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The Holy Qurán
The Holy Qurán
» The Groups (Az-Zumar)
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
The revelation of this Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Power, full of Wisdom.
Verily it is We Who have revealed the Book to thee in Truth: so serve Allah, offering Him sincere devotion.
Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guides not such as are false and ungrateful.
Had Allah wished to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He doth create: but Glory be to Him! (He is above such things.) He is Allah, the One, the Over powering.
He created the heavens and the earth in true (proportions): He makes the Night overlap the Day, and the Day overlap the Night: He has subjected the sun and the moon (to His law): each one follows a course for a time appointed. Is not He the Exalted in Power - He Who forgives again and again?
He created you (all) from a single person: then created, of like nature, his mate; and He sent down for you eight head of cattle in pairs: He creates you, in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness. Such is Allah, your Lord and Cherisher: to Him belongs (all) dominion. There is no god but He: then how are ye turned away (from your true Lord)?
If ye reject (Allah), Truly Allah hath no need of you; but He liketh not ingratitude from His servants: if ye are grateful, He is pleased with you. No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another. In the end, to your Lord is your Return, when He will tell you the truth of all that ye did (in this life). for He knoweth well all that is in (men's) hearts.
When some trouble toucheth man, he crieth unto his Lord, turning to Him in repentance: but when He bestoweth a favor upon him as from Himself, (man) doth forget what he cried and prayed for before, and he doth set up rivals unto Allah, thus misleading others from Allah's Path. Say, "Enjoy thy disbelief for a little while: verily thou art (one) of the Companions of the Fire!"
Is one who worships devoutly during the hour of the night prostrating himself or standing (in adoration), who takes heed of the Hereafter, and who places his hope in the Mercy of his Lord - (like one who does not)? Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition.
Say: "O ye My servants who believe! Fear your Lord, good is (the reward) for those who do good in this world. Spacious is Allah's earth! Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure!"
Say: "Verily, I am commanded to serve Allah with sincere devotion;
"And I am commanded to be the first of those who submit to Allah in Islám."
Say: "I would, if I disobeyed my Lord, indeed have fear of the Chastisement of a Mighty Day."
Say: "It is Allah I serve, with my sincere (and exclusive) devotion:
"Serve ye what ye will besides Him." Say: "Truly, those in loss are those who lose their own souls and their people on the Day of Judgment: Ah! That is indeed the (real and) evident Loss!
They shall have Layers of Fire above them, and Layers (of Fire) below them: with this doth Allah warn off His servants: "O My Servants! then fear ye Me!"
Those who eschew Tagut,- and fall not into its worship,- and turn to Allah (in repentance),- for them is Good News: so announce the Good News to My Servants,-
Those who listen to the Word, and follow the best of in it: those are the ones who Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding.
Is, then, one against whom the decree of Punishment is justly due (equal to one who eschews Evil)? Wouldst thou, then, deliver one (who is) in the Fire?
But it is for those who fear their Lord, that lofty mansions, one above another, have been built: beneath them flow rivers: (such is) the Promise of Allah. never doth Allah fail in (His) promise.
Seest thou not that Allah sends down rain from the sky, and leads it through springs in the earth? Then He causes to grow, therewith, produce of various colors: then it withers; thou wilt see it grow yellow; then He makes it dry up and crumble away. Truly, in this, is a Message of remembrance to men of understanding.
Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islám, so that he has received Light from Allah, (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah! they are manifestly wandering (in error)!
Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspects): the skins of those who fear their Lord tremble thereat; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the remembrance of Allah. Such is the guidance of Allah. He guides therewith whom He pleases, but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide.
Is, then, one who has to ward off the brunt of the Chastisement on the Day of Judgment (and receive it) on his face, (like one guarded therefrom)? It will be said to the wrong- doers: "Taste ye (the fruits of) what ye earned!"
Those before them (also) rejected (revelation), and so the Punishment came to them from directions they did not perceive.
So Allah gave them a taste of humiliation in the present life, but greater is the punishment of the Hereafter, if they only knew!
We have put forth for men, in this Qurán every kind of Parable, in order that they may receive admonition.
(It is) a Qurán in Arabic, without any crookedness (therein): in order that they may guard against Evil.
Allah puts forth a Parable - a man belonging to many partners at variance with each other, and a man belonging entirely to one master: are those two equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah. but most of them have no knowledge.
Truly thou wilt die (one day), and truly they (too) will die (one day).
In the end will ye (all) dispute, on the Day of Judgment, in the presence of your Lord.
Who, then, doth more wrong than one who utters a lie concerning Allah, and rejects the Truth when it comes to him! Is there not in Hell an abode for the unbelievers?
And he who brings the Truth and he who confirms (and supports) it - such are the men who do right.
They shall have all that they wish for, with their Lord: such is the reward of those who do good:
So that Allah will remit from them (even) the worst in their deeds and give them their reward according to the best of what they have done.
Is not Allah enough for His Servant? But they try to frighten thee with other (gods) besides Him! for such as Allah leaves to stray, there can be no guide.
And such as Allah doth guide there can be none to lead astray. Is not Allah Exalted in Power, Lord of Retribution?
If indeed thou ask them who it is that created the heavens and the earth, they would be sure to say, "Allah". Say: "See ye then? the things that ye invoke besides Allah,- can they, if Allah wills some affliction for me, remove His affliction?- Or if He wills some Mercy for me, can they keep back his Mercy?" Say: "Sufficient is Allah for me! In Him trust those who put their trust."
Say: "O my People! Do whatever ye can: I will do (my part): but soon will ye know-
"Who it is to whom comes a chastisement of ignominy, and on whom descends a chastisement that abides."
Verily We have revealed the Book to thee in Truth, for (instructing) mankind. He, then, that receives guidance benefits his own soul: but he that strays injures his own soul. Nor art thou set a custodian over them.
It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.
What! Do they take for intercessors others besides Allah? Say: "Even if they have no power whatever and no intelligence?"
Say: "To Allah belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession: to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: In the End, it is to Him that ye shall be brought back."
When Allah, alone, is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust; but when (gods) other than He are mentioned, behold, they are filled with joy!
Say: "O Allah. Creator of the heavens and the earth! Knower of all that is hidden and open! It is Thou that wilt judge between Thy Servants in those matters about which they have differed."
Even if the wrong-doers had all that there is on earth, and as much more, (in vain) would they offer it for ransom from the pain of the Chastisement on the Day of Judgment: but something will confront them from Allah, which they could never have counted upon!
For the evils of their Deeds will confront them, and they will be (completely) encircled by that which they used to mock at!
Now, when trouble touches man, he cries to Us: but when We bestow a favor upon him as from Us, he says, "This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge (I have)!" Nay, but this is but a trial, but most of them understand not!
Thus did the (generations) before them say! But all that they did was of no profit to them.
Nay, the evil results of their Deeds overtook them. And the wrong-doers of this (generation)- the evil results of their Deeds will soon overtake them (too), and they will not escape!
Know they not that Allah enlarges the provision or restricts it, for any He pleases? Verily, in this are Signs for those who believe!
Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
"Turn ye to your Lord (in repentance) and submit to Him, before the chastisement comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.
"And follow the best of that which was revealed to you from your Lord, before the Chastisement comes on you - of a sudden while ye perceive not!-
"Lest the soul should (then) say: 'Ah! Woe is me!- In that I neglected (my duty) towards Allah, and was but among those who mocked!'-
"Or (lest) it should say: 'If only Allah had guided me, I should certainly have been among the righteous!'-
"Or (lest) it should say when it (actually) sees the Chastisement: 'If only I had another chance, I should certainly be among those who do good!'
"(The reply will be:) 'Nay, but there came to thee My Signs, and thou didst reject them: thou wast Haughty, and became one of those who reject faith!'"
On the Day of Judgment wilt thou see those who told lies against Allah.- their faces will be turned black; Is there not in Hell an abode for the Haughty?
But Allah will deliver the righteous for they have earned salvation: no evil shall touch them, nor shall they grieve.
Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.
To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: and those who reject the Signs of Allah,- it is they who will be in loss.
Say: "Is it some one other than Allah that ye order me to worship, O ye ignorant ones?"
But it has already been revealed to thee,- as it was to those before thee,- "If thou wert to join (gods with Allah), truly fruitless will be thy work (in life), and thou wilt surely be among the Losers."
Nay, but worship Allah, and be of those who give thanks.
No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him: on the Day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand: Glory to Him! High is He above the Partners they attribute to Him!
The Trumpet will (just) be sounded, when all that are in the heavens and on earth will swoon, except such as it will please Allah (to exempt). Then will a second one be sounded, when, behold, they will be standing and looking on!
And the Earth will shine with the Light of its Lord: the Record (of Deeds) will be placed (open); the prophets and the witnesses will be brought forward and a just decision pronounced between them; and they will not be wronged (in the least).
And to every soul will be paid in full (the fruit) of its Deeds; and (Allah) knoweth best all that they do.
The Unbelievers will be led to Hell in groups: until, when they arrive, there, its gates will be opened, and its keepers will say, "Did not messengers come to you from among yourselves, rehearsing to you the Signs of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of this Day of yours?" The answer will be: "True: but the Decree of Chastisement has been proved true against the Unbelievers!"
(To them) will be said: "Enter ye the gates of Hell, to dwell therein: and evil is (this) Abode of the Arrogant!"
And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in groups: until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers will say: "Peace be upon you! Well have ye done! Enter ye here, to dwell therein."
They will say: "Praise be to Allah, Who has truly fulfilled His Promise to us, and has given us (this) land in heritage: we can dwell in the Garden as we will: how excellent a reward for those who work (righteousness)!"
And thou wilt see the angels surrounding the Throne (Divine) on all sides, singing Glory and Praise to their Lord. The Decision between them (at Judgment) will be in (perfect) justice, and the cry (on all sides) will be, "Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!"


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Post by Christopher Argyros , Pride Agenda Transgender Rights Organizer
I'm excited to announce that the Pride Agenda has joined the nationwide Trans Advocacy Network (TAN)! This is a recently-formed alliance of organizations that advocate for transgender equality and justice at the state and local level. TAN will create opportunities for member organizations, such as the Pride Agenda, to connect with trans organizations across the country for organizing and sharing resources, best practices and strategies, with the goal of building momentum for trans equality across the country.
I can certainly attest from my own experience as a trans rights organizer that this Network will be enormously helpful for the work I do with the Pride Agenda and as coordinator of the New York State Transgender Rights Coalition. Over the last year, I've gotten on the phone regularly with advocates from other states, seeking their insight and advice on strategies and sharing resources. I found that my conversations with organizer-extraordinaire Gunner Scott (Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition) were so helpful that I invited him to speak with the New York State coalition last month about campaign organizing, media outreach and messaging strategies. While recognizing that each state is different, with a unique set of hurdles and challenges in forging the road to full equality, the knowledge we share about what works (and what doesn't) is invaluable. Additionally, in these conversations we inspire and support each other in what can sometimes be frustrating and challenging work.
You can learn more about the Trans Advocacy Network at the new website: www.transadvocacynetwork.org. Also, check out the Network on Facebook and follow the Network on Twitter.
This new website is one tool that will make TAN's goals possible as there has been no central hub for this kind of organizing before on the local and state level for trans activists. On the public side, TAN will provide information about the member organizations and promote our work through the website and via social media.
Along with the launch of the website, the Trans Advocacy Network will host conference calls and webinars for the member organizations on topics like community building, education and advocacy. These dialogues and training opportunities are crucial. Organizations across the country will now be able to support one another's local struggles, while coming together in coalition to advance transgender rights across the country.
It's an exciting time to be a part of this growing national (and international) trans rights movement that has the potential and opportunity to free all of us from restrictive gender stereotypes, and create a world where each of us can live with greater authenticity and freedom. If you would like to learn more about the advocacy happening here in New York , feel free to email me at email@example.com or call (518) 649-8140.

subset: commoncrawl


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Today, we announced an agreement to acquire GitHub, the world's leading software development platform. I want to share what this acquisition will mean for our industry and for developers.
The era of the intelligent cloud and intelligent edge is upon us. Computing is becoming embedded in the world, with every part of our daily life and work and every aspect of our society and economy being transformed by digital technology.
Developers are the builders of this new era, writing the world's code. And GitHub is their home.
As every industry – from precision medicine to precision agriculture, from personalized education to personalized banking – is being impacted by technology, the developer community will only grow in numbers and importance. Developer workflows will drive and influence business processes and functions across the organization – from marketing, sales and service, to IT and HR. And value creation and growth across every industry will increasingly be determined by the choices developers make.
In short, developers will be at the center of solving the world's most pressing challenges. However, the real power comes when every developer can create together, collaborate, share code and build on each other's work. In all walks of life, we see the power of communities, and this is true for software development and developers.
That is why we are so excited about today's announcement. More than 28 million developers already collaborate on GitHub, and it is home to more than 85 million code repositories used by people in nearly every country. From the largest corporations to the smallest startups, GitHub is the destination for developers to learn, share and work together to create software. It's a destination for Microsoft too. We are the most active organization on GitHub, with more than 2 million "commits," or updates, made to projects.
Microsoft has been a developer-focused company from the very first product we created to the platforms and tools we offer today. Building technology so that others can build technology is core to our mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Microsoft is also committed to empowering communities, from the world's professionals to IT professionals to gamers. We believe in the power of communities to achieve much more than what their members can do on their own. It's our ability to work together that helps our dreams become reality, and we are dedicated to cultivating and growing communities to do just that.
And Microsoft is all-in on open source. We have been on a journey with open source, and today we are active in the open source ecosystem, we contribute to open source projects, and some of our most vibrant developer tools and frameworks are open source. When it comes to our commitment to open source, judge us by the actions we have taken in the recent past, our actions today, and in the future.
Given all of this, together with GitHub, we see three clear opportunities ahead.
First, we will empower developers at every stage of the development lifecycle – from ideation to collaboration to deployment to the cloud. Going forward, GitHub will remain an open platform, which any developer can plug into and extend. Developers will continue to be able to use the programming languages, tools and operating systems of their choice for their projects – and will still be able to deploy their code on any cloud and any device.
Second, we will accelerate enterprise developers' use of GitHub, with our direct sales and partner channels and access to Microsoft's global cloud infrastructure and services.
Finally, we will bring Microsoft's developer tools and services to new audiences.
Most importantly, we recognize the responsibility we take on with this agreement. We are committed to being stewards of the GitHub community, which will retain its developer-first ethos, operate independently and remain an open platform. We will always listen to developer feedback and invest in both fundamentals and new capabilities.
Once the acquisition closes later this year, GitHub will be led by CEO Nat Friedman, an open source veteran and founder of Xamarin, who will continue to report to Microsoft Cloud + AI Group Executive Vice President Scott Guthrie; GitHub CEO and Co-Founder Chris Wanstrath will be a technical fellow at Microsoft, also reporting to Scott. You can see how Chris, Nat and I envision the opportunity ahead in this public presentation.
Together we will continue to advance GitHub as a platform loved by developers and trusted by organizations.


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LONDON – A resounding thump breaks the silence as Julia Land drops a lump of grey-brown clay onto the slab roller before Ned Heywood cranks it through the machine once, twice, three times, creating a rectangle about an inch thick.
Laying a pattern on top of the slab, Heywood slices through the clay to create a disc the size of an extra-large pizza that will become one of the blue plaques that dot the walls of buildings throughout London, marking the places where scientists, artists, politicians and activists have made history.
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As English Heritage unveiled its 1,000th blue plaque on Tuesday, the charity was working to broaden the program to include more women, people from minority ethnic backgrounds and community groups so that it better reflects the diversity of the capital.
The latest installation marks the offices where the Women's Freedom League "campaigned for women's equality" in the early 20th century, satisfying at least two of those goals.
"The names are no longer just English names, which is significant because, you know, the people who've come to this country from all over the world have made a disproportionately large contribution," Heywood said at his workshop, a converted 18th century pub in the Welsh town of Chepstow, 110 miles (180 kilometers) west of London. "It's changing now, which is very much for the good."
The blue plaque program, which began in 1866 and is believed to be the first of its kind, provides an informal historical walking tour of London that commemorates notable people and their accomplishments by highlighting the places where they lived and worked.
The honorees include famous figures from wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill to communist pioneer Karl Marx, as well as lesser known figures like theatrical wigmaker Willy Clarkson and civil engineer William Lindley, who built water and sewage systems around the world. There are also plaques honoring foreigners like India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and American rock star Jimi Hendrix, who lived in London only briefly.
But English Heritage, which has sponsored the program since 1986, is concerned that past honorees were overwhelmingly white and male. Just 15% of the plaques honor women and less than 5% celebrate people from Black and Asian backgrounds.
The charity, which manages some 400 monuments, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses around England, is trying to encourage more nominations of women and people from minority ethnic groups, while retaining high standards for entry into the exclusive club, said Anna Eavis, the curatorial director.
Plaques unveiled recently include Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, a suffragette and critic of British rule in India; Ottobah Cugoano, a native of present-day Ghana who was enslaved in Grenada and campaigned against slavery after gaining his freedom; and Ada Salter, the first woman to be elected mayor of a London borough.
"London is hugely diverse and it has always been, hasn't it?" Eavis said. "And so it is important to ensure that we're reflecting that diversity, that richness of contribution on London streets."
Diana Yeh, a senior lecturer in sociology at City University of London, said broadening the reach of programs like the blue plaques is "an essential part of remembering invisible histories." But heritage organizations must do more to discuss the "troubling aspects" of English history, including slavery and colonialism, she added.
"In a way it's very easy to celebrate well-known figures who are marginalized, but it's much harder to do that difficult work of acknowledging Britain's difficult past," said Yeh, whose work focuses on race, racism and cultural politics. "But this needs to be done for the benefit of future generations."
English Heritage installs a dozen blue plaques each year, selected from about 100 nominations. A committee reviews the nominees to decide which ones warrant commemoration and to ensure there is a real connection between each honoree and the site where the plaque is to be installed.
Once a decision is made, the order goes out to Heywood's studio, which has been making plaques for English Heritage since 2016.
Over a period of six weeks, Heywood and Land roll and cut the clay, inscribe the disc with the honoree's name and accomplishments, then apply the characteristic blue glaze and fire it in a kiln. It's a process that creates an almost indestructible monument that should last as long as the building to which it's attached — as long as the plaques don't crack when they're baked at 1,300 degrees Celsius (2,370 Fahrenheit).
"We pray to gods of the kiln," Heywood said.
While the first plaque, honoring the poet Lord Byron, was destroyed when the building it adorned was demolished, the second, installed in 1867, still marks the house where Napoleon III, the last French emperor, lived in exile.
Plaque number 1,000 honors the Women's Freedom League, a suffragist organization that used 1 Robert Street in central London as its base of operations during its most active period.
The league was formed in 1907 by campaigners who broke away from the more famous Women's Social and Political Union because of disagreements with its leader, Emmeline Pankhurst.
The group, which had the motto "Dare to be free," aimed for total emancipation for women. It advocated non-payment of taxes and backed a boycott of the 1911 census as ways to pressure the government to allow women to vote. In 1909, when women's suffrage was omitted from the King's Speech outlining the government's legislative program, the league hired an airship to drop pamphlets over the capital.
Heywood and Land feel the responsibility of the blue plaques intensely. To get in the right mindset, they sometimes try to channel the honorees.
Land listened to recordings of violinist Yehudi Menuhin as she did the lettering on his plaque.
Heywood researched electrical engineer Tommy Flowers before working on the marker that commemorates his work on Colossus, the pioneering computer used to decipher German codes during World War II.
"He was a very significant person in the whole of the World War II effort,'' Heywood said. "And he's at last being recognized for the astonishing job that he did.''
Heywood has a soft spot for scientists, who he says are the real heroes in improving people's lives. Politicians? Not so much. They come and go.
But being the plaque maker, he gets to put his stamp on things, one disc at a time.
"I'm very aware of the history of this town, the country, and aware of the changes that individuals have brought within society," Heywood said, surrounded by his tools, clay and dust.
"Blue plaques are carefully considered, the people are thoroughly researched, and the plaques are there for a reason," he added. "And will be there forever."


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It's discouraging to put in a busy 10-hour day, yet feel that you haven't accomplished anything. From constant e-mails and phone calls to coworkers with quick questions that take all morning, it sometimes seems like the single most prominent part of work is interruption.
Well, you're right, probably more so than you realize. Gloria Mark, Ph.D., associate professor at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, and a leading expert on work, researched workplace interruptions and came to a fascinating conclusion: We don't have work days -- we have work minutes that last all day.
Dr. Mark researches a number of work-related topics. Some are rather exotic -- designing and evaluating collaborative systems, for example, or developing and evaluating technologies to improve "virtual co-location." But much of it is the stuff that that affects everyday workers every day -- multitasking, human-computer interaction, workplace communities, offshore sourcing of knowledge work, why people really read e-mail ("From a cost-benefit point of view, in terms of worker time," she says, "e-mail does not pay off."). But in all her work, including her current Fulbright scholarship research in Berlin, she's uncovering truisms about the way work works, and how to make it work better.
Surprisingly, some of her discoveries are utterly counterintuitive -- for example, cubicle dwellers get interrupted less often, and people are as likely to interrupt themselves as be interrupted. Others confirm what workers have suspected for years -- for instance, if interruptions make you crazy, stay out of management. In this interview, Dr. Mark discusses how much time we really get to spend on work, what really is interrupting us, and why interruptions may actually be beneficial. But read fast -- the phone is going to ring any second now.
GMJ: Tell me about your research on work interruptions.
Dr. Mark: In our study, we observed for a half day, then we shadowed 36 managers, financial analysts, software developers, engineers, and project leaders for three days. We literally followed people around all day and timed every event [that happened], to the second. We defined an event as the amount of time that people spent in continuous uninterrupted use of a device or an interaction with other people. That meant a telephone call, working on a document, typing an e-mail, or interacting with someone who came into their cubicle.
What we found is that the average amount of time that people spent on any single event before being interrupted or before switching was about three minutes. Actually, three minutes and five seconds, on average. That does not include formal meetings, because we figured if they were in a formal meeting, they were prisoners at the meeting, right? They couldn't leave or switch activities. So we didn't count that. Then we looked at [use of] devices, working on a PC, the desk phone, using any kind of paper document, using a cell phone. We found the average amount of time that people spent working on a device before switching was 2 minutes and 11 seconds.
You think you sit at your PC for a long time, but it's not true. You usually sit at it briefly before you switch to something else. You're interrupted by a person, by a phone call, or you do something on paper.
GMJ: How come this doesn't make us crazy?
Mark: I don't know. I guess the flipside is that somehow people are able to do this. That's what's remarkable.
GMJ: Doesn't getting yanked from one project to another destroy concentration?
Mark: That's what we wondered. We thought, okay, three minutes on any event before switching is maybe not so bad if it's the same project. So we took the events and assigned them into their associated projects. But we called it a "working sphere" because "project" has a limited connotation, and a working sphere is a broader idea. Anything where there's a common goal, there's a certain group of people involved with it, there are certain resources attached to it, it has its own time framework and its own deadline, is a working sphere. So we assigned these events to the working sphere, and then we measured how often people switched working spheres. Guess what we found?
GMJ: I bet that people weren't spending all day in a working sphere.
Mark: First, we found that each person worked on an average of 12.2 different working spheres every day. We also found that they switched working spheres, on average, every 10 minutes and 29 seconds. But then we thought, not all interruptions are the same. So we went through the data and removed all interruptions that were two minutes or less. Two minutes is fairly short time and for anything under two minutes, people should be able to go back and reorient to what they were doing. So even when we took out what we call "non-significant" interruptions, we find that people still worked 12 minutes and 18 seconds in a working sphere before switching.
GMJ: But were they switching tasks of their own volition?
Mark: Ah, that's a very good question! We looked at interruptions, and not all interruptions are the same. Some interruptions are from external sources. A person comes in, or your e-mail signal comes on, or the phone rings, or people chat through the cubicle wall to you. Those are external interruptions. But there are also internal interruptions; for whatever reason, people interrupt themselves of their own volition and switch to something else.
And what fascinates me is that people interrupted themselves almost as much as they were interrupted by external sources. They interrupted themselves about 44% of the time. The rest of the interruptions were from external sources.
Managers experienced far more external interruptions than internal interruptions. That was a significant difference. Managers have a huge network of people who come in and interrupt them. Analysts and developers are involved with a smaller network of people, so they have fewer external interruptions. But the fact remains that they still have a lot of internal interruptions.
GMJ: What provokes an internal interruption?
Mark: We don't know, but I have some ideas. When I was working on the paper for this study, I had a three-hour block of time one day, and that's just amazing for me. I was so happy; I closed the door to my office at the risk of being socially unacceptable. I thought, I have three hours -- I can do some thinking, some real work! And what I proceeded to do was all those little tiny tasks that had been building up, all the little things that I hadn't had a chance to get to. And before I knew it, the three hours were up, and I hadn't done anything on the paper. So why did I do that? I interrupted myself. I kept interrupting myself. One theory I have is that maybe it was instant gratification. I could get it done and be happy because, my gosh, I finally got things out of the way.
GMJ: How long does it take to get back to work after an interruption?
Mark: There's good news and bad news. To have a uniform comparison, we looked at all work that was interrupted and resumed on the same day. The good news is that most interrupted work was resumed on the same day -- 81.9 percent -- and it was resumed, on average, in 23 minutes and 15 seconds, which I guess is not so long.
But the bad news is, when you're interrupted, you don't immediately go back to the task you were doing before you were interrupted. There are about two intervening tasks before you go back to your original task, so it takes more effort to reorient back to the original task. Also, interruptions change the physical environment. For example, someone has asked you for information and you have opened new windows on your desktop, or people have given you papers that are now arranged on your desk. So often the physical layout of your environment has changed, and it's harder to reconstruct where you were. So there's a cognitive cost to an interruption.
GMJ: Do different kinds of interruptions, e-mail versus the phone versus a person, make it harder to reorient to the task?
Mark: It's not so much the medium that was used for the interruption, it's more the content. Interruptions could be beneficial or hindering. When they were hindering, when an interruption was from a working sphere that was not the one that people were currently involved in, the people we studied called them distractions. On the other hand, when they were in a working sphere, and someone interrupted with the same content as that working sphere, people called it interaction. And then it's beneficial.
GMJ: A complaint about cubicles is that the external noise makes it hard to concentrate. Did you find that?
Mark: That's interesting. Some of our people were co-located -- they were physically close to the people that they collaborate most with. Some were in offices, some were in cubicles. People who were co-located had significantly more interruptions than people whose collaborators were far apart, but they were able to work significantly longer in a working sphere before switching.
When people are co-located, they're more socially aware of the people who are near them, so they have a better sense of when not to interrupt them. So, as soon as they hear that there's a natural breaking point in a colleague's task, everyone rushes over and interrupts. Co-locators can work longer stretches, but when they're interrupted, it's like bang, bang, bang, one interruption after another. When people work in cubicles, they can hear that natural breaking point -- they know when to interrupt, but people in offices don't have that. So there's a benefit to cubicles.
GMJ: But there has to be a cost to productivity.
Mark: There must be, but we don't know what [it is]. But we know an interaction, a beneficial interruption, helps productivity. Co-located people monitor the environment remarkably well, and that aids productivity. I did a study on extreme collaboration with NASA engineers. We studied a group of 17 engineers who were put into the same room to design a spacecraft, and they were able to reduce the amount of time to design a spacecraft from six months down to nine hours. One reason is because they were able to catch mistakes immediately, and they didn't have to redo the design over and over. It's not something technology could have done.
GMJ: How can technology help?
Mark: The paradox of information technology is that IT is designed to support individual activities -- opening up a Word document, using an e-mail, or even just [answering] the telephone. All of these activities are separate, and the burden falls on the user to integrate them. But we don't work that way. We work at the level of the working sphere.
It would be great if technology could integrate all those individual events and pieces of information into a cohesive place. There's got to be a way to be able to use technology to broadcast when you're interruptible and when you're not. The trade-off is privacy. There has to be a certain level of granularity about what can be broadcast to people so that they don't feel their privacy has been invaded, and yet they can allow themselves to have good interruptions.
But still, I think that users should protest. I mean, we've had to adapt to unnatural systems, right? It's time technology adapted to us.
-- Interviewed by Jennifer Robison


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We will be serving these delicious restaurants to you on a silver platter. "bon apetit". This website is designed to give an internet presence to those restaurants that dont have a website and to enhance and promote the internet presence of those restaurants that do have their own website. Although we are not responsible for the content of those websites we promote or link to, we will try to be somewhat selective in our choices and we are open to any and all suggestions from our viewers. Although, therestaurantsweb.com is relatively new, our web community has been established for many years and will provide a very sound support system for thelongislandweb's newest affiliate. We will link you to more content rich websites as well as those that have been established over a period of time. We are not looking to compete with these websites, we are looking to promote them as an additional resource to you to help with your dining decisions.
* The Long Island Network is an online resource for events, information, opinionated material, and links to the content of other websites and social media and cannot be held responsible for their content in any way, but will attempt to monitor content not suitable for our visitors. Some content may not be suitable for children without supervision from an adult. Mature visitors are more than welcome. Articles by the Editor will be opinions from an independent voice who believes the U.S. Constitution is our sacred document that insures our Inalienable Rights to Liberty and Freedom.


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The June roses over the porch were awake bright and early on that morning, rejoicing with all their hearts in the cloudless sunshine, like friendly little neighbors, as they were. Quite flushed with excitement were their ruddy faces, as they swung in the wind, whispering to one another what they had seen, for some peeped in at the dining room windows where the feast was spread, some climbed up to nod and smile at the sisters as they dressed the bride, others waved a welcome to those who came and went on various errands in garden, porch, and hall, and all, from the rosiest full-blown flower to the palest baby bud, offered their tribute of beauty and fragrance to the gentle mistress who had loved and tended them so long.
Meg looked very like a rose herself, for all that was best and sweetest in heart and soul seemed to bloom into her face that day, making it fair and tender, with a charm more beautiful than beauty. Neither silk, lace, nor orange flowers would she have. "I don't want a fashionable wedding, but only those about me whom I love, and to them I wish to look and be my familiar self."
So she made her wedding gown herself, sewing into it the tender hopes and innocent romances of a girlish heart. Her sisters braided up her pretty hair, and the only ornaments she wore were the lilies of the valley, which 'her John' liked best of all the flowers that grew.
"You do look just like our own dear Meg, only so very sweet and lovely that I should hug you if it wouldn't crumple your dress," cried Amy, surveying her with delight when all was done.
"Then I am satisfied. But please hug and kiss me, everyone, and don't mind my dress. I want a great many crumples of this sort put into it today," and Meg opened her arms to her sisters, who clung about her with April faces for a minute, feeling that the new love had not changed the old.
"Now I'm going to tie John's cravat for him, and then to stay a few minutes with Father quietly in the study," and Meg ran down to perform these little ceremonies, and then to follow her mother wherever she went, conscious that in spite of the smiles on the motherly face, there was a secret sorrow hid in the motherly heart at the flight of the first bird from the nest.
As the younger girls stand together, giving the last touches to their simple toilet, it may be a good time to tell of a few changes which three years have wrought in their appearance, for all are looking their best just now.
Jo's angles are much softened, she has learned to carry herself with ease, if not grace. The curly crop has lengthened into a thick coil, more becoming to the small head atop of the tall figure. There is a fresh color in her brown cheeks, a soft shine in her eyes, and only gentle words fall from her sharp tongue today.
Beth has grown slender, pale, and more quiet than ever. The beautiful, kind eyes are larger, and in them lies an expression that saddens one, although it is not sad itself. It is the shadow of pain which touches the young face with such pathetic patience, but Beth seldom complains and always speaks hopefully of 'being better soon'.
Amy is with truth considered 'the flower of the family', for at sixteen she has the air and bearing of a full-grown woman, not beautiful, but possessed of that indescribable charm called grace. One saw it in the lines of her figure, the make and motion of her hands, the flow of her dress, the droop of her hair, unconscious yet harmonious, and as attractive to many as beauty itself. Amy's nose still afflicted her, for it never would grow Grecian, so did her mouth, being too wide, and having a decided chin. These offending features gave character to her whole face, but she never could see it, and consoled herself with her wonderfully fair complexion, keen blue eyes, and curls more golden and abundant than ever.
All three wore suits of thin silver gray (their best gowns for the summer), with blush roses in hair and bosom, and all three looked just what they were, fresh-faced, happy-hearted girls, pausing a moment in their busy lives to read with wistful eyes the sweetest chapter in the romance of womanhood.
There were to be no ceremonious performances, everything was to be as natural and homelike as possible, so when Aunt March arrived, she was scandalized to see the bride come running to welcome and lead her in, to find the bridegroom fastening up a garland that had fallen down, and to catch a glimpse of the paternal minister marching upstairs with a grave countenance and a wine bottle under each arm.
"Upon my word, here's a state of things!" cried the old lady, taking the seat of honor prepared for her, and settling the folds of her lavender moire with a great rustle. "You oughtn't to be seen till the last minute, child."
"I'm not a show, Aunty, and no one is coming to stare at me, to criticize my dress, or count the cost of my luncheon. I'm too happy to care what anyone says or thinks, and I'm going to have my little wedding just as I like it. John, dear, here's your hammer." And away went Meg to help 'that man' in his highly improper employment.
Mr. Brooke didn't even say, "Thank you," but as he stooped for the unromantic tool, he kissed his little bride behind the folding door, with a look that made Aunt March whisk out her pocket handkerchief with a sudden dew in her sharp old eyes.
A crash, a cry, and a laugh from Laurie, accompanied by the indecorous exclamation, "Jupiter Ammon! Jo's upset the cake again!" caused a momentary flurry, which was hardly over when a flock of cousins arrived, and 'the party came in', as Beth used to say when a child.
"Don't let that young giant come near me, he worries me worse than mosquitoes," whispered the old lady to Amy, as the rooms filled and Laurie's black head towered above the rest.
"He has promised to be very good today, and he can be perfectly elegant if he likes," returned Amy, and gliding away to warn Hercules to beware of the dragon, which warning caused him to haunt the old lady with a devotion that nearly distracted her.
There was no bridal procession, but a sudden silence fell upon the room as Mr. March and the young couple took their places under the green arch. Mother and sisters gathered close, as if loath to give Meg up. The fatherly voice broke more than once, which only seemed to make the service more beautiful and solemn. The bridegroom's hand trembled visibly, and no one heard his replies. But Meg looked straight up in her husband's eyes, and said, "I will!" with such tender trust in her own face and voice that her mother's heart rejoiced and Aunt March sniffed audibly.
Jo did not cry, though she was very near it once, and was only saved from a demonstration by the consciousness that Laurie was staring fixedly at her, with a comical mixture of merriment and emotion in his wicked black eyes. Beth kept her face hidden on her mother's shoulder, but Amy stood like a graceful statue, with a most becoming ray of sunshine touching her white forehead and the flower in her hair.
It wasn't at all the thing, I'm afraid, but the minute she was fairly married, Meg cried, "The first kiss for Marmee!" and turning, gave it with her heart on her lips. During the next fifteen minutes she looked more like a rose than ever, for everyone availed themselves of their privileges to the fullest extent, from Mr. Laurence to old Hannah, who, adorned with a headdress fearfully and wonderfully made, fell upon her in the hall, crying with a sob and a chuckle, "Bless you, deary, a hundred times! The cake ain't hurt a mite, and everything looks lovely."
Everybody cleared up after that, and said something brilliant, or tried to, which did just as well, for laughter is ready when hearts are light. There was no display of gifts, for they were already in the little house, nor was there an elaborate breakfast, but a plentiful lunch of cake and fruit, dressed with flowers. Mr. Laurence and Aunt March shrugged and smiled at one another when water, lemonade, and coffee were found to be to only sorts of nectar which the three Hebes carried round. No one said anything, till Laurie, who insisted on serving the bride, appeared before her, with a loaded salver in his hand and a puzzled expression on his face.
"Has Jo smashed all the bottles by accident?" he whispered, "or am I merely laboring under a delusion that I saw some lying about loose this morning?"
"No, your grandfather kindly offered us his best, and Aunt March actually sent some, but Father put away a little for Beth, and dispatched the rest to the Soldier's Home. You know he thinks that wine should be used only in illness, and Mother says that neither she nor her daughters will ever offer it to any young man under her roof."
Meg spoke seriously and expected to see Laurie frown or laugh, but he did neither, for after a quick look at her, he said, in his impetuous way, "I like that! For I've seen enough harm done to wish other women would think as you do."
"You are not made wise by experience, I hope?" and there was an anxious accent in Meg's voice.
"No. I give you my word for it. Don't think too well of me, either, this is not one of my temptations. Being brought up where wine is as common as water and almost as harmless, I don't care for it, but when a pretty girl offers it, one doesn't like to refuse, you see."
"But you will, for the sake of others, if not for your own. Come, Laurie, promise, and give me one more reason to call this the happiest day of my life."
A demand so sudden and so serious made the young man hesitate a moment, for ridicule is often harder to bear than self-denial. Meg knew that if he gave the promise he would keep it at all costs, and feeling her power, used it as a woman may for her friend's good. She did not speak, but she looked up at him with a face made very eloquent by happiness, and a smile which said, "No one can refuse me anything today."
Laurie certainly could not, and with an answering smile, he gave her his hand, saying heartily, "I promise, Mrs. Brooke!"
"I thank you, very, very much."
"And I drink 'long life to your resolution', Teddy," cried Jo, baptizing him with a splash of lemonade, as she waved her glass and beamed approvingly upon him.
So the toast was drunk, the pledge made and loyally kept in spite of many temptations, for with instinctive wisdom, the girls seized a happy moment to do their friend a service, for which he thanked them all his life.
After lunch, people strolled about, by twos and threes, through the house and garden, enjoying the sunshine without and within. Meg and John happened to be standing together in the middle of the grass plot, when Laurie was seized with an inspiration which put the finishing touch to this unfashionable wedding.
"All the married people take hands and dance round the new-made husband and wife, as the Germans do, while we bachelors and spinsters prance in couples outside!" cried Laurie, promenading down the path with Amy, with such infectious spirit and skill that everyone else followed their example without a murmur. Mr. and Mrs. March, Aunt and Uncle Carrol began it, others rapidly joined in, even Sallie Moffat, after a moment's hesitation, threw her train over her arm and whisked Ned into the ring. But the crowning joke was Mr. Laurence and Aunt March, for when the stately old gentleman chasseed solemnly up to the old lady, she just tucked her cane under her arm, and hopped briskly away to join hands with the rest and dance about the bridal pair, while the young folks pervaded the garden like butterflies on a midsummer day.
Want of breath brought the impromptu ball to a close, and then people began to go.
"I wish you well, my dear, I heartily wish you well, but I think you'll be sorry for it," said Aunt March to Meg, adding to the bridegroom, as he led her to the carriage, "You've got a treasure, young man, see that you deserve it."
"That is the prettiest wedding I've been to for an age, Ned, and I don't see why, for there wasn't a bit of style about it," observed Mrs. Moffat to her husband, as they drove away.
"Laurie, my lad, if you ever want to indulge in this sort of thing, get one of those little girls to help you, and I shall be perfectly satisfied," said Mr. Laurence, settling himself in his easy chair to rest after the excitement of the morning.
"I'll do my best to gratify you, Sir," was Laurie's unusually dutiful reply, as he carefully unpinned the posy Jo had put in his buttonhole.
The little house was not far away, and the only bridal journey Meg had was the quiet walk with John from the old home to the new. When she came down, looking like a pretty Quakeress in her dove-colored suit and straw bonnet tied with white, they all gathered about her to say 'good-by', as tenderly as if she had been going to make the grand tour.
"Don't feel that I am separated from you, Marmee dear, or that I love you any the less for loving John so much," she said, clinging to her mother, with full eyes for a moment. "I shall come every day, Father, and expect to keep my old place in all your hearts, though I am married. Beth is going to be with me a great deal, and the other girls will drop in now and then to laugh at my housekeeping struggles. Thank you all for my happy wedding day. Good-by, good-by!"
They stood watching her, with faces full of love and hope and tender pride as she walked away, leaning on her husband's arm, with her hands full of flowers and the June sunshine brightening her happy face and so Meg's married life began.


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SUP 9.4 Reliance on individual guidance
Reliance by recipient of individual guidance
The extent to which a person can rely on individual guidance given to him will depend on many factors. These could include, for example, the degree of formality of the original query and the guidance given, and whether all relevant information was submitted with the request. Individual guidance is usually given in relation to a set of particular circumstances which exist when the guidance is given. If the circumstances later change, for example, because of a change in the circumstances of the person or a change in the underlying rule or other requirement, and the premises upon which individual guidance was given no longer apply, the guidance will cease to be effective.
Effect on rights of third parties
Rights conferred on third parties (such as a firm'sclients) cannot be affected by guidance given by the FCA. Guidance on rules, the Act or other legislation represents the FCA view, and does not bind the courts, for example in relation to an action for damages brought by a private person for breach of a rule (section 138D of the Act (Actions for damages)) or in relation to enforceability of a contract if the general prohibition is breached (sections 26 and 27 of the Act (Enforceability of agreements)). A person may need to seek his own legal advice.


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Seeking Synchronicity
A new membership report from OCLC Research, in partnership with Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Seeking Synchronicity distills more than five years of virtual reference (VR) research into a readable summary that features memorable quotes that vividly illustrate very specific and actionable suggestions. Taken from a multi-phase research project that included focus group interviews, surveys, transcript analysis, and phone interviews, with VR librarians, users, and non-users, these findings are meant to help practitioners develop and sustain VR services and systems. The report asserts that the "R" in "VR" needs to emphasize virtual "Relationships" as well as "Reference".
Among the topics addressed are:
- The exaggerated death of ready reference
- The importance of query clarification in VR
- Ways to boost accuracy and build better interpersonal relationships in VR
- What can be learned from VR transcripts
- How convenience is the "hook" that draws users into VR services
- Generational differences in how people perceive reference interactions and determine success
- The need for more and better marketing
The report is based on a multi-year study funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS); Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; and OCLC. A rich resource for further exploration of this important topic, it includes valuable statistics, lists of references, additional readings, and specific recommendations for what libraries and librarians can do to move VR forward in local environments.
Today's students, scholars and citizens are not just looking to libraries for answers to specific questions—they want partners and guides in a life long information-seeking journey. By transforming VR services into relationship-building opportunities, libraries can leverage the positive feelings people have for libraries in a crowded online space where the biggest players often don't have the unique experience and specific strengths that librarians offer.
Suggested citation:
Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, and Marie L. Radford. 2011. Seeking Synchronicity: Revelations and Recommendations for Virtual Reference. Dublin, OH: OCLC Research. https://doi.org/10.25333/C3QK98
For More Information
For more information about this work, please contact OCLC Research.


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The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and its supporting entities have the full support of Saudi Arabia in developing policies and initiatives that will lead to security and stability in Yemen and to an end to the Yemeni crisis. Saudi Arabia will provide 3 billion dollars to the Yemeni economy. Yemeni Central Bank will receive $2 billion in support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates jointly, while an additional $1 billion from Saudi Arabia will include $600 million for oil derivatives and $400 million for development support.
Yemen will also receive $300 million from Saudi Arabia to help fund the United Nation's humanitarian response plan in 2022 to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people and improve their living conditions. Saudi Arabia has welcomed the decision by Yemeni President Abd-Rabbo Mansour Hadi, based on Yemen's constitutional provisions and the Gulf initiative, to create a Presidential Leadership Council and delegate all presidential powers to it. Saudi Arabia notes that its support stems from efforts to promote peace and stability in Yemen and reach a comprehensive political solution between Yemeni parties that will lead to world peace, development, and prosperity in Yemen.
Riyadh also called for a conference to gather financial resources to support the Yemeni economy and the Yemeni Central Bank, and to provide oil derivatives. Saudi Arabia has called on the Presidential Leadership Council to engage in negotiations with the Houthis under the auspices of the UN to reach a comprehensive political solution that would include a transitional period to move Yemen into peace and development, ensuring Yemeni security and stability.
Meanwhile, Nayef Al Hajraf, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has emphasized the importance of international organizations' support for Yemen's development and humanitarian efforts. Al Hajraf made the statement at a meeting with Ferid Belhaj, Vice-President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa.
According to GCC Secretariat General, the GCC's chief praised the World Bank's involvement in the ongoing inter-Yemeni consultations held at GCC coordination in Riyadh from March 29 to April 7. Al Hajraf stressed the importance of inter-Yemen negotiations to strengthen humanitarian and social aid to Yemen, and said the World Bank has a role to play in securing security, stability, and restoring peace in Yemen.


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In Fridae's lifestyle section we feature everything in the world of LGBT: from gay movies, to gay holidays, from gay events to gay music releases: here's your chance to imbibe in the beautiful world of LGBT culture with our diversify range of categories. It's in this section that you'll find movie reviews, album updates, event reports, tech reviews and much more. And do check out the beautiful hotels and resorts featured in our Travel section. It makes you want to hop onto the next available flight there.
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Arizona neighbor, how I love and advocate for thee. But wait. Who exactly is my Arizona neighbor? Immediately after signing Arizona's latest (and for some, controversial) immigration law (BS1070), governor Jan Brewer explicitly defined that neighbor for us: "The citizens of Arizona." No surprises there. After all, if our Lutheran theology of vocation teaches us anything, it is that no decisions on what is just, right, or reasonable in matters of the law should be made without having some concrete neighbor or sets of neighbors in mind.
Governor Brewer should know. She is a Lutheran! "I've prayed for strength and I've prayed for our state," the governor said, as she spoke briefly on her wrestling with her decision to sign what has become a highly debated bill. The governor's bio on her website states that she is an active member of Life in Christ Lutheran Church in Peoria, Arizona, a LCMS congregation located in Maricopa County, the fifth county in the United States with the largest Hispanic population on record (about 1,224,005 in 2008 according to the Pew Hispanic Center).
Theologically speaking, the governor's speech on signing day clearly reflected her vocational priorities in decision-making within the context of her identity as a citizen and, much more concretely, of her office as governor in the temporal or left-hand realm or kingdom. She stated: "To my administration and to me, as your governor and as a citizen, there is no higher priority than protecting the citizens of Arizona." Vocational priority really does drive decision-making.
And so we return to that question: Who is the Arizona neighbor on my mind? The question is important: It settles who I will advocate for. It also settles who I will NOT advocate for. Who that non-neighbor (?) is and what he looks like is also clearly delineated in the governor's speech: "Border-related violence and crime due to illegal immigration are critically important issues for the people of our state….We do not sacrifice our safety to the murderous greed of drug cartels. We cannot stand idly by as drop houses, kidnappings, and violence compromise our quality of life."
While the bill targets illegal immigrants, the governor is actually more specific than that as she bears her soul–as much as a public official can–on the reasons that led her to signing of BS1070. She is concerned about drug dealers and their cartels, coyote drop houses, kidnappers, and violent people. These are your hard-core criminals! So we know who the real bad guys in this whole picture are as we hear the state governor take us briefly through some of the reasons that led her to advocate for the safety and quality of life of Arizona citizens.
We can't really blame the governor. As far as advocating for the well-being of some concrete neighbor, within the context of her God-given vocation as governor in the civil realm, the governor has actually done her duty.
Lutheran theology respects and submits to God-given authority, but it also tries to make this little distinction between God-given offices and those who hold those offices at any particular time and place. Office holders in both the right- and left-hand kingdoms can err (ask Luther), but God will still preserve the world in both realms through his established offices. That should bring both fear and comfort to office bearers everywhere. I think governor Brewer might have implicitly given us a sense of that fear of God as she described how her decision to sign the law was not taken lightly and how she thought about its implications "long into the night."
Arizona neighbor on my mind. The neighbor is relentless. So we keep asking: Who is my neighbor? Some would argue that, in making her decisions, the state governor has let some other neighbors fall through the cracks. Well, that is inevitably always the case in a less than ideal world. Somewhere in between the good guys who need protection (Arizona citizens) and the really bad guys that governor Brewer mentioned explicitly in her speech are a whole bunch of people whose lives are not being taken into account very clearly. These kinds of people range anywhere from legal immigrants of Hispanic origin to illegal immigrants not involved in the kinds of criminal activity explicitly mentioned by the governor. These are people in the margins of legal and political categories, discourse, and decision-making.
Who advocates for those sets of neighbors? Challenges to the constitutionality of the law are coming soon because of its potential threat to the civil liberties of people (that is–let's not kid each other–Hispanic-looking people!) who are most likely to be racially profiled as a result of the bill's law enforcement provisions. And so it seems that other civil servants ranging from governors of other states to President Obama himself also have a particular set of neighbors in mind for whom they want to advocate. Who can blame them for that?
And then of course, there will be others who will advocate for the hard-working immigrants whose legal status is questionable but over the years have contributed to the economic vitality of the state, whose children were born here and know no other country than this land of freedom and opportunity, whose families are a weird composite or citizens, residents, and illegal aliens all living under the same roof. These neighbors will also have their advocates. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS), for example, has chosen consistently to advocate for the unity of the family as they take a critical look at the rapidly changing nature of immigration laws everywhere. Who can blame them for that?
Then, of course, are church workers who feel that some civil laws are intrusive in their God-ordained work of Gospel proclamation. How many pastors knowingly or unknowingly transport illegal immigrants, taking parents and their kids back and forth from Sunday school and other church-related activities? Will activities that take place in the context of fostering the proclamation of the Gospel and pastoral care be criminalized ipso facto? You can expect some Lutheran churches raise their concerns about left-hand intrusion into the right-hand realm. They will be advocating for the neighbor who needs to hear the Gospel regardless of his or her legal status. Expect that kind of statement of concern from the officers of the 4th National Hispanic Lutheran Convention of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Yes, that is the same Synod governor Jan Brewer belongs to.
Who is my neighbor? The Lutheran teaching of vocation allows us to be bold in our advocacy of some concrete neighbor. That will often leave some neighbor out, I suppose. But in the end, God still manages to run the world and promote the life of many neighbors, even those who seem to fall through the cracks. We can be thankful for that.
Someday I really would love to see governor Jan Brewer, member of a LCMS congregation, and President Magariño from the Hispanic Lutheran Convention of the LCMS, have coffee together and talk about law, vocation, and neighbor. Better yet, I would love to see them take the Lord's body and blood together at the same altar. That should be no problem: Disagreements on the law should not get in the way of our unity in Christ which the Gospel creates and sustains. They also should not get in the way of honoring each other's vocations and those neighbors God has called us to advocate for and defend.


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Ajaz Ahmed is the co-founder of Freeserve, the UK's largest ISP (internet service provider), now owned by Orange. He is now involved in running a number of companies including Huddersfield-based Browzar which provides a privacy tool for internet browsing.
A Minute With… Ajaz Ahmed
The secret of success for an internet entrepreneur.
Ajaz started his talk by explaining why he was motivated to become an entrepreneur. He recalled how as a youngster he saw a television advert for Hovis bread. It showed an old man retiring from a lifetime's work at the mill and proudly returning home with a clock. A clock, that was all he had to show for a lifetime's work. Ajaz decided that he didn't want that, he wanted something more.
This isn't the TV ad, but is the same style. This one was directed by Ridley Scott and was voted one of the Top 100 TV adverts of all time.
Ajaz left left school with no formal academic qualifications, although he was keen to point out he did receive a swimming certificate for breast stroke.
He got his first job when he spotted an advert for a sales assistant in high-street electrical retailer Dixons. He gradually worked his way up the managerial ladder and eventually became the manager of PC World in Leeds.
It was while working at PC World that Ajaz hit on the idea for Freeserve. Back in the mid-90s it was hard to get on the internet and despite working at PC World Ajaz wasn't entirely sure how to connect his new PC. His staff told him to contact Demon who immediately started to make things difficult by telling him he needed a browser and could download it by FTP.
Ajaz thought if it was this difficult for him, how much more difficult it must be for the average customer buying their first home PC. They were already coming into the store to buy PCs so if he could make it easy for them to get on the internet then it was almost a captive market as they got to them first.
Ajaz made the important point that everyone can have good ideas – indeed lots of people do – but entrepreneurs do something about it.
He used the example of Ted Turner who did what seems obvious now when he launched CNN as the first 24 hour news channel. It was fairly obvious, but he saw it and did it first.
On 22 Sep 1998 Freeserve launched. It was an immediate success and within three months beat AOL to become the UK's biggest ISP. Start-up costs were minimal as the only real cost for Freeserve was providing the free CD. Advertising was done by simply putting a tiny panel into adverts that Dixons was already running in the press.
Nine months later Freeserve floated. Up until that time it had only invested £240,000 and employed just three people. However, the bankers and financial whizz kids advised that it couldn't float with a staff of just three as it wouldn't be credible.
They had to go out and employ people 16 even though nothing for them to do
The secret of Freeserve's success was to make technology simple. It made money not by charging a lot (it was free) but by collecting a very small amount of money from a very large number of people. The profit came from a tiny percentage of the phone call cost that came back from the telecoms operator.
Ajaz explained how the internet had changed the world for ever but that it was not over yet and stressed that it continues to change and will continue to change.
T'internet and the sales prevention department
In Yorkshire the internet is known as t'internet and that we could do with some more Yorkshire plain speaking on the internet and technology in general. He complained that internet people wanted to complicate everything and often tried to act as the sales prevention department.
He believes the next big thing where money is to be made is in making technology simple. A good example of this was Apple, which was a company going downhill fast until it came up with the iPod. The iPod wasn't the first portable MP3 player by a long way, but it did make it simple and thus give it mass appeal.
He warned that many small companies went wrong by failing to talk the customer's language and advised walking around a large, successful retailer and watching closely how it communicated with customers. To look and learn and not be afraid to copy the best ideas.
He said he often described himself as just a simple shopkeeper, what he did wasn't rocket science.
Other top tips included:
- Use simple language such as is used in the Daily Mirror to explain things.
- ask if you don't understand
- the first secret is there is no secret except common sense
- entrepreneurs are people people
- don't piss people off – good people walk away if you don't treat them good
- not what you know but who you know
- keep the message simple
- articulate the proposition in a way customers can understand
- entrepreneurs are savvy
- take a risk – success doesn't come on a plate
- don't dream it, do it
- don't let daily life hold you back
You don't need to be an expert at everything, but you need to know someone who does. Ajaz can't read a balance sheet but neither can Richard Branson and Ajaz keeps his accountant on speed dial.
He doesn't know about technology either but finds good people who do (at Freeserve the actual technology was all outsourced).
Ajaz also talked about the difficulties of being an entrepreneur and how in the UK especially bankers won't take a risk.
He also spoke about the importance of investing in good public relations and how it was essential for success. He used an example of Abdul's another of his businesses which sells Asian food in Wakefield. To launch it they used racist comedian Bernard Manning and as a result received national press coverage for what was actually just the opening of a local curry house which wouldn't have even made the local papers.
A Minute With… Ajaz Ahmed was recorded on Friday November 2, 2006 at the First Friday event organised by Wakefield First.


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