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Microsoft undertook a sizable data migration project following Japan's earthquake in March, fearing that one of its data centers could become dysfunctional because of aftershocks.
The data center was about 140 miles south of the earthquake's epicenter, said Adrienne Hall, general manager of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiative, speaking on the sidelines of the RSA security conference in London on Tuesday.
Following the quake and subsequent devastating tsunami, all applications and services in the data center continued to run, she said. But Microsoft worried that aftershocks could affect the facility and decided to move data and services to a data center in North America.
"We decided based on the seismic reports that were coming in that suggested there may be follow-on earthquakes that we should proactively move the services out," Hall said.
The data included 10 million Hotmail and paid-for MSN e-mail accounts as well as data for "thousands" of customers using Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Services, the company's suite of online hosted services that is now known as Office 365.
The project took about a week, Hall said. Microsoft had previously practiced moving large amounts of data and applications, but those had not involved customer data.
"This was a big move for us," Hall said. "We had no service disruptions during that period at all. It was a completely seamless move."
Microsoft also replicated data in its main Japan data center, which was not impacted by the twin disasters. The company then offered the computing space that was freed up to the Japanese government, which used the data center for hosting websites that published public service information such as road closures, she said.
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4 Reasons You're Not Taking A Mental Health Day When You Should
While "mental health days" have been part of the lexicon in companies for awhile, that doesn't mean they're the norm among employees. Taking a day off to take care of yourself shouldn't be seen as an emergency option.
"A crisis response may provide relief, but it's not really prevention," says Lloyd Sederer, medical director of the New York State Office of Mental Health. "It's about learning your own self-management, an ongoing steady attention to a healthy life."
How do you know if you need one?
Workplace therapist Brandon M. Smith says to look for these signs:
1. You're suddenly not sleeping well or have developed insomnia.
2. You can't shake last week's stress. In other words, your level of stress is greater than your current stressors.
3. You're snippy with your spouse, your kids, or your coworkers.
4. You feel a general sense of apathy and don't care about your work.
Even if you're muscling through your schedule, lots of folks get cold feet when it comes to taking that needed three-day weekend.
Having worked with a range of Fortune 500 leaders, executive coach Margaret H. Greenberg says there are several reasons people - especially managers - don't take mental health days.
They are:
Feeling anxious about stepping away. "People don't take mental health days because of the anxiety it produces," she says. "They think they can't stay on top of things, that they'll miss out on things. I had an executive tell me, 'I don't want to take vacation because I'll come back and feel worse.'"
Thinking that you don't "need" any time off. Say you set your own hours - like a freelance writer, independent consultant, or executive coach. That flexibility (and blurred boundaries) may make you feel like you don't need to take a break - until you're watching a movie with your family and sending email the whole time. The organizational psychology literature calls the separating of work and non-work segmentation, and it's necessary for preventing burnout.
Keeping up with the perfectionism. Greenberg can spot a perfectionist; she says she's a "recovering" one herself. If you won't step away from the desk because you think things aren't going to get done perfectly while you're gone - which will be the case - then you might a perfectionist, too. But let's recall sociologist Brené Brown's advice: People don't succeed because of their perfectionism, but despite it.
Worrying it'll set your career back. "You might think that (taking a break) is a career derailer," Greenberg says, that there are people waiting in line behind you who won't take that Friday off. "What's a bigger career derailer?" she asks. "When you're no longer creative or innovative because you're so burned out."
Even organizations with extremely long hours are learning how to make recovery from work a part of their culture.
The most vivid example might be Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow's intervention with the Boston Consulting Group, where the elite consultancy figured out a way to give team members predictable time off, an account of which she detailed in her book "Sleeping With Your Smartphone." The takeaway: You can make it OK to take time off - if you put the structures in place.
The easiest thing is to just let your colleagues know in advance. If you put your three-day weekend on the calendar weeks ahead of time, everyone can schedule around it. That way it's not a mental health crisis; it's maintenance.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Seed envelopes can come in a variety of different styles, colors, and designs. But who knew that custom seed envelopes were super easy to make yourself? With a color printer, a pair of scissors, a glue stick, and a pen, you can be on your way to tailored seed envelopes for sharing with your friends.
The Smithsonian has compiled a very large library of vintage seed catalogs, which make fantastic and creative covers for your homemade envelopes. However, any pretty picture will do! TIP: Before you place all of your seeds in your finished envelope, be sure that you label it! It can be difficult to try to label your seed envelopes once that have been filled with seeds.
Choose your image and cut away any excess white space - leave a little bit on the edges for labeling purposes. Step 2:
Turn the paper over so that the picture is face down, and fold the square into thirds horizontally, so that there are three separate panels. Step 3:
Fold the edges over one another, and glue down the top flap to the bottom flap, creating an envelope with two open sides. Then, fold the corners in and bend the bottom edge up. Glue this flap onto the main body, sealing the bottom of the envelope permanently.
Fold the top edge in a similar manner, but don't glue it closed. Instead, let the fold hold itself closed after the seeds have been placed inside. If you want to alter the size of the seed envelope, you can cut it horizontally at this step before you make the final fold on the top.
Place your seeds inside and you're ready to go! Here is a slideshow of the instructions to take with you!
Find more photos like this on HOMEGROWN.ORG
Here are some other great resources for easy and fast seed envelopes.
Here is a great on-the-go envelope that can be made very easily from www.cheapvegetablegardener.com
Here is another great resource with a printable template for your seed envelopes from www.finegardening.com
HOMEGROWN.org has downloadable seed packets, too!
Have fun and good luck!!
Views: 5176
Thank you for this....such a fun and useful project!
Nice ideas but an even more appropriate technology version of this, which prevents the use of virgin paper, color ink, power to run the printer, double sided tape (which is difficult to find and very expensive where I am) is to simply reuse a sheet of paper or newsprint cut to the right shape and use some simple glue ( flour/water).
Imagine you have no power and stores are 100 miles away and you'll start thinking like this!
The folded paper version is excellent, however! not even glue is necessary!
I often make little seed envelopes just by folding a small piece of paper and tucking one side into the other. Difficult to explain, easy to do... kind of like the example above. But, I do like the more standard looking ones, even though they do use up resources.
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I'm 33 and, with mixed emotions, I play games that star Super Mario.
The people who sell Mario games would say it's great to play Mario games. Mario is for everyone.
My gut tells me that playing Mario, the adventures of a fat plumber in a Mushroom Kingdom of warbling enemies and happy conflict, is juvenile.
My mind tells me I'm a more ideal Mario player than any 8-year-old kid.
Grown men play Super Mario games, so I feel that it is time for me, a grown man, to figure out why and whether this is a habit I ought to quit.
Last year, as I have done for most of the years of my life past age 10, I played Super Mario games. I played new ones, such as New Super Mario Bros. Wii and, during plane flights and subway rides and while lying on a couch as my wife read a book, the Nintendo DS game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
Mario games are fun. They've been fun for me since the 80s. But I'm in my 30s. Mario games are in their 20s. They act young still. As I get older, I don't always want to. And yet there's joy in the gameplay mixes with the sensation of being an adult possibly playing with a kid's toy.
Bowser's Inside Story features Mario and Luigi exploring the cavernous — but cute, always cute — stomach and intestines of Mario nemesis Bowser. It's all quite colorful and jolly. The bad guy has a fantastically bad way of speaking. He's Fawful, one of those kids'-fiction bad guys. I don't remember the specific moment when I felt I might be too old for this Mario game. It may have been while I made Mario use his hammer to smash little bad guys or maybe it was when Bowser accidentally ate something that made him sick. Possibly, it was during the many moments that the game's joke-filled script made me laugh; not that I'm too old to laugh, but why am I here to witness all those jokes and puns about beans and unbrushed teeth?
This was kid's stuff that I was enjoying — good natured, colorful, clever kid's stuff, but, still, kid's stuff. It was a cross-generational kind of thing, like a Pixar movie at best, but, well, not very adult.
Mario's not alone in not feeling quite right for me. I've thought in recent years that maybe Call of Duty is too Michael Bay for me and that, well, certain games aren't enough Mario in the way they teach players their ideas. But as I played Bowser's Inside Story, there was that reaction again: Maybe I'm too old for this.
Then I remembered a kid I met at a party a year ago. This boy was one of the few children there, disinterested in the conversations of his parents and other adults there. He had a DS. In it, he had New Super Mario Bros., his first Mario game. I mentioned some of the older ones, ones made before he was born. He'd never played them, never heard of them.
Maybe, I thought, he was too young to be playing Mario.
What Kids Miss About Mario
There was another moment while playing Mario and Luigi that I can recall specifically. I was in control of Mario and I encountered a character who gave Mario the ability to strap a blue shell to his back. Mario could crouch down, tuck his limbs into his shell and slide across the screen. This new power essentially made Mario into a turtle. That provoked a different reaction: This is something a kid couldn't appreciate, not really, not completely.
How could a anyone under the age of, I don't know, 33?, appreciate the fact that when Mario obtains the shell power, the game shows blocks of power radiating to all corners of Mario's world, a clear — obvious! — homage to the exclamation-point block-radiating in 1990's Super Mario World. No child of the 21st century would understand that.
How could a kid appreciate this marvelous twist of a Mario world's power dynamics, this turning of Mario into the very kickable shell that gamers used to make Mario punt across the screen in most of his games since 1986's Super Mario Bros? In this moment in Bowser's Inside Story, Mario had become his enemy, had assumed the role of his turtle victims, an idea that was more than 20 years in the making. Oh, but the blue-shell-power was in 2006's New Super Mario Bros., Mario experts might point out. The point still stands.
It's the discovery of the blue-shell-power that enriches me as a Mario-playing man. If one strives to experience fiction that possesses emotional maturity and thematic complexity, Mario games are not a form of entertainment that offer meaningful depth. That feeling of unease in my gut as I play a new Mario game might be the unease I'd have if I sat in the part of the bookstore that sells pop-up books and started reading one after the other. But the blue-shell-power discovery triggers my memories of older elements and abilities from older Mario games. It gets me thinking of variations and rule-changes. I'm suddenly a connoisseur of fine music recognizing how a new master performer has chosen to compose a classic slightly differently, maybe with an added instrument or new flourish.
The making of video games involves yearly advances in the arrangement and physics of interactive worlds. Playing a series of well-made games designed across those years offers me the ability to enjoy nothing less meaningful than progress and the evolution of thought — thought in the context of designing an interactive Mushroom Kingdom, but layered, increasingly complex thought in that context nonetheless. That is what satisfies me and what I can't imagine any child who didn't start with Super Mario Bros. appreciating it quite as much as I do.
New Mario games, kids, feel as if they might have been made for old me.
Other Men Who Play Mario
I asked some other men who play Mario whether they're ever conflicted about playing. The 46-year-old Michael Abbot, who runs the Brainy Gamer blog, has played Mario games since they were only made in two dimensions. He's never beaten the eighth world of Super Mario Brothers, but he's stuck with the series. He's never been embarrassed to play the Marios, he said. Nostalgia is a big part of the appeal, but not all of it.
"When I play a game like New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it's like biting into a tasty cake made from a favorite recipe, but with a few surprise ingredients baked in," he told me. "The older I get, I find I'm less hungry for 'innovation' and more appreciative of thoughtful, creative refinement. Mario games, especially the last two big ones, Galaxy and NSMBW, seem to embody that ideal."
Matthew Green, 28-year-old writer for Kombo.com and PressTheButtons.com knows there are other, non-Mario games targeted to him. "I'm part of a demographic meant for Modern Warfare and Madden, but I always look forward to a trip back to the Mushroom Kingdom," he wrote to me. He told me he keeps playing because he grew up with the games and they make him smile.
The Mario games also make these men feel young. Green: "There's a sense of wonder and a spark of imagination at the heart of the Super Mario Bros. games, and as children we pick up on that right away. Then, over time, most people lose that spark. School, career, social engagements, relationship drama, mortgage payments, credit card debt, medical ailments, and other things that we pick up on our way to and through adulthood weigh us down and we forget the simple pleasures of saving the princess from a turtle despot with an eye for annexing kingdoms and galaxies. Those of us who continue to play Super Mario games and who make them a part of our adult lives found a way to keep that spark alive."
Who Really Plays Mario?
I asked Nintendo for data about who plays Mario games. They didn't have any to share publicly, but I did get a range elsewhere. "The idea that Mario games are simply just for kids is foolish, and Nintendo knows that," Jesse Divnich, vice president of research group EEDAR told me. "The dominant demographic for New Super Mario Bros. Wii are males and females over 24 years old."
Divnich said that a look at Nintendo's commercials gives us a good idea of who the company believes is buying its products. "With Nintendo, nearly all of their commercials contain people of both genders and of all ages. They do that for a specific reason, because nearly every one of all ages, races, and creeds buy Nintendo products." Specifically about Mario games, he added, Nintendo uses "the brand name of Mario to pull in the older crowd and the cute lovable graphics/gameplay to draw in the younger crowd." At least Divnich gave me that out. It's the gameplay that is there for some of us older players.
"Dude Fights A Turtle"
I found a man, a gamer who doesn't try to play Mario. He's no doubt seen those Nintendo commercials. He's relented enough that he played a recent Mario game, Super Mario Galaxy, and "appreciated" it. But 36-year-old Chris Dahlen, an avid gamer and writer about games for Edge Magazine and his own Save The Robot blog, is immune to the marketing and has never seen the nostalgia. He grew up playing PC games, had a Colecovision, then missed most of the early Mario era.
"Today, I feel like a kid in a fundamentalist Christian camp who's never even read the Bible," he told me. "Intellectually, I know the franchise, I can name the characters, and I'm aware of the new releases… But I do not 'get it.' I do not have the religion. I don't know why everyone's in love with this simple, paper-thin character or his cartoonish pals and nemeses."
Bear in mind, he's played and appreciated the Mario games, but I can't expect him to care about the blue-turtle-shell-power power and the 20 years of layered ideas. I certainly can't expect him, a grown man, to be charmed. He gets, say, Spider-Man. "He's a classic underdog hero," Dahlen e-mailed to me. "But Mario? There's nothing. Nada. Dude fights a turtle."
Nothing is for everyone, and there are all sorts of things we outgrow as we age. I remember a news report about a police officer who was suspicious that any grown-up would play the cute Nintendo game Animal Crossing. I am aware of the people in my life to whom I will never relate the story or the jokes of a good Mario role-playing game.
I know that as a 33-year-old man, I cannot consider Mario games to be the most natural fit in my life, the most appealing or relevant fiction. I'm not sure that they keep me young. I'm not sure their draw is nostalgia. I like them as progress-markers, as time capsules of thought about designing interactive adventure in a specific and unreal world. I like them despite the fact that their fiction is increasingly irrelevant to me, because, by contrast, their gameplay and their design is more relevant to me by the year.
Sometimes playing a new Mario game is to witness the evolution of a thought, the advancement of a set of physics and rules that order a fictional kingdom. Other times, I am witnessing a bad idea, an evolutionary mistake. But always, I am witnessing living thought, tracked across the years, something a kid couldn't understand, not until he's older. Not until he's, maybe, 33.


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What to Expect
When the unexpected happens, the unknown can be frightening. At SCL Health you can be confident in the care and attention you and your family receive, no matter what brought you here.
Our emergency team is committed to high-quality standards and comforting care for all members of our community. You can rely on our specially trained doctors, nurses and staff members to support you from the moment you enter the door.


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In the weekly MTA programme Rah e Huda, our missionaries and scholars discuss various subjects and also answer questions from callers, including non-Ahmadis, live on TV.
Last week Hazrat Khalifatul Masih happened to watch part of the programme when a non-Ahmadi questioner was putting his question with reference to a revelation of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). In a way his question was an objection and in his preamble the caller said that the Holy Qur'an, which is the Word of God, Hadith and works of other holy persons all have a concordance and a flow which he failed to see in the Promised Messiah's (on whom be peace) words. Even if the intention of the caller was not to object, his tone appeared so. The words of the said revelation are: '[Urdu] After ten days I shall demonstrate my [surging] Sign. [Arabic] [Hearken! The help of Allah is near like a pregnant she-camel in labour.] [English] Then will you go to Amritsar.' (Tadkirah, p. 67 2009 edition)
The question was responded briefly on the programme but Huzoor felt it was important to give the details in the Promised Messiah's (on whom be peace) own words so that other objectors or youngsters with less knowledge may not be influenced by this episode or perhaps they want to know details. Questions are sometimes answered by our scholars on the spot on Rah e Huda and at other times questions that require detailed response are answered in the following programme. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said there is no need for him to start responding to every objection or question in his sermons. The reason he explained the matter today was because in his previous series of sermons he had said that the signs of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and God's succour is with us in such abundance that the others perhaps do not have a fraction of it! The matter that the questioner tried to ridicule has been elucidated by the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in Barahin e Ahmadiyya and it is also detailed in Tadhkirah. The question of the caller tells us that at least he had read Tadhkirah but in order to cause confusion, knowingly he did not mention the context in which it is related. Baraheen e Ahmadiyya also explains this subject but the caller would not have read it as the book requires great focus and attention and Huzoor did not think the caller had the required capacity.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote: 'Some time ago I was in great need of money and the local Aryas who used to come and visit me knew this well. …Quite involuntarily the thought welled up in my mind that I should supplicate God, the One, for resolving my difficulty so that, through acceptance of my prayer, I should not only overcome my difficulty but also furnish a proof of divine support to my opponents—a Sign of which they should become witnesses. So I supplicated the same day and begged that, as a sign, I might be informed of the coming of help. Thereupon, I received the revelation: [Urdu] After ten days I shall demonstrate my [surging] Sign. [Arabic] [Hearken! The help of Allah is near like a pregnant she-camel in labour.] [English] Then will you go to Amritsar. i.e., money would arrive after ten days and that God's succour is as close as the end of the labour of a she-camel when she is about to give birth to her foal. Then He said in English that: After ten days when the money will arrive then will you go to Amritsar. All this was fulfilled in the presence of the Aryas exactly as had been foretold. Nothing at all was received during the first ten days and then on the eleventh day 110 rupees were received from Muhammad Afdal Khan, Superintendent, Settlement, Rawalpindi, and twenty rupees were received from another source and thereafter money began to arrive unexpectedly. On the same day when the money was received from Muhammad Afdal Khan and others I had to go to Amritsar as I received summons from the Small Causes Court, Amritsar, to appear as a witness.' [Tadhkirah, pp. 66 – 67, 2009 edition]
This is the revelation in its entirety and its background. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has further explained this in another place:
'Some time back … a gentleman named Nur Ahmad, who is both a hafiz and a haji and perhaps also knows some Arabic and preaches from the Holy Qur'an and lives in Amritsar, came to Qadian in the course of his wanderings…. Since he was staying with me, and had expressed to me in very strong words the opinion about revelation which he entertained, I felt much aggrieved by it. I tried in every possible manner to convince him of his misconception but my reasoning had no effect upon him. Then I turned to Allah the Almighty and told Hafiz [Nur Ahmad] that I would supplicate to Allah the Noble, and would not be surprised if some prophecy might be made of which he might himself see the fulfilment. Accordingly, I made my supplication that night and towards the morning I saw in my vision a letter which had arrived by post on which there was a superscription in English: I am quarreller. And another in Arabic: 'This is a shattering witness'. And I also received these words by way of revelation as if they had been addressed to me by the writer of the letter.
Then the vision ended. Since I do not have any knowledge of the English language, I informed Miyan Nur Ahmad of this vision and revelation and enquired from someone who was conversant with English what the meaning of the English superscription was. He explained that it meant that the writer was a disputant. From this brief sentence I understood clearly that I was about to receive a letter relating to some dispute. I conceived that the Arabic superscription 'This is a shattering witness' which was the next sentence written by the scribe meant that the writer of the letter had written it in connection with some evidence relating to a dispute. It so happened that Hafiz Nur Ahmad was not able to leave for Amritsar that day on account of heavy rain. His inability to leave because of a heavenly cause was in fact an intimation of the acceptance of my prayer so that, as I had supplicated, he himself might witness the fulfillment of the prophecy. In short, the entire prophecy was narrated to him.
In the afternoon, in his presence, I received a registered letter from the Reverend Rajab 'Ali, owner and manager of the Safir Hind Press, Amritsar, reporting that he had instituted a suit against his scribe, who is also the scribe of this book, in the Small Causes Court and had given my name as a witness. At the same time I received summons from the court. The interpretation of the Arabic superscription which means that 'this witness is shattering' then became patent inasmuch as the proprietor of the Safir Hind Press was absolutely certain that my testimony, which he was sure would be in accord with the facts, would prove destructive for the defendant on account of its weight, truth, and reliability. That is why the proprietor of the Press had me summoned as a witness. It so happened that the day on which this prophecy was fulfilled was also the day on which the other prophecy mentioned above was also fulfilled. Thus, Miyan Nur Ahmad witnessed the fulfillment of that prophecy also. That is to say, money was received on that day after the expiry of the period of ten days and I was summoned and had to go to Amritsar. [Allah be praised for all this.] (Tadhkirah, pp. 67 – 69, 2009 edition)
This is all Huzoor wished to say as regards the signs of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in today's sermon which was in light of the question asked in the MTA programmed Rah e Huda. He will elucidate this subject in future. Today he wished to speak about the concerns of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) about the practices of his Jama'at. Prior to that Huzoor read out an extract from a biography of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) written by Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib. Huzoor said that it is a grace and blessing of God on the Ahmadiyya Jama'at that when Khalifa of the time is drawn to a subject and if the subject is of reformatory nature, a large section of the Jama'at pays attention to reformation. Huzoor assesses this from the letters he receives as well as when helpers of Khilafat send in relevant extracts that they remember. The extract from Sahibazada Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib's book was sent to Huzoor by a missionary sahib of ours as Huzoor has been giving discourses on reformation of practices.
The extract relates that Maulwi Syed Serwer Shah Sahib told Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib that once Mir Nasir Nawab Sahib and Maulwi Muhammad Ali Sahib had a disagreement and Mir Sahib told the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) about it. When Maulwi Muhammad Ali Sahib came to know this, he went to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and said that he had come to Qadian so that he may get to serve religion in some way while in the company of the Promised Messiah. However, if complaints were made about him to the Promised Messiah in this vein, it was entirely possible that being human, the Promised Messiah may think something negative about Maulwi Muhammad Ali in which case rather than being beneficial, his coming to Qadian would become detrimental for him. To this the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: ' Mir Sahib did say something to me, but I was so absorbed in my own worries that I can swear by God that I do not know what Mir Sahib said and what he did not say. Since a few days a thought has been concerning me most forcefully and it has completely detached me from other things. During the course of the day this thought alone stays in my view. I am sitting with people and someone says something to me but the same thought is encircling my mind. The person must think I am listening to him but I am engrossed in the same thought. The thought goes with me when I return home. In short, these days this thought has occupied my mind so forcefully that there is no room for any other thought! What is this thought? It is that the real objective of my coming is to prepare a community of true believers who truly believes in God and maintains a real connection with Him and makes Islam its way and implements the blessed model of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). That it treads the path of reformation and Taqwa and establishes exemplary morals so that the world can receive guidance from such a community and the will of God is fulfilled. If this objective is not fulfilled and even if we overcome the enemy with proofs and reasoning and completely vanquish him, even then our triumph will not be triumph because the real objective of my advent would not have been fulfilled – it would be as if all our work went in vain. However, I see that distinct signs of triumph in terms of proofs and reasoning are being evident and the enemy is also feeling his weakness, yet our Jama'at lacks a great deal as regards the real objective of my advent and there is great need for attention in this regard. This is the thought which is consuming me these days and is so dominant that it does not leave me at any time!'
This was the pain which had caused restlessness for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). Apart from his writings, there are ten volumes of 'Malfuzat' which are brief records of the assemblies of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). Each one of these ten volumes gives the Promised Messiah's (on whom be peace) expectations of the Jama'at and his advice to the Jama'at as well as the subject of reformation of practice from different perspectives. Some of these were presented by Huzoor today.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: 'I have said as regards mutual love and harmony of the Jama'at that you should have accord and unity. This is the teaching God gave to the Muslims that be as one otherwise you will collapse. The commandment to stand close to each other in Salat is to promote unity, so that the good in one permeates like electric power in each other. If you have conflict and no unity, you will remain unfortunate. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said to love one another and pray in private for each other. If a person prays for another in private angels say 'may the same be for you.' How excellent this is! If man's prayer is not accepted, angels' is. I advise you and wish to say to you not to have any mutual conflict. I have brought two issues only. Firstly, adopt Unity of God and secondly be loving and sympathetic to each other. Show that model which works miracles for the others. This is the sign that was instilled in the Companions, '… when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love…' (3:104) Remember, coming together is a miracle. Remember, unless each one of you likes for his brother what he likes for himself, he is not from my Jama'at. He is in trouble and calamity and his ending is not good.'
'Remember removal of malice is a sign of the Mahdi. Will this sign not come to pass? Indeed, it will. Why don't you be patient! Just as in medical matters some ailments do not go away unless they are completely eradicated. InshaAllah a pious community will be created through me. What is the reason for mutual enmity? Miserliness, arrogance, self-centredness and emotions. I will exclude all those from my Jama'at who do not have control over their emotions and cannot live with mutual love and unity. Those who are of this kind should remember that they are here only for a few days! Unless they demonstrate fine example I do not want to bear objections on myself caused by others. A person who is in my Jama'at but does not act in accordance to my wish is like a dry branch. What else can the gardener do but to cut him off? Joined to a green branch although a dry branch absorbs water, it does not remain verdant. On the contrary, such a branch also harms the other branches. Therefore, be fearful, one who will not remedy himself will not stay with me.'
Huzoor said we have heard this extract before, however when put in conjunction with the extract which expressed the Promised Messiah's (on whom be peace) pain for days when all he thought of was his Jama'at's reformation of practices, it is a cause for particular concern. Describing a true believer, he said:
'I say openly that unless Allah the Exalted is given precedence over everything else and unless He can see that a person is His from the heart one cannot be called a true believer…Muslim is one who is a model of '…submits himself completely to Allah…' (2: 113). وَجْھَہ [in the verse] signifies face, however, it is also applicable to one's person. Thus, one who submits with all his capacities to Allah deserves to be called a true Muslim. I remember that a Muslim invited a Jew to Islam and said, 'you should become a Muslim' but was himself embroiled in wickedness and sin. The Jew said to the sinful Muslim, 'take a look at yourself first and do not be proud that you are known as a Muslim.' Allah Almighty wants the substance of Islam, not its name and mere wording.'
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also said: 'Remember mere verbosity and wordiness will not avail unless backed by practice. Mere words have no value in the sight of Allah, therefore, Allah the Exalted has stated: 'Most hateful it is in the sight of Allah that you say what you do not do.' (61:4)
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) taught that if one wishes to serve Islam, once must abide by Taqwa first. He said: '…be steadfast and strive to excel in steadfastness…' (3:201) Just as it is necessary to have horses at the frontline so that the enemy does not cross limits, you should also be prepared, lest the enemy crosses the frontline and harms Islam. I have said this before that if you wish to promote and serve Islam, first abide by Taqwa and purity with which you can come into the refuge of fortified protection of Allah the Exalted and are then privileged to serve Islam. You see how feeble the outward power of Muslims has become. Nations look at them with hatred and contempt. If your inner strength is also weakened and trounced, then consider that is the end. You should thus purify your souls that power of holiness permeates them and they become strong and protective like horses on the frontline. The grace of Allah the Exalted is always with the righteous and the truthful. Do not make your morals and your ways such that they cause blemish on [the name of] Islam. Muslims who commit foul deeds and do not abide by the teachings of Islam are a cause of blemish on [the name of] Islam. A Muslim drinks alcohol and vomits all over the place. His turban dangles around his neck as he falls in sewers and is beaten by the police. Hindus and Christians laugh at him and his unlawful act not only causes his own disgrace but behind the scenes its effect reaches Islam. I am very aggrieved to read such news and reports from prisons when I see how many Muslims are blameworthy due to their foul deeds. My heart is agitated that these people who have been given the right path, do not simply cause loss to themselves with their excesses but also cause Islam to be derided. My concern is that Muslims get embroiled in forbidden acts which not only make them distrustful but also Islam. Therefore, make your ways and conduct such that the disbelievers do not get the chance to lay criticism on you which in fact is criticism of Islam.'
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) says about thankfulness: 'Real thankfulness is in [abiding by] Taqwa and purity. It is not real thankfulness when a Muslim responds by saying Alhamdolillah. If you adopt the ways of real thankfulness, that is Taqwa and purity, then I give you the glad-tidings that none can overcome you when you stand on the frontline.' The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) goes on to relate a story that a Hindu, who was a government officer, told him. He said that he worked in a place where a Hindu worker used to secretly offer Salat and all the Hindus workers did not think much of him. The Hindu workers decided to get him fired from work. They tried to make several complaints against him and had collected a lot of criticisms against him for this purpose and used to report to the superior time and again. If the superior became too angry and summoned the man who offered Salat, as soon as he would appear the superior's anger would subside and he would gently caution him as if he had not done anything wrong.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: 'It should be remembered very well that there is benefit in everything. Look around the world, from high quality of vegetation to rodents and insects, there is nothing that is devoid of benefit to man. All these ordinary things, whether they are earthly or heavenly, are shadows of the attributes of Allah the Exalted. When there is so much benefit in [Divine] attributes, imagine the benefit of the Being of God! It should also be remembered here that just as we are sometimes harmed by these things, which is through our own mistake and lack of understanding and not because these things are harmful per sae, rather the harm is borne of our own error and fault, similarly we experience trouble and problems due to not having knowledge of some Divine attributes, otherwise Allah the Exalted is All-Merciful and All-Bountiful. The secret of experiencing difficulties and grief in this world is that we go through troubles due to our own lack of understanding and knowledge.' The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) went on to explain that we find Allah the Exalted to be Ever Merciful and Bountiful and Beneficial beyond imagination through His attributes. And those who are closest to Him garner the most benefit and this status is given to those who are called the righteous. Such a person is given the light of guidance which instils a special radiance in his knowledge and his senses. Conversely the further a person is from Allah the Exalted a destructive darkness overtakes his heart and mind, so much so that he becomes an example of: 'They are deaf, dumb and blind…' (2:19), while those who attain light and radiance are given high level of peace and respect. Allah the Exalted has stated: 'And thou, O soul at peace! Return to thy Lord, well pleased with Him and He well pleased with thee.' (89: 28-29) The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said some people find apparent satisfaction in power, some find satisfaction in their property and respect while others are considered apparently satisfied by their beautiful and clever children and helpers. However such pleasure and worldly pleasures of all sorts cannot bring man true satisfaction and assurance. In fact they generate a kind of impure greed and yearning. These people are never satiated until the time comes when they are destroyed. However, God Almighty states that the person that finds his peace in Allah the Exalted, it is possible that for such a person wealth and worldly pomp are not the cause of true pleasure. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: 'Unless man finds peace and satisfaction in God, he cannot have salvation because salvation is only an alternative word for peace and satisfaction!'
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: 'I have seen some people and have read about many who have worldly property and riches and false luxuries of the world and all manner of blessings like children and helpers. When they are about to die and realise that they are going to leave this world and are going to leave behind all the belongings and pass on to the next world, they are inflamed with yearning and are given to sighing! Thus, this is also a kind of hell which cannot bring satisfaction and fulfilment to man, on the contrary it puts him in a state of anxiety and restlessness. So, this fact should also not remain hidden from my friends that often man is so absorbed in what is indeed an unfair and unwarrantable love of family and property that many times spurred by the passion and excess of this love he starts doing such unwarrantable acts which create distance between him and Allah the Exalted and prepare a hell for him. He is not aware of the moment when he is suddenly separated from them and he becomes extremely restless. It can be understood very easily that separation from something one loves creates sadness and painful grief. Now this matter not only has a scriptural tenor but also has a logical tenor. As it is stated: 'It is Allah's kindled fire, which rises over the hearts' (104: 7 – 8) This is the very fire of love of other than Allah which burns the human heart to cinders and puts it in astonishing pain and agony. I say once again that it is completely true that man cannot have salvation without [attaining the state of] soul at peace.'
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: 'Allah the Exalted does not care for anyone but for the righteous person. Instil mutual love and unity and abandon beastliness and conflict and give up all manner of mockery and derision because mockery makes the heart remote and distant from the truth. Treat each other with respect and everyone should give precedence to the comfort of his brother over his own comfort. Generate true conciliation with Allah the Exalted and return to His obedience. Wrath of Allah the Exalted is falling down on the earth and only those are saved from it who completely repent over their sins and submit to Him. Remember that if you engage yourself in the cause of Allah the Exalted and will be devoted in promoting His religion, God will remove all your obstacles and you will be successful. Have you not seen how a farmer pulls out and throws away weeds for the sake of fine plants and arranges his field with attractive trees and productive plants! He safeguards them and protects them from all harm. However, the owner does not care if the cattle eat the trees and plants which are not productive, are rotten or dried out or if someone chops them off for firewood. Therefore, you too should remember that if you are deemed truthful by Allah the Exalted, no one's opposition will trouble you. Yet, if you do not correct yourself and do not truly pledge obedience to Allah the Exalted, then Allah the Exalted too does not care for anyone. Thousands of sheep and goats are slaughtered and no one pities them but if a man is killed how much interrogation takes place! If you make yourself useless and careless like beasts, you too will end up so. It is required that you should join the dear ones of God so that no epidemic or calamity can dare attack you because nothing happens in the world without the permission of Allah the Exalted. Remove all mutual conflicts and enmities for now is the time that you avoid inferior matters and engage yourself in significant and magnificent tasks!'
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also said the following:
''Remember this as an entrustment; never to be forceful and harsh. Always explain gently and do not utilise indignation.'
'Remember for the future never to abandon rights of [keeping] accord in mankind, otherwise rights of Allah will also not remain.'
'I have been informed that '…Surely, Allah changes not the condition of a people until they change that which is in their hearts...' (13:12) Listening to this, everyone says that they offer Salat and also engage in Istaghfar, why then they have to face trials and tribulations? The fact is that one who comprehends the ways of Allah the Exalted is fortunate indeed. The will of Allah is something else and man assumes something else and then gauges it according to his intellect and understanding. This is not correct. Anything that is used less than the prescribed amount does not benefit in the way that is inherent in it to benefit. For example, if medicine has to be taken in a required amount but only a drop is taken, of what benefit will it be? And if instead of eating bread, only a crumb is eaten, can it be a source of satisfaction and can a drop, as opposed to a cup of water, satiate? Not at all; it is the same as regard practices. Unless they are regulated, they do not come up to mark. This is the way of Allah which we cannot change!'
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said:
'Being sympathetic to one's brother is like alms-giving and charity and it is included in the rights of mankind, which is an obligation. Just as Allah the Exalted has obligated fasting and Salat for Himself, He has also deemed it an obligation to safeguard rights of mankind.'
'A person who abandons sympathy, it is as if he abandons faith. The Holy Qur'an states: '…whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind…' (5:33) I say that similarly if a person is not sympathetic to his brother; it is as if he has not been sympathetic to the entire world. Do not love life to an extent that you lose faith. Do not ever abandon rights of unity of mankind.'
'Our detractors have animosity against us and wish for the Jama'at to be destroyed. It should be remembered that in spite of their animosity, I agree with them in one thing. And that is that God Almighty has willed that this Jama'at is free of sin and that it demonstrates a fine model of conduct and truly practices the true teachings of the Holy Qur'an and is fervently devoted in adherence of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). There should be no mutual rancour in it and it should be a Jama'at that fully and truly loves God Almighty. Yet, if having joined this Jama'at, someone still does no fulfil this objective and does not demonstrate sincere change in his practices, then he should remember that he will be fulfilling the wish of the detractors; he will certainly be destroyed. God Almighty has no relations with anyone and He does not care. The progeny which was called progeny of the Prophets, that is, the Israelites, among whom an abundance of Prophets and Messenger came and who were the recipients and beneficiaries of great blessings of God Almighty. However, what was the consequence when their spiritual condition deteriorated and they abandoned the right way? They became a representation of: '…And they were smitten with abasement and destitution…' (2: 62) And God's wrath befell them. This is a great cautionary matter. A constant lesson is learnt from the condition of the Israelites. Similarly, God Almighty made this community with His own hands, and it is a community on which God will bestow great blessings. However, if someone joins this Jama'at and does not truly love God Almighty and does not sincerely follow the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), whether he is important or unimportant, he will be cut-off and will be punished by God Almighty. Therefore, you should bring about a complete change and should not bring the Jama'at in disrepute.'
These are the standards we need to aspire to, indeed, should aspire to; abiding by Taqwa, reforming our practices and enhancing the levels of faith. These are not small matters. We have accepted the Imam of the age and we should make endeavours to come up to the mark of his expectations. We should try and accomplish the smallest of virtue and should recoil from every evil. There is need to enhance mutual love, affection and unity. We need to be each other's' helpers, then alone can we fulfil the dues of Bai'at. May God enable us to do so!
Next Huzoor reminded to pray for Muslim countries, especially Syria and Egypt where disorder and persecution is taking place. Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan are also bitterly persecuted and they are ever being made aware of the lack of their safety. May God protect all of them and may He swiftly bring the insurgents and those who create disorder to justice!
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THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Obama has signed 923 Executive Orders in 40 months!
What did Congress do in those 40 months?
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002 designates theof all persons. Postmaster General to operate a national registration
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049 assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051 specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310 grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.
-EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months.
Feel free to verify the "executive orders" at will… and these are just the major ones…
I'm sure you've all heard the tale of the "Frog in the Pot"… you all comfortable???
Watch Obama's actions, not his words! By his actions he will show you where America is headed.
When it comes to Barack Obama, one of the most important things to understand is that he is a committed globalist. He firmly believes that more "global governance" (the elite don't like to use the term "global government") will make the world a much better place. Throughout his time in the White House, Obama has consistently sought to strengthen international institutions such as the UN, the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO. At every turn, Obama has endeavored to more fully integrate America into the "global community". Since he was elected, Obama has signed a whole host of new international economic agreements. He regularly speaks of the need for "cooperation" among global religions and he has hosted a wide variety of different religious celebrations at the White House. Obama once stated that "all nations must come together to build a stronger global regime". If you do not want to live in a "global regime" that is just too bad. To globalists such as Obama, it is inevitable that the United States of America will be merged into the emerging global system. Just this week, Obama has issued a new executive order that seeks to "harmonize" U.S. economic regulations with the rest of the world. This new executive order is yet another incremental step that is pushing us closer to a North American Union and a one world economic system. Unfortunately, most Americans have absolutely no idea what is happening.
The American people need to understand that Barack Obama is constantly looking for ways to integrate the United States more deeply with the rest of the world. The globalization of the world economy has accelerated under Obama, and this latest executive order represents a fundamental change in U.S. economic policy. Now federal regulators will be required to "harmonize" their work with the international community. The following is how this new executive order was assessed in a recent Businessweek article….
Obama's order provides a framework to organize scattered efforts to promote international regulatory cooperation, the chamber's top global regulatory official said today.
"Today's executive order marks a paradigm shift for U.S. regulators by directing them to take the international implications of their work into account in a consistent and comprehensive way," Sean Heather, vice president of the chamber's Center for Global Regulatory Cooperation, said in an e-mailed statement.
Members of the Obama administration are touting this as a way to "reduce regulation", but the truth is that this is much more about aligning ourselves with the rest of the world than anything else.
Obama's "Information Czar", Cass Sunstein, authored a piece in the Wall Street Journal on Monday in which he stressed the need to eliminate "unnecessary regulatory differences across nations" so that the United States can compete more effectively in our "interdependent global economy". The end result of this process will be that we will now do things much more like how the rest of the world does things….
In an interdependent global economy, diverse regulations can cause trouble for companies doing business across national boundaries. Unnecessary differences in countries' regulatory requirements can cost money, compromising economic growth and job creation. Think of divergent requirements for car headlights, or the labeling of food, or standards for container sizes.
Recognizing this, President Obama's Jobs Council has called for U.S. agencies to better align U.S. regulations with those of our major trading partners. And today the president is issuing an executive order, "Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation," with a simple goal: to promote exports, growth, and job creation by eliminating unnecessary regulatory differences across nations.
But a one world economic system is not going to arrive overnight. Initially, it is much more likely that there will be a very strong push toward North American integration first. The goal will be to shape North America into an integrated regional economic unit similar to the EU. Cass Sunstein discussed how this new executive order will affect North American integration on the White House website on Tuesday….
The new Executive Order will build on work that is already underway. We have started close to home, with President Obama launching Regulatory Cooperation Councils with Prime Minister Harper of Canada and President Calderon of Mexico. The Councils are implementing work plans to eliminate or prevent the creation of unnecessary regulatory differences that adversely affect cross-border trade; to streamline regulatory requirements; and to promote greater certainty for the general public and businesses, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises, in the regulation of food, pharmaceuticals, nanotechnology, and other areas. The United States and Canada released the United States-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Joint Action Plan last December. In February, we announced the United States-Mexico High-Level Regulatory Cooperation Council (HLRCC) Work Plan.
Most Americans have absolutely no idea how far plans to integrate the United States, Canada and Mexico have advanced.
Last year, Barack Obama signed an agreement to create a "North American security perimeter" and most Americans never even heard about it because the mainstream news networks almost entirely ignored it.
But this is exactly what the globalists want. They don't want people to become alarmed by these moves toward North American integration. In fact, a document uncovered by Wikileaks shows that those involved in the effort to integrate North America believe that an "incremental" approach is best. Apparently they believe that small moves toward integration are less likely to alarm the general population. The following is from an article that appeared in The National Post last year….
The integration of North America's economies would best be achieved through an "incremental" approach, according to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable.
The cable, released through the WikiLeaks website and apparently written Jan. 28, 2005, discusses some of the obstacles surrounding the merger of the economies of Canada, the United States and Mexico in a fashion similar to the European Union.
"An incremental and pragmatic package of tasks for a new North American Initiative (NAI) will likely gain the most support among Canadian policymakers," the document said. "The economic payoff of the prospective North American initiative … is available, but its size and timing are unpredictable, so it should not be oversold."
If the people of Canada, the United States and Mexico were told that there was a plan to merge all three economies, there might be massive protests to stop it, and the globalists do not want that.
A few years ago, the "Security and Prosperity Partnership Of North America" (SPP) that was being promoted by President George W. Bush started to generate quite a bit of negative publicity. That caused those seeking to integrate the economies of North America to back off for a little while.
But as an article by Jerome Corsi last year detailed, the eventual goal is to turn North America into another version of the eurozone. That includes a common currency for North America called the "amero"….
The SPP in the administration of President George W. Bush appeared designed to replicate the steps taken in Europe over a 50-year period following the end of World War II to transform an economic agreement under the European Common Market into a full-fledged regional government, operating as the European Union, with its own currency, the euro, functioning as the sole legitimate currency in what has become known as "the eurozone."
The concern under the SPP has been that the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, could be evolved into a regional government, the North American Union, with a regional currency, the amero, designed to replace the U.S. dollar, the Mexican peso and the Canadian dollar.
So will we ever see the "amero" replace the U.S. dollar?
Hopefully not.
If the globalists try to introduce the "amero", it would probably be after a horrible financial crisis in which the U.S. dollar falls apart. The "amero" would be heralded as the "solution" to the problems that were plaguing the dollar.
If there ever is a move to get rid of the U.S. dollar for an international currency of some kind, the American people will need to resist it with all of their might.
The more integrated the world becomes, the more likely it becomes that we will see nightmarish global tyranny someday. It is very frightening to think of what someone very evil might do if they had the chance to run the entire planet.
Once our national sovereignty is gone, it will be incredibly difficult to get back. If the American people don't take a stand while they still can, their children may wake up someday as citizens of a very oppressive "global regime".


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Friday, June 25, 2010
The Magic of Horsehair Braid (A Little Tutorial)
Have you ever used this stuff before? I'm using horsehair braid for the first time and I'm enamored. I've been working on a very special project: my very first draped design! Don't get too excited, it's a very simple silhouette - no cowls or shirring or pleats. But I draped the thing myself! It's a 50s-style dress (shocker, eh?) with a boatneck and a very full skirt. I'm making it out of the most beautiful textured cotton in what must be Schiaparelli Pink (though it looks a bit Fanta Orange in these pictures!).
I was researching hem methods, and I was thinking about doing a faced hem for a little more body at the hemline. And then I came across the section on horsehair braid in Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers, which is absolutely my new favorite sewing book. I was intrigued! Horsehair braid acts as both a facing and a hem stabilizer. It's used to add structure to hemlines: think of a sculpted mermaid skirt or a full ballgown. It added the perfect swingy fullness to my knee-length circle skirt.
First off, what is it? Horsehair braid used to actually be made of horse's hair, but now it's made of nylon or polyester. You can buy it in various widths. A wider width will give you more body to your hem, and a narrower one will be more subtle. I didn't go subtle! I went with a 2" width. (They had from super tiny up to 3" wide at Steinlauf & Stoller, and it came in both black and white). A quick Google search turned up lots of online vendors for this stuff, in case you can't find it locally.
The braid has a string at the top. See the loopy bit up there?
This is used to pull the braid tight at the top to shape it, resulting in a curve at the bottom. Perfect for a curved hem like a circle skirt!
There are little loops throughout the braid so that you can pull them up incrementally as you go, not just on the ends. Isn't that genius?
*Update: I just learned that the narrower widths of horsehair don't have this string at the top. That's because they're easier to shape on their own. So don't sweat it if yours doesn't have this!
Before you start your project, you need to decide if you're going to either: 1) underline for an invisible hem - the horsehair braid gets catch-stitched to the underlining in this method or 2) top stitch your hem. For formal wear, you'll obviously want to underline. Since I'm making a day dress, I decided to top stitch for ease and a more casual look.
So here's how to apply your horsehair braid. Start with your dress at the desired length plus 1/2". If your fabric is thicker, you might want to add a smidge extra for turn of cloth.
First, you're going stitch the braid to the right side of your dress, lining up the bottom of the horsehair braid and the raw edge of the bottom of the dress. I wouldn't necessarily recommend pinning it first: this is because you don't want to pull the braid as you go, you want it to apply flat. If you pull it as you're applying it, your hem will look twisted. Just keep feeding it and lining up the braid and the dress's raw edge as you stitch.
My 1/4" stitching line is pointed out with that handy yellow arrow. Keep in mind that this is the outside of the dress.
When you get to the end, you'll want to cover up one end of the braid with some sort of seam binding so it won't scratch you. Lap the covered end UNDER the raw end, this way the scratchy raw edge of the braid will be lapped under when flip it to the inside. (Do as I say, not as I do in this picture. I learned the hard way.)
Now flip the braid to the inside and press the hem. Avoid ironing the braid itself, just press the hem.
If your hem is curved, you'll need to pull the loops of string incrementally so that your braid will curve up. You're shaping your hem - isn't it exciting?!
Pin the hem as you go. I'm pinning on the outside of the dress since I'm going to top stitch it and that's the side that will be facing up.
Now take it to your machine and top stitch. Find the right hem width that will catch the horsehair braid near its top. Use a slightly longer stitch width than usual for prettier stitches. I'm using 3 mm here, but next time I'll probably go with 3.5 mm.
*Update: To avoid the fabric twisting as you top stitch, it helps to feed the fabric to the left of your presser foot through as you go with your left hand. If you notice the fabric pulling or twisting, stop stitching and raise the presser foot (with your needle down), and smooth out the fabric around the presser foot to release any tension.
(If you underlined, this is where you'll catch stitch the horsehair braid to the underlining so it doesn't show on the outside of the skirt.)
Press your finished hem. Pretty on the outside!
Awesome on the inside:
And it will be super awesome once I cut those loops off!
I'll be photographing the dress this weekend and I can't wait to show you how rad this skirt looks in action. In the meantime, I hope this tutorial was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions.
60 comments:
LOVE it! Thanks for such a great tutorial.ReplyDelete
I've been thinking about applying horsehair to some of my projects, so I'll be bookmarking this for when I do.ReplyDelete
This looks like a great technique, thank you for sharing! I will be trying this sometime soon I think, as I also love full skirts.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 25, 2010 at 8:05 AM
I love your blog- I've been lurking here for ages!
I've often wondered, how does applying horsehair affect the laundering of the item?
Also, I'm in the UK- we have something similar called "crin"- I'm not sure it has those nifty loops though. Does anyone know if its the same?
Best Wishes,
Golly, I don't know anything about sewing but this is just fascinating. At the moment I'm still working on stitching in a straight line, but I can't wait until one day I can do something like this!ReplyDelete
That's a great tutorial,thanks. I had heard of horsehair braid but always presumed it was something to do with 'serious' tailoring never realised it was like this - perfect for shaped hems. I can see this coming in handy for all sorts of projects.ReplyDelete
I'm a bit freaked out by the timing of this post as I am googling horsebraid hair at the moment to see if it would be suitable for hemming a 1960 knee-length full-skirt dress (my fabric is med-light crepe and I'm worried about it collapsing). I'm struggling to find the answer then google brings me to your blog which I follow already (should've looked at my dashboard!)ReplyDelete
Is your dress also a shorter length? Most references of horsehair braid are for floor-length skirts and not having used it, I'm not sure how subtle or not its effect is? While I don't want my hem to flop, I don't want an overly perky skirt that looks like like its had a caffeine overdose! My dress pattern (9265) is on my blog page. I can't wait to see your photos, the fabric looks lovely.
PS. Kaye, "crin" is the same thing, its also known as "Crinoline tape", I learned that in the most random way, translating a pattern from Japanese! I'd only ever heard of it has horsehair braid before even in the UK.ReplyDelete
I have used it before; in a Snow White costume I made for one of my daughters several years ago. It makes a full skirt really stand out. I had forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder.ReplyDelete
awesome! I love garments with serious structure to them...ReplyDelete
I imagine this is the same stuff that's used for big ruffles and serious stand-up collars and peplums and such.
Awesome! Now I know what I can do to my fishtail skirt to make it look the way I want to. This is such a nifty notion and I never knew about it.ReplyDelete
Is it machine washable?
Excellent! I look forward to trying this, and thank you *so much* to alerting all us other nerds about this technique! You rock!ReplyDelete
- NicolaJune 25, 2010 at 8:39 AM
This is fantastic--I had read about horsehair braid but never seen it in person or in action. Thanks for the very clear pictures and instructions!ReplyDelete
Horsehair braid is like magic, right? I love that something so simple can add so much glamour in a no fuss manner. Your tip about facing with bias tape to cover up the scratchy surface is genius, because it's more practical than putting an entire lining in. Think of the effect horsehair braid could add to a swing coat.. I cannot wait to see the fruits of your labor..ReplyDelete
If you love this technique, be sure to look at padded hems too. They're definitely more of an application for a floor length dress, but it adds fullness and just enough weight to make a formal look really stunning. And fun to apply engineering-wise.
What a great tutorial. I have used such a braid before but mine did not have the gathering loops! (it was for a costume) great photos, can't wait to see the finished product. Ladies in dresses and skirts again...what a great idea, reclaim our femme!ReplyDelete
- ElizabethDeeJune 25, 2010 at 9:25 AM
Thank you for another wonderful tutorial. Not sure when I'll ever have an occasion for horsehair braid, but you have certainly made me want that book! And I am eager to see your dress.ReplyDelete
Hi guys, glad you like it!ReplyDelete
Re: laundering. I don't know what the professional recommendation is, but I personally wouldn't dream of machine washing a dress with this in it. You know how underwire bras get all twisted in the machine? Well, this stuff is more pliable, and I used six yards of it in my dress, so it would turn into a mess! Better to hand wash or dry clean.
Molly, I'm glad my timing was good! Love it when that happens! Yes, my skirt is knee-length. A good way to see how much volume you'll get is to pin the braid to your hem as a test run. Try a couple different widths of braid. You might want to try 1" wide or less for subtle shaping.Replies
- IvoranniSeptember 12, 2012 at 1:44 PM
Gertie I want to use horsehair braid for the bottom of a ballroom dress but I want very accenuated ruffles. I also want to use a contrast colour so I want it to show. Is it best to use a narrow braid and what is the best way to apply it. There will be absolutely loads of meterage and I have both a serger and sewing machine.Delete
- AnonymousJune 25, 2010 at 9:37 AM
GORGEOUS!!!!!! Wow--I'm totally in awe. Thanks for another hemming option.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 25, 2010 at 9:54 AM
they sell horsehair braid at my local indie fabric store, along with a million other horsehair delights. i feel like i might be obsessed with horsehair. i've played around with horsehair interfacing and horsehair crinoline, but i've always been eyeballing the horsehair braid and wondering what i could do with it. thank you for posting this - now i need to work my own horsehair magic :)
can't wait to see the dress :)
Wow! This is fantastic! If I ever finish the skirt that's been sitting on my sewing table for a month, I definitely want to try a project that calls for this next. Thanks for the info!ReplyDelete
I'm so excited about your first draped garment. Can't wait to see it. This was a great tute.ReplyDelete
I recently used horsehair braid for the first time too! I used a narrow (3/4"?) width and I enclosed it in the hem of my underlined dress. I have since laundered the dress with no ill effects! (Of course, your mileage may vary.)ReplyDelete
I am seriously thinking about using horsehair braid in all my light summer dresses with full skirts because I love the fullness but sometimes it's just too hot to wear the fluffer underneath. I think a horsehair braid hem will keep my skirt fluffed out for maximum breeziness.
You can see my dress with the horsehair braid hem here: http://chronicallyuncool.blogspot.com/2010/05/vogue-8956-finished.html
- seamstresskimJune 25, 2010 at 11:39 AM
great tip! and btw- if you are ever doing a full lining to the skirt anyway, cut your lining to the exact hem length and stitch it right-sides-together into the same quarter-inch seam with your skirt fashion fabric. So- closest to your feed-dogs is the wrong side of your fashion fabric, then lining, then horsehair braid on top. When you turn it all right side out, the horsehair is trapped upright between the skirt and lining- no topstitching required! It's a bit of a brain tangler, but gorgeous and easy- a one-seam hem for a lined and stabilized hem!ReplyDelete
I'm absolutely in love and can't wait to try this on my own garments! Great tips! Thank you for sharing. I think I need that book too!ReplyDelete
I love this comment:ReplyDelete
"I think a horsehair braid hem will keep my skirt fluffed out for maximum breeziness."
And aren't we all going for maximum breeziness, really? :-)
Love the tutorial, Gertie.
I've never used this stuff before but I love full skirts, so I could see its benefit for swingy fullness! Thanks for the excellent tutorial, I'll definitely be bookmarking this for later :)ReplyDelete
I can not wait to see this dress. Your description of it made me swoon. I started a new job recently and don't have time for creative sewing anymore. So jealous!ReplyDelete
Cool stuff! Can't wait to see the finished project.ReplyDelete
Well SHUT UP! I used to work at a fabric store back in the day, we carried horse hair but NO ONE ever bought any... I always wondered the proper way to use it. AND after sewing my first 1947 repro pattern, I wished I had it for the hem of the skirt.ReplyDelete
You've taught me something again :)
This was super helpful! Thank you very much! I was always afraid of horsehair braid, but now I feel empowered and ready to go!ReplyDelete
I must admit when I first read the title of your post, I immediately thought of horse tail hairs, braided. It was a relief to learn that it is made from nylon now. Thanks for the tutorial.ReplyDelete
You made me think I could do this...that's the sign of a good teacher! Thanks a ton.ReplyDelete
Another awesome tutorial. Thank you so much! You are just the coolest!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the tip Gertie as well as the great tute, feel reassured to hear its worked on a similar skirt too. In fact you've got me thinking now of all sorts of projects to use it for!ReplyDelete
I look forward to seeing the pics :-)
That is the most awesome and wonderful thing in the history of awesome and wonderful things! Look at how awesome and wonderful your hem looks! You're blowing my mind, Gertie!ReplyDelete
Thank you so much for the tutorial. My grandmother had some couture clothing and it's so interesting to see the why's of a lot of the structure engineered into such garments.ReplyDelete
If you don't mind my asking, how are you going to ensure that the cord at the top doesn't pull out after you cut off the loops?
Enjay, I don't think it matters if the cord comes out since the horsehair is topstitched in place. I wouldn't cut out the loops if I'd catch stitched it to an underlining, though. Does that make sense?ReplyDelete
HI Gertie?s i love you sewing... It is fabulous...HugsReplyDelete
Hey everyone! I just added a couple updates to the tutorial. I'm making my second skirt with horsehair braid tonight and I noticed a couple other things. :)ReplyDelete
I work in costumes for theatre and we use horsehair ALL the time- it's one of my favorite toys! I've been dying to make a hat out of it for ages. Can't wait to see the finished dress!ReplyDelete
Gertie, that does make sense. I'm a new sewist with a background in spinning and knitting so the thought of unravelling is forefront :)ReplyDelete
I love horsehair braid - and wouldn't it be great to see a sample from the past century - it must have been made from actual horsehair? I just used it on a dress I made and wrote a bit about it.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 19, 2010 at 7:45 AM
Alright already. Thank you. I adore you. You're swell! You're smart, funny and beautiful. Really. I am just starting to embark upon the journey of sewing clothing. I've sewed costumes, the obligatory bag, and too many pillows, and am finally confidant enough to start sewing garments, yes, really. Sorry to ramble, but every time I search for a sewing, term, review, opinion, technique, guess who comes up? That's right, you. Really.ReplyDelete
So much so, that you might say that my dear husband may actually be a bit weary of hearing about Gertie from Brooklyn already.
So, thank you Gertie from Brooklyn, you always do such a wonderful job and I appreciate your sharing your projects, musings, and knowledge.
Hugs to you
Beverly from Chatham
Laundering horsehair braid isn't a problem. IF you machine was on your delicate/handwash cycle. Also, it's the clothing fabric that really determines the wash method. I've never had a problem washing my horeshair braided dress in the washer and hanging it to dry.ReplyDelete
I think i love you lol no seriously you've just made my day. I found you through Orchid in May's blog. I'm just about to start on a vintage dress that calls for horse hair braid and i now feel alot more confident about using it:)ReplyDelete
- sewingsandy1980June 28, 2011 at 8:41 PM
thank you so much for this practical hemming solution. your method is sooo much easier than what I was finding in other sources.ReplyDelete
I knew that horsehair braid was the way to go, but this dress is "for real life" and not Musical Theatre Costuming.
Gertie - I'm in the process of making my daughter's wedding dress, which calls for 3" horsehair braid. I've never used it before and am very excited to see what the outcome will be. Thanks for sharing your tips and photos. They really helped me to visualize what I will need to do.ReplyDelete
Thanks again,
Oh, Gertie! You are a gem so you are. I knew when your name popped up on Google for horsehair braid hem that I should have just looked at your blog in the first place. Please forgive my lack of faith. xxxReplyDelete
wow this tutorial is amazing, this seems like a magic tool, horsehair who knew?ReplyDelete
thanks for sharing!
- BernadetteOctober 17, 2012 at 11:08 AM
I love your blog! I'm just starting to sew and it seems that every question that I have is answered by your blog! A big, big thank you!ReplyDelete
I really like it, and the tutorial is easy to follow! :) Thank youReplyDelete
Great tutorial, very easy to follow. Thank-you so much for taking the time to create it.ReplyDelete
thanks admin good blog and text. mirc indir mevlana sözleri kapak sözler abiye modelleri moda sitesiReplyDelete
This blog is one of the best documented I have ever seen! bravo! it's rrally wonderful! I wish I could participate to one of these beautiful period costumes events! 90s costumesReplyDelete
SOLD! Says the girl from the south. I was just reading this in your book before I left home to come post on my blog. I am doubly sold and can't wait to purchase and use this, Gertie. As always, thanks for the tips.ReplyDelete
Oh, and get this. When I purchased your book I read it cover-to-cover. Well, this morning I felt like some Gertie time and pulled it out again. Actually wanted to read up on the Portrait blouse. I saw so much stuff in there that I have been wanting to learn, don't know why I didn't recall it there but it looks as if I have a way top sewing reference in my own home. No need to run to the 'net as much as I thought I was going to have. The only thing funner than my Gertie book is actually sewing.
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Do you think this would work on tulle underskirt? The underskirt is long under a circle skirt made of cotton bottomweight. It's a costume. Or do I just need to make the underskirt super thick?ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 16, 2014 at 6:29 PM
Looked for it for ages and finally found some - about to have my first attempt at fitting - wish me luck!ReplyDelete


text:
Robert Wright
American journalist, born 1957
Robert Wright (born January 15, 1957) is an American journalist and author of best-selling books about science, evolutionary psychology, history and sociobiology.
|This article on an author is a stub. You can help Wikiquote by expanding it.
Quotes Edit
- One chronicler of Eskimo life has observed, "the best place for [an Eskimo] to store his surplus is in someone else's stomach."
- Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. New York: Pantheon Books, 2000, p. 20.
- That biological evolution has an arrow -- the invention of more structurally and informationally complex forms of life -- and that this arrow points toward meaning, isn't, of course, proof of the existence of God. But it's more suggestive of divinity than an alternative world would: a world in which evolution had no direction, or a world with directional evolution but no consciousness. If more scientists appreciated the weirdness of consciousness -- understood that a world with sentience, hence without meaning, is exactly the world that a modern behavioral scientist should expect to exist -- then reality might inspire more awe than it does.
- Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. New York: Pantheon Books, 2000, p. 323.
- Maybe the growth of "God" signifies the existence of God. That is: if history naturally pushes people toward moral improvement, toward moral growth, and their God, as they conceive their God, grows accordingly, becoming morally richer, then maybe this growth is evidence of some higher purpose, and maybe — conceivably — the source of that purpose is worthy of the name divinity.
- The Evolution of God. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009, p. 286.


text:
Nadal continues Monte Carlo win streak
Eight-time champion Rafael Nadal extended his Monte Carlo Masters winning streak to 43 matches and top-ranked Novak Djokovic won despite a balky ankle on Wednesday at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Nadal cruised past Marinko Matosevic 6-1, 6-2. Djokovic spent twice as long on court, defeating Mikhail Youzhny 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in 2 hours, 15 minutes.
Djokovic twisted his ankle while playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup on April 7. He looked a bit tentative in the first set, but it didn't appear to impede his movement.
''Today was a big test. My ankle survived, I'm in the next round. That's what matters,'' Djokovic said. ''I know that my game is still not there, obviously, and I have a lot of ups and downs through the match. Physically also, I think I've put double the effort than I do usually because, you know, I still don't feel comfortable.''
Nadal will face Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in the third round, and Djokovic will play Juan Monaco. Last year, Djokovic lost to Nadal in the final.
Djokovic seemed to twist the ankle during the second set against Youzhny and was hindered for about 15 minutes before the pain wore off.
''You know, protection, the tape, was good. So I managed to overcome that pain and go through the match,'' Djokovic said. ''I think that my ankle is (getting better) as the days are passing by. Obviously, I will have to play a match every day.''
His relief was evident as he leaned backward and lifted both hands in the air after clinching victory on his first match point.
''I'm just happy to compete, to be honest. I didn't know if I'm going to be playing the tournament up to yesterday, basically,'' said Djokovic, who has a home in Monaco. ''For me it's important not to have a bigger risk of injuring myself. I enjoy this tournament very much. As I said before, if it was not Monaco I would consider not playing.''
Earlier, Nadal nearly trailed 3-0 in the second set, but he saved two break points before taking control again.
''I played well at the beginning with the right intensity, with no mistakes,'' Nadal said.
At first, Matosevic looked unlikely to even win a game. There were ironic cheers from the crowd when he won his first point and the tall Australian threw both arms up in the air - twice - to milk the applause when he won his first game.
The third-seeded Nadal dropped his serve at the start of the second set and Matosevic held for a 2-0 lead. He had a chance to go further ahead, but Nadal saved the first break point with a forehand winner down the line and Matosevic sent the next opportunity into the net.
''I didn't play my best game the first game of the second, and he played well, so he had the break,'' Nadal said.
Nadal wrapped up victory on his first match point with a pass down the line.
The Spaniard, who played with a wrap under his left knee, missed seven months because of injury. Since his return in February, he has reached four straight finals and won three.
''Talking more than usual about the knee is not positive for me, is not positive for the opponents, for the tournament, for nobody, no?'' Nadal said. ''What happened happened.''
Fourth-seeded Tomas Berdych, ninth-seeded Marin Cilic, No. 13 Stanislas Wawrinka, Jurgen Melzer, Fabio Fognini, Florian Mayer, and Jarkko Nieminen also won.


text:
The owners of the property at 2441 Haste St. at Telegraph, scene of a devastating fire in Nov. 2011 that destroyed the five-story Sequoia Apartments, have submitted a proposal to the city of Berkeley to build a new 42-unit, 43,000 sq ft apartment building.
The project would also include retail spaces intended for two restaurants that burned down that night: Café Intermezzo and Raleigh's Bar & Grill.
The proposal, which was submitted to the city by Kenneth and Gregory Ent on Friday, Feb. 22, would be designed by Berkeley architects Kahn Design Associates, working with developer ROEM.
The design calls for a U-shaped building around a courtyard — the 1916 Sequoia building also had a courtyard — with the entrances to the two restaurants on Telegraph, as before. Access to the apartments would be through a gated forecourt on Haste.
While the overall look of the new building would be modern, the application says the commercial façade "with its clerestories, wainscots, and canopies" would reflect "a pattern proportion and rhythm consistent with the Old Sequoia and other traditional storefronts along the Avenue."
The old building was about 65 ft high and the new one will extend 58 ft at its highest point, according to the submission. (Read the application.)
Kahn Design Associates, let by architect Charles Kahn, has designed many public, commercial and residential buildings in Berkeley including 2130 Center Street (the former Act 1 & Act II Theater), Bauman College, The Callaj Building, Berkeley Plaza (near Trader Joe's) and the Berkeley Bike Station.
The fire that erupted at the Sequoia Apartments on the night of Nov. 18 was determined to have been caused by an electrical fault in the elevator machinery. The damage was so extensive that the building had to be demolished later that month. Plans, suggested in Feb. 2012, for a temporary resurrection of the two popular restaurants on the site were never brought to fruition.
The intersection of Telegraph and Haste may see more development in the foreseeable future, after suffering decades of neglect. Another proposal — for the north-east corner site — is currently going through the planning application process, and one for the south-west corner was submitted to the city last year.
Both developments are proposed by Ken Sarachan, who owns several properties on Telegraph, and is the owner of Rasputin Records among other holdings.
Sarachan recently submitted revised plans for a dining and live entertainment venue called Mad Monk to go into 2554 Telegraph, the space occupied by Cody's Books for many years.
The proposal calls for a restaurant, a bar serving distilled spirits, a retail space, a flower shop, as well as a 'to-go' counter on Telegraph. The greenhouse part of the current structure which is on the corner of the site would be rebuilt with a second-floor exterior deck for outdoor eating. Greg Powell, Senior Planner at the city of Berkeley, said the project has completed its process through planning and just need the results of a police review — which is necessitated by the spirits permit. It is expected to go before the Zoning Adjustments Board on March 28. (Read the application.)
Sarachan's other outstanding application is to build at 2433 Haste a Moorish palace-like structure inspired by Italian hill towns and the rock-cut architecture of Petra in Jordan, designed by architect Kirk Peterson. The project, known as "La Fortaleza" (as in "fortress" or "stronghold"), was submitted to the city last year, but there are several hurdles to clear before the building could be either approved or built. The city issued a lawsuit against Sarachan in Jan. 2012 for outstanding debts. One existing building on the site — the former Wicked Zone tattoo parlor — needs to be demolished, which requires a Landmarks Preservation Commission review. Another property at the site, the landmarked Woolsey House, has to be relocated. Commercial realtor John Gordon has expressed an interest in taking on the Woolsey House move. (Read the application.) The vacant lot has been the scene of blight, including rats, for years.
Other changes to Telegraph Avenue more broadly include the redesign of Sproul Plaza, for which construction has recently begun, and possible outcomes of improvements being spurred by the Telegraph Avenue Property and Business Improvement District. In April 2012 a volunteer group of architects, urban planners and transit specialists alled Berkeley Design Advocates organized a charrette to brainstorm ideas to revitalize the street.
On Thursday, the Mayor's Office is holding an interactive community workshop to discuss the future of Telegraph Avenue. The workshop will include presentations from city staff and the public will have an opportunity to brainstorm solutions and identify goals. The meeting is Thursday, Feb. 28, from 6-8:30 p.m. at Willard Middle School.
New Sproul design ideas provide optimism for Telegraph [11.29.12]
Can Berkeley's Telegraph Avenue get it mojo back? [04.18.12]
Imagining a future for Telegraph Avenue without blinders [04.11.12]
Telegraph fire site owner plans for temporary resurrection [02.06.12]
Berkeley's 95-year-old Sequoia Building is brought down [11.29.11]
"Largest fire since 1991″ leaves many locals homeless [11.19.11]
Urban think tank: Student visions for blighted Telegraph lot [10.03.11]
City hands ultimatum to Sarachan on vacant Telegraph lot [09.07.11]
The rats of Telegraph Avenue (video) [01.28.11]
Would you like a digest of the day's Berkeley news in your inbox at the end of your working day? Click here to subscribe to Berkeleyside's free Daily Briefing.


text: Last night I decided to migrate all my users/sites to my ISPConfig server. All appeared to be going well.... After adding maybe 10 sites and over 100 email accounts, I noticed a strange problem. Files that were usually owned by root root where now showing root 1 I looked at the /etc/group file and to my horror all my groups had disappeared and the only lines left in there where the last 5 groups added by ISPConfig. I am uncertain why this happened but I am guessing it may be because my usernames had hyphens in them (-). Can anyone confirm that this may be true or is true ? On further investigation, I found that each time I added/changed users in ISPConfig, a grpconv command was executed which ran at 100% cpu and 100% mem, and eventually was killed with an Out Of Memory message in the messages file. After googling for a while, I found that grpconv can go into an endless loop until killed with an OOM. I do not know whether the original corruption of /etc/group and /etc/gshadow was a result of the grpconv hanging or whether the grpconv hanging was a result of the corruption. After manually fixing the group and gshadow files, I ran grpck which found some duplicate entries and some other small problems. grpconv now executes fast and without problems. One thing I do notice however, is that groups created by ISPConfig, for instance: web1:x:10001:admispconfig,adminuser When web1 has been deleted, this group remains and is not deleted. Is this normal or have I got another problem here ? If it IS normal, would it not be better for the group to be deleted also, once the web has been removed from the recycle bin ? This brings me onto another issue..... after playing around with ISPConfig, and removing it and reinstalling it etc, ISPConfig seems to have no regard for already assigned UIDs. It seems to always start with 10001 regardless of whether this is already in use or not. .This causes immediate problems with /etc/passwd and /etc/group (and may have been the initial cause of my problems). ISPConfig needs to check that UIDs are not in use before it decides to use them itself !! My advice to anyone would be to make a backup of /etc/passwd /etc/shadow /etc/group and /etc/gshadow before installing ISPConfig just in case there are problems later, in fact after this experience I will be making backups of these 4 files on every server that I have. Any comments Falko/Till ? My server seems to be running spot on now so I am happy again, but it's been a hell of a 24hrs Edit: If I add a new group manually for something, for instance: groupadd testgroup this group is assinged the next ID, which will be 1 higher than the last ispconfig site. If you then add a new site in ISPConfig, it doesn't check for the next id, it just knows the last one it created itself so uses the same one that testgroup took.


text:
Since the mid 1980's, Festive Foods Catering, Incorporated has had the privilege and pleasure of creating spectacular special events throughout the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area. Our range of experience covers Corporate celebrations, Wonderful Weddings, Museum, Gallery and Major Store openings; Inaugural Events and Political Fundraisers, University Graduations, and of course a full range of Corporate and Social "Milestone" events.
Referred to by industry insiders as "the quiet storm" of the DC Catering scene, Festive Foods' client base continues to grow on a strictly "word of mouth" basis. Rather then invest corporate resources in advertising, Festive Foods channels "would be" advertising dollars into our unique Celebration Grant and Corporate Pledge philanthropy programs. It makes us proud to know that we have grown our Corporate family based on the exceptional quality of our work!