let your spouse know you love him! here are some great ways to romance your husband on the cheap this valentine s day! ottawa florist shop ottawa s premier florist & valentine s day flowers delivery ottawa flowers. Plan a last minute Valentine s Day getaway to one of these beautiful hotels, resorts and inns valentine s day recipes. Celebrate your love with our genius crafts, recipes, and decor ideas for Valentine s Day Food of love - romantic recipes for two celebrate the most romantic of holidays with simple recipes for two, plus more easy-yet-elegant valentine s day ideas. This website is made by BBC Worldwide these clever valentine s day ideas and gifts are perfect for everyone you love, and they re all from pinterest! BBC Worldwide is a commercial company that is owned by the BBC (and just the BBC)


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I'm working with codeigniter-paypal-ipn and have csrf_protection enabled. This seems to block the access from Paypal to my IPN controller. If i disable csrf_protection it works just fine, with csrf_protection enabled, paypal IPN service throws a 500 Internal Server Error.
Is there a way to solve this without disabling the csrf_protection? If not, can i disable the csrf_protection just for that controller?


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Following along the lines of our last addition to the gallery, just as with Tequila labels, beer labels are another area of bottle packaging that is enjoying some real talented designers. As the 'boutique' beer industry spreads, so does the need for labels. And to win in this world, the labels have got to be eye-catching, and cool.
To get some creative juices flowing, start a listing of cool things that you've found that give you creative inspiration and jumpstarts. Send them in to share with others
Once again, while you are browsing these, and on each one -- ask yourself what the designer was thinking... why were the colors selected, what influenced decisions for solid print or transparency; why was that particular visual association made -- and how. AND is it a visual association that will help you in your current design project! Don't forget to send in your ideas and discoveries! ENJOY. . .
Did you answer the questions? Find one that really sparks your imagination? Don't forget to send in your ideas and discoveries!
And, thanks for reading
Don't forget ... we encourage you to share your discoveries with other readers. Just send and email, contribute your own article, join the Design Cafe forums, or follow DTG on Facebook!


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C.P Company was founded in 1975 with the idea of bringing traditional clothing back into a man's wardrobe, using creative technology and contemporary materials to produce individual clothing ideal for the 21st-century gent. Taking inspiration from military uniforms works suits and more recently the evolution of urban city wear, the brand offers a large range of jackets, sweatshirts, t-shirts and so much more. If it's unique, contemporary clothing you are after, C.P. Company is your sartorial go-to.
56 Products•
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Now $141.99


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Alyson Books, Mar 1, 2005 - Biography & Autobiography - 189 pages
This brave memoir chronicles Pratt's struggle to overcome the repressive traditions of Southern womanhood and live her life honestly. It chronicles her youth, her marriage, her eventual decision to come out as a lesbian, and her life with transgendered activist and author Leslie Feinberg. Minnie Bruce Pratt is the author of We Say We Love Each Other, Rebellion, Crime Against Nature, Walking Back Up Depot Street, and The Dirt We Ate.
From inside the book
Try this search over all volumes: Dykes To Watch
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What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - ehough75 - LibraryThing
Amazing. Loved every aspect of this book. She shows how her thoughts and process have developed and changed over the years with both conversaitons, debates, and encounters with the people she has met ... Read full review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - dancingwaves - LibraryThing
An amazing book of vignettes that explore the ideas and intersections of love, sexuality, gender, and identity. A beautiful love letter to her partner, Leslie Feinberg. Read full review
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
African-American androgynous another woman arms away begin body breasts butch and femme camisole Camp Trans can't clothes cock come cross-dressing cunt dance didn't dildo don't door Doris Day drag king drag queen dream dress dyke edge Equal Rights Amendment eyes face feel feet female feminine feminist femme fingers fucking gender expression girl hair hand head heat heterosexual hips hold husband I've inside kiss kitchen Later lean legs lives look lover male married masculine Maybe mouth myself naked never night oxford shirt palace of truth penis pink pull queer rape S/HE sex and gender sexual she'd shirt skin skirt slide smiling someone stared story street talk tell thighs touch town transgendered transsexual turn waiting walk watch wear white woman womanhood women word you're


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As a total solution provider Sartorius merges one of the broadest portfolios of single-use components, hybrid or traditional stainless steel systems and services. Our integrated solutions cover fermentation and filtration as well as purification and fluid management.
Sartorius AG
Otto-Brenner-Straße 20
37079 Göttingen, Germany
Phone: +49.551.308.0
Fax: +49.551.308.3289
To fill your shopping cart, please browse our product catalog, use the search function or click on "Quick order".
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New Team. New Role. Accelerating Next Gen BI and Analytics
When I published my, "The End of an Era" post back in June, I shared some insights into the expedition I have been on and the path that I've been travelling down in pursuit of driving advanced Business Insights (BI) and data Analytics.Throughout this journey, the Cloud Partner Insights project I created has transformed from… Read more
- Categories: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cloud, CPI, Eric Ligman, MSX Insights, Power BI


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Para llamadas fuera de los E.E.U.U.
Mon-Fri 7am to 7pm / Sat 8am to 5pm (PST)
We'll get back to you within 24 hours – often sooner!
By completing your order, you understand that the products(s) you are purchasing are U.S. models and may have power / voltage requirements different from that of your country.
Prices shown in currencies other than US Dollars are estimates based on current exchange rates. We will charge your credit card in US Dollars on the day your order is shipped, and the conversion to your local currency will be done at the prevailing rate by your credit card issuer.
PSSL will not mark your parcel as a "gift", declare a value lower than the actual price paid, or otherwise prepare false customs information.
Shure 6 X SM58 Mic Pack W/Stands Cables Case
Shure Performance Packages are Tour Grade Microphone Packages designed for the serious working professional who demands superior quality, optimum performance and rugged durability at a truly affordable price point. Ideal for touring bands, clubs, bars, schools, music teachers, House Of Worship or large event organizers.
This custom Shure Performance Package features the products outlined below.
(Note: Microphone Case Shown In Image Ships Empty With Foam, Microphones Pictured Inside Case Are Only To Show Use Of The Case)


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An official 2012 offseason/FA thread. I'll update this thread as much as possible with things concerning FA talks and minor signings so we don't have to have a clutter of useless threads. Also use this thread to discuss who you want in free agency, how much/how many years you'd be willing to commit, and what impact you think it would have on the 2012 Oilers and beyond.
Let's hope they're ready to land some players that will contribute and push this team to the playoffs next year!


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The sisters, Chasity and Tara Light, age 27 and 29 respectively, are charged with first degree felony aggravated robbery and felony aggravated assault.
At midday on July 2, law enforcement officials state that two women entered the Sunrise Trading Post near Montezuma Creek for several minutes. Soon afterward, they re-entered the store with a rifle and demanded money from the cashier.
After struggling with the cashier over the gun, they fled with a case of beer. It is alleged that shots were fired in the parking lot toward the cashier, who had followed the pair into the parking lot. The cashier suffered a number of minor cuts and scrapes in the altercation.
One week later, on July 9, Chasity Light was arrested in Bluff by San Juan County Sheriff's Deputies. Tara Light is still at large as of the press deadline.


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Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
We offer High PR Backlink Profile Service for your website, in this way you will have more visitors and more customers, your website ranking will be improved.
My bad about last night man, I was a little high.
Where you been man?
I know man, the history is bad. You couldn't have known that. We are cool, I thank you for your honesty and action. I just hate to go telling everytime some one post something that I consider attacking. Oh well, it is what it is.
No, No, Im saying that he didn't directly call you a female. He just asked, and he didn't do it in an aggressive manner. I don't know the history you have with those guys so I can't really make a accurate assumption.
Oh and if it continues, just report the posts and it will get taken care of. I only saw yours because somebody reported it.
Nobody insulted you. I only deleted 1 post for referring to you as a female which wasn't even that bad. I just did it so it wouldn't turn into a big deal.
i didn't see the rest, i'll check it right now.
Hey man will you join my fantasy baseball league? I'm getting some guys frrom PSD in it, like Bravo95 & More then most so far.
Hey bud. Been super busy but have been meaning to come by and say congrats on Wren getting Uggla. Way cool for the team. Super pumped about it considering he was kinda acquired on the cheap.
America's #1 Yankee-Hater
Sterling Archer Is My Dad


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HAUNT, the new debut from WALKING DEAD's Robert Kirkman and SPAWN's Todd McFarlane, faces an instant distributor-level sell out despite very significant overprint and massive preorders!
Robert Kirkman and Todd McFarlane's HAUNT has hit shelves today to face an instantaneous distributor level sell out despite massive preorders and a significant overprint! A second printing is being rushed to fulfill the continued sales velocity, but first printings may still be available at your local comic book store.
"This sellout is attributed to the skills of Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley and Greg Capullo. It's always nice to be a part of such a talented team," McFarlane said. "I also would like to tip my hat to retailers who, in these tough economic
times, are willing to take a chance on the odd title that is outside of the Marvel and DC realm. My hopes, now, are that the books get into the hands of new, faithful consumers and to keep the momentum going through Haunt #2 and beyond."
HAUNT centers on a pair of brothers, Kurt and Daniel Kilgore, who act more like adversaries than family. Kurt, a secret agent, and Daniel, a less than holy priest, bond in a way neither of them expects after Kurt's untimely death. A surprise fusing of Kurt's ghost with Daniel's body creates a chain reaction, turning the brothers into the character, Haunt.
"I had a feeling this book would go over well considering the preorders were up there with Marvel and DC's releases," Kirkman said. "That said, it is an honor to have it so well received right off the bat. We'll continue to aim to make fans happy. Thank you to everyone who's supported the book, reader and retailer alike!"
HAUNT #1 2nd Printing, a 32-page full color comic book for $2.99, will be in-stores November 4th 2009.


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Swale Community Leisure Limited operates other facilities in your area. Find out more...
Do you feel you should be more active? Worried about how you'll look or how good you are? This Girl Can has been designed just for you.
A nationwide drive to get more women into sport and fitness. Backed by Sport England, the initiative has already been a great success, but there is still work to be done.
We're running This Girl Can Swim sessions, if you want to get back in the water, or are nervous about swimming, these women-only sessions will suit you down to the ground.
We also run loads of great classes for you to try. They aren't women-only but the message of This Girl Can is one we live by – come along whatever your ability, come along even if you're not wearing the latest kit… we'll welcome you and get you settled in. The next move is yours…
Our new ladies only multi-sport and activity session in the Sports Hall for women and girls aged 16+. Fun activities, exercises and games with likeminded ladies in a fun, social and friendly environment.


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Creativity of Five-O Poker and Yalla Tarneeb Demonstrate Network's Unique Value and Approach
SANTA MONICA, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 21, 2012) - Playsino (http://www.playsino.com/), one of the world's fastest growing social casino companies, announced today the first two games to be released under the Playsino Publishing Network: Five-O Poker, a particularly creative take on poker, and Yalla Tarneeb, a popular Middle Eastern card game. Five-O Poker, brought to Playsino by Israel-based Chiki Gaming, is unique in that five poker hands are played simultaneously between two players, adding an extra, intriguing level of tactical thinking to the already fantastically strategic classic. Yalla Tarneeb, a tremendously popular game throughout Arab countries, is a bid, trick and trump-based game developed by Yallah Games.
"We're elated to be working with these two great companies and proud to have been chosen to publish their top games," said Doug Dyer, Playsino's recently hired vice president of product and publishing. "These two games are the perfect kick-off for our publishing network and will do wonderfully as they benefit from, and add to, the liquidity between each other and amongst Playsino's current games."
Playsino's Publishing Network's program is designed to bring new and unique social casino products into the Playsino gaming ecosystem. The company's goal is to market and support games that are not run-of-the-mill casino fare as exemplified by both Five-O Poker and Yalla Tarneeb.
"The first few steps in establishing a solid social presence for Yallah Games includes our partnership with Playsino," said HRH Prince Fahad bin Faisal Al-Saud, Yallah Games founder. "We offer a new and innovative gaming platform that is working with and targeting the growing online population in the Middle East. By partnering with Playsino, we're making it easy for our gaming community to grow and engage the public."
Other games in the Playsino Publishing Network include Solitaire and Prizes, Playsino Poker and Bingo World, which was recently launched on iPad.
According to a recent report, "Social Gambling: Click Here to Play," by Morgan Stanley, social casino gaming is expected to grow from $1.7 billion today to $2.5 billion in annual revenues by 2015 -- and could even go as high as $7 billion -- helping to drive growth for real money gambling in addition to the virtual currency world.
Unlike most social games, social casino games have a high customer retention rate, according to Morgan Stanley's blue paper, a fact of immense value as the industry is forecast to continue its trend of consolidation, not only among social gaming companies but also real-money companies. This puts Playsino -- the only publishing network solely focused on helping social casino developers acquire and monetize gamers on Facebook and mobile platforms -- its partners and its unique value proposition in a strong position to ride the upcoming wave.
Playsino is helmed by Brock Pierce, one of the most recognized figures in the global online gaming space, across genres from MMOs to social casinos and iGaming. Pierce is well-known for his unprecedented success in online gaming, and as CEO of Playsino and a board member and investor in many online gaming companies, is ideally positioned to scale Playsino, with its wide variety of casino-inspired games, into the world's leading iGaming publisher.
Companies interested in working with Playsino should send an e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.com.
About Playsino
Playsino, a social casino games publisher, brings the exciting world of free-to-play casino games to mobile and social platforms globally. The Playsino Publisher Network (http://www.playsino.com/) is the only publishing network solely focused on helping social casino developers acquire and monetize social casino gamers on social and mobile platforms. The company is run by proven entrepreneurs and game industry veterans. Playsino is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., and Kiev, Ukraine.
About Yallah Games
Yallah Games, a social games company, brings an exciting range of free-to-play games to mobile and social platforms, targeting the Middle East, its expanding social networks and impressive growth in online gamers, monetizing on social and mobile platforms. The company is founded and run by proven serial entrepreneur, game and Internet industry expert, HRH Prince Fahad bin Faisal Al-Saud.
About Chiki Gaming
Chiki Gaming was founded in late 2011. Our mission is to develop a clever, funny and social game. Five-O Poker, Chiki's first undertaking, matches all three goals. Five-O Poker is a sophisticated poker game, played one on one against opponents from around the world. Join today and play with thousands of players who are already playing the most entertaining poker game on the Web!


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Arvest Bank is pleased to announce it has added three members to its Arvest Private Banking staff in Springdale, Ark.
Katie Robinson, Matt Potter and Ray Ford have been promoted to Arvest Private Banking roles after serving the bank in varying capacities.
"We are excited to add these associates to Arvest Private Banking in Springdale," Arvest Private Banking manager Mary Pedersen said. "We have had a need to expand and our Private Banking team with the growth of Springdale and our surrounding communities. With the experience this group brings, we can deliver the level of service our high net worth clients need. This is a move we're confident will be fantastic for the bank and our customers."
Robinson, vice president and Arvest Private Banking advisor, has been at Arvest since 2004, working in branch management and Arvest's Treasury Management team. In addition to earning a bachelor's degree in biochemistry at Oklahoma State University, she is a graduate of the Leadership Fayetteville Class XXVI and the Walton Institute.
A current member of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, Robinson also has been actively involved with Fayetteville Public Schools and Community Blood Center of the Ozarks, among other civic endeavors. Additionally, she was named a member of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal's 2013 Forty Under 40 class. She and her husband, Kirk, have two children and attend Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville.
Like Robinson, Potter will serve as an Arvest Private Banking advisor, analyzing and developing wealth management strategies for private banking clients, based on the client's individual financial goals. Potter specifically serves physicians, executives and retirees.
Potter has worked at Arvest since 2006 and served in a variety of roles, including as a credit analyst and as part of Arvest's Treasury Management team. Potter earned a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in business administration, both at Missouri State University.
Potter and his wife, Amanda, live in Springdale with their son. They are active members of Cross Church. Additionally, Potter has held leadership roles at Rotary International and also the United Way of the Ozarks.
Ford will serve as an Arvest Private Banker, focusing on building relationships with customers and developing wealth management strategies based on specific needs and goals of individual clients. He has worked in a variety of roles at Arvest since 2010, including customer service, financial services, treasury management and wealth management.
Ford holds a bachelor's degree in advertising and public relations from the University of Arkansas and is involved in various community activities in both Springdale and Fayetteville. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Fayetteville.
This blog was updated on July 27.
Submitted questions will be answered by an Arvest banker and may appear on the Arvest Blog.
All Arvest banks are Equal Housing Lenders and Member FDIC.
Investment products and services are provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Trust services are provided by Arvest Bank. Insurance products are made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc., but are underwritten by insurance companies.
Securities and Insurance Products: Not Insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by a Bank or any Bank Affiliate.


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- Cycling
Nike stands by Armstrong in wake of doping evidence
Lance Armstrong's reputation may be in tatters, but Nike has vowed to stand by the former Tour de France winner.
In spite of the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) damning evidence that Armstrong's successes were fuelled by systematic doping, the sportswear brand has reiterated its commitment to the American and his charity foundation.
The cycling world was left reeling on Wednesday when the USADA published 1,000 pages of evidence detailing its decision to ban Armstrong from the sport and strip him of his seven Tour titles.
The sworn testimonies of 26 individuals, including 11 former team-mates of Armstrong, as well as financial statements and emails, accused Armstrong of spearheading a "massive and pervasive" doping programme at US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team between 1998 and 2004.
In the wake of the latest revelations, Nike re-released the same statement it issued in August after Armstrong gave up his fight against what he described as a "witch hunt" by USADA chief executive Travis Tygart.
"We are saddened that Lance Armstrong may no longer be able to participate in certain competitions and his titles appear to be impacted," the statement said.
"Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position. Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that Lance created to serve cancer survivors."
Nike also stood by Tiger Woods in December 2009 after the golfer admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife.


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I also finished our book advent calendar (I just used newspaper, old sheet music and the spool end numbers from Just Something I Made). The girls are excited about this basket of Christmas books. I have also resolved that when the books are stored away in January, I will wrap them up then rather than scrambling.
I hope you are having a great week!