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Cannoli. When I read we were going to be frying for Daring Bakers I had mixed feelings. But the day I decided to make them, my son and I had a lot of fun. I call these "carnival cannoli" in honor of my son, the boy who loves everything covered in sprinkles.
Compared to last month's macaron challenge they were easy. And luckily for me not addictive! After eating a hundred pounds of macarons last month my body probably needed the break. Yes, these were fried, but I only ate one. The cannoli were good but not that good. If I'm going to make something that takes all day, I'm going to make macarons again! Sorry, but I love those things. Okay, now onto the cannoli!
The dough itself is very forgiving and easy to make. The consistency of it is like nothing I have ever baked before- it was great for my kid to play with since it wasn't sticky and did not have eggs or anything in it that he couldn't touch raw. This is a rare occurrence since most everything we bake has eggs in it and I am always telling him not to touch. With this dough I could tell him to roll it out, touch, do whatever. Here's what the dough looks like:
The ricotta cheese has to be drained of excess liquid. I did mine in a cheesecloth lined strainer overnight in the fridge:
The filling can be whipped up in a snap:
At this point I was thinking this was going to be the easiest challenge ever. Then it got a little trickier. We went over to my parents' house to use their pasta machine:
Andrew was more than happy to help me work this contraption.
Thanks to Andrew, I discovered that the more you put the dough through the machine the better the dough gets and after several times through you finally get something you can work with. Andrew could have done this all day but I finally convinced him to make the cut-out circles so we could dip them in chocolate and eat them! Here is my stack of circle cut-outs:
We drove back home to do the frying. While I heated the oil we prepared some melted chocolate and sprinkles.
When I fried them up I was panicking. The oil temp was rising super fast and I had a hard time controlling it. Then I forgot to seal the dough with egg white on the metal tube and the first one came apart in the oil. The second one I did, I put the egg white on but I could not get the thing off the tube after it was fried! Finally I figured out to twist them off much like you would open a bottle of soda or something. I got into my groove, with a perfect system down and correct oil temp just as I dropped my last shell into the oil. It usually goes that way for me . . . Oh well!
I dipped both ends in chocolate and sprinkles and I piped them with a large star tip. Here they are all lined up:
When my husband came back in from walking our daughter around the block he was pleasantly surprised to find these. All day he thought I was making some kind of pasta. I didn't know that he had no idea what cannoli were! I wish I had a cigar box to display them in. I think that would be kind of cool. Here are my best three:
The November 2009 Daring Bakers Challenge was chosen and hosted by Lisa Michele of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives. She chose the Italian Pastry, Cannolo (Cannoli is plural), using the cookbooks Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and The Sopranos Family Cookbook by Allen Rucker; recipes by Michelle Scicolone, as ingredient/direction guides. She added her own modifications/changes, so the recipe is not 100% verbatim from either book.
2 cups (250 grams/16 ounces) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons(28 grams/1 ounce) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.06 ounces) unsweetened baking cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon (approx. 3 grams/0.11 ounces) salt
3 tablespoons (42 grams/1.5 ounces) vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 grams/0.18 ounces) white wine vinegar
Approximately 1/2 cup (approx. 59 grams/approx. 4 fluid ounces/approx. 125 ml) sweet Marsala or any white or red wine you have on hand
1 large egg, separated (you will need the egg white but not the yolk)
Vegetable or any neutral oil for frying – about 2 quarts (8 cups/approx. 2 litres)
1/2 cup (approx. 62 grams/2 ounces) toasted, chopped pistachio nuts, mini chocolate chips/grated chocolate and/or candied or plain zests, fruits etc.. for garnish
Confectioners' sugar
2 lbs (approx. 3.5 cups/approx. 1 kg/32 ounces) ricotta cheese, drained
1 2/3 cups cup (160 grams/6 ounces) confectioner's sugar, (more or less, depending on how sweet you want it), sifted
1/2 teaspoon (1.15 grams/0.04 ounces) ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon (4 grams/0.15 ounces) pure vanilla extract or the beans from one vanilla bean
3 tablespoons (approx. 28 grams/approx. 1 ounce) finely chopped good quality chocolate of your choice
2 tablespoons (12 grams/0.42 ounces) of finely chopped, candied orange peel, or the grated zest of one small to medium orange
3 tablespoons (23 grams/0.81 ounce) toasted, finely chopped pistachios
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer or food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the oil, vinegar, and enough of the wine to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and well blended, about 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge from 2 hours to overnight.
2 Cut the dough into two pieces. Keep the remaining dough covered while you work. Lightly flour a large cutting or pastry board and roll the dough until super thin, about 1/16 to 1/8" thick (An area of about 13 inches by 18 inches should give you that). Cut out 3 to 5-inch circles (3-inch – small/medium; 4-inch – medium/large; 5-inch;- large. Your choice). Roll the cut out circle into an oval, rolling it larger and thinner if it's shrunk a little.
3 Oil the outside of the cannoli tubes (You only have to do this once, as the oil from the deep fry will keep them well, uhh, oiled..lol). Roll a dough oval from the long side (If square, position like a diamond, and place tube/form on the corner closest to you, then roll) around each tube/form and dab a little egg white on the dough where the edges overlap. (Avoid getting egg white on the tube, or the pastry will stick to it.) Press well to seal. Set aside to let the egg white seal dry a little.
4. In a deep heavy saucepan, pour enough oil to reach a depth of 3 inches, or if using an electric deep-fryer, follow the manufacturer's directions. Heat the oil to 375°F (190 °C) on a deep fry thermometer, or until a small piece of the dough or bread cube placed in the oil sizzles and browns in 1 minute. Have ready a tray or sheet pan lined with paper towels or paper bags.
5. Carefully lower a few of the cannoli tubes into the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Fry the shells until golden, about 2 minutes, turning them so that they brown evenly.
8. Lift a cannoli tube with a wire skimmer or large slotted spoon, out of the oil. Using tongs, grasp the cannoli tube at one end. Very carefully remove the cannoli tube with the open sides straight up and down so that the oil flows back into the pan. Place the tube on paper towels or bags to drain. Repeat with the remaining tubes. While they are still hot, grasp the tubes with a potholder and pull the cannoli shells off the tubes with a pair of tongs, or with your hand protected by an oven mitt or towel. Let the shells cool completely on the paper towels. Place shells on cooling rack until ready to fill.
9. Repeat making and frying the shells with the remaining dough. If you are reusing the cannoli tubes, let them cool before wrapping them in the dough.
1. Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Place the ricotta in the strainer over a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Weight it down with a heavy can, and let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator for several hours to overnight.
2. In a bowl with electric mixer, beat ricotta until smooth and creamy. Beat in confectioner's sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to another bowl and stir in chocolate, zest and nuts. Chill until firm.(The filling can be made up to 24 hours prior to filling the shells. Just cover and keep refrigerated).
1. When ready to serve..fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain or star tip, or a ziplock bag, with the ricotta cream. If using a ziplock bag, cut about 1/2 inch off one corner. Insert the tip in the cannoli shell and squeeze gently until the shell is half filled. Turn the shell and fill the other side. You can also use a teaspoon to do this, although it's messier and will take longer.
2. Press or dip cannoli in chopped pistachios, grated chocolate/mini chocolate chips, candied fruit or zest into the cream at each end. Dust with confectioner's sugar and/or drizzles of melted chocolate if desired.


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So you don't have to
Squashed Philosophers
Back in school, there were these books we'd pore through before exam time; guides to the various textbooks, question sets and the like. (I remember people who never bothered with the actual prescribed texts; they just read these.) This site is similar. Except that it scrunches entire philosophical texts into digestible chunks, with estimated reading time and percentage of condensation helpfully indicated alongside. It covers only western philosophy, starting with Plato, working its through other ancient Greeks and Romans, then leaping forward a thousand years to chaps like Machiavelli, Descartes and Spinoza, to Darwin, Thoreau and Nitetzsche, and to thinkers from the last century, like Russell, Sartre and Turing. Philosophers, says the site's owner (who has done most of the squashing), "are generally appallingly bad writers and you're after ideas, not precise words." There is also a section on the Divines, condensing a few religious texts, and Writers, which has a huge collection. Here, the bad writers bit clearly does not apply; most of the books lose much in the squashing. But if all you need is cocktail party conversation crutches, head on over.
Re: search
Research Beyond Google
This column doesn't normally link to specific pages within a site, but this case is a very worthy exception. For most of what we search for on the web, Google and other search engines deliver. But, despite the eight billion pages—give or take a few million—that Google indexes, there's even more data out there. As much as 500 times that, some say, in what is being called the invisible or "deep web." This page explains the concept and lists, and links, to "119 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources." Invaluable for any specialist. See also this article that explains the Deep Web concept. [OEDB link via Sunil Shibad.]
Grave matters
Indian Cemeteries
A small site that lists graveyards, graves, and monuments from the times of the Raj. Lots of reader-contributed pictures, historical information about the churches or cemeteries mentioned in most cases, and a searchable database that lets you look up names, cities, regiments and campaigns, and occupations. It's not comprehensive, of course, but it does go some way towards its objective: "preserving the memory of historic cemeteries in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Burma."
Reader suggestions welcome, and will be acknowledged. Go to http://o3.indiatimes.com/mousetrap for past columns, and to comment, or mail firstname.lastname@example.com. The writer blogs at http://zigzackly.blogspot.com.
Published in the Times of India, Mumbai edition, 5th November, 2006.
Tags: The Times of India, Mousetrap
Sunday, 5 November 2006
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subset: commoncrawl


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I just found this .... have to admit if I'd seen it when it was available I would have bought one. It would have cost be about $2500 but boy would it be worth it!!
Limited edition all numbered but look what's inside!
You can check it out much better at this youtube video :
I have this thing for anything arty - and this is up there at the apex of the arty things ... lol.
I can't resist at all. Whenever I go into an Art shop I know I'll walk out with a hell of a lot more than I intended too. Go in for one brush and I'll come out with a dozen, plus tubes of paint, maybe a few sheets of paper, maybe a watercolour pad or two. Oh and of course I might need a few more pencils. Oh and what about a kneadable eraser or three .... you get the picture.
I have two book releases this month - one on the 9th .... Melting Her Dom's Heart and the other on the 14th.
Melting Her Dom's Heart is the 3rd book in my Dark Desires series - I've been very lucky with how the series has sold. Book 3 is only just released and already hit #5 on my publishers Best Sellers List.
Buy link : http://www.bookstrand.com/book/melting-her-doms-heart
It tells the story of a man who's afraid to show love and a woman who tries to break through the frozen exterior and into his heart.
The boxset I was invited to write for is all finished and ready for release on 14th.
Seven authors have written short stories for the anthology - all about paranormal heroes and heroines.
My story runs to about 120 pages. It's called Blood War. At the centre of it all is a human woman who has the rarest blood type in the world - RH null. Two vampire brothers. One who will do everything he can to protect her and his mate and the other who wants to destroy her and control the immortal world.
Buy link : http://www.amazon.com.
My younger son and family are in Fiji at the moment and I have the task of running the office - they both have their own very successful businesses.
Been 15 years since I worked and this has been fun being a secretary. As well as looking after the office I have their two dogs ... one a pug called Gizmo and the other a very tiny Shitzu cross called Jasmin. She's about the size of a chihuahua.
She spends all day jumping at the side door and barking at Fozzie or the cats.
My yard is now divided. Their dogs have the covered BBQ area and Fozz has the back yard and house. why?
Well Gizmo just wants to play with Fozzie but Jasmin .... well Jasmin wants to eat him. As soon as she seems him she goes crazy. Barking and trying to attack.
And Fozz?
Well Fozzie is terrified of this little bundle of barking hell....bwahahaha.
Gizzie is too laid back to worry - anyway he'd much rather tear the inside out of his bedding, or bark at raindrops and shadows than bother with the others.


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Lately I have a real crush on anything covered in leopard print. A leopard print mani is the perfect way to add a splash of style to any every day getup and surprisingly there are many different ways to rock this style. These crafty gals take leopard print to the max putting a fun twist on this undeniable trend. Meow!!
1. Neon Pink and Leopard Print Nail Art with China Glaze, Oooh, Shinies!.
2. Leopard Print French Mani with China Glaze, Beautopia.
3. Golden Animal Print Mani with BYS, The Nailasaurus.
4. Rainbow Leopard Nail Art with China Glaze, Beautopia.
5. Leopard Nail Art with Dior, Fruity Lashes.


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Google is on a hiring spree – only not all of its openings are for programmers or web designers. The internet giant is ramping up its self-driving car project, listing 36 jobs under its Google X project. Among them are positions in manufacturing and engineering related to developing systems including motion control, robotics, and sensors.
The listings include a variety of roles, including mechanical, automotive NVH, vehicle safety, and reliability engineers. There are other positions for marketing, policy analysis, and even real estate and workplace services related to the project. The hiring spree suggests that Google is ramping up its self-driving car program.
"The self-driving car project aims to improve people's lives by transforming mobility and making it easier and safer for everyone to get around, regardless of their ability to drive," reads the introduction to many of the job listings. "So far, we've self-driven over one million miles and are currently out on the streets of Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas."
Google has been one of several companies at the forefront of autonomous vehicle development. The big question remains whether it will go it alone in developing, manufacturing, and distributing its self-driving cars, or partner with an existing major automaker in bringing its technologies to the street. The company has been rumored to team up with Ford, but an expected announcement at CES focused instead on Dearborn's partnership with Amazon. Meanwhile, General Motors has invested heavily in rival transport tech startups Lyft and Sidecar as the automotive giant seeks to transform itself into an on-demand mobility company.
Related Video:


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We did unloading kiln on Wednesday evening.
|looks good
Koizumi-san (Shimpo USA), Ms. Mie Hazama (Japanese potter in Kumamoto), San-chan, Kacy-chan, Anne and her Estonian friend, and Shibatas.
|All pots from this firing
|Shino got more reddish this time
|Tiny display in our studio looks crowded
|My plates, bowls and jars
|Takuro's vases and jars
|Takuro's teabowls
They were already all gone
I just ran to the bathroom and made a warm water in the bucket, and washed him over and over.
|Hello the world!
|I am hungry!
He is very sweet, friendly, and miss his mom. If you are interested in this kitten, let me know!


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Deposit of $75 required to secure your booking. If, Full Payment is not paid at time of booking; remaining balance is to be paid in full no later than 10 days before the day of party; reflecting number of attendees.


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JACKSON, MS – Researchers at Johns Hopkins say a toddler in Mississippi is the first child to be functionally cured of HIV, in other words, the presence of the virus is so small it can't be detected in her blood.
The little girl was born to an HIV positive mom, who had no prenatal care. Within a few hours of delivery, Dr. Hannah Gay injected the babe with high doses of three anti-viral drugs.
"I drew tests just as they started those drugs, and two different types of tests showed me within the next couple of days that the baby was already infected," says Dr. Gay.
The baby girl stayed on the meds for almost a year and a half. Not long after, something amazing happened: "When we drew the test, we got back … an undetectable viral load."
Researchers are already talking about starting new trials.
Dr. Robin Hardwicke at U.T. Health Medical School says this therapy doesn't necessarily work on adults, but the case may offer some helpful clues toward finding a real cure.
"We definitely need to treat it with a grain of salt, but it's unbelievable," says Dr. Hardwicke.
More than 33 million people around the world today are infected with HIV/AIDS. It would be amazing if this little girl leads to a big breakthrough.


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The Black Panther Party is calling some Metro officers "pathetic" for their stance on Beyoncé, writes ABC News.
According to localmemphis.com, "the president of Nashville's Fraternal Order of Police is telling Metro officers not to volunteer to work Beyoncé's May concert."
February 19th was the first day officers could sign up to aid with extra security and traffic control for the show.
The president of the Fraternal Order of Police asked officers not to volunteer because of Beyoncé's reference to the Black Panthers movement in her performance.
However, the chief of police said that officers will be assigned if no one volunteers.
Police unions in other cities have called for a boycott of Beyoncé concerts as well.
(Updated post)


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Department S was a London post-punk band that emerged from the ska scene, as members of an obscure 2-Tone band, Guns for Hire (which has a clever story about them), as well as Madness. They were originally active between 1979 and 1982. "Is Vic There?" is their most well-known song.
Department S, Is Vic There? Demon Records, UK 7", 1980
Front above and rear below.


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Abt Card
Take on every adventure with confidence when you create your own color combo Defender Series, your rugged, custom iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7 Plus case.
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Professional Washing Machine Care Pack
Professional Washing Machine Care PackView full description
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Calblock is suitable for all washing machines, washer dryers and dishwashers and protects your appliance from hard water. Improving your washing results. Avoiding the deposit of limescale on clothes and glasses resulting in cleaner laundry and sparkling glasses.
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Silk Rose Petals Sample
Free Silk Rose Petals Sample. If you need some ideas for a wedding and are looking for color combinations, this Silk Rose Petals Samples can help you decide the colors to use at the wedding. Request up to 10 colors of Silk Rose Petals. They are MARKED SAMPLES and are not suitable for decorative purposes but you can still try the material and colors to know what you are going to buy.
Free Silk Rose Petals Sample


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This report about the celebration of UAE National day by some of the very young of Fujairah is written and submitted by Shamsun Nahar Sherin, Class Teacher of Reception 2F at Our Own English High School, Fujairah.
Week Long Celebrations
The week long celebrations for 40 years of Peace and Prosperity concluded on Thursday 17th Nov 2011 on a high note with 'Daddies' sharing information about this beautiful country, UAE, with the classmates of their children.
Awareness and Pride
The awareness of UAE and their pride to be part of this country has grown 100 fold among the children, staff, the parents and the community at large.
The focus of each activity was the coming together of the school community as a whole with social and civil community. The signal of the success was participation that was at a maximum in every event.
The highlights of the week were as follows:
+ Watching parent and child together put their palm (hand) prints on the banner in the colours of the UAE flag.
+ The presence at the kindergarten of people doing UAE crafts.
+ Children dressed in traditional clothes singing their love for UAE while parading in the corridors of Our Own Fujairah.
+ The Special assembly conducted by the IGCSE parents which strengthened our partnership.
+ Building family spirit in 'the traditional food sharing' when Guardians on Wheels (bus drivers and conductors) and Our Hardy Helpers (maids, watchmen & other workers of the school) joined in the celebrations.
+ The delightful date with the fruit of the desert and the Green Coast Nursery Official Partner, Mrs. Bosseineh Khazal.
+ The visit with a token of traditional sweets to the offices of: Ministry of Education, Municipality, Customs, Emirates Court, Fire department, Police Department, Free Zone, Media, Immigration and five neighboring schools. Children sang the 'I love UAE' song and announced 'Our Own Fujairah salutes The Nation' much to the delight of the executive staff in every office.
Bravo, Well done Staff and Students of Our Own Fujairah Kindergarten!!! Happy National Day!
Many thanks to Shamsun Nahar Sherin for taking the time to write up what appears to be a very fruitful week in the life of the children and Our Own Fujairah Kindergarten.
Take a Look
Some photos of the students of Our Own Fujairah Kindergarten and special guests who were engaged in the week long UAE 40th National Day celebrations are posted in this photo album.
Geoff Pound
More Fujairah news, reports, resources and photos are posted on the Fujairah in Focus Facebook Page.


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Kiss Her Goodbye
Are two women allowed to show affection on Top Chef?
Jennifer stood by her woman Zoi on episode 5 of Top Chef Chicago, clearly upset that Zoi was packing her knives as a result of underseasoned mushrooms—while Richard, and his scaly, mushy salmon, was saved. But our big question: Why don't Zoi and Jen really kiss? (The third voice that enters the podcast is the Bravo publicist, Emily.)
Listen now:
Download Zoi's podcast
Download Zoi's podcast
Subscribe to this podcast using iTunes


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but I liked it ....
Τρίτη, 1 Μαΐου 2012
but I liked it ....
7 σχόλια:
Dear Olympia - what a lovely happy day you have spent - your balcony is going to be a picture this summer.ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή
Happy May DAY! Though it's nearly over. People in Italy spend the day having pic nics or going to the beach (as in my part of Italy it's already hot!)ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή
Your plot of land looks very nice. And I like your plants, too! I see you have a fuchsia! In my part of Italy you never see fichsias, as the weather is much too hot for them! Here in UK, they are spectacular and grow very well.
What a lovely post full of sunshine and flowers! How good it is to feel the sun and see the pretty colours of Spring! You have really brightened a dull day here in Melbourne:) Your pot plants are lovely and I can understand why you call those pretty fuchsias earrings. They hang down so beautifully when in flower. The bird-cage looks great with a plant in it. Thanks for cheering me today Olympia. I hope you too have had a most cheerful day.ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή
Love, from Betty
Hello Olympia:ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή
Your husband certainly has a job on with that huge area to be cut. But how lovely to have the house to go to during the summer months. Your watering can is very chic - we love all these galvanised items.
Beautiful pictures and a lot of lovely flowers. Have a nice day.ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή
Dear OlympiaΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή
What a lovely area your country house is in. It reminds me of here in Portugal.we have the same small little yellow wild flowers.. they are so pretty.
It looks like you did a lot of work. Your garden will look lovely for summer.
I like the idea of a birdcage with a plant in it..pretty cool.
your watering can is great..they are the same price here. (someone is making a lot of money)!!
happy friday
kind regards
What a lovely place to go to. All your plants are looking so lovely. I went out on my balconies today to weed and water -- it's been so dusty and hot for over a week now. I think I need to go to the plant souk this weekend to buy some new things that will maybe last in the heat. Wishing you a wonderful rest of the weekend. TammyΑπάντησηΔιαγραφή


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Asian Girl Girl Presents
Miko and Charmane
Click here to Watch Free Clip # 1
Click here to Watch Free Clip # 2
Click here to Watch Free Clip # 3
Two of the worlds most beautiful asian women have come together armed with an arsenal of lovely large dildos. They have one goal in mind and that's to get each other off like never before. You'll see some of the most up close toy penetration that your eyes have ever seen in this one!
Click here to access to more all girl movies just like these!
18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement


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Budget Friendly Paleo Meals
One of the common issues when people switch to a more "paleo" way of eating is that it can be expensive. I will be the first to admit, it CAN be very very expensive but it doesn't have to be - check out this post for some budget paleo grocery tips. I think one of the biggest issues with budget shopping is that it can be boring really quickly. Buying the same things over and over again = making the same things over and over again. I'm more than guilty of making the same recipe until I can't stand it anymore (literally). So in an effort to change it up, and encourage all of you to do the same, let's talk about some budget friendly paleo recipes:
Eggs are a great, cheap source of protein and are the perfect breakfast, lunch, AND dinner option.
Soups, chilis, and stews are one of my go-to quick, easy, and budget friendly dinner options.
You can make even the toughest, cheapest hunk of meat into something awesome just by throwing it in the slow cooker or braising it in the oven for hours. Bonus - these cuts are often cheaper and give you much more food than other cuts.
Poblano & Hard Cider Carnitas *not strict paleo
Cocoa Coffee Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork
We eat lots of chicken over here simply because it's fairly inexpensive, it's versatile, and provides a good amount of protein. I love dishes with lots of big flavors - I'm definitely not a believer in boring chicken.
Balsamic & Marjoram Roasted Drumsticks
What are your favorite budget-friendly dishes?


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Oztrail Escape LED Rechargeable Lantern
Product Description
So many uses for this bright LED light - at home, in emergencies, or at the campsite
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*Postage may be a higher cost to some remote areas and if the the item is over 2 meters in length or a heavy product. You will be contacted personally with a price quote if you fall into this category.
** Product images are for illustrative purposes only.
*** Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice. Errors will be corrected where discovered, and Oztackle reserves the right to revoke any stated offer and to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions including after an order has been submitted and whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged.
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Though red is known as a color to substitute for anger, it is also a color that is used to represent a bold elegance. Several have incorporated the color into their designs, especially monumental designers like Elie Saab:
Just from these dresses alone, you can probably tell that red has an ineffable kind of effect,resulting in the possibility of eyes focused only on the dress; In cases like those, using red in a sort of minimal and streamlined way is the way to go. As I mentioned (or sort of mentioned) before, red is a strong color, 'overdoses' of it is can be downright unappealing.
I personally love to use the color in accents. For example, shoes, earrings, and clutches are great ways to decorate a simple dress or blouse and a pair of trousers.
A touch here and there and Volia! you have succeeded in making yourself a red embellished outfit.
Of course, we shan't forget about our dear website Stardoll, so below I've collage-d some pixelated redness for you all to see.
This would be where I'd show you some cleverly made outfits with this trend, but let's just say this is where you come in. That's right! Let's get our competitive mood on. Like Sierra did with her Rhianna x River Island, I'd like to propose a contest of sorts:
(P.S. sorry for all these corny sayings. I know, they're horrible)


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Ina Mae (Ranney) Wendland
MONKTON — Ina Mae (Ranney) Wendland, 73, died at home Saturday morning, March 22, 2008. She was born Oct. 12, 1934, in Concord, the daughter of Marjorie (Ranney) McLean and Henry Ranney.
She was a graduate of Lyndon Institute and University of Vermont, where she earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in education; she later graduated from Champlain College with an associates degree in computer programming and accounting. She taught school at a variety of grade levels in several states and countries.
She also did computer programming and accounting for several businesses throughout her life, including her own family business with farming and tower management.
Married for over 50 years, she met her husband Peter E. Wendland while at UVM, and they were later married Aug. 24, 1957.
A long-time resident of Monkton, where she and her husband built their stone house with dramatic views of Lake Champlain, she was a long-time teacher, homemaker, mother and wife. According to family she found tremendous enjoyment in singing, church, family and nature, and enjoyed traveling extensively in North America and Europe.
She was a long time member of the Friends Methodist Church in Monkton where she played the organ, led the church choir, and taught Sunday school. She was also a member of the Champlain Echoes Barbershop Group. She and her family frequently went sailing on their boat on Lake Champlain and Maine.
She is survived by her husband, Peter; three daughters and their spouses, Wanda and Eric Conroy of Granby, Conn.; Tiana and John Grgurina of San Rafael, Calif.; and Marjorie and Bill Weeks of Newbury, N.H.; and six grandchildren.
The funeral service was held on Saturday, March 29, at the Friends Methodist Church in Monkton. The interment service will be held later in the spring.
Memorial contributions may be made to Heifer International, P.O. Box 8058, Little Rock, AR 72203-8058 or www.heifer.org.
Wanita J. Fournier
SHOREHAM — Wanita J. Fournier, 78, of Inn Rd., died Tuesday, March 25, 2008, at Fletcher Allen Healthcare, Burlington, following a three-month illness.
Born June 27, 1929, in Middletown Springs, she was the daughter of the late Frank and Doris (Pratt) Stevers.
Mrs. Fournier was a homemaker and had also been employed at Hands Cove Cottages in Shoreham and Shou Orchards of Shoreham.
She enjoyed spending time with family and friends, reading and solving puzzle books.
Family members include her husband, Doris J. "Frenchie" Fournier of Shoreham, whom she married May 7, 1951; one daughter, Sandy J. Gauthier and her husband Raymond of Addison; a son-in-law, Richard Godfrey; her sister, Rosie Kemp of Middlebury; two granddaughters, Andrea Gauthier of Addison and Angela Godfrey of Harrisburg, Pa.; and several nieces and nephews.
Wanita was predeceased by her daughter, Debbie A. Godfrey, in 1996; her brother, Ronald Stevers; and a sister, Evelyn Johnson.
Funeral services were conducted on Saturday, March 29, with Rev. Justin Baker, pastor of St. Genevieve Church, officiating. Spring burial will take place in St. Genevieve Cemetery, Shoreham.
Memorial donations may be made to Shoreham First Response, 297 Main St., Shoreham, VT 05770 or to the American Cancer Society, 30 Speen St., Framingham, MA 01701.


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I bought a bag of pitas from the store with the intent of using them as wraps for lunch and whatnot, but rather than them being pliable, doughy and delicious they were dry and broke when I tried to roll them into a wrap. So here I was, stuck with a bag of pitas, not wanting to eat them and definitely not wanting to throw them out. Ah hah! Pita chips had to be easy, right? Right! Armed with a sharp knife, olive oil, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese I set out to not waste an entire bag of perfectly, albeit dry, pitas. Success!
Garlic-Parmesan Pita Chips
- 6-8 whole pitas
- extra virgin olive oil
- block of Parmesan cheese
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut pitas into wedges, like you would a pizza, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Using a pastry brush, brush one side of each wedge with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper on the brushed sides of each pita wedge and arrange on a cookie sheet, seasoned size up. Bake for 20 minutes, until crispy.


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Can YOU guess this woman's age? Personal trainer looks decades younger than her years
A PERSONAL TRAINER has shared her love of fitness - but can YOU guess how old she really is?
Peggy Hilbert works as a personal trainer and says staying fit has kept her young
Peggy Hilbert works as a personal trainer and an aerobics instructor - and she has the body to prove it.
The strong senior has always been a fitness fanatic and was running until she was 32.
But it was when she picked up weight lifting in her fifties that she found her calling.
When her husband was diagnosed with ASL the couple decided to take life by the horns and despite losing him three years ago she has continued to live life to the fullest. Peggy still looks incredible - and shocks people when she reveals her true age, which is 70 years old.
It's important to stay fit and healthy as you age so you can remain independent and happy as you grow old. I never give into my age
Peggy, from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, said: "It's important to stay fit and healthy as you age so you can remain independent and happy as you grow old. I never give into my age.
"When I tell young people as well as older people how old I am their eyes open wide and they are astounded - which makes me feel on top of the world.
"I stay young because I feel young in my mind and stay up with today's music, news and sports.
"Most of my friends are 15 -20 years younger than me. It's all in the mind."
Peggy shocks strangers when she reveals she is 70 years old
Passionate Peggy teaches abs and body sculpting classes and a boot camp class every week.
She sees her personal trainer twice a week and walks every other day.
Her diet consists of six small meals a day, including two protein shakes. She added: "Most all my life I have been athletic but now I would say I am fit.
"I was a runner until age 32. I am so happy I stopped then because I wouldn't be doing what I am doing today.
"Then I started attending aerobic classes and it became a permanent high.
"I then started working out with a personal trainer in groups of four and weights became my best friend. It made such a great change to my body.
"In 2001 I started doing bodybuilding contests, and to my surprise I won a majority of them topping it off with the Masters nationals in Pittsburgh in 2003."
Tragically her husband Tom died from ALS three years ago which spurred Peggy to raise $21,000 in charity walks.
Peggy is a gym regular, and loves to stay in shape
Peggy said: "When my husband was diagnosed we decided that we would continue to be happy every day and live our life as normal as possible going through this process.
"He only lasted a little over a year after his diagnosis so I work relentlessly every year trying to obtain donations for the annual ALS walk."
Now Peggy works out with her niece, Jennifer King, also known as Instagram star Farmer Jen on her channel: bansheemoon.
Jennifer said: "Ever since I can remember Aunt Peggy has been moving.
"My first memories of her were when she was in her mid to late 20's and as the years progressed and I grew up, she never seemed to change much except that each year she was more and more fit.
"She could always wear cute/sexy clothes and look awesome and she could always do whatever task was at hand because she was so strong and fit.
"I decided I wanted to be just like that and that's when I became more cognisant of nutrition and exercise.
"Throughout the years we have remained close and I love to bounce my ideas of exercise, nutrition and supplements off of her. I love that she will never give up on being healthy and young at every age and it inspires me to do the same."
Peggy shared her story as one woman who was addicted to fizzy drinks shared her before and after images - and her transformation will shock you.


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Past event
Second Diabetes Symposium
Saturday 20 May 2017, 09.00AM – 12.00PM InterContinental Doha - The City, West Bay, Doha, Qatar
Organised by Qatar Diabetes Association
The Second Diabetes Symposium is organised by Al Wakra Hospital and Qatar Diabetes Association. It targets doctors from primary health care corporations.
All events are accurate at the time of publication, please double check with the event organiser for more information and updates.


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I like Brigette DePape. She pisses off the right people. The people she pisses off are Conservatives and Liberals who are offended by her use of the term, "Arab Spring". "Surely", they bleat, "we are not living in a dictatorship (well except for that whole G20 thing)? We just had a free and fair election!" Well, it was mostly free (except for the whole robocalls telling people that their polls had been moved and forcing people to bring their identity papers with them to vote), but fair? Not quite.
We have a sick electoral system. Canada has neither representation by population nor a voting system that returns governments that reflect the majority will of the country. So, by what definition is that fair? Well, if you are a Conservative or Liberal it is fair, in that it tends (or has tended) to elect Conservative and Liberal "majority" governments, with less than majority of voter support. So, what we have here are people, whose parties have benefited from an unfair system, defending the status quo. C'est la vie. But, until we get democratic reform in this country, there will be more Brigette DePape moments. There will be more calls for a "Canadian Spring".
And a note to Jack Layton. You can talk all you want about decorum, but unless you are willing to stand up and denounce the present political system, loudly and often, then you are no better that the rest of the political establishment. You can, lead, follow, or get out of the way. The choice is yours.
Recommend this Post


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Asset Publisher
Vision Stuttgart 2018
2018/11/06 - 2018/11/08
Stuttgart, Germany
Booth No.:
Hall 1, booth 1G82
Event-Website:Vision Stuttgart 2018
The world's leading trade fair for machine vision.
Meet ams at the world's leading trade fair for machine vision.
The who's who in the machine vision industry meets in Stuttgart and presents an incomparable range of products and services: from sensors to processors, from cables to cameras, from software to illumination systems.
Get in touch with an ams sensor expert and book your appointment now!
Newsroom / Events
Contact us
You have questions regarding our events? Contact us now, we are looking forward to talking to you.


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Bribing Cops in Latin America
Tips for dealing with corrupt cops in Latin America.
Getting pulled over by the cops, especially if you're a gringo happens on the daily in Latin America. In fact it happens so frequently that Mexicans actually have a saying for it, "La Mordida" or "The Bite" cause the cops frequently extort money from hapless gringos and locals alike. Nevertheless, all hope isn't necessarily lost. No matter what, always attempt to talk your way out of it and never leave the main road. You want to be as visible to the public as possible. They'll often try to get you to duck into some shady ass side alley out of view cause they don't want passersby to see them accepting money. Most importantly don't drive at night. If for some crazy reason you do happen to be driving at night you're already blown, brace yourself to pay some serious coin...
Always have money in varying locations in the smallest denominations "sencillo" possible and always act like you're broke. If they catch sight of your $50 bill or a wad of $20s they immediately assume you're "papi chulo" and that you owe them and all of their greedy buddies a lavish lunch, possibly several. Only thing is corrupt cops deserve to starve so don't be an enabler if you can help it. I got pulled over 3x in Mexico, but only paid "la mordida" once and even then instead of giving him the $30 he wanted I gave him $10. Always negotiate!
In Nicaragua however all bets are off. These guys are ruthless. Both times I got pulled over I ended up having to pay, but I was still able to negotiate the price down a bit. Each country is different and the cops will often times either set you up or just be downright corrupt and not even have a legitimate reason for taxing you. Having old playboys on hand (my buddy taught me this trick I swear) though can actually work small miracles. It got me towed out of the mud in Nicaragua by a tractor once. Think of them as lascivious potential get out of jail free cards. Basically in a nut shell, don't drive at night, keep your money in several unassuming stash spots and try to have the smallest bill denominations possible cause everyone conveniently can somehow never make change for you when you need it resulting in incessant over payments. Play stupid if needed and always profess your innocence and negotiate, negotiate, negotiate!!!
Good luck!!!


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Ever hear anyone say "They don't make 'em like they used to"?
Well, here at Valvetech we don't either! While most other "boutique" amp shops charge you out the rear to try and recreate what's already been done, we've gone forward to create what be believe to be one of the best amps in existence.


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|In the finest tradition of "punctuated-equilibrium," 3D
modeling in the area of medical science has just taken a great leap
forward. Under the leadership of Bryan Brandenberg, Chief Executive
Officer, Zygote Media Group leads this new millennium with the
development of highly detailed 3D models of the human body. Zygote
has released a series of male and female models with anatomically
accurate muscle, organ, circulatory, nervous, lymphatic and
skeletal systems. The full body mesh comes with and without
genitalia. So who is Zygote? Yes, this is the long-standing company
that brought Poser content to the community for many years. Brian
is the first to say that the team at Zygote is absolutely top
notch. The designing force, behind the new medical models are;
Roger Clarke and David Dunston. Brians description of Zygote,
Roger, and David is quite amazing. As principles in Zygote Media
Group (founded in 1994), Roger Clarke and David Dunston have
directed the companys growth and development into the industries
leading source for high-end 3D science content. We founded Zygote
with the mission to create and provide the highest quality 3D
anatomy and biology content, and our company has always taken pride
in delivering what we internally call Zygote Quality. For
over a decade, Dave has taken personally responsibility for the
companys visual graphics and 3D content quality says Clarke.
Davids work has been seen in all sorts of media, from motion
pictures and broadcast television to printed publications.
Time recently utilized one of Davids renderings as a
two-page spread in their June 6th article; Getting Fit From Head
to Toe. Rogers work has been widely seen as well. He was
instrumental in developing the anatomy seen on the silver screen in
films, such as The Fifth Element and Hollow Man. His
work is also utilized every day in textbooks, at schools and
universities, as well as in pharmaceutical and bio-medical device
companies around the world.
Tech Views is a regular featured column with Renderosity Staff Writer/Sr. Tech Editor Eric Post [EricofSD].
June 27, 2005
Article Comments
Cool article, I've always been interested in anatomical effects such as seen in Hollow Man and Fifth Element and always keep an eye out for such content for Poser. However, I question what the price will be on these high quality models, likely they will far exceed the price range of the average Poser user..lol. Nevertheless, interesting stuff (and some good pics on the site). Thanks for shareing :-)


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Monday, February 3, 2014
Potted Geraniums
It is snowing yet again here in NJ!! I am so looking forward to Spring!! I need to see flowers growing again so that is why I made my Geranium Card today:
For this card I used Sparkle N Sprinkles Geraniums Stamp and I stamped it on white paper and colored it in with Copic Markers and then added some Cloud Nine Semi-Trans glitter to the leaves and some of the petals, then I fussy cut it out. I used a tan paper and a Spellbinders die to make the pot. I stamped the pot with a patterned stamp in brown ink and inked the edges too. Now doesn't this card just scream SPRIING??? I think so!! I really love geraniums, they are one of my "go to plants" for pots in my yard, and this stamp is just perfect!!
I made this card today for the Sparkle N Sprinkle Creative Challenge. The challenge is a"Anything Goes" as long as you use some glitter or flock. I used glitter on my card.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope I have brightened your snowy day!! Be sure to check out some of the other creations on the Sparkle N Sprinkle Challenge Blog!!
Happy Crafting!!
7 comments:
Hi, Lori! this is fabulous! I love your card and am looking forward to seeing in on the SNS Facebook page! Your coloring is amazing, and it looks especially pretty for this time of year, doesn't it? I live in FL and have that color geraniums in a huge pot at my front door - they look beautiful right now!ReplyDelete
I would love to follow you using google's friend connect, if you want to enable it, and let me know. To enable it, go to layout > add a gadget > then choose MEMBERS. If you don't see the option, look to the left of the options. There are 3 left side bar choices.
Click MORE GADGETS at the top of the new box is a little "search for gadgets" box. Type "members" or "friend connect". Click on the + symbol.
Click on the Orange SAVE button
The little window disappears and puts you back on the Layout page.
Click on SAVE ARRANGEMENT at the top right.
You will get LOTS of followers once you implement that feature because most of us prefer Google Blogger to Google Plus. :-)
Now to put on my other hat. Thank you for joining us at Sparkle N Sprinkle this month! I hope you will submit more of your pretty cards to the challenge in the future! hugs, Donna {Creative Smiles}Replies
Thank you so much Donna!! I would love to have you follow me, I am quite new to blogging and parrticipating in the various Challenges, but I am having a blast with it!! And I am very jealous that you have beautiful geraniums on your front porch! I am going to have to wait a long time to be able to be planting them again! But this stamp sure helps me deal with the winter!Delete
Hi Lori, saw your gorgeous geraniums over on SnS FB, and zipped over to get a closer look. It is super gorgeous. TFS. I don't do the google circle thing (too ignorant I guess!), but if you put in a follower's gadget -which I think Blogger will still allow done - I will happily join as a follower. You have a beautiful blog. Hope you will visit me if you have time, and I have this stamp set but not had time to ink it up. Blogging is loads of fun, and Miss Donna is a very supportive encouraging SnS person. She has helped me tremendously. The stamps are wonderful to use. TFS & Hugs. Congrats for being featured too!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Mary! I am going to check out your blog and thanks for the suggestions, I think I got it set up now, at least I hope so!Delete
One suggestion: in your blogger settings, turn off the word verification, as it takes longer for a visitor to leave a comment. Some kind soul advised me on this when I first started, and it helped a lot. Leave comment moderation on, and you can filter out what you don't want to publish. Hope this is helpful....ReplyDelete
Love this! Great idea to stamp the image twice and combine them. So glad you are now using Google Friends (I had already added you to my list); I think you'll get lots more followers now.ReplyDelete
Now for SNS - I'm so happy that you're participating in our challenges. Congrats on being a Featured Artist again this month! In addition to being on the SNS Facebook page and the SNS Winner's page, this month all Featured Artists get to choose an exclusive SNS digi of their choice. You can find them here in the Digital Stamps by SNS: http://sparklensprinkle.com/o/index.php?cPath=82_207_242Replies
Thanks Anne!! I love this geranium stamp, I have had it for a little while and was actually afraid to try it because of the beautiful projects that you and Emmy have made with this stamp. But I decided I couldn't let it sit on my craft table any longer! I love it and I think I am going to be using it quite a bit!!Delete


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Day 2 of filming with tripple sword winner Stephan "Derwish" Rath (CMON) is underway. Looks like he alone will fill 2-3 fun-packed DVDs at minimum. Ben "White Rabbit" Komets (CMON; another tripple sword winner, and second painter for our first DVD Instruction Set) visited to hang out with us last night. So we had the six slayer sword steakknife set in my couch-free living room - and a lot fun ;)
|Totally misleading image!
As production of DVD Season 1 - "Target Identified" draws to a close, on target for shipping around March 1st, we are already working on our Season 2 for our May 1st release.
I don't really want to tease (lies!), but I for one can't wait - looking awesomely funky already!
All I say is this - in the next season we show you "how the cookie crumbles" :D
In the meantime Stephan and I will continue working on "Yannet" - the female assassin in our set. And so that you know how the mood is here, I have found the perfect "REVOLUTION" sound of the day:
REVOLUTION - The Qemists
Stay hoopy, and happy painting!


text: Hi On Saturday 18 June 2005 13:00, Erik Slagter wrote: > This trivial patch adds "avc1" as fourcc for h264 in mp4, which makes it > a little bit more standard, although it still seems to lack some > metadata. Anyway, recent mplayer plays these streams without problems. > > It also has two globally scoped global structs changed to "static". applied -- Michael


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Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Catbird Baby Pikkolo Review
The following review was written by guest blogger and fellow"Attached Mama" Susan Scantland Littleton
I was really excited for the opportunity to try out the Catbird Metropolitan (solid black) Pikkolo from our babywearing group's local lending library. My experience with SSCs (soft structured carriers) was zero; I've been using wraps since my son was born. So this gave me a chance not only to try a new SSC, but also to try a whole different form of babywearing.
The Pikkolo is designed to be ergonomic for front-facing in and front-facing out carries as well as back carries. As there are few carriers that allow ergonomic facing out, this will be an appealing feature for some wearers. Catbird advises facing out will be less comfortable after about 20 lbs., but I found it surprisingly comfortable with my 25 lb. 10-month-old. I wouldn't want to carry him that way for long, but my son seemed to enjoy the new position for the twenty minutes I had him in it. By the end of that time, my back was protesting.
While designed to be ergonomic with knee-to-knee coverage, my 31 in. boy's legs were dangling a bit. I had a friend with a slightly smaller one-year-old try on the carrier for comparison, and it was still knee-to-knee on her daughter. It certainly provides a closer to ergonomic fit than a narrow-based carrier, but my son seems to have outgrown it relatively early. It's designed for carrying 8 to 40 lbs., and I felt no back pain carrying my son in either the front, inward facing position nor in a back carry. The padded straps are cushy without being overly bulky, and the chest clip is easy to clasp in both front and back positions.
During the two weeks I borrowed this carrier, I used it for lots of chores around the house, some 60-90 minute walks, and for errands. I appreciated the ease with which I could get him up and comfortable, compared to how long it takes to achieve a supportive carry in a wrap. My son always seemed comfy, and I never had to worry about him "popping his seat" the way he can in a wrap. It's not possible to get him up as high on my back as I can with him wrapped, even buckling the waist belt directly under my breasts. He likes to see over my shoulder, and if he can't, he tries to lean down under my arm. He was secure enough that when he leaned around my side to see what I was doing, I didn't have to worry he could go anywhere, but it made me off balance.
Overall, I think the Catbird Pikkolo is a great option for the first year of babywearing. It may not fit as long as a Tula or a Kinderpack, but it's also a less expensive option. The ability to forward face will be really appealing from babywearers crossing over from narrow-based carriers as well as those with babies who are only happy facing out. I was impressed with how it felt, even with such a big baby. Because of the size, I won't be purchasing a Pikkolo for this baby. But it did make me think an SSC may work for us someday, and it's definitely one I would check out if I were shopping for a smaller baby.
NOTE TO READERS FROM CATHY: Catbird Baby VERY generously donated the carrier used in this review to the community's local lending library in exchange for a fair and honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are the author's own and have not been influenced by the donation. I wish to thank Catbird Baby for their generosity.
Posted by The Attached Mama at 5:33 AM
Labels: Babywearing, Just for Mama, Reviews
4 comments:
- Theresa said...
OOoh. This is good! Glad to see a carrier with ergo facing out!
- Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:00:00 AM
- Samara said...
Thank you for the review!
- Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:36:00 AM
- Kirsi Jackson said...
Thanks for the thoughtful review! This does seem like it would be best for the first year of babywearing since it is a bit narrower but it looks really nice and I think the facing out option is really appealing to some parents & babies :)
- Wednesday, August 20, 2014 9:21:00 AM
- Jennifer Lawson said...
Thanks for the generous donation, Catbird Baby!
- Monday, October 13, 2014 1:01:00 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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MDC News Bytes
A Winning Campaign
Long known as "Democracy's College," Miami Dade College is once again leading the way in involving students in the democratic process.
Recently, MDC President Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón joined Sen. Bob Graham, Congressman Lou Frey and other college presidents from across the nation to launch the New Standard for Campus Voter Engagement. This initiative stipulates that every college should provide students with information and materials they need to vote in every election, from local to presidential. At the forefront of this endeavor, MDC's Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy is playing a vital role in implementing the initiative this fall.
MDC was one of the first colleges in the nation to sign on to TurboVote, a Web-based system that allows students to register, request absentee ballots and receive reminders before elections. Last year, more than 3,000 students at Miami Dade College registered during the pilot phase, making MDC the second-highest in the nation among all colleges.


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Ibn Abbas related that the Prophet (SAWS) said, "The nations were presented to me. I saw the prophet having a party of people with him, the prophet having one or two men with him, the prophet having no one with him. Then a great mass of people was shown to me, so I thought that they were my nation, but it was said to me, 'This is Musa and his people, but look at the horizon.' Behold! A great mass of people! It was said to me, 'Look at the other horizon.' Behold! A great mass of people! It was said to me, 'This is your nation, and among them are seventy thousand who will enter the Garden without reckoning or punishment'."
He then got up and entered his house, and the people began speculating about those special believers. Some of them said, "Perhaps they are those who accompanied the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace." Others said, "Perhaps they are those who were born in Islam and so never associated any partners with Allah at all." Others said various things.
Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came out to them and they informed him of their discussion, so he said, "They are those who do not seek spiritual cures for physical ailments, who do not practice cauterisation, and who do not draw omens, but put their trust totally in their Lord."
So 'Ukkashah bin Mihsan stood up and said, "Pray to Allah to make me among them."
He replied, "You are among them."
Another man stood up and said, "Pray to Allah to make me among them."
He replied, "'Ukkashah beat you to it."1
Of the false prophets who remained after the death of Aswad, the first to clash with the Muslims was Tulaiha bin Khuwailid. He was a chief of the tribe of Bani Asad, and had been opposing the Holy Prophet off and on for many years.
Tulaiha first showed his hostility to Islam three months after the Battle of Uhud. Believing that the Muslims had been badly hurt in that battle, he got his clan together with the intention of raiding Madinah and thus exploiting what he regarded as a fine opportunity; but the Prophet came to know of the concentration of the clan and sent a mounted column of 150 horsemen to deal with it. Before Tulaiha could get wind of this counter-move the Muslim horsemen were upon him. The infidels scattered without a fight, and the Muslims captured the flocks of the clan and drove them off to Madinah as spoils. This setback so discredited Tulaiha in the eyes of his tribe that he had to lie low for a while.
Then he took part in the Battle of the Ditch. Responding eagerly to the invitation of the Jews to take up arms against the Muslims, he got together a contingent from the Bani Asad and commanded it in the coalition that besieged Madinah. When Abu Sufyan withdrew from Madinah, the Bani Asad also returned to their settlements. Again Tulaiha got nowhere.
The next occasion on which he opposed the Muslims was their campaign against the Jews of Khaibar in 628 (7 Hijri). The Bani Asad, operating under Tulaiha, sided with the Jews. During the movement of the Muslim army towards Khaibar, Tulaiha fought a number of minor engagements with the Muslims but was worsted every time. Then he pulled out his forces and abandoned the Jews to their fate.
Two years later, during the 'Year of Delegations', the Bani Asad sent a delegation to Madinah which offered submission to the Prophet. The whole tribe accepted Islam, but like many other tribes of Arabia its conversion was a matter of political convenience rather than genuine belief. Outwardly Tulaiha also embraced Islam. Whether infidel or Muslim Tulaiha continued to enjoy considerable influence in his tribe as a chief and a soothsayer. He would foretell the future, dabble in clairvoyance and recite poetry.
During the illness of the Prophet, in fact a few days before the Prophet died, Tulaiha made a bid for independence. He declared himself a prophet! He called upon his people to follow him, and many did. When word arrived of the Holy Prophet's death, he intensified his efforts to establish himself as the new prophet, and as the contagion of the apostasy spread over Arabia, the entire tribe of Bani Asad flocked to his standard, accepting him as chief and prophet. To mark the severance of his ties with Madinah, Tulaiha expelled the Muslim tax collector of his area-a valiant young man by the name of Barar bin Al Azwar, of whom the account of the Campaign in Syria will have much to say.
Having proclaimed himself prophet, Tulaiha felt that he had to do something about religion in order to prove that he really was an apostle of Allah. He could think of no better way of creating a spectacular effect than by altering the form of prayer. He abolished prostration, which is an integral part of the Muslim prayer ritual. "Allah does not want us to invert our faces", he declared, "or bend our backs in an ugly posture. Pray standing!" 2 And the Bani Asad prayed without prostration after their impostor.
With the spread of the apostasy the ranks of his followers swelled. He received offers of support from the major tribes of North-Central Arabia, the staunchest of which were the Ghatfan, followed by the Tayy, with both of which the Bani Asad had an old and abiding alliance. There was support also from the Hawazin and the Bani Sulaim, but this was lukewarm. Although these two great tribes also apostatised and fought the Muslims, they did not join Tulaiha and did not fight under his standard.
1. Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad. Sahih Al-Jami Al-Saghir No. 3999 and Kitab Al-Tawhid of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, Chapter 3.
2. Ibn-ul-Aseer: Vol. 2, p. 131.
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The most powerful single supporter of Tulaiha was Uyaina bin Hisn, the one-eyed chief of the Bani Fazara-a powerful clan of the Ghatfan. This was the man who had commanded the Ghatfan contingent at the Battle of the Ditch and whom the Holy Prophet had nicknamed the Willing Fool. Now he lived up to that name by following Tulaiha. He did not, however, believe whole-heartedly in the impostor, for he is known to have said, "I would rather follow a prophet from an allied tribe than one from the Quraish. Anyway, Muhammad is dead and Tulaiha is alive." 1 His support proved invaluable, for he brought the entire tribe of Ghatfan under the sway of Tulaiha.
Tulaiha gathered the Bani Asad at Samira. The Ghatfan lived in the neighbourhood of the Bani Asad and would join him soon. The Tayy also accepted him as chief-of-chiefs and prophet, but remained in their own region north and northeast of Khaibar, except for a small contingent, which joined him at Samira. Here Tulaiha began his preparations to fight the power of Islam.
When he heard of the gathering of the clans at Abraq and Zhu Qissa, he sent a contingent from his tribe to reinforce them under his brother, Hibal. The Muslim operations against Zhu Qissa and Abraq have already been described. While these operations were in progress, Tulaiha moved with his army to Buzakha, where he was joined some time later by the remnants of the apostates driven from Abraq.
At Buzakha, Tulaiha's preparations progressed rapidly. He sent couriers to many clans, inviting them to join him, and many clans responded to the call. Uyaina brought 700 warriors from the Bani Fazara. The largest groups were from the Bani Asad and the Ghatfan. There also was a contingent from the Tayy, but the main part of the Tayy did not come to Buzakha.
Tulaiha was ready for battle when Khalid set out from, Zhu Qissa.
Before launching Khalid against Tulaiha, Abu Bakr sought ways and means of reducing the latter's strength, so that the battle could be fought with the maximum prospects of victory. Nothing could be done about the tribes of Bani Asad and Ghatfan which stood solidly behind Tulaiha; but the Tayy were another matter. They were not nearly so staunch in their support of the impostor, and their chief, Adi bin Hatim, was a devout Muslim. (A man, who was to live to the incredible age of 120 years, Adi was so tall that when he sat on his horse, his feet would touch the ground! 2) When Adi had tried to prevent the apostasy of the Tayy, they had renounced him, with the result that he had left the tribe, along with a group of his faithful supporters, and joined the Caliph. Abu Bakr now decided to make an attempt at drawing the Tayy away from Tulaiha. And if they could not be persuaded to abandon the impostor, they should be fought and crushed quickly in their present location before they could join him at Buzakha. Thus Tulaiha would be denied the support of the Tayy.
Abu Bakr sent the Tayy chief to work on his tribe. With him marched Khalid, whose corps numbered about 4,000 men. "If the efforts of Adi are not successful", Abu Bakr instructed Khalid, "fight the Tayy in their present location." 3 After dealing with the Tayy, Khalid was to, march on Buzakha. (See Map 8.)
Setting off from Zhu Qissa, Khalid marched in a northerly direction, making for Buzakha. When still a few marches from Buzakha, he turned left and approached the area south of the Aja Mountains, where the tribe of Tayy was gathered. Here Adi went forward and addressed the tribe: he spoke of Allah and His Messenger, of the fire of hell, of the futility of resistance; but in spite of his great eloquence he made no headway. The tribal elders rejected him, whereupon Adi warned them: "Then prepare to meet an army that comes to destroy you and take your women. Do as you please."
The warning had the desired effect. The elders reflected for a while and then said, "Keep this army away from us until we have extricated our brethren who are with Tulaiha. We have a pact with him. If we break it, he will either kill our brethren or hold them as hostages. We must get them away from Tulaiha before openly renouncing him."
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 487.
2. Ibn Qutaiba: p. 313.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 483.
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Adi returned to the Muslim camp and explained the position to Khalid, but Khalid was in no mood to waste time on negotiations. He held strong views about the apostasy and was not inclined to be kind to those who turned to disbelief-after-belief. "Three days, O Khalid!" Adi pleaded. "Just three days! And I shall get you 500 warriors from my tribe to fight beside you. That is better than sending them to the Fire." 1 Khalid agreed to wait.
The elders of the Tayy sent off a detachment of horsemen to Tulaiha, ostensibly as a reinforcement for their contingent. And there they started working secretly to get the Tayy contingent away from Tulaiha before Khalid's arrival at Buzakha. In this they succeeded. If any members of the Tayy remained with Tulaiha, and it appears that a few did, they took no part in the Battle of Buzakha.
Khalid had agreed not to attack the Tayy. Meanwhile he decided to turn on another apostate tribe which lived close by-the Jadila. The Caliph had said nothing about the Jadila, but Khalid did not need an invitation to fight. When he announced his intention of attacking the Jadila, Adi again came forward with an offer to persuade the tribe to submit without bloodshed. Khalid was not the man to worry about bloodshed, but in view of the possibility of augmenting his own strength with more warriors, he agreed to Adi's suggestion. The eloquence of Adi bore fruit. The Jadila submitted, and 1,000 warriors joined Khalid. With the strength of his corps augmented with the 500 horsemen from the Tayy and the 1,000 from the Jadila, Khalid, now much stronger than when he had left Zhu Qissa, marched for Buzakha. On his way he was to pick up more warriors.
When a day's march from Buzakha, Khalid sent forward two scouts on a reconnaissance mission. Both these men were Ansars, one of them a renowned Companion by the name of Ukasha bin Mihsan. These scouts met two apostates engaged on a similar mission for the enemy, one of whom was Hibal, the brother of Tulaiha. Hibal was killed, but the other escaped to carry the sad news to the impostor.
Enraged at the news of his brother's death, Tulaiha came forward in person with another brother, Salma. The two pairs met. There were two duels. Tulaiha and Ukasha were expert swordsmen and continued to fight long after Salma had killed the other Muslim. But at last Ukasha went down before Tulaiha. The bodies of the Muslims remained where they had fallen until the rest of the Muslims arrived to discover and bury them. The loss of these two Muslims was deeply mourned, for they were fine fighters and beloved comrades.
When Khalid got to the southern part of the plain of Buzakha, he went into camp a short distance from where the apostates were encamped. From these two camps the opposing forces would move out to battle. The battlefield consisted of the plain of Buzakha-a level, open plain with a few low, rocky hillocks on its western and northern edges. These hillocks were an extension of the south-eastern foothills of the Aja Range. 2 (See Map 8)
The stage for the Battle of Buzakha was set. The Muslims prepared for the morrow, as did the apostates. Khalid, the Sword of Allah, with about 6,000 men, faced Tulaiha the Impostor, the strength of whose army is not recorded but is believed to have been much more than that of the Muslims. It was now about the middle of September, 632 (late Jamadi-ul-Akhir, 11 Hijri).
On the morning after the arrival of Khalid, the two armies formed up for battle on the plain of Buzakha. Khalid commanded the Muslims in person and stood ahead of his corps. Tulaiha, however, appointed Uyaina to command his army, in the centre of which stood the 700 Bani Fazara (Uyaina's clan). The impostor himself sat in a tent a short distance behind his army, his head wrapped in a scarf and a cloak draped over his shoulders. He assumed a meditative posture and let it be known that he would receive guidance from Jibril, Allah's messenger angel, on the conduct of battle.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 483.
2. Nothing remains of Buzakha, but the plain which bears its name starts 25 miles south-west of the present Hail and runs in a south-westerly direction
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Soon after the two forces were arrayed for battle, Khalid launched an attack along the entire front. For some time the apostates resisted stubbornly, especially the Bani Fazara, but after a while the pressure of the Muslims began to tell and dents appeared in the apostate front line. Uyaina, alarmed at the severity of the Muslim attack, rode to Tulaiha's tent, hoping that divine guidance would come to their aid. "Has Jibril come to you?" he enquired. "No", replied the impostor with a solemn expression. Uyaina returned to battle.
Some more time passed. Then Khalid was able to drive a wedge into the infidel centre, but it still held, and the fighting became more intense with every inch of ground hotly contested. Uyaina again rode to Tulaiha and asked, "Has Jibril come to you?" "No, by Allah!" replied the impostor. Again Uyaina returned to battle.
Scenting victory, the Muslims now attacked more fiercely and gained some more ground. It was all the apostates could do to prevent a complete rupture of their position. Seeing the situation turn hopeless Uyaina went for the third time to Tulaiha. There was a nervous impatience in his voice as he asked the familiar question: "Has Jibril come to you?" The impostor answered, "Yes." "What did he say?" asked Uyaina.
Calmly Tulaiha replied, "He said 'You have a handmill just like his, and this is a day that you will not forget!'" "By Allah!" Uyaina exploded as the scales fell from his eyes, "This is a day that you shall certainly not forget." He then dashed to his clan. "O Bani Fazara!" he shouted. "This man is an impostor. Turn away from the fight!"1
The Bani Fazara, the hard core of Tulaiha's centre, turned and rode away. With their departure the entire front gave way and the apostate opposition collapsed. Groups of infidels raced from the battlefield in all directions. The victorious Muslims cut those who resisted to pieces. Some hapless fugitives rushed to Tulaiha and asked, "What are your commands?" Tulaiha replied, "Let those who can, do as I do and save themselves and their families." 2
With this parting instruction Tulaiha placed his wife on a fast camel, which he had kept ready saddled for just this eventuality. He himself sprang on to his horse, and man and wife disappeared in a cloud of dust.
The Battle of Buzakha was over. Khalid had been victorious. The second most powerful enemy of Islam had been defeated and his forces scattered.
Tulaiha fled to the border of Syria, where he took up residence among the Kalb. His imposturing days were over. But he had not been long with this tribe when he heard that the Bani Asad had re-entered Islam. Consequently he too became a Muslim and rejoined his tribe. He even visited Makkah for the pilgrimage during the time of Abu Bakr, but the Caliph, though informed of his visit, took no notice of him.
About two years later he visited Madinah and came to see Umar, who did not forgive easily. On seeing Tulaiha, Umar said to him, "You killed two noble Muslims, including Ukasha bin Mihsan. By Allah, I shall never love you."
Tulaiha had a subtle wit. He replied, "Allah blessed them with paradise by my hand, while I did not benefit by theirs. I seek forgiveness from Allah."
Umar, unrelenting, tried again. "You lied when you said that Allah would do you no harm."
"That", replied Tulaiha, "arose from the mischief of disbelief which Allah has destroyed. I cannot now be blamed for it."
Umar saw that he was not getting far with this exchange and made a last attempt. "O trickster! What remains of your clairvoyance?"
"Nothing but a gust or two from the bellows!" 3
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A sense of humour was not one of Umar's strong points; and not being able to think of a suitable rejoinder, he turned away.
Tulaiha returned to his tribe and lived amongst them until the third invasion of Iraq. Then he volunteered for service in Iraq as a Muslim warrior and commander. He served with distinction, performing prodigies of valour and skill, and took part in the great battles of Qadissiyah and Nihawand, where he fell a martyr. Tulaiha thus more than earned his redemption.
As soon as the battle was over, Khalid sent out columns to pursue the fleeing apostates and subdue the neighbouring tribes. One column caught up with some apostates in the hilly region of Ruman, 30 miles south-south-east of Buzakha, but they submitted without a fight and became Muslims again. Khalid led a fast column in pursuit of Uyaina, who had fled to the south-east with his clan of Bani Fazara and some elements of the Bani Asad. Uyaina had only got as far as Ghamra, 60 miles away 1 (see Map 8), when Khalid overtook him. Uyaina then turned to fight again, for although he was now totally disillusioned about Tulaiha, he remained defiant and unrepentant. There was a sharp clash in which several apostates were killed and the rest fled. Uyaina was taken prisoner.
Uyaina's father had been a very prominent and highly respected chieftain of the Ghatfan, as a result of which Uyaina regarded himself as second to none in birth and rank. But this proud scion of a long line of chiefs, with whom the Holy Prophet himself had sought to negotiate peace at the Battle of the Ditch, was now put in irons and led as a humble captive to Madinah.
As he entered Madinah, the children, on discovering his identity and circumstances, crowded around him. They began to prod him with sharp sticks, chanting awhile "O Enemy of Allah! You disbelieved-after-belief." Uyaina protested piteously, "By Allah, I never was a believer." In other words, since he had never become a Muslim (as he now falsely claimed), he could not be accused of apostasy.
He pleaded his case before Abu Bakr, who pardoned him, and so Uyaina became a Muslim again and lived in peace amidst his tribe for many long years.
In the time of Caliph Uthman, Uyaina, now grown old, visited Madinah and called on the Caliph. It was well after sunset. Uthman, as always the generous host, asked him to stay for supper and was taken aback when Uyaina declined the invitation on the plea that he was fasting. (The Muslim fast begins at the first light of dawn and ends at sunset.) Seeing the look of surprise on Uthman's face, Uyaina exclaimed hastily, "I find it easier to fast by night than by day!" 2
After the action at Ghamra, Khalid set off for Naqra where certain clans of the Bani Sulaim had gathered to continue the struggle against Islam. (See Map 8) In command of this group of Bani Sulaim was a rash chieftain whose name was Amr bin Abdul Uzza, but who was more commonly known as Abu Shajra. This man had learnt no lesson from the defeat of Tulaiha, and in order to encourage his men to remain firm in their defiance of Muslim authority, he composed and recited the following lines:
My spear shall play havoc
With the regiments of Khalid.
And I trust thereafter
It shall also crush Umar 3
1. Ghamra lies 15 miles north north-east of Samira, and a hill overlooking the present village is also named Ghamra. This place has been called Ghamr by Ibn Sad who places it at two stages from Feid (p. 590). It is actually 30 miles from Feid as the crow flies, and would be a little farther by caravan route.
2. Ibn Qutaiba: p. 304.
3. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 494.
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As soon as he arrived at Naqra, Khalid launched his column into a violent attack on the Bani Sulaim. Actually, he had pleasant memories of the Bani Sulaim. They had served under him during the conquest of Makkah and the Battle of Hunain and the advance to Taif. Except for their flight when ambushed in the Hunain defile (when most troops would have done the same), they had served him well. But now they had apostatised and deserved no mercy.
Fighting against their ex-commander, the Bani Sulaim resisted fiercely for some time and were able to kill several Muslims, but they too found the powerful blows of Khalid too hard to take and broke up. A large number of them were slaughtered before the rest found safety in flight. Their commander, Abu Shajra the soldier-poet, was taken prisoner and sent to Madinah, where he too pleaded his case with Abu Bakr and was pardoned. He also re-entered Islam.
In later years Abu Shajra fell upon bad times, he was impoverished. Hoping to get some help from Madinah, he rode thither, tied his camel outside the town and went in. Soon he came upon Umar who stood surrounded by the poor to whom he was distributing alms. Entering the throng, Abu Shajra, called, "I too am in need." Umar turned and looked at him but failed to recognise him. His appearance had changed much since the days of his apostasy. "Who are you?" Umar enquired.
"I am Abu Shajra."
Suddenly old memories flashed across the mind of Umar and he recalled the entire story of the wretched man. "O Enemy of Allah!" Umar roared. "Was it not you who recited:
My spear shall play havoc
With the regiments of Khalid.
And I trust thereafter
It shall also crush Umar. . . !"
Umar did not wait for a reply. He raised his whip, without which he never left his house, and struck at the man. Abu Shajra raised his arm to protect his head even as he pleaded, "My submission to Islam has cancelled all that." 1 Then the second blow fell!
Abu Shajra realised that no amount of pleading would stay the whip of Umar, who was clearly in a mood to strike first and ask questions later. He turned and ran as fast as his legs would carry him, with Umar in hot pursuit, brandishing his whip. But he outran Umar, got to his camel, leapt onto its back and sped away.
Abu Shajra never showed his face in Madinah again!
While the Battle of Buzakha was being fought, certain tribes had stood aside and watched. These were the tribe of Bani Amir and certain clans of the Hawazin and Bani Sulaim. Though inclined towards Tulaiha, they had wisely refrained from battle and preferred to sit on the fence until the outcome of battle was known.
The outcome was soon known. Peace and quiet had hardly returned to Buzakha when these tribes came to Khalid and submitted. "We re-enter what we came out of", they declared. "We believe in Allah and His Messenger. We shall submit to his orders with our lives and property." 2
Soon other sections of repentant Arabs began to pour into Buzakha. "We submit!" was the universal cry. But Khalid remembered the instructions of the Caliph-to kill all those who had killed Muslims. He refused to accept their submission (which meant that they could be attacked, killed, enslaved) until they had handed over every murderer in the tribe. To this the tribes agreed.
1. Balazuri: p. 107
2. Tabari: Vol. 2 pg. 486.
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All the murderers were lined up. Khalid's justice was swift. He had each murderer killed in exactly the same manner as he had employed to kill his Muslim victim. Some were beheaded, some were burnt alive, and some stoned to death. Some were thrown from the tops of cliffs, while others were shot to death with arrows. A few were cast into wells.1 An eye for an eye!
Having completed this task, Khalid wrote to Abu Bakr and gave him a complete account of all that had passed. The Caliph wrote him a complimentary letter in reply, congratulating him on his success, approving his actions and praying for his continued success.
After the action against the Bani Sulaim at Naqra, Khalid stayed at Buzakha for three weeks, receiving the submission of the tribes and punishing the murderers. Then he turned his steps towards Zafar, where a lady needed his attention. He looked forward eagerly to the rendezvous; and she awaited him with breathless anticipation!
Salma, alias Um Zhiml, was a first cousin of Uyaina. Her father too was a big chief, Malik bin Hudaifa, of the Ghatfan. Not only was her father a noted chief, but her mother, Um Qirfa, also was a great lady, held in esteem and veneration by the tribe. In the time of the Holy Prophet, the mother had fought against the Muslims and had been captured in battle and killed, but memories of the chieftainess had remained alive among the Ghatfan. Salma had been taken captive and led to Madinah, where the Prophet presented her as a slave to his wife, Aisha. But Salma was not happy, so Aisha set her free, and she returned to her tribe.
After the death of her parents, Salma rose in stature until she began to command the same respect and affection in her tribe as her mother had enjoyed. She became-and this was unusual among the Arabs-a chief in her own right. Her mother had owned a magnificent camel which was now inherited by Salma, and since the daughter looked just like the mother, whenever she rode the camel she reminded her people of the departed grande dame.
Salma became one of the leaders of the apostasy and an implacable enemy of Islam. After the Battle of Buzakha and the action at Ghamra, some of those who had lost to Khalid, along with many die-hards from the Hawazin and the Bani Sulaim, hastened to Zafar, at the western edge of the Sulma Range, and joined the army of Salma. 2 (See Map 8) She upbraided them mercilessly for their defeat and their abandonment of Uyaina, and such was the awe of this lady that they took it without a murmur. With her strong hand she whipped this motley collection into shape as a closely-knit, well-organised army, and within a few days she had become a threat to the authority of Islam. She knew that Khalid, now free of the problem of Buzakha, would come to deal with her, and she eagerly awaited a clash with the Sword of Allah.
Khalid marched his corps from Buzakha to Zafar where the army of Islam again came face-to-face with the army of disbelief. Again Khalid took the initiative and attacked.
But it proved a hard battle. While Khalid was able to drive back the wings, he could make no progress against the centre of the apostates. The centre stood firm. Here rode Salma in an armoured litter atop her mother's famous camel, and from this command post she personally conducted the battle. Around her camel were gathered the bravest of her warriors, determined to sacrifice their lives in defence of the noble animal and its venerated rider.
Khalid realised that in the person of Salma lay the moral strength of the enemy force, and that as long as she survived in her litter the battle would continue and turn into a bloodbath. She had to be eliminated. Consequently, leading a picked group of warriors, he made a determined thrust towards the camel, and after some vicious sword-fighting was able to get to the animal. With a few slashes the camel was brought down and with it fell the prized litter. Salma was killed immediately. Around her sprawled the bodies of 100 of her followers who had fought to the last in defence of their chief.
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 490.
2. While the general location of Zafar can be established, its exact location is not certain. Tabari gives Zafar as the scene of the battle and also mentions Ark as the town of the chieftainess Salma. Ark is now a village named Rakk, 35 miles from Hail, nestling at the foot of the northern spurs of the Salma Range. Twelve miles south of Rakk there is a hill called Zafar, on the western slope of the range, and I regard this as the Zafar where the battle was fought.
page 7
With the death of Salma, all resistance collapsed and the apostates scattered in all directions. Salma had given Khalid the hardest fight since Tulaiha.
The Salma Range-a range of black, rugged hills standing some 40 miles south-east of the town of Hail-is believed to have been named after Salma, Um Zhiml…a fitting tribute to a grand lady who had the courage to stand and fight against the greatest soldier of the day, and who went down fighting.
The Battle of Zafar was fought in late October 632 (late Rajab, 11 Hijri). For a few days Khalid rested his men. Then he gave orders for the march to Butah, to fight Malik bin Nuwaira.
The first phase of the Campaign of the Apostasy ended with the death of Salma. The major tribes of North-Central Arabia which had rebelled against Islam as followers of Tulaiha had now been defeated and subdued, and their leaders were either killed or captured or driven away. No more rebel chieftains raised their heads again in this region.
But one man remained, more of a bandit leader than a tribal chief, who was still causing anxiety to the Muslims. This man's name was Ayas bin Abd Yalil, but he was more commonly known as Al Faja'a. He was an adventurer.
At about the time when Khalid was consolidating his gains at Buzakha, Al Faja'a came to Abu Bakr. "I am a Muslim." he said. "Equip me with weapons and I shall fight the infidels." 1
Abu Bakr was only too glad to hear the offer and equipped him with weapons. The man rode away from Madinah, formed a gang of bandits and began to waylay unwary travellers, many of whom were killed. The gangsters operated in the region lying to the east of Makkah and Madinah, and Muslim and infidel alike suffered at the hands of Al Faja'a.
When Abu Bakr heard of the depredations of Al Faja'a, he decided to make an example of him for the deceit he had practised on the Caliph. He sent a column to get the man alive, and a few days later the brigand was brought to Madinah in irons.
Abu Bakr ordered a large pile of faggots arranged in front of the mosque. When ready, the pile was set on fire. As the wood crackled and the flames rose skywards, Al Faja'a, still in irons, was thrown into the fire!
When Abu Bakr was dying, two years later, he expressed certain regrets. There were, he said, three things that he had done and wished he had not done, and three things that he had not done and wished he had. One of these related to Al Faja'a "I wish", said Abu Bakr, "I had had Al Faja'a killed outright and not burnt alive." 2
1. Tabari: Vol. 2, p. 492
2. Ibid: Vol. 2, p. 619; Balazuri: p. 112; Masudi: Muruj, Vol. 2, p. 308.
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text:
Kyaaa! This is probably the best ws news clip of Takisamacon. It shows the 9 roles that Takki did during the concert, including the "Enbujo mask VTR", Takki the pianist, and EROERO DANCE!!!!
Download from MU or MF (17.44mb, avi)
* Credit to windjp
For the EroEroDance, we were looking at a huge screen right in front of us, and the cameraman was filming ONLY Takki's abs+*beep* area… so you can imagine what kind of visuals we were getting lol! We practically lost our minds. Can't remember much about what he did, in what sequence, I only knew we were screaming non-stop! =P


text:
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e
- Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, or hatred
- Some feminists find pornography offensive.
- Relating to an offense or attack, as opposed to defensive.
- The army's offensive capabilities. An offensive weapon.
In language or morals, terms and concepts which are unacceptable to some people, such as swearing and profanity, e.g. sexually explicit material
See also
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(fl. 1st cent. bc),
distinguished Greek general of Mithradates VI, perhaps from Sinope or Amisus. After overrunning Bithynia and most of central Greece ('First Mithradatic War', 88–85 bc), he was ...
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text:
We Are Virtual Mirror
We are very proud to announce that we are no longer Thermal Erosion.
From now on, we are Virtual Mirror Game Studios.
We are working on new and exciting projects, but we can't tell you more about them yet.
Welcome to our new site and future.
Virtual Mirror Game Studios


text:
6x 40 FT Shipping Container Home - Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, - Delta Containers, Danilo Corbas,
made from shipping containers will be unveiled. The 240 square-meter house is located in a horizontal condominium in Curitiba's Orleans neighborhood. Besides being more ecological and more quickly constructed, the total cost per square meter is 20 percent cheaper than traditional construction methods.
Developed by the Paraná-based company Delta Containers and designed by architect Danilo Corbas, the house consists of six 40 square-meter "High Cube" type shipping containers, each measuring 12 meters long by 2.90 meters high. They were then modified at the company headquarters in Campo Largo to include windows and doors, and finally unloaded by crane into correct position for installation.
Find Shipping Container Homes, 20 ft container, 40 ft container, ISBU in your area


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text:
Well, another year has come and gone. Could this be real? It is amazing to me how the time goes so much faster the older you get.
This is A Year in Review her at Dreamingincolor. There were so many wonderful things that I didn't get a chance to write about here on my blog.
This is the top ten posts that you viewed the most!
A Year in Review of the popular things you read about.
I do wish I had wrote more about the beautiful things that were created for the store but I realized that having a store that I have opened and operated by myself has turned into something that has occupied most of my time. With that said, I am thrilled to have written some to share with you.
I will start with number 10!!
Click on the name under picture to see the whole post.
Number 9
Seams like painting hutches were the popular things I did this year. Lots of work but so worth it!
This was a really cool painting technique.
Number 8
While traveling to NYC I got to go to a wonderful store full of inspiration.
Number 7
See what I mean about my hutches!
This was the first hutch of the year I did. I needed something cheery from all the grey days of January and February!
Number 6
Glad to see this little project in the top ten. I shouldn't be surprised. Mason Jars are always a hit!
Number 5
And once again another hutch hee hee!
So glad you all love my furniture creations!
Although this was from last Christmas, the post was done this year!
Number 4
Lovely Country Chic colors on this vanity.
Number 3
Love this springtime project!
Number 2
This was a highlight for me too! Introducing my signature paint colors.
And your number one favorite post was.....
Hope you enjoyed A Year in Review!
Thank you for continuing to come here year after year to read this blog! I really do appreciate all my new and old friends! As always, I enjoy your comments too!
Hope next year brings peace and love....


text:
It's that time of year again. The leaves are falling, the temperatures are dropping and snow is either here or on its way depending on where you live. And that means you should think about putting a set of winter tires on your car.
While some of us may think we can get around fine with "all season" tires, it's like the equivalent of wearing Air Force 1's in the winter – it might work for a while, but you're bound to fall flat on your ass sooner or later.