text:
By Shaikh Faisal
Notes typed live by AT19
Edited and formatted by BintZaki and AT19
July 29, 2015
Ayatul Kursi is Ayah 255 in Surah Baqarah (2:255)
Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep overtake Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. [This Verse 2:255 is called Ayat-ul-Kursi.] (Al-Baqarah 2:255)
The Rasool (saw) described Ayatul Kursi as the Greatest Ayah of the Holy Quran
It was reported in a saheeh hadeeth from the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that it is the greatest aayah in the Book of Allaah… It was narrated from Ubayy, i.e., Ubayy ibn Ka'b that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked him which aayah in the Book of Allaah was the greatest. He said, "Allaah and His Messenger know best." He repeated it several times, then he said, "Aayat al-Kursiy." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Congratulations upon your knowledge O Abu'l-Mundhir. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, it has a tongue and two lips, and it glorifies the Sovereign (i.e., Allaah) at the foot of the Throne."This was also narrated by Muslim, without the phrase "By the One in Whose hand is my soul…".
Ayatul Kursi is for your protection:
- It protects you from the evil eye, black magic and the jinn
- It protects you throughout the day
- It drives away the shaitan
Ayatul Kursi contains the Greatest Name of Allah; Allah has 99 names and the greatest name is Allah. Hence, the Prophet (saw) said:
'Whenever you go to bed, recite Ayat-al-Kursi from the beginning to the end ---- Allahu la ilaha illa huwa-lHaiy-ul-Qaiyum----.' He further said to me, '(If you do so), Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you, and no satan will come near you till morning.' (Abu Huraira or another sub-narrator) added that they (the companions) were very keen to do good deeds. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, "He really spoke the truth, although he is an absolute liar. Do you know whom you were talking to, these three nights, O Abu Huraira?" Abu Huraira said, "No." He said, "It was Satan." (Sahih al-Bukhari: Vol. 3, Bk 38, Hadith 505)
"Allah's greatest name is in these two Ayah: 'And your deity is One deity, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, Ar-Raḥmān, Ar-Raḥīm.' And the Opening of Al-`Imrān: 'Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever living, the Sustainer.'" (At-Tirmidhi: Vol. 6, Bk 45, Hadith 3478)
Asma bint Yazid narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: "Allah's greatest name is in these two Ayah: 'And your deity is One deity, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He Ar-Raḥmān, Ar-Raḥīm.' And the Opening of Al-`Imrān: 'Alif. Lām. Mīm. Allah, None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever living, the Sustainer.'" (At-Tirmidhi: Vol. 6, Bk 45, Hadith 3478)
Ayatul Kursi should be recited after every fardh (obligatory) salah:
It is narrated from Abu Umamah (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, " Whoever reads ayat al-kursi after every mandatory (fardh) prayer, only his death prevents his entry into Jannah." (al-Sunan al-Kubra al-Nasa'i(9/44) No. 9848 and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir al-Tabarani (8/114) No. 7532)
Allah has 99 names, whoever memorizes them and acts upon them will enter paradise. Ayatul Kursi contains the greatest name, Allah:
Abu Huraira narrated the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Allah has ninety-nine Names, i.e., one hundred minus one, and whoever 'ahsaha' (enumerates them, believes in them, ponders their meanings, worships Allah by them and supplicates with them, and acts by them according to one's belief in them) will enter Paradise." (al-Bukhari (7392) and Muslim (2677))
The Arabic word, al ism al A'tham means the Greatest Name. When speaking, it is makrooh to call Allah by any other name besides Allah. However when Muslims give Dawah, they say 'God' for the sake of Dawah. But, when you are speaking to a fellow Muslim you should only call Allah by His Name, not 'God'.
Allah's name, al Hayy means the Ever Living (the one who cannot die)
As for His other attribute, al Qayyum means the one who Sustains everything that exist in the Heavens and the earth. The expression la illaha illahu means there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.
In Ayatul Kursi, Allah said: neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. The following Hadith of the Prophet (saw) explains further:
Narrated: Abu Musa "The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: 'Allah does not sleep, and it is not befitting that He should sleep. He lowers the Scales and raises them. His Veil is Light and if He were to remove it, the glory of His Face would burn everything of His creation, as far as His gaze reaches.'" Then Abu 'Ubaidah recited this Verse: 'Blessed is whosoever is in the fire, (i.e. the light of Allah) and whosoever is round about it! And Glorified is Allah, the Lord of all that exists."[27:8] (Sahih Ibn Majah: Hadith 196)
If Allah should sleep, who will govern the Heavens and the earth?
To sleep is a sign of weakness. Sleep is a form of imperfection and Allah is above all imperfections, this is why as Muslims we say subhan'Allah.
The Veil and the Hijab of Allah is light; hence, no one can see Allah. However, Allah will grant the believers the privilege to see Allah in the Hereafter.
Please note: Allah did not Say 'He does not sleep' as if He (swt) just chooses not to sleep. Rather Allah said, 'sleep does not overtake Him', showing that He (swt) does not need sleep nor does He (swt) choose to sleep showing that He is above any imperfection.
The Prophet (saw) said, 'Verily Allah does not sleep and it does not befit Him to sleep' (Muslim, Vol 1, # 343)
Why do we say Subhan'Allah?
Because we are saying Allah is above all of the imperfections humans ascribe to Him. Hence, Allah said in the following Ayahs:
Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute unto Him! And peace be on the Messengers! And all the praise and thanks be to Allah, Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). (As-Saffat: 180-182)
Why do we correct the Imam by saying Subhan'Allah when he makes a mistake during salah?
Because we understand that an Imam is human and prone to making mistakes but Allah does not make mistakes.
The Statement in Ayatul Kursi:
To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. (Baqarah: 255)
is similar to Ayahs 93-95 in Surah Maryam:
There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) as a slave. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender). (Maryam 19:93-95)
The statement is also similar to Surah ar-Ra'd:2
Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then, He Istawa (rose above) the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round)! Each running (its course) for a term appointed. He regulates all affairs, explaining the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, that you may believe with certainty in the meeting with your Lord. (Ra'd 13:2)
It is also similar to Surah Mulk:1
Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion, and He is Able to do all things. (Al-Mulk: 1)
The other statement in Ayatul Kursi:
Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? (Baqarah: 255)
is similar to Surah Najm:26 where Allah made mention of shafa'a again:
And there are many angels in the heavens, whose intercession will avail nothing except after Allah has given leave for whom He wills and pleases. (An-Najm: 26)
There are many angels are in the Heavens who intercede for people, but the intercession will not be accepted except by the permission of Allah. Intercession is a reality in the Dunya and in the Akhira and it is only the khawarij that deny intercession in the Dunya and the Akhira.
There are things that intercede for the servants of Allah in the Dunya. Linguistically, the term 'shafaa'ah' means to make an odd number an even one. Traditionally, shafaa'ah refers to petitioning on behalf of someone to obtain benefit or ward off harm. Intercession is to beg Allah to do good for someone.
1. The Great Intercession
The great intercession is the intercession of Muhammad (saw) for mankind on the Day of Recompense. This will occur when all the other Prophets refuse to make intercession for mankind, so Muhammad (saw) will step forward and Allah will allow him to intercede:
Narrated Abu Huraira: We were in the company of the Prophet (saw) at a banquet and a cooked (mutton) forearm was set before him, and he used to like it. He ate a morsel of it and said, "I will be the chief of all the people on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know how Allah will gather all the first and the last (people) in one level place where an observer will be able to see (all) of them and they will be able to hear the announcer, and the sun will come near to them. Some People will say: Don't you see, in what condition you are and the state to which you have reached? Why don't you look for a person who can intercede for you with your Lord? Some people will say: Appeal to your father, Adam.' They will go to him and say: 'O Adam! You are the father of all mankind, and Allah created you with His Own Hands, and ordered the angels to prostrate for you, and made you live in Paradise. Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Don't you see in what (miserable) state we are, and to what condition we have reached?' On that Adam will reply, 'My Lord is so angry as He has never been before and will never be in the future; (besides), He forbade me (to eat from) the tree, but I disobeyed (Him), (I am worried about) myself! Myself! Go to somebody else; go to Noah.' They will go to Noah and say; 'O Noah! You are the first amongst the messengers of Allah to the people of the earth, and Allah named you a thankful slave. Don't you see in what a (miserable) state we are and to what condition we have reached? Will you not intercede for us with your Lord? Noah will reply: 'Today my Lord has become so angry as he had never been before and will never be in the future Myself! Myself! Go to the Prophet (Muhammad). The people will come to me, and I will prostrate myself underneath Allah's Throne. Then I will be addressed: 'O Muhammad! Raise your head; intercede, for your intercession will be accepted, and ask (for anything). for you will be given. " (Bukhari : Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 556)
The Prophet (saw) said he will be the most noble son of Adam on the Day of Judgment (DOJ)
Abu Huraira narrated the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "I am the most noble of Adam's descendants on the Day of Resurrection. I am the first whose grave shall be opened. I am the first to offer intercession. I am the first whose intercession shall be accepted." (Sahih Muslim (4/1782) No. 2278)
2. The Intercession of the Shaheed for 70 Members of His Family
Narrated Al-Miqdam bin Ma'diykarib:That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "There are six things with Allah for the martyr. He is forgiven with the first flow of blood (he suffers), he is shown his place in Paradise, he is protected from punishment in the grave, secured from the greatest terror, the crown of dignity is placed upon his head - and its gems are better than the world and what is in it - he is married to seventy two wives along Al-Huril-'Ayn of Paradise, and he may intercede for seventy of his close relatives." (Abu 'Eisa said: This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. at-Tirmidhi : Vol. 3, Book 20, Hadith 1663)
This is a strong Hadith
3. The Intercession of the Hafiz for His Family
The hafiz will be able to intercede for 10 members of his family.
On the authority of Jabir the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "The bearer of the Qur'an, if he regards what it permits as halal and what it forbids as haram, he will intercede for ten of his family members on the Day of Resurrection, all of whom deserved to enter Hell." (al-Mu'jam al-Awsat al-Tabarani (5/260) No. 5258 and Shu'ab al-Eman al-Bayhaqi (4/22 No. 2438] (Classified Daeef))
Although this is a weak Hadith, one can use it to encourage Muslims to do pious deeds. In Islam, we don't discard weak Hadiths, we only discard fabricated Hadiths because they cannot be used for anything.
4. The Intercession of the Angels
The marfoo' hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him): "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, none of you can be more insistent in asking Allaah to restore his rights against his opponent than the believers who will ask Allaah, on the Day of Resurrection, (to grant them the power of intercession) for their brothers who are in the Fire. They will say, 'Our Lord, they used to fast with us and pray and perform Hajj.' It will be said to them, 'Bring out those whom you recognize, so the Fire will be forbidden to burn them.' So they will bring out many people… And Allaah will say: 'The angels have interceded, and the Prophets have interceded, and the believers have interceded. There is none left but the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.' Then He will seize a handful of the Fire and bring forth from it people who never did anything good." (Sahih Muslim # 269)
5. The Intercession of the Animals
Many didn't know that the animals, even ants intercede for us:
Abu Umamah Bahili (RA) reported that Allah's Messenger (saw) said: "Surely, Allah, His angels, the inhabitants of the heavens and the earths, even the ants in their holes and even the fish invoke blessings on the teacher of the people about what is good." (Sunan Tirmidhi (5/50) No. 2685)
6. The Intercession of Babies for their Parents who die before Puberty
Please note: This does not refer to every baby, only those who die before puberty. Likewise, the parents have to be Muslim parents.
And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in Faith, to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned. (At-Tur: 21)
"Give a name to children whom you miscarried; because they are your pioneers who went before you in order to earn you high positions in the Hereafter." (Jamiu's-Saghir, 3/1074).
"Give a name to children whom you miscarried so that Allah will make your scale of good deeds heavier with them. Otherwise, she will come and say on the Day of Judgment: "O Lord! They missed the thawab they would earn from me, by not naming me." (Jamiu's-Saghir, 3/1075).
Hadith regarding children who die before puberty:
Narrated By Abu Sa'id: The women requested the Prophet, "Please fix a day for us." So the Prophet preached to them and said, "A woman whose three children died would be screened from the Hell Fire by them," Hearing that, a woman asked, "If two died?" The Prophet replied, "Even two (would screen her from the (Hell) Fire. " And Abu Huraira added, "Those children should be below the age of puberty." (Sahih Bukhari: (2/23) Hadith 1249) & Bukhari: (2/23) Hadith #341)
"Children who died before puberty are very lively in Heaven, they are like rattling fish. One of them meets his/her parents and takes hold of their clothes and does not let it go until Allah lets his/her parents into Heaven with him/her." (Jamiu's Saghir, 3/2364).
The children of the Mushrikeen:
Sumurah bin Jundub (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) Prophet) Abraham, and the children around him are those who died upon Al-Fitrah (the Islamic Faith of Monotheism)."' The and the children around him are those who died upon Al-Fitrah (the Islamic Faith of Monotheism)."' The narrator added: Some Muslims asked the Prophet (ﷺ) , "O Messenger of Allah! What about the children of Al-Mushrikun (i.e., polytheists, pagans, idolaters, and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah and in His Messenger Muhammad (ﷺ))?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "And also the children of Al-Mushrikun." (Bukhari: Book: 18 Hadith 1546)
"The children of the mushrikeen are servants of the people of Paradise" (Ibn Mandah in al-Ma'rifah, Abu Na'eem in al-Hilyah, Abu Ya'la in al-Musnad and al-Albaani deemed it saheeh by the sum of its Isnaad, Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 3/452, no. 1468)
7. The Intercession of the Ordinary Muslim for his Brother or Sister
Some Muslims who are not prophets or messengers will be in Paradise, then they will realize that their friends are not with them in Paradise. So they will seek Allah's permission to intercede for them. The following Hadith explains further:
They [the Muslims] will say: 'O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.' Allah will say, 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one (gold) Dinar.' (Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 93, Hadith 532)
Allah will tell him/her to look in Hellfire for anyone with the faith of a dinar so He (swt) can take him/her out of hellfire. This Hadith shows how an ordinary Muslim will beg Allah to take his/her friend out of the Hellfire
8. The Intercession of Ramadan
Ramadan will say, I kept him hungry so give him paradise:
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah (saw), said: "The fast and the Qur'an are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. The fast will say: 'O Lord, I prevented him from his food and desires during the day. Let me intercede for him.' The Qur'an will say: 'I prevented him from sleeping at night. Let me intercede for him.' And their intercession will be accepted." (Musnad Ahmad (2/174) No. 6626, Mustadrak al-Haakim (1/740) No. 2036, Shu'ab al-Eman al-Bayhaqi (3/37�� No. 1839)
9. The Intercession of the Quran
"Read the Quran. For verily it will come forth on the Day of Resurrection as an intercessor for its readers." (Muslim)
"The Quran is an intercessor (which by Allah's permission) intercedes, and an opponent (which is) truthful. He who appoints it as his leader, (then it) will lead him to Paradise. And he who puts it behind him, (then it) will lead him to the Fire."(Ibn Hibban, Al-Bayhaqi, At-Tabarani, Sahih)
(Sahih Muslim # 269)Then the Prophet (saw) will intercede for you on the Day of Judgement
10. Other Prophets will also Intercede
The marfoo' hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him): "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, none of you can be more insistent in asking Allaah to restore his rights against his opponent than the believers who will ask Allaah, on the Day of Resurrection, (to grant them the power of intercession) for their brothers who are in the Fire. They will say, 'Our Lord, they used to fast with us and pray and perform Hajj.' It will be said to them, 'Bring out those whom you recognize, so the Fire will be forbidden to burn them.' So they will bring out many people… And Allaah will say: 'The angels have interceded, and the Prophets have interceded, and the believers have interceded. There is none left but the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.' Then He will seize a handful of the Fire and bring forth from it people who never did anything good."
Above are the 10 types of intercessions
Ultimately, the faith of people in both this world and the Hereafter, is in the Hands of Allah. He (swt) alone knows what will happen to them:
He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter . (Al-Baqarah: 255)
It is worthy of mentioning that some people will be denied intercession and not everyone is qualified for intercession.
Who will be denied intercession?
Allah Spoke about them in Surah Muddaththir Verses 42-48
"What has caused you to enter Hell?"
They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer their Salat (prayers). "Nor we used to feed Al-Miskin (the poor); "And we used to talk falsehood (all that which Allah hated) with vain talkers. "And we used to belie the Day of Recompense. "Until there came to us (the death) that is certain." So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them. (Al-Muddaththir:42-48)
Saqar is a place in Hell; once you enter it you will not get out. Nimrod, the Pharaoh, Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl are examples of people who will b in Saqar on the Day of Recompense. People that go to a section of Hell called Jaheem will come out with the intercession of Muhammad (saw). The fire of Jaheem will go out when all the Muslims come out of it and are transferred to the Paradise. This is the meaning of Ibn Taymiyyah's statement that the Hellfire will go out.
"What has caused you to enter Hell?" They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer their Salat (prayers). "Nor we used to feed Al-Miskin (the poor); (Al-Muddaththir:42- 44)
No intercession will be made for the one who did not establish his salah. The most important ibadah in Islam is salah. In order for us to gain the intercession of Muhammad (saw), we should recite the du'a after the adhan and ask Allah to give Muhammad (saw) al-Maqaam al-Mahmood, the noble station. Allah spoke about the noble station in the following Ayah:
And in some parts of the night (also) offer the Salat (prayer) with it (i.e. recite the Qur'an in the prayer), as an additional prayer (Tahajjud optional prayer Nawafil) for you (O Muhammad saw). It may be that your Lord will raise you to Maqaman Mahmuda (a station of praise and glory, i.e. the highest degree in Paradise!). (Al-Isra: 79)
- Allah has to Allow the intercession to take place
- Allah has to be Pleased with the interceder (i.e. The interceder should have the status to intercede)
- Allah has to be Pleased with the sinner who needs intercession
The types of intercession Muhammad (saw) will perform on the Day of Judgement are as follows:
- The Rasool (saw) will intercede for Muslims whose good deeds are equal to their bad deeds
- The Prophet (saw) will also intercede for some persons who deserve to be dumped in Hellfire because their bad deeds are more than their good deeds. Although they deserve the hellfire, the Prophet (saw) will beg on their behalf
- The Prophet (saw) will intercede for the people who are already in the Hellfire for them to be transferred into the Paradise.
Narrated By Anas: The Prophet said, "Whoever said "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of a barley grain will be taken out of Hell. And whoever said: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of a wheat grain will be taken out of Hell. And whoever said, "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and has in his heart good (faith) equal to the weight of an atom will be taken out of Hell." [Al-Bukhari: (1/2) Hadith: 44) & (1/2) Hadith 43) and Muslim (193)]
Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin. (An-Nisa 4:48)
Why does Allah allow such an intercession to take place? Allah will allow Muhammad (saw) to intercede for people whose bad deeds are more than their good deeds because His mercy prevails over His wrath. Secondly, Allah will allow Muhammad to intercede on behalf of sinners on the Day of Judgement because all the Prophets had a du'a which Allah will answer and they used up their du'a in the dunya. But the Prophet Muhammad (saw) saved up his du'a to use it on the Day of Judgement to intercede for his Ummah.
The third reason why Allah will allow Muhammad (saw) to intercede is because Muhammad (saw) is a mercy for mankind in the dunya and the Akhira. In this regard, Allah said:
And We have sent you (O Muhammad SAW) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). (Al-Anbiya 21:107)
As for the sinners who did not commit shirk, they have hope in the hereafter because Allah will forgive all sins except shirk to whom He please. Thus Allah said:
Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin. (An-Nisa 4:48)
The following Hadith coincides with the above mentioned Ayah:
On the authority of Anas (RA), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say: "Allah the Almighty said: 'O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.'" (At-Tirmidhi (also by Ahmad ibn Hanbal). Its chain of authorities is sound.)
The statement of Allah in Ayatul Kursi:
And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. (Al-Baqarah 2: 255)
This statement means only Allah knows the unseen and only Allah has perfect knowledge of the past, present and future:
"And when is the Hour?" He said, "The one who is questioned does not know more about it than the one who asks." He asked, "Then what are its Signs?" He said, "That a maid-servant will beget her mistress and that you see barefooted, naked-bodied, helpless shepherds construct tall buildings."... (Muslim 8, Tirmidhi 2619, Abu Dawud 4695, Nisai 5005, Ibn Majah 63, Ahmed 184)
When the Prophet (saw) said one of the signs of the last days are that Arabs will compete in constructing tall buildings, that knowledge was of the unseen
Allah (swt) gave the Prophet (saw) some knowledge of the unseen as He please. A few examples include when the Prophet (saw) predicted that his wife, Zaynab bint Jahsh, would be the first of his wives to die:
Narrated `Aisha:Some of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) asked him, "Who amongst us will be the first to follow you (i.e. die after you)?" He said, "Whoever has the longest hand." So they started measuring their hands with a stick and Sauda's hand turned out to be the longest. (When Zainab bint Jahsh died first of all in the caliphate of `Umar), we came to know that the long hand was a symbol of practicing charity, so she was the first to follow the Prophet (ﷺ) and she used to love to practice charity. (Sauda died later in the caliphate of Muawiya). Bukhari : Vol. 2, Book 24, Hadith 501
and when the Prophet predicted the death of Ammar ibn Yasir at the hands of the rebellious group:
"Alas! A rebellious group which swerves from the truth will murder Ammar. Ammar will be calling them towards Paradise and they will be calling him towards Hell. His killer and those who strip him of arms and clothing will be in Hell." (Al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, Ahmad ibn Hanbal)
The Prophet (saw) had vast knowledge of the future; hence, he was able to make accurate predictions. But this knowledge was only by Allah's permission.
To assume a man has complete knowledge of ilm ul ghaib is shirk. This is the ideology of the Rafida
(Rafida = Shia)
SHIA HUJJAH: The Imams have knowledge of the past and future; and nothing is hidden from them. ( SHIA HUJJAH: The Imams have knowledge of the past and future; and nothing is hidden from them. (Al-Kafi vol.1 p.260 )
They say nothing is hidden from their Imams
SHIA HUJJAH: The Imams know when they will die, and they only die by their choice. (Al Kafi vol.1 p.258 )
The creed of the Rafida that says their Imams know when they are going to die and they choose when to die, contradicts the following Ayah
Verily, Allah! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is AllKnower, AllAware (of things). (Luqman: 34)
Allah told the Prophet Muhammad (saw) to declare to mankind that he doesn't have knowledge of the unseen. Hence, Allah said:
Say (O Muhammad saw) : "I possess no power of benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghaib (unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto people who believe." (Al-A'raf: 188)
If the Prophet (saw) didn't have complete knowledge of the ghaib, how can the shia imams possess such knowledge?!
Why did Hassan drink poison and die if he had knowledge of ilm ul ghaib? This is a question no Shia is able to answer. Hassan is the second Imam in the Shia religion. They claim all their Imams have complete knowledge of the ghaib, they are infallible and cannot make a single mistake. Yet they claim Hassan was poisoned by his enemies. The ideology of the Shia is ridiculous and doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
His Kursi extends over the Heavens and the Earth (Baqarah: 155)
What is the Kursi?
Literally means footstool. Some scholars say Kursi is the dominion of Allah over His entire creation. Some scholars say Kursi means His authority.
If you should ask a Hanbali scholar this question, he would say the Kursi is the footstool.
Let's ask Uthaymeen what is the Kursi:
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: There are those who say that the Kursi is the Throne because of the hadeeth, "Allaah will set up His Kursi on the Day of Resurrection." They think that the Kursi is the Throne. Similarly, some people claim that the Kursi is Allaah's knowledge, and say that the aayah (interpretation of the meaning) "His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth" [al-Baqarah 2:255] refers to His Knowledge. The correct view is that the Kursi is a footstool, and the Throne is that which the Most Merciful rose above (istiwaa'). And knowledge is the attribute of the knowledgeable one by means of which he understands that which he knows. (al-Qawl al-Mufeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, 3/393, 394). And Allaah knows best.
It is worthy of mentioning that Ibn Abbas says the Kursi is the footstool. This statement of Ibn Abbas is mawquf i.e. it came from him and not the Prophet (saw). The Ulama said the statement of Ibn Abbas is saheeh because it doesn't have a weak chain of transmitters.
Those who say that the kursi is Allah's Authority are not wrong because Allah said His Kursi extends over the entire Heaven and earth.
Waki` narrated in his Tafsir that Ibn `Abbas said, "Kursi is the footstool, and no one is able to give due consideration to ﴿Allah's﴾ Throne.'' Al-Hakim recorded this Hadith in his Mustadrak from Ibn `Abbas, who did not relate it to the Prophet . Al-Hakim said, "It is Sahih according to the criteria of the Two Sahihs, and they (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.'' In addition, Ad-Dahhak said that Ibn `Abbas said, "If the seven heavens and the seven earths were flattened and laid side by side, they would add up to the size of a ring in a desert, compared to the Kursi.'' (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
The next statement in Ayatul Kursi:
He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them (Al-Baqarah: 255)
The word "them" in the above statement of Allah means the Heaven and the earth. This refutes the Christians who believe Allah rested on the 7th day after creating the Heaven and Earth. It also refutes the Jewish belief that Allah rested on a Saturday after creating the Heaven and the earth.
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:17) King James Version
This Verse in exodus, 31:17, is shirk. Refreshed means to replenish lost energy. Allah doesn't lose His energy so this statement is shirk.
In refuting the false claims of the Christians and Jews, Allah said:
And indeed We Created the heavens and the earth and all between them in six Days and nothing of fatigue touched Us. (Qaf: 38)
Till today, the Jews and some Christians go to church on a Saturday claiming it is the sabbath. The Jews claim Saturday is their sabbath; hence, they cannot work. In Islam, we have no sabbath because Allah did not rest after creating His creation. Thus, Allah said in the following Ayah:
Then when the (Jumu'ah) Salat (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allah (by working, etc.), and remember Allah much, that you may be successful. (Al-Jumu'ah: 10)
To claim Allah rested is a big lie and also shirk. The following statement of Allah in Ayatul Kursi: Allah is the Most High, the Most Great means Allah is the Most High in status and in position.
The Prophet (saw) said to ask for Firdaus when you ask for Paradise because it is the highest Paradise and Allah's Arsh is above Firdaus:
Ubadah bin As-Samit that the Prophet said, Paradise has one hundred levels and between each level is a distance like the distance between the sky and the earth. Al-Firdaws is the name of the highest of its levels. From it springs the four rivers and the Throne is above it. Therefore, when you ask Allah, then ask Him for AlFirdaws. [Musnad Ahmad (5/316) No. 22747 and Sunan Tirmidhi (4/675) No. 2531]
Firdaus is the highest Paradise and Allah's Arsh is above Firdaus, so consequently, Allah is the Most High. Allah also said in Ayatul Kursi He is the Most Great.
The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "Allah the Almighty said, 'Pride is My cloak and greatness is My robe, and he who competes with Me in respect of either of them, I shall cast into the Hell Fire.'" (Sunan Abu Dawud - Classed as Sahih by Shaykh al-Albaani)
Allah is above the Arsh because Allah is the Most Great, He said:
Narrated By Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Allah will hold the whole earth, and roll all the heavens up in His Right Hand, and then He will say, 'I am the King; where are the kings of the earth?'" (al-Bukhari (7382) and Muslim (2787))
Allah Hates for people to call themselves the King of Kings because Allah is the only King of Kings. The expression King of Kings is shirk; thus, Allah makes it His duty to disgrace any man who calls himself the King of Kings the way He disgraced the Shah of Iran.
Narrated By Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Allah will hold the whole earth, and roll all the heavens up in His Right Hand, and then He will say, 'I am the King; where are the kings of the earth?'" (al-Bukhari (7382) and Muslim (2787))
The Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said, "The most hated and despised man before Allah on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who was called Maalikul Amlaak (the king of kings). There is no king except Allah." (Sahih Muslim)
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (saw) as saying: The vilest name in Allah's sight is Malik al-Amidh (King of Kings). The narration transmitted on the authority of Shaiba (contains these words): There is no king but Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. Sufyan said: Similarly, the word Shahinshah (is also the vilest appellation). Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: I asked Abu 'Amr about the meaning of Akhna. He said: The vilest. (Muslim, Bk 25, # 5338)
Kingship is not allowed in Islam because the Holy Quran says Kings, whenever they enter a land, they corrupt it.
She said: "Verily! Kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it, and make the most honourable amongst its people low. And thus they do. (An-Naml 27:34)
Even though Bilqis, the Queen of Sheeba, was royalty, she spoke the truth and said whenever kings enter a land, they corrupt it. The reason why kings corrupt the land is because the leadership is past on from father to son and sometimes the son is not suitable as a leader. In Islam, the leadership should evolve naturally. It should not be imposed on the Ummah by virtue of lineage.
It is worthy of mentioning that the four tawheeds are inside of Ayatul Kursi.
When Allah said in Ayatul Kursi La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He) this statement of Allah is tawheed ibaada because Allah declares that none has the right to be worshipped except
When Allah Said: Al-Hayyul Qayyum (the Ever Living and the one who sustains and protects all that exist) this statement of Allah represents Tawheed Asma Wa Sifaat.
When Allah said: To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on earth. These words of Allah represents Allah's Lordship, Tawheed ar Rububiyyah, because it means all that is in the Heavens and on earth belongs to Allah and He controls the entire universe.
And when Allah said: Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? This declaration of Allah represents Tawheed Hakimiyyah because it means Allah is the only Judge on the Day of Judgement and no one can veto His decisions.
Ayatul Kursi, the greatest Ayah of the Holy Quran, contains the four branches of Tawheed and it is impossible for anyone to deny this fact.
Q: the muslim jinns sin like we do? If so Will they be punished in the hellfire and if they go to jannah, will we be able to see them in Jannah?
There is no doubt that jinns are of various religious persuasions. Some are Muslims, others are Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Agnostics, Atheists, etc. Hence, Allah said in the following Ayah about the reality:
'There are among us some that are righteous, and some the contrary; we are groups each having a different way (religious sect, etc.). (Al-Jinn: 11)
Because jinns are good and some are evil they will undergo reward and punishment just like humans. The scholars of Islam use the following Quranic Verse to prove that the good jinn will inherit the paradise like the pious humans.
Wherein both will be those (maidens) restraining their glances upon their husbands, whom no man or jinn yatmithhunna (has opened their hymens with sexual intercourse) before them. (Ar-Rahman: 56)
In the above Quranic Verse, Allah said the virgins of Paradise were not deflowered by neither men nor jinn. This means jinn will go to Paradise like humans do.
Q: Can you pray with or let someone lead the salah if his pronunciation of the Qur'an is off?
It is haram for someone to lead the prayer if he cannot recite the Fatiha properly because Surah Fatiha is fardh and it must be recited in proper Arabic in order for the salah to be valid. Some Imams say
Wa laz zaaa leeen
instead of
Wa lad daaa leen
It is haram to pray behind such an Imam because he cannot recite Surah Fatiha with proper pronunciation. The Prophet (saw) said there is no salah without Surah Fatiha.
Narrated By 'Ubada bin As-Samit: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, "Whoever does not recite Al-Fatiha in his prayer, his prayer is invalid." [al-Bukhari (756) and Muslim (394)]


text:
To find out more about our work to improve local environmental quality, create more liveable towns and cities and build more sustainable and vibrant communities, click on the links below…
England's Community Forests are making towns and cities more attractive places in which to live, work and do business. They attract new investment and create new jobs and enterprises in environmental management, wood products, recreation, leisure and tourism.Supporting regeneration & growth case studies
England's Community Forests work closely with local communities. They harness the enthusiasm, commitment and knowledge of local people, mobilising and helping them improve their local area and enhance their health, well-being and quality of life.Supporting local communities case studies
England's Community Forests are enriching the environment and creating new facilities for recreation and leisure. They enhance quality of place and make our towns and cities more sustainable and attractive places to live and bring up families.Creating Better Places case studies

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The unwelcome visitors flocking to Northern Ireland's beaches in the heatwave
They look terrifying and have a nasty sting in the tail – and they're on the increase in Northern Ireland's coastal waters.
The recent spell of warm weather has led to a rise in jellyfish being spotted lurking at our seasides.
After a slow start, jellyfish blooms increased in June and July as our coastal waters warmed up, according to the Marine Conservation Society.
Every summer hundreds of reports of jellyfish sightings are made to the charity's national survey – providing valuable information about where and when jellyfish occur in UK seas.
Jellyfish spotted in Northern Ireland waters this summer include the lion's mane variety.
The largest known species, it has a powerful sting which can cause blisters, irritation, and muscular cramp – and may even affect the respiratory system and the heart.
Dr Peter Richardson, an expert with the Marine Conservation Society, said the warm weather has led to more jellyfish.
"The scarcity of jellyfish reports before June was unusual and could well be linked to the extremely cold spring," he said.
"However, as our waters warmed, sightings increased, with moon jellyfish reported around the UK, reports of compass and blue jellyfish in the south west, and blooms of lion's mane jellies around North Wales and North West England."
Dr Richardson said there is evidence that jellyfish numbers are increasing in places around the world, although some scientists say numbers increase then decrease every 20 years or so.
However, others believe these increases are linked to factors such as pollution, over-fishing and climate change. "I think we should consider jellyfish populations as important indicators of the state of our seas, and the MCS jellyfish survey helps provide some of the information we need to understand more about them," he added.
Belfast Telegraph


text:
The Kilburn Park School
Working Hard To Achieve
The Kilburn Park School
Working Hard To Achieve
The school curriculum at Kilburn Park includes the 'National Curriculum', Religious Education and Sex Education.
The national curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by primary and secondary schools so children learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject.
The National Curriculum is organised into blocks of years called 'key stages'. At the end of each key stage, your child's teacher will formally assess their performance to measure your child's progress.
At Kilburn Park we teach from the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum. For each subject there's a 'programme of study'. It describes what children should learn.
From the start of this academic year, major changes have been introduced to the National Curriculum


text:
www.promodirect.com24 hours a day
800-748-6150 Monday-Friday:6:30am - 4:30pm PST
A representative will be in contact with you
within 2 hours during normal business hours.
FREE Artwork: After placing your order,
simply e-mail your artwork and we will create print-ready
art on your logo for FREE! Most competitors charge up to $50
for this service.
FREE Email Proof: Before we place your
order into production, you will receive a FREE e-mail proof
of your imprint for final approval. This step in our
ordering process ensures that your order will be produced
How Do I Send Artwork: If ordering online,
you may upload your artwork to your order or email your
artwork to firstname.lastname@example.com after placing your order.
If ordering by phone, you may email your artwork to your
representative or to email@example.com..
What Artwork Do I Send: You can send us
vector art or we will produce vector art from your
letterhead, business card or website logo.
Why buy this product?
What about promoting your company with the Custom Foldable Wireless Mouse and get customers hooked to your brand? This 2.4GHz wireless mouse can be folded into a smaller size thus making more space for other peripherals in a laptop bag. This High-precision optical sensor mouse can be distributed in tradeshows, corporate events, seminars, etc. Esthetically designed, this Logo Optical mouse comes with 2 FREE AAA batteries. So imprint your logo on this Custom Foldable Wireless Mouse and be the chosen one amongst your customers.
Product Review
"Our booth received positive attention for distributing these at a tech expo. This is a stylish mouse that catches the eye. The product and imprint are both commendable."
"A friend recommended this product to me. I then went online and found it on Promo Direct.
View all reviews |
Rate this item
How can we help?
Helpful Links
Estimated shipping date depends on completion of order form & artwork approval today.
Estimated ship date January 21
You may submit your artwork during
or after placing your order.
Order Online Or Call 1-800-748-6150.
Talk to an expert in 45 seconds! Mon.-Fri., 6:30 am - 4:30 pm PST.
You can write to us at email@example.com


text:
Best Pollinators for the Greater Houston AreaPosted on : June 9, 2016
We recently asked about the best pollinators for our area, and felt it was a great question. We are sharing our answers with you here!
African Blue Basil
Blue Lady Rosemary
Almond Verbena
Summer Wind
Camellia Sasanqua
Open-faced roses like Lemon Fizz
Written by The Arbor Gate
The Arbor Gate staff enjoys contributing to the blog along with our talented writers. As much as we enjoy contributing to this blog, we are the first to admit that we're much better with a shovel than a keyboard!


text:
Laboratory Practicum IIICarret icon
(2 cr.) This practicum is designed to develop preclinical competency in routine hospital procedures and radiographic tasks, basic radiographic analysis, patient management, communications and manipulation of imaging equipment. Prerequisite: RS 222., Corequisite: RS 232., Every Year, Fall
This course is currently not being offered. Please try again next session.


text:
Many argue that the reason no market exists is because it is not required. But this is not always the case. Emerging market sectors usually develop through necessity, whether because of demand, legislation or moral imperative. And so there are times when some sectors, commonplace in the more mature economies of the world, can be left behind and need a little encouragement to flourish.
Through our long standing network of contacts, Trudos International is able to help develop fledgling market sectors for the benefit of our clients. Sometimes that will be through lobbying Federal and Regional Governments and other times working with existing end-users to take on different products from those they are used to using, or indeed selling.
This can be, and often is, a long term process and in some instances may also require changes to our clients own manufacturing base, but the rewards from the additional opportunities created can also be substantial. Of course none of this is possible without accurate and regular market and political information which our highly experienced team of researchers routinely provide.
To find out more about future sector developments and how to influence them, contact us for a free consultation.


text:
About Us
AJ's Electrical Services
AJ's Electrical Service & Repair is a division of AJ's Electrical Contractors Ltd. Since 2003, our team of experts at AJ's Electrical Service & Repair have been assisting customers throughout the Lower Mainland with their electrical needs. Big or small jobs, we strive to provide prompt, professional service at a price you can afford. The owners have 60 years combined experience in the trade and have passed down that experience to our technicians. We are fully bonded and insured with honest, courteous and reliable technicians that make every minute count to complete on time and on budget.
The origins of our company:
Family owned and operated, AJ's Electrical was formed over 15 years ago by owners, Darren and Shawn. Their main objective is to provide customers with honest, reliable work provided by qualified, technicians. Family is important to both owners and they wanted to reflect that in the name of their company. Using the initials of their daughters, Amanda, Jenna and Samantha, is how AJ's Electrical was created
Get a Free Estimate
Contact us today for more information about our services or to obtain a free estimate.
AJ's Electrical Service & Repair is a division of AJ's Electrical Contractors Ltd. and has been providing electrician & electricity services to Greater Vancouver and the surrounding areas since 2003 including Ladner, Tsawwassen, Delta, North Delta, Richmond, Vancouver, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, White Rock, Surrey, Burnaby, Langley, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.


text:
Gregory P. Downs. Declarations of Dependence: The Long Reconstruction of Popular Politics in the South, 1861-1908. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2011. 346 pp. $39.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-8078-3444-2.
Reviewed by Bruce E. Baker (Royal Holloway, University of London)
Published on H-SHGAPE (September, 2011)
Commissioned by K. Stephen Prince (University of South Florida)
Realpolitik of the Weak
Despite what you read in book reviews, it is not every day that a book makes us really rethink a historical field. More often than not, a book explores a nook or a cranny that had been overlooked by earlier scholars. It might use a new set of sources or a new mode of analysis to tell us things we did not know about a topic, or it may push us to reconsider the relative importance of various components of the past. Sometimes, though, a book arrives with a new enough analysis, often drawing in unfamiliar concepts with which to examine familiar topics, that it does indeed call for reconsidering what we thought, especially when that new analysis goes very deep into some of the big ideas we used to think about the world. In earlier generations, history went through a phase where these new ideas were about gender, class, and race. In the case of Gregory P. Downs's new book, Declarations of Dependence, that big idea is power itself and how power is used in politics. For a very long time, historians have changed the way we think about the latter half of the nineteenth century by demonstrating, convincingly enough, that various groups of people had more power than we had previously given them credit for, or were able to use power in ways that we had been slow to recognize. A vade mecum for this approach is the work of agrarian anthropologist James C. Scott in his books Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (1985) and Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts (1990), and perhaps the best example of these ideas in action is the award-winning work of Steven Hahn in A Nation under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South, From Slavery to the Great Migration (2003). Downs argues almost exactly the opposite, or at least a refinement of this approach that is so nuanced as to amount to something entirely new: the weak may have used subtle tactics to outfox or ambush the strong, but probably more often, they appealed to the strong for favors on the basis of their very weakness. They put themselves in the position of voluntarily admitting their dependence in hopes of getting what they needed from those in power.
This insight is a major change from the existing historiography. At first glance, it could be a return to the "enormous condescension of posterity" and Stanley M. Elkins's Sambo thesis: the poor, African Americans, and women had no real power and could not affect their world, so they had to beg crumbs from the table of the rich, white men.[1] But Downs's move is not a circle, but a gyre, keeping the best of what we have learned and spiraling back to reclaim some of what we once knew. There has been a trend in the historiography to dash the hopes raised by the new social history that perhaps the powerless had more power than we thought. Eric Foner named this trend "post-revisionism" in reference to Reconstruction.[2] Downs's view is not quite so pessimistic, perhaps, but it is certainly a realpolitik of the weak. The people he writes about had a clear-eyed acknowledgment of their lack of power, but they were at the same time finding ways of using that very lack of power to get what they needed. If this sounds familiar, it is because historians have described it before, just not in the United States. It is what Latin Americanists would know as patronalism, a system where "services are distributed by big men on behalf of favored clients" (p. 5). Patronalism works where the state is weak, and the weakness of the state in the South during the latter nineteenth century is key to Downs's argument. Using patronalism as a key framework for understanding the relationship between individuals and their government in this period brings the United States into closer comparison with the rest of the world and also dispels the myths "that political history can be told largely through the centrality and contested expansion of citizenship rights, that Americans deeply resist relationships of dependence, that the United States possessed a weak government, and that its people, by and large, expected nothing more, at least not before the New Deal" (p. 1). In fact, Downs argues that the expansion of state power during the Civil War pushed people to want much more from the state than it could provide, and patronalism became a way to mediate this conflict in the decades when the state was expanding to meet the needs and expectations of its citizens. Clearly, this goes directly against a deeply entrenched line of argument that suggests that most people in this period were coming to idealize independence and atomism at the same time that the state was actually expanding.[3]
The sources Downs uses are nothing new: governors' correspondence, Freedmen's Bureau records, and newspapers. What is new is the way he uses them, giving careful attention to the text and the ways that people ask for things, actually hearing the voices and wondering why they phrased things in particular ways. What did it mean when a semiliterate farmer called a governor "my friend" or when a widow invoked heaven's blessing on a Freedmen's Bureau agent? Where earlier historians had brushed these surface coverings away to get at the real substance beneath, Downs suggests that these surfaces contain substance of their own. He has a real strength in taking seriously the religious language people used as well. The book examines North Carolina because with its geographical diversity and the fact that it was involved in all the major political movements of the period considered, it makes a perfect laboratory. Despite the single state focus, Declarations of Dependence introduces ideas that should seem familiar to students of any corner of the South during and after the Civil War.
The first chapter begins the story in the Civil War, with white North Carolinians appealing to Governor Zebulon Vance for all sorts of things: help in managing unruly slaves, food or other support as times grew hard, and furloughs or assistance in evading the clutches of the Confederate army. These Confederate citizens wrote to Vance to take him up on his January 1863 promise to support the wives and children of soldiers. Just as Vance had personalized his promises to voters, citizens personalized their appeals for his assistance, asking for special help even while acknowledging that this was out of the ordinary. The state could not help everyone, but perhaps it could help me, they thought. Chapter 2 considers the contraband question, focusing on Freedmen's Bureau superintendent Horace James as the patron. Here Downs gives us an even more nuanced view of how freedpeople negotiated their freedom than we have come to expect from the wave of scholarship emerging over the years from the Freedmen and Southern Society Project. Freedpeople made a difference not just through exercising scarce power themselves, but also by finding new people at various levels who could serve as patrons and who could be played off against one another. This culminated in the set of legends surrounding Abraham Lincoln, who was thought to have traveled through the South visiting enslaved and recently freed people, promising them help. Earlier scholars had always had a hard time knowing what to do with these stories, but they make perfect sense in the framework of patronalism that Downs uses.
For such a long time, we have told the story of Reconstruction as the story of a triumphant national state imposing its righteous will against surprisingly resilient, recalcitrant ex-Confederates that it comes as a bit of a surprise to be reminded in chapter 3 of just how weak that national state was. Downs traces this weakness to the premature demobilization of the army starting in mid-1864 because of fears that the federal budget had to be trimmed. By the autumn of 1866, North Carolina, like the rest of the South (not counting Texas, which was different), was being run by a skeleton crew. A mere fifteen Freedmen's Bureau agents were responsible for covering the state of a million people scattered across an area nearly as large as Britain, with the support of only 1,226 soldiers. In May 1866, a Freedmen's Bureau agent had to leave the body of a murdered soldier to rot in the road because he could not muster a sufficient force to go retrieve it.
Chapters on the leadership of William W. Holden during the struggle against the Ku Klux Klan and of Vance during and after Redemption continue the story. Holden tried to implement a democratic government, but lacked the power to do so. This contest between expectations and abilities meant that the state (in this case, the state government rather than the federal government) could not offer services and protection to everyone in a modern, depersonalized way, which emphasized the territoriality of power. For Vance, the key issue was dispensation of patronage jobs and pardons. Vance fought a rearguard action against the end of patronalism, opposing civil service reform when he was in the U.S. Senate. "If a man's friends take him up and enable him after a great struggle to arrive at the point coveted by his ambition he owes something to them," claimed Vance, in an attack on the meritocratic, or aristocratic, bureaucracy that was replacing the personal relationship between patron and client (p. 155).
Chapter 6 follows the career of Tom Settle Jr. in the 1890s to show how ideas about patronalism inflected the Populist campaigns of that turbulent decade. Supporters of the gold standard criticized the Populists' demand for silver as a "craze" or "fetish," and the dominant strand of historiography, exemplified by Lawrence Goodwyn's Democratic Promise: The Populist Moment in America (1976) has patiently argued that free silver was a very logical, financially sound position to take. Downs does not get into that argument but looks at why support of silver was seen as a craze and how the circulation of rumors affected political outcomes. In this context, the focus again shifts to the national stage, with William Jennings Bryan becoming the patron to whom the weak appeal. Unsurprisingly, given Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech, Downs has plenty to work with here to tease out the religious meanings of the debates over free silver.
The book's last full chapter tells again the story of the rise of the modern state on the back of the white supremacy movement. Downs does a very thorough job here of explaining the intellectual origins of the group of progressives who emerged at the end of the 1890s. Embarrassingly for those of us who like to remember what a force for progress and racial tolerance Chapel Hill was from the 1920s onward, it was the University of North Carolina in the 1870s and 1880s that took the lead in importing European ideas about society and fusing them with local ideas about race to shape men like Charles Aycock, Edwin Alderman, and Francis Winston. Once in power, these white supremacists rationalized government and finally created a state that dealt with its citizens as abstractions rather than as individuals who each had a right to ask for special treatment. A coda takes the story up to the New Deal and a brief resurgence of the patronal style when Franklin Roosevelt asked radio listeners to write to him directly with their concerns.
No doubt, Downs has not got everything right in this book, and arguments can be made about particulars and whether he put too much emphasis on this or on that, whether he left out something else that should have been included, and so on. What is not in doubt is that he has brought an important new way of conceiving of how power worked in the late nineteenth century and the nature of the evolving relationship between state and citizen. It is a book that will make each of us who studies the period look at our own materials with new questions, and that is the best kind of book.
[1]. E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (London: Victor Gollancz, 1963), 12; and Stanley M. Elkins, Slavery: A Problem in American Institutional and Intellectual Life (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1959).
[2]. Eric Foner, "Reconstruction Revisited," Reviews in American History 10, no. 4 (December 1982), 83. Brian Kelly makes a similar point about Hahn in his review of A Nation under Our Feett: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South, From Slavery to the Great Migration, by Stephen Hahn, Labor 1, no. 3 (2004): 145-147.
[3]. Heather Cox Richardson, West from Appomattox: The Reconstruction of America after the Civil War (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007).
: The Long Reconstruction of Popular Politics in the South, 1861-1908
[1]. James C. Scott, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985); James C. Scott, Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990); Steven Hahn, A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South, From Slavery To the Great Migration (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003).
in his review in
[5] Lawrence Goodwyn, Democratic Promise: The Populist Moment in America (New York: Oxford University Press, 1976).
If there is additional discussion of this review, you may access it through the network, at: https://networks.h-net.org/h-shgape.
Bruce E. Baker. Review of Downs, Gregory P., Declarations of Dependence: The Long Reconstruction of Popular Politics in the South, 1861-1908.
H-SHGAPE, H-Net Reviews.
September, 2011.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=33171
|This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.


text:
Need help? Advice?
10-6 EST, m-f
Put the finishing touches on a perfectly charming nursery with the Oeuf ML Nightstand! This sweet little nightstand provides the perfect perch for lamps, clocks, and nightlights, and has a cute cubby inside to store plush toys for snuggles and books for bedtime stories.
The simple, sleek, and modern look of the Oeuf ML Nightstand pairs beautifully with many other items in the Oeuf nursery furniture collection, and it also enables the nightstand to grow with your child – they'll be using it from the time they're a toddler up through the teen years.
The Oeuf ML Nightstand is made with an eco-friendly and non-toxic combination of Baltic birch plywood and MDF, with a non-toxic lacquer finish. Measures 18 7/8"L x 15 7/8"H x 14 3/16"W.
This product has no reviews...yet.
Help your fellow shoppers and


text:
Cocteau Twins have proven to be one of the most prolific bands in modern music, with dozens of releases spanning their 15-year career—nearly 140 individual songs.
This Discography and Videography focuses on the basic information about each release, with details concerning UK, Canadian and US releases, with some information about Japanese or other international versions of material. For a more exhaustive discographic analysis, visit the 4AD/Eyesore Database (for information up to 1991).
An extensive discography and gigography are also available at www.cocteautwins.org.


text:
If you experience neck pain when you perform abdominal crunches lying flat on the floor, try doing this move with a small, partially deflated ball behind your back. The ball assists you in holding the correct position so you don't overuse your neck muscles. You can also use a firm pillow in place of the ball.
Sit on a flat, level surface with a small, squishy ball placed behind your lower back. Bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Begin by holding the backs of your thighs and lean back. Tuck your hips under and press your lower back firmly against the ball.
On an exhalation, press your navel down toward the spine to flatten your abdominals. Maintain pressure on the ball as you raise your left arm above your head. Pause for two seconds, then lower your left arm and raise your right arm. Concentrate on compressing your abdominals throughout the entire exercise. Repeat three times with each arm. Release by sitting upright away from the ball. Repeat this exercise two to three times.
Voight is the creator of a line of fitness DVDs, including "Full Body Stretch" and "Ballet BodySculpt."


text:
Zambia: Investors eye oil refinery
ENERGY and Water Development Minister Kenneth Konga yesterday told Parliament that several foreign investors have expressed interest in setting oil refinery companies in the various parts of Zambia.
Mr Konga said the Government was encouraging Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the various sectors of the economy and the oil industry was one of them.
He said this in response to a supplementary question by Kankoyo MP, Percy Chanda (PF) who sought to know how much it would cost to rehabilitate the Indeni Oil Refinery Company, which Mr Konga said the undertaking was estimated at U$2 million.
"We are alive to the fact that rehabilitating the Indeni Oil Refinery Company is a costly exercise that is why we are encouraging the PPP initiative. Already several foreign investors have already shown interest in this field," Mr Konga said.
Earlier, in his ministerial statement to the House on the shutting down of Indeni, Mr Konga assured the nation that there were sufficient fuel stocks to last during the routine closure of the refinery and as such there was no need for motorists to panic buy fuel.
Source: times.co.zm/ Image:blog kir


text:
Today, whilst venturing to prepare a coffee, I bumped into an object, or, it bumped into me, or my gaze, quietly lying there on the kitchen table, amidst the jars with coffee and sugar and salt and some other spices. The thing in question was an oversized ceramics spoon. On its neck is written 'Sicilia' in capital letters, and in the cavity, against an ultramarine blue background, a hybrid of map and landscape represents the geography of the above mentioned island. All over this small piece of thick paint standing for the big island, small signposts are spread, indicating the names of the major cities and historical localities, accompanied with tiny illustrations of important landmarks or just typical buildings. For example, above a resounding signpost for Etna spears a triangular form of a volcano. Around the mainland, animating the deep blue surface which refers to the Mediterranean Sea, there is a ship, a sailing boat, and a couple of fish. Just off the north-eastern coast, not forgotten, lie three small chunks of land standing for the sublime Aeolian Islands (which, in fact, are eight, but the three shown are actually the biggest ones). The entire landscape map, since it is made of multiple layers of ceramics, produces a relief of valleys and mountains (whose disposition does not, at all, correspond to the real physical features of the terrain). The object in itself is, of course, just a simple souvenir, and was probably a very annoying one for the one who dared to carry it, as fragile as it is, all the way from the sunny island to my snowy hometown. The result of this voyage, besides being a memento of the travels to that magical island, may be of richer consequences to the dwellers of my home, and not only them.
A couple of carefully placed features demonstrate the cartographic conscience of the maker of the artefact. In the lower right angle of the head of the spoon, just off the southern coast, the central symbol of Sicilian flag, a medusa head with three legs, called trinacria (a derivation of a symbol of ancient origin – triskelion), is surrounded by four powerful letters – N, E, S, O – standing for north, east, south, west. So, the spoon officially claims to be a map.
Further, names of the places are disposed over the map with a certain degree of topographic precision (and a bit of poetic freedom), and, interestingly, caring little about the fundamental rules of graphic design: the font and the size of the letters result in masses of names attached one to the other, covering large portions of the terrain. Scarse as it may seem in terms of cartographic design, this organisation of labels, in fact, does convey the most important geographic feature (from the point of view of the spoon-map-maker), that is, where the places stand one in relation to other. The distances and the exact locations are secondary. What is quintessential is, that, if, for example, one is to find her- or himself in Agrigento, if she/he went north-east, she/he would get to Caltanissetta. If she/he were to take off westward by the sea, the path would lead her/him to Sciacca. If she/he proceeded southward along the coast, Gela would cross the path, and so on. The elemental and fundamental information is visualised, the rest is upon the traveller. It is a geography of places, and the relations between them are given, to a certain extent. The simplicity of the design admits that there are myriads of other places and details, waiting to be 'discovered' and explored. The landscape-map provides just the basic palimpsest, but, which eventually, even as rough as it is, may allow one to get ashore onto the island, and have some basic information about where to go (and, even possibly, eat greater amounts of pasta than already substantial Sicilian portions, if she/he were to adopt the spoon to its original purpose).
Although maps by definition serve very specific purposes, by their transformation in everyday objects they can become more and less functional, depending on the perspective. Maps, merged with various objects, are still able to effectively influence our spatial epistemologies, maybe, at first glance, imperceptibly. The hybrid things/maps may open unexpected points of view, prospects, and percepts. Where and when we least expect it.
Someone is about to cook a lasagna in Provence, and he puts on a map of Britain printed on a chef de cuisine apron. Someone eats lunch in Buenos Aires over a NYC subway map tablecover. Someone walks about Madrid carrying volumes of Italian poetry in a linen tote bag with a Chicago map on it. Someone in Kilburn walks an antique map of Maine printed on his tee shirt. Another map souvenir here and there.
These touristic artefacts or designer items are real cartographic devices embodying possible encounters, meet-ups, detours and dérives. These things/maps, the way they are present and the way they present spatial information, are very different from maps as maps such as classic pocket-folded paper maps, large impossible-to-refold road maps, or map apps shining on computer or smartphone screens. Somewhere in between lie grand and regal paper maps which were decorating the walls of our dining rooms for centuries (and, which, for some reason, went out of fashion in the past decades). Just as a reminder, as soon as the modern cartography embraced the modern printing technique, towards the end of the 16th century in the Low Countries, people started living with maps. All social classes, from upper bourgeois merchants to peasants, adornedtheir premises with intricate bundles of lines which represented lands known and unknown. The eyes of these houses' dwellers travelled along these lines every day, passing distractedly over them or scrutinising them point by point.
Derivatives of these elaborate prints, lay maps produced and sold today as souvenirs on mugs, plates, clothes, permeate our lives somewhat similarly and differently. These maps are 'souvenirs' etymologically speaking, which is to say tokens of remembrance, mementos, and more than that, actual openings towards other spaces and places, physical bundles of heterogeneous information. Cartographic information they bear does not refer strictly to places represented, these geographic lines and blots, first of all, become presences in our everyday experience, pieces of quotidian perception. The moment of the (visual or haptic) contact between a map souvenir of Paris and someone somewhere else altogether is already a genuine dérive unto itself, or, to follow Foucault, a small heterotopia in act. Maybe it is not very exceptional that someone goes out, say, onto a street of Belgrade Old Town with a map of Marais in mind. In the era of most advanced cartography ever, we shall not forget that maps are not made (just) to control or to navigate. And that the geographic subjects are not always exactly at the pin where the GPS system fixes them.
What is it that the souvenir maps may remind (souvient) us of, to which already visited or yet not seen landscapes? What short-circuits of streets, imaginary or fantastic, they may infuse or confuse in our laboriously (mathematically) constructed pyschogeographies? To what paths they may lead us without even realising why and how?


text:
Built in 1758 by blacksmith Isaac Valentine, this four-level fieldstone farmhouse is the 2nd oldest house in The Bronx. It is also the home of the Museum of Bronx History.
3309 Bainbridge Ave | Bronx, NY 10467www.bronxhistoricalsociety.org National Landmark Listed: March 21, 1978
Page 2 of 2
Click to view Best of The Bronx Videos
history, music, tours, art, culture
Want to tell us something?


text:
EMH Episode 93 - "I know we'll continue to bring smiles, thrills, scares, and wonder to attraction guests world wide. For me, it's a dream come true." — Garner L. Holt. Our host Cody with producer Joe, Jared, Justin, Jenn, and Elizabeth, join Mr. Garner Holt founder and president of Garner Holt Productions Inc. We visit and discuss the worlds finest animatronics that he and his company have produced for the past 40 years. Joint us...
An Animated Background
My company and I have literally grown up together. I founded Garner Holt Productions in 1977, when I was still in high school. I've gone from my parents' garage—with my mother acting as secretary!—to a giant production facility, studio and mockup space where I operate today with the help of nearly a hundred talented employees.
GHP is my playground. It's a combination of a cutting-edge technology workshop and an artistic inventor's lab. As a result, being here is different from any other work environment. It's like a giant toy factory, and every day is something different. Because our mission here is to inform, educate, and entertain, I believe our work and our creations have a lasting impact on our audience.
This company is my main focus, my pride and joy, and, if I may brag a little, the most unique and talented group in the world. We've built nearly 500 Chuck E. Cheese animatronic shows for restaurants all over the planet. We were the first outside company to create an animatronic character for a classic Disney attraction--we now have more than 400 figures in Disney parks throughout the world. In our more than three decades of work, we've built more animatronics and other unusual and amazing creations than any organization on the planet.
Our expertise in the design and production of quality animatronics is unsurpassed. In fact, we've built more figures than any other animatronics company in history. That experience and expertise is why close to 70% of our work comes from repeat clients in some of the most high-profile attractions and destinations in the world. We provide exceptional products for a fair price. Big or small, all of our clients know that GHP provides the very best figures, ride and show elements, and other creative creations available anywhere.
I know we'll continue to bring smiles, thrills, scares, and wonder to attraction guests world wide. For me, it's a dream come true. Garner L. Holt
Thanks for listening! We'll see you real soon!
Twitter Info: @Elizabeth_DTE (Elizabeth), @JennLovesDisney (Jenn), @InsideDisney407 (Cody), @HatboxMouse (Jared), @justinkoehn (Justin), @dvcradio (Joe), @me_hARRdee_YOHO (Stefania)
Our show sponsors
We give you the royal treatment you deserve. Contact our sponsor, Allergy Free Princess at:
I am a full service travel agent with Destinations to Explore. I would love to help you and your family plan your perfect vacation. The best part of my service is that is it totally FREE to you. Contact me and let's start putting together a vacation that is perfect for your family.
If you enjoy Disney Parks and Resorts Music as well as the Classics.
Tune into our sponsor, DVCRadio soon to be TMKBRadio, Disney's radio channel at::
http://www.dvcradio.com and soon at http://www.tmkbradio.com


text:
Life Story / Obituary
BAX – Mrs. Eleanor A. Bax, aged 96 of Grand Rapids passed away August 4, 2018. Surviving are her husband of 73 years Gerald A. Bax; her niece Pamela Ligtvoet; nephews Jon (Colleen) Ligtvoet, Garry (Gloria) Kempker and Steven (Nancy) Kempker; as well as great nieces. A private service was held. Interment will be in Pilgrim Home Cemetery, Holland. Memorial contributions to either the Aberdeen Reformed Church Endowment Fund or the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans would be appreciated. "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" II Cor. 5, 8


text:
Yasodhara Heights was developed with the Ashram Society members in mind. It offers the opportunity to live away from the core of Ashram daily activity in a retreat-like environment, but also to be close to and engaged in the community and to live in homes that support our commitment to environmental responsibility.
The three cabins that currently make up Yasodhara Heights are well on their way to completion. Cabin One, also known as Red Cabin, has been occupied since July, and will be vacant come February 2011. Cabin Two will be ready by mid-December, but will be occupied until the spring. Cabin Three will be ready at the end of January.
The cabins can be rented by members of the Yasodhara Ashram community who are interested in participating in the Ashram's daily activities. The application process is being developed, and the occupancy agreement is in its final draft form.
"Our goal was to minimize our footprint, and maximize our use of the land," says Swami Sivananda. "For this reason Cabin Three was the most challenging building for us to come up with a plan."
These cabins, an exercise in sustainability, were also built with the environment in mind. To do so, Swami Sivananda, in conjunction with builder and planner Allen Hughes, worked to come up with a sustainable plan.
"The whole idea was to try to make the buildings as green as we economically could. So we've incorporated very conventional kinds of things; they're super insulated, super well-sealed buildings with triple-glazed windows: all things which are proven, standard technology that anyone building a new house would want to consider. And then we started expanding from that, but there was a limit to what we could do economically. So we've incorporated things like light tubes, which bring natural light into the building in places where it would naturally be dark. We pioneered this at the ashram when we renovated the Barn. We also incorporated heat-recovery ventilators.
"We tried to use locally sourced lumber as best we could; these big beams that you see all come from a community forest across the lake. I think it's pretty good on the green side… there's always more we could have done, and we've learned a lot as we went. It's sort of a progression."
"We found some things just don't work; solar and geothermal heating — things we have at the ashram — isn't at all an economical investment for these types of buildings. It's always that trick of matching the technology to the application, and being physically responsible while still being as green as we can be."
In "Bridging Heights," Paris Marshall-Smith and Rebecca Dale, the prospective Cabin Three residents, discuss what it means for them as young women to live at Yasodhara Ashram's newest community.


text:
Travis Roy is a powerful motivational speaker and a former college ice hockey player for Boston University. On October 20, 1995 – just eleven seconds into his first-ever shift for Boston University men's ice hockey team – a 20-year-old Roy slid head-first into the boards, cracking his fourth vertebra and leaving him a quadriplegic. That fateful October night in 1995 signaled the death of one dream – but also the eventual rebirth of a special kind of hope. Although imprisoned for months in a hospital bed, then confined to a wheelchair, Travis gradually found the grit and the will to reclaim for himself a fulfilling and productive life.
Travis has spoken to various corporations, universities and high schools across the country. He speaks on conquering life's hurdles, setting goals, and his overall experiences in life. He has a unique ability to quickly connect with his audience no matter what profession or age.
Roy and Sports Illustrated writer E.M. Swift wrote his autobiography, Eleven Seconds. His story was also featured on ESPN's E:60 series in an episode titled "Travis Roy, 20 years ago, 11 seconds long." During the 2015 NHL season, the Boston Bruins signed Travis to a one-day contract and had him perform the ceremonial puck drop before a game. On October 20, 2015, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh declared October 20th "Travis Roy Day" to honor Travis, and to recognize the work he has done through "The Travis Roy Foundation". In December 2016, Travis was profiled in People Magazine's "Heroes among Us". In April 2017, Travis was awarded with the "Beacon of Courage and Dedication Award" at the 14th annual "Gathering for a Cure" Gala of the Brain Mapping Foundation.
Travis set up the Travis Roy Foundation, to help spinal cord injury survivors and to fund research for a cure. Inspired by Travis' own story, the lifeblood of the Travis Roy Foundation has been the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations across North America. This generosity has made an immediate impact on the lives of many individuals. Since 1997, the Travis Roy Foundation has distributed more than $12 million in individual grants as well as to research projects and rehabilitation institutions across North America. The Travis Roy Foundation is uniquely positioned to touch individual lives with its focus on providing adaptive equipment and sponsoring research.


text:
Drax Power Station
Drax Power Station reduce the cost and boost the efficiency of essential maintenance processes with IBM Enterprise Asset Management solutions
Drax Power Station is the largest, cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power station in the UK. Its six units have a total capacity of approximately 4,000 MW – typically producing enough power to meet 7-8% of the UK's electricity requirements.
- Outgrown their previous asset management solution's limited capabilities
- Lack of clear information for the supply chain organisation on stock levels and utilization
- Keeping energy plants running smoothly demands tight control of a wide range of assets
Refreshed its supply chain, asset and work management processes with IBM Maximo solutions (Maximo Work Management System, Scheduler and Health, Safety and Environment Manager modules) – providing clear visibility of stock levels and the historical data needed to forecast requirements.
- Up to £5 million in cost savings forecast
- Maximo is fully integrated into Drax's business processes
- Optimised stock levels and reduced over-stocking
- Compliant with stringent health and safety regulations
- Boosted efficiency of essential maintenance processes


text:
Running a home business is still going to demand all of the same business skills that would be required if you were doing the same outside of the home. As a matter of fact, it requires all of the same skills that would be required if your business was entirely offline. A high-profile website that sells some digital product or access to a popular cloud service reached that point by practicing and perfecting the same fundamental skills as a local car dealership; one of the most important being basic comprehension skills.
Reading comprehension is an obvious starting point because of the high-quantity of text-based content, advertisements, and media that exists online. If you are capable of reading this information and fully comprehending the idea and message that it teaches, you will gain a new understanding for topics that may have confused you before. To sharpen this tool, you need to become an active reader, reading as much content as possible while also taking notes simultaneously. Taking notes will lock down your attention onto the current segment and prevent "speed reading" over important segments.
Learning to listen is as important on a website as it is during a seminar. Your listening comprehension is two-fold when operating a home business, demanding auditory and visual influences. Some find it easier to listen in-depth on a phone, yet listening to their fellow peers or customers when they communicate through text seems impossible. In either situation, the lack of comprehension is usually due to anxious tendencies; eager to inject a comment or opinion and missing out on the conversation. Slow down and listen to all that you can, responding when the noise has settled and you have digested the idea.
Listening comprehension is an important attribute to master in the sense of text-based conversations as well as audible interactions. When involved in a conversation online, whether it is with another business owner or a consumer showing interest in your home business, use the field to your advantage by taking a second to read the message once again. It is surprising to see the number of small ideas that are overlooked while scanning through a message only once. Two seconds spent rereading the sentence can save a lot of confusion down the road.
Feedback comprehension is a fear amongst many business owners who secretly worry that they will receive too many poor reviews, thus avoiding feedback entirely. The other half of the business community has received such high volumes of negative or useless feedback that they hear but don't listen when beneficial feedback does come their way. The only solution is to swallow your pride and start asking for feedback at every turn. When you receive feedback, even when it isn't helpful advice, read through it and put another notch in your belt. Many of these opinions may eventually lead to positive changes once your comprehension skills have reached a professional level.
Comprehending the business world is a difficult task. Even those with great people skills can still have a hard time converting these ideas into the online domain. If comprehending the tips above was difficult, reading through them a second time will likely improve the situation.


text:
Werba Realty and Werba Property Management are committed to being the premier comprehensive Real Estate Company in the area by providing outstanding service built on trust, integrity, care and expertise.
We value the importance of developing and maintaining longstanding relationships with our clients, customers, employees and independent contractors.
The principles we hold are the cornerstones of our business philosophy and the foundation of our success as a leader in the industry and in the communities we have served since 1965.
We continuously strive to meet the ever changing demands of the market and the industry while maintaining the goals and exceeding the expectations for which we have become known by all those we serve.
The Guelly Family
Fritz, Mike, Gabi & Linda


text:
Major League Soccer: Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact
BMO Field – Wednesday, September 20 – [19:30 ET (00:30 BST)
Match Odds: Toronto 4/11 – Draw 15/4 – Montreal 6/1
Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact: Preview
Toronto FC take on Montreal Impact in the penultimate 401 Derby clash of the 2017 regular season. The two rivals come into the game in contrasting form, with Toronto on a red hot streak and Montreal really struggling.
Toronto made it six wins on the bounce with a 4-0 demolition over LA Galaxy on Saturday night. That away win was made even more impressive when you consider Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco didn't travel to California.
Don't miss: Will Toronto break the record for the highest MLS points tally?
The Reds are closing in on their first-ever Supporters' Shield title. They are 11 points clear of NYCFC in second place. They need five points to guarantee top spot, with their playoff place already confirmed.
Montreal fell 3-2 at home to Minnesota on Saturday night, making it four-straight losses. The Impact found a bit of form through August, winning four on the spin. But since then, they've reversed their form and dropped four consecutive games.
They are six points outside the top six with six games to play. Failure to win on Wednesday night would leave them with a mountain to climb if they're to make the postseason.
After making the playoffs for the past two seasons, it would be a serious step backwards for the franchise if they failed to make the top six this term. But that concern will likely become a reality with a loss at their rivals here.
Toronto won the reverse fixture 3-1 last month, with goals from Giovinco (2) and Altidore proving too much. The Reds also beat Montreal over two legs to win the Canadian Championship back in June.
Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact: Team News
Toronto FC should welcome back star attacking duo Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco here after both were rested for the trip to LA. Benoit Cheyrou and Nick Hagglund are both ruled out through injury once again. Greg Vanney might make changes to his side again here, with a trip to New England coming up on Saturday.
Montreal Impact's only injury absentee remains Ambroise Oyongo, as he is ruled out for the season. The Impact face a tricky trip to Atlanta United on Sunday night and might have to rotate the squad here as a result.
Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact: Key Points
Toronto FC's last five: W/W/W/W/W
Montreal Impact's last five: W/L/L/L/L
Key Stat: It's been almost a year since Toronto FC lost a home game during the regular season. Their last defeat came in October last year, when DC United picked up a 2-1 victory at BMO Field.
Key Player: Sebastian Giovinco – The Atomic Ant was rested for the weekend trip to LA but he should be back and ready to attack Montreal on Wednesday. He has played more games against Montreal than against any other team in his career, scoring eight in 14 against them.
Toronto FC vs Montreal Impact: Prediction
Toronto FC 3-0 Montreal Impact – The fact is, Toronto FC are the best side in MLS right now. They are riding a six-game win streak and haven't lost for two-and-a-half months. Montreal, on the other hand, have lost four-straight games and look to be in trouble. Their playoff hopes are fading fast and defeat here would leave them up against it. But with such a contrast in form between these rivals, it's tough to see anything other than a convincing home win.


text:
CHELMSFORD — A Waste Management worker found more than the usual bottles, cans and junk mail in the recycling bin of a resident — who is also a Westford police officer — during curbside pickup Wednesday morning.
According to Deputy Police Chief Dan Ahern, the recycling worker immediately called police upon discovering a loaded Smith & Wesson .40-caliber handgun in the bin on Pine Hill Road.
Chelmsford police notified Westford police of the discovery when they found the gun belonged to Westford Officer Derek Hartley, Ahern said.
Westford Town Manager Jodi Ross said Hartley is on paid administrative leave while the town investigates the incident.
Ahern said the firearm was returned to Hartley, who was unaware that it had found its way into the bin.
"Inadvertently and unbeknownst to him, it was dropped into the recycling bin in his home," Ahern said.
He said it appears the indoor recycling bin was kept adjacent to Hartley's gun safe. At some point, the gun must have fallen out of the safe and into the bin before its contents were transferred to an outside recycling bin, Ahern said.
Hartley's wife was home at the time and identified the weapon as her husband's, Ahern said. He said the handgun is a personal weapon, not a police-issued service gun.
Ahern called it an "isolated, strange incident."
"Fortunately, the person who recovered the gun notified us right away, was familiar with firearms and was able to return it to a safe place," he said.
There was no answer at Hartley's door when a reporter visited the property Friday, about 8:30 a.m. There was no answer at a listed phone number and the voicemail box was full.
Hartley is known in Westford and the area as a nature and animal lover. In 2014, The Sun interviewed him about his reputation as a horse whisperer and snake wrangler, and earlier efforts to rescue a giant snapping turtle and rehabilitate an injured screech owl.
In November 2016, Westford police shared a Facebook post about Hartley rescuing a hawk that suffered a head injury.
This isn't the first time a loaded gun has been found in an American recycling bin. According to a story from WPTV in Florida, workers from the St. Lucie County Solid Waste Authority found several loaded guns and live ammunition included with recycled materials over the course of a couple weeks in September 2016. At the time of that report, Fort Pierce police were holding onto three guns and more than 100 rounds of ammunition that had been left in residential recycling bins, WPTV reported.
Follow Alana Melanson at facebook.com/alana.lowellsun or on Twitter @alanamelanson.


text:
cart messages on live site
I have placed the site live in a test folder. When I get to the cart page, I get:
the browser has a ? after the cart.php and a message on the page:
cart.php? and I get the message:
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/karen1/public_html/karenshotz.com/test/cart.php:12) in /home/karen1/public_html/karenshotz.com/test/cart.php on line 106
In order to get to the check out page, I have to type checkout.php in the browser then when I click the checkout button I get confirm.php where another message shows up:
Warning: session_start() [function.session-start]: Cannot send session cache limiter - headers already sent (output started at /home/karen1/public_html/karenshotz.com/test/confirm.php:2) in /home/karen1/public_html/karenshotz.com/test/WA_eCart/WA_eCart_Definition_PHP.php on line 479
Looked at the files and I cannot figure out what is going on.
Thank you


text:
Back-to-School Bulletin Board: Stay Organized During the Rush
The slower pace and lazy days of summer have come to an end, and the school year often feels like a blur of bustling activity and busy schedules that keep you rushing along. Don't get caught up in the wave of overscheduling and flood of incoming paperwork. Use a bulletin board to help get your schedule and life on track. Use the board to display A+ worksheets, stellar artwork or other treasured items for a decorative touch that keeps your fridge and counters from becoming overly cluttered. Consider transforming a decorative bulletin board into a central hub for your family's communication by using it for reminders, a large calendar or an inbox and outbox for important papers.
A hectic schedule increases the odds that you and your child could forget about important appointments, milestones, tests and other events. Getting kids off to school and heading out to work can pass by in a blur and it's easy to overlook important details. Set up a family bulletin board next to the breakfast nook or by the hooks where you keep your coats and backpacks. Get into the routine of posting important appointments and upcoming events as soon as you know about them. Check the board every day before leaving the house to minimize the odds of overlooking an important appointment.
Customized Calendar
Use your back to school bulletin board to create a family calendar every month. Store push pins, scissors and index cards in desk accessories such as a lazy Susan and place it near the board for optimal convenience. Pin index cards, sticky notes or blank paper onto the board to create a monthly grid. Add parent-teacher meetings, work events, sporting events, parties and school events for the month. Keep the calendar in a handy spot and get into the habit of reviewing it once a week or every evening to stay abreast of any impending events.
Permission slips, report cards and anything else that requires your review, attention or signature should go on the incoming bulletin board. Have your child get into the habit of emptying his backpack or tote bag every day and placing the paperwork that needs your attention on this bulletin board. You and your spouse can get into the habit of reviewing the board every day and taking the necessary action before pinning the completed paperwork to the outbox. Arrange this back-to-school bulletin board near your child's coat or backpack. Encourage your child to get into the habit of checking the board every day to take the paperwork back to school in a timely fashion.
In addition to using a bulletin board to help you keep your family's schedule organized, consider adding personalization to your child's backpack and school gear to keep multiple items easy to recognize both at home and at school. We offer personalization on most of our backpacks, lunchbags and gear accessories. Use a label maker or decorative paper to label your bulletin boards, adding the name of the month or the name of the board to keep multiple boards separate and easy to identify at a glance.


text:
Looking for a high quality,
authentic, Mariachi Band in Oregon for your party, wedding or event? Mariachi
Calavera is made up of only the best mariachi musicians in Oregon. Tell
us your event details to get a free, no-obligation quote from the best mariachi
band in Oregon!
What is Mariachi?
Mariachi is a traditional Mexican folk
music that originated in the state of Jalisco,
and is now loved and respected throughout the country as a piece of
Mexican identity.
About Mariachi Calavera
Mariachi Calavera is one of the
most exciting and creative performing groups working the Portland, Salem and Eugene areas! Their style and musicianship allow for
spontaneous and exciting sounds in every project or
performance. Mariachi Calavera sets the standard for professionalism and
reliability, determined to deliver the very best in mariachi entertainment
that only years of performing can bring!
Web Hosting powered by Network Solutions®