The status of women in Islam - compared to the status of women in other civilizations and religions...shocking revelations by the very men and institutions we hold sacred and learned
video property and courtesy of: TechnoMediaco
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Sunday, September 22, 2013
New study says life on Earth has another good 1.75 billion years to go...unless we humans screw it up beforehand
How Much Longer Can Earth Support Life?
[Life on Earth has another good 1.75 billion years to go, study says]
by Wynne Parry
LiveScience
Sep. 18, 2013
Earth could continue to host life for at least another 1.75 billion years, as long as nuclear holocaust, an errant asteroid or some other disaster doesn't intervene, a new study calculates.
But even without such dramatic doomsday scenarios, astronomical forces will eventually render the planet uninhabitable. Somewhere between 1.75 billion and 3.25 billion years from now, Earth will travel out of the solar system's habitable zone and into the "hot zone," new research indicates.
These zones are defined by water. In the habitable zone, a planet (whether in this solar system or an alien one) is just the right distance from its star to have liquid water. Closer to the sun, in the "hot zone," the Earth's oceans would evaporate. Of course, conditions for complex life — including humans — would become untenable before the planet entered the hot zone.
But the researchers' main concern was the search for life on other planets, not predicting a timeline for the end of life on this one.
The evolution of complex life on Earth suggests the process requires a lot of time.
Simple cells first appeared on Earth nearly 4 billion years ago. "We had insects 400 million years ago, dinosaurs 300 million years ago and flowering plants 130 million years ago," lead researcher Andrew Rushby of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom said in a statement." Anatomically modern humans have only been around for the last 200,000 years — so you can see it takes a really long time for intelligent life to develop."
Rushby and his colleagues developed a new tool to help evaluate the amount of time available for the evolution of life on other planets: a model that predicts the time a planet would spend in its habitable zone. In the research, published Wednesday in the journal Astrobiology, they applied the model to Earth and eight other planets currently in the habitable zone, including Mars.
They calculated that Earth's habitable-zone lifetime is as long as 7.79 billion years. (Earth is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old.) Meanwhile, the other planets had habitable-zone lifetimes ranging from 1 billion years to 54.72 billion years.
"If we ever needed to move to another planet, Mars is probably our best bet," Rushby said in a statement. "It's very close and will remain in the habitable zone until the end of the sun's lifetime — 6 billion years from now."
While other models have been developed for Earth, they are not suitable for other planets, he added.
Original article published on LiveScience.
[Life on Earth has another good 1.75 billion years to go, study says]
by Wynne Parry
LiveScience
Sep. 18, 2013
Earth could continue to host life for at least another 1.75 billion years, as long as nuclear holocaust, an errant asteroid or some other disaster doesn't intervene, a new study calculates.
But even without such dramatic doomsday scenarios, astronomical forces will eventually render the planet uninhabitable. Somewhere between 1.75 billion and 3.25 billion years from now, Earth will travel out of the solar system's habitable zone and into the "hot zone," new research indicates.
These zones are defined by water. In the habitable zone, a planet (whether in this solar system or an alien one) is just the right distance from its star to have liquid water. Closer to the sun, in the "hot zone," the Earth's oceans would evaporate. Of course, conditions for complex life — including humans — would become untenable before the planet entered the hot zone.
But the researchers' main concern was the search for life on other planets, not predicting a timeline for the end of life on this one.
The evolution of complex life on Earth suggests the process requires a lot of time.
Simple cells first appeared on Earth nearly 4 billion years ago. "We had insects 400 million years ago, dinosaurs 300 million years ago and flowering plants 130 million years ago," lead researcher Andrew Rushby of the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom said in a statement." Anatomically modern humans have only been around for the last 200,000 years — so you can see it takes a really long time for intelligent life to develop."
Rushby and his colleagues developed a new tool to help evaluate the amount of time available for the evolution of life on other planets: a model that predicts the time a planet would spend in its habitable zone. In the research, published Wednesday in the journal Astrobiology, they applied the model to Earth and eight other planets currently in the habitable zone, including Mars.
They calculated that Earth's habitable-zone lifetime is as long as 7.79 billion years. (Earth is estimated to be about 4.5 billion years old.) Meanwhile, the other planets had habitable-zone lifetimes ranging from 1 billion years to 54.72 billion years.
"If we ever needed to move to another planet, Mars is probably our best bet," Rushby said in a statement. "It's very close and will remain in the habitable zone until the end of the sun's lifetime — 6 billion years from now."
While other models have been developed for Earth, they are not suitable for other planets, he added.
Original article published on LiveScience.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Ashton Kutcher got it right: telling America`s youth success comes from hard work
Ashton Kutcher shocks America's youth by telling them success comes from hard work
by: J. D. Heyes
Natural News
September 18, 2013
(NaturalNews) So much of what passes for intelligentsia in Hollywood is little more than left-wing, progressive blather, but every now and then a star tells it like it really is - and it's as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Ashton Kutcher provided that cool breeze recently when he told America's youth what so many politicians and entertainers alike know but won't say, because they're afraid of either losing a vote or a fan: That there is no free lunch, and you get ahead by working hard.
From The Hill, Congress' daily newspaper:
Kutcher received the "Ultimate Choice Award" - the evening's top honor - at the awards show, which airs on Nickelodeon and is geared toward younger people.
In his acceptance speech, the "Two and A Half Men" star said teenagers should build their own lives and find opportunities.
'Opportunity looks a lot like hard work'
"I believe that opportunity looks a lot like work," Kutcher said in his acceptance speech.
"When I was 13, I had my first job with Dad carrying shingles to the roof, and then I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant, and then I got a job in a grocery store deli, and then I got a job in a factory sweeping Cheerio dust off the ground," he continued.
"And I never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job, and I never quit my job until I had my next job. And so opportunities look a lot like work," he said. "The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful and being generous. Everything else is crap. I promise you."
The speech went viral on YouTube, garnering literally millions of views [watch it here: http://www.youtube.com]. And it was widely praised by political conservatives and other Americans not used to hearing such sage - and honest - words of wisdom come out of Hollywood.
"Remarkable speech," tweeted U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"Good to see his Iowa roots shining through all that Hollywood glitter!" former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook page. "On our trips to Iowa our family has always admired the strong work ethic and dedication to freedom that those who live there in the heartland hold dear. As they say - you can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take Iowa out of the boy."
She went onto to call describe his speech as "heartfelt."
More high praise
On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh praised Kutcher for giving "a traditional, uplifting, motivational and inspirational speech."
"This is a message that young kids today are not hearing except maybe in their homes from their parents, but they're not hearing this. They're not hearing this from Obama. They're not hearing this from presidential or political leadership," he said.
Glen Beck, on his radio program, also praised Kutcher and his message.
"It's a fairly safe to say that viewers don't tune in to the Teen Choice Awards in hopes of hearing an incredibly insightful advice about the hard work of hard work perseverance and dreaming because that's exactly what they got there," he said.
And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee added on his personal blog: "A lot of kids who think learning isn't cool desperately needed to hear that. These are messages that teachers try in vain to tell kids. Will they finally listen if it comes from Ashton Kutcher? Hard to say. But that video has gone viral and is being watched thousands of times on the Internet. So, good job, Ashton."
by: J. D. Heyes
Natural News
September 18, 2013
(NaturalNews) So much of what passes for intelligentsia in Hollywood is little more than left-wing, progressive blather, but every now and then a star tells it like it really is - and it's as refreshing as a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
Ashton Kutcher provided that cool breeze recently when he told America's youth what so many politicians and entertainers alike know but won't say, because they're afraid of either losing a vote or a fan: That there is no free lunch, and you get ahead by working hard.
From The Hill, Congress' daily newspaper:
Kutcher received the "Ultimate Choice Award" - the evening's top honor - at the awards show, which airs on Nickelodeon and is geared toward younger people.
In his acceptance speech, the "Two and A Half Men" star said teenagers should build their own lives and find opportunities.
'Opportunity looks a lot like hard work'
"I believe that opportunity looks a lot like work," Kutcher said in his acceptance speech.
"When I was 13, I had my first job with Dad carrying shingles to the roof, and then I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant, and then I got a job in a grocery store deli, and then I got a job in a factory sweeping Cheerio dust off the ground," he continued.
"And I never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job, and I never quit my job until I had my next job. And so opportunities look a lot like work," he said. "The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful and being generous. Everything else is crap. I promise you."
The speech went viral on YouTube, garnering literally millions of views [watch it here: http://www.youtube.com]. And it was widely praised by political conservatives and other Americans not used to hearing such sage - and honest - words of wisdom come out of Hollywood.
"Remarkable speech," tweeted U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"Good to see his Iowa roots shining through all that Hollywood glitter!" former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook page. "On our trips to Iowa our family has always admired the strong work ethic and dedication to freedom that those who live there in the heartland hold dear. As they say - you can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take Iowa out of the boy."
She went onto to call describe his speech as "heartfelt."
More high praise
On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh praised Kutcher for giving "a traditional, uplifting, motivational and inspirational speech."
"This is a message that young kids today are not hearing except maybe in their homes from their parents, but they're not hearing this. They're not hearing this from Obama. They're not hearing this from presidential or political leadership," he said.
Glen Beck, on his radio program, also praised Kutcher and his message.
"It's a fairly safe to say that viewers don't tune in to the Teen Choice Awards in hopes of hearing an incredibly insightful advice about the hard work of hard work perseverance and dreaming because that's exactly what they got there," he said.
And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee added on his personal blog: "A lot of kids who think learning isn't cool desperately needed to hear that. These are messages that teachers try in vain to tell kids. Will they finally listen if it comes from Ashton Kutcher? Hard to say. But that video has gone viral and is being watched thousands of times on the Internet. So, good job, Ashton."
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Remember Global Warming?...well now its more like 'Global Cooling' thanks to new data
Global warming computer models collapse
Arctic ice sheets rapidly expand as planet plunges into global cooling
Mike Adams
Natural News
September 10, 2013
(NaturalNews) For years, we’ve all heard that global warming is threatening our planet. But now, in a stunning turnaround, world scientists are warning that an era of global cooling seems to be upon us, complete with extraordinary expansions of ocean ice being recorded in just the past year.
[...]
For example, in 2007, the BBC reported that the Arctic would be “ice-free” by the summer of 2013. Here’s exactly how that fear mongering was published by the BBC:
Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the
disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar
waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years. Professor Wieslaw Maslowski
told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had
underestimated the processes now driving ice loss.
That BBC global warming fear mongering article is still available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7139797.stm
Here’s the screen shot:
Massive expansion of ice proves global warming alarmists wrong
Now the summer of 2013 is over, and you can’t argue with the satellite imagery of ice. Those images, shown below, reveal over one million square miles of new ice being formed in just the last year. That’s an increase of 60 percent over the previous year, reports the Daily Mail.
Here’s the satellite imagery they published, showing the expansion of ice:
As you can see from the image, the coverage of ice in the August, 2013 image (on the right) is vastly increased over the August, 2012 image (on the left).
...
[click here to read the FULL article at Natural News]
Arctic ice sheets rapidly expand as planet plunges into global cooling
Mike Adams
Natural News
September 10, 2013
(NaturalNews) For years, we’ve all heard that global warming is threatening our planet. But now, in a stunning turnaround, world scientists are warning that an era of global cooling seems to be upon us, complete with extraordinary expansions of ocean ice being recorded in just the past year.
[...]
For example, in 2007, the BBC reported that the Arctic would be “ice-free” by the summer of 2013. Here’s exactly how that fear mongering was published by the BBC:
Scientists in the US have presented one of the most dramatic forecasts yet for the
disappearance of Arctic sea ice. Their latest modelling studies indicate northern polar
waters could be ice-free in summers within just 5-6 years. Professor Wieslaw Maslowski
told an American Geophysical Union meeting that previous projections had
underestimated the processes now driving ice loss.
That BBC global warming fear mongering article is still available at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7139797.stm
Here’s the screen shot:
 |
| image courtesy of Natural News and BBC |
Massive expansion of ice proves global warming alarmists wrong
Now the summer of 2013 is over, and you can’t argue with the satellite imagery of ice. Those images, shown below, reveal over one million square miles of new ice being formed in just the last year. That’s an increase of 60 percent over the previous year, reports the Daily Mail.
Here’s the satellite imagery they published, showing the expansion of ice:
 |
| image courtesy of DailyMail |
As you can see from the image, the coverage of ice in the August, 2013 image (on the right) is vastly increased over the August, 2012 image (on the left).
...
[click here to read the FULL article at Natural News]
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
'Alpha Lambda Mu' - America's first Muslim fraternity
By HUGO GYE
DAILYMAIL
September 10, 2013
Fraternities are often used as an excuse to hold wild parties, where the alcohol flows freely and no behavior is too outrageous.
But at America's first Muslim frat house, such debauchery is strictly forbidden - with the emphasis instead on charity work, self-improvement and mutual support.
Alif Laam Meem has been founded at the University of Texas, Dallas, as a way for Muslim students to socialize together and enjoy college life without the drinking culture which is integral to most frats.
Instead of partying, the frat brothers get together to discuss their faith, and drive around the local area handing out sandwiches to the homeless.
Their initiation ceremony does not involve drinking from a keg of beer, but handing over $100 to be donated to charity.
And rather than chugging drinks from red cups, they can be recognized by their bright red kufi caps.
The fraternity - whose name is Alpha Lambda Mu in the traditional Greek letters, or Alif Laam Meem in Arabic - was founded by Ali Mahmoud shortly after he arrived as an undergraduate at UT Dallas.
When a Muslim friend told him that he was considering joining a fraternity to share in its social life and alumni connections, he began to think about how Muslims were excluded from many traditional 'Greek' activities.
Some Muslim groups have criticized Mr Mahmoud for joining a tradition which is often associated with excessive drinking and sexual promiscuity, but he insists it is important show that frats do not have to be decadent environments.
'Muslims have been having a hard time recently trying to understand what their role in society is, so to embrace this very traditional American organisation is a symbolic move,' he told the New York Daily News.
However, the student has rejected any suggestion that the frat might be designed to help Muslims integrate with mainstream U.S. culture, pointing out that most members are in fact natural-born Americans.
'I personally grew up in Plano, Texas,' he said. 'I went to public school, I played Xbox Live all the time with my friends who weren't Muslim, and I regrettably ate too much fast food.
'I'm a proud American Muslim, and I see no contradiction of those two titles. Islam is my moral compass that guides every aspect of my life, but it also leaves room for our cultural experiences.'
While many college students cannot imagine the frat experience without drinking and partying, Mr Mahmoud is adamant that he and his friends are not missing out on anything.
'Most of us have grown up in families where that atmosphere of partying and drinking is not the norm,' he said. 'And we think that behavior of womanizing and excessive drinking is un-gentleman-like.'
Activities carried out by Alif Laam Meem so far include protesting against domestic violence, and raising money for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
As the new academic year began, the fraternity began a recruitment drive - and despite its religious foundation, non-Muslims are welcome to apply.
DAILYMAIL
September 10, 2013
Fraternities are often used as an excuse to hold wild parties, where the alcohol flows freely and no behavior is too outrageous.
But at America's first Muslim frat house, such debauchery is strictly forbidden - with the emphasis instead on charity work, self-improvement and mutual support.
Alif Laam Meem has been founded at the University of Texas, Dallas, as a way for Muslim students to socialize together and enjoy college life without the drinking culture which is integral to most frats.
 |
| Frat: Alif Laam Meem is the first Muslim fraternity in the U.S. after being set up at the University of Texas, Dallas |
 |
| Protest: The group recently joined a demonstration standing up against domestic violence |
Their initiation ceremony does not involve drinking from a keg of beer, but handing over $100 to be donated to charity.
And rather than chugging drinks from red cups, they can be recognized by their bright red kufi caps.
The fraternity - whose name is Alpha Lambda Mu in the traditional Greek letters, or Alif Laam Meem in Arabic - was founded by Ali Mahmoud shortly after he arrived as an undergraduate at UT Dallas.
When a Muslim friend told him that he was considering joining a fraternity to share in its social life and alumni connections, he began to think about how Muslims were excluded from many traditional 'Greek' activities.
 |
| Community: The frat was founded as a way of helping Muslim students lead a full social life on campus |
 |
Prayer: The frat brothers gather for meetings where they discuss their faith and moral issues
|
'The idea of a Muslim fraternity seemed heretical,' he told the Independent - but he realised that he could bring pious young men together in a format which was already familiar on campus.
'Muslims have been having a hard time recently trying to understand what their role in society is, so to embrace this very traditional American organisation is a symbolic move,' he told the New York Daily News.
However, the student has rejected any suggestion that the frat might be designed to help Muslims integrate with mainstream U.S. culture, pointing out that most members are in fact natural-born Americans.
'I personally grew up in Plano, Texas,' he said. 'I went to public school, I played Xbox Live all the time with my friends who weren't Muslim, and I regrettably ate too much fast food.
'I'm a proud American Muslim, and I see no contradiction of those two titles. Islam is my moral compass that guides every aspect of my life, but it also leaves room for our cultural experiences.'
While many college students cannot imagine the frat experience without drinking and partying, Mr Mahmoud is adamant that he and his friends are not missing out on anything.
'Most of us have grown up in families where that atmosphere of partying and drinking is not the norm,' he said. 'And we think that behavior of womanizing and excessive drinking is un-gentleman-like.'
Activities carried out by Alif Laam Meem so far include protesting against domestic violence, and raising money for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
As the new academic year began, the fraternity began a recruitment drive - and despite its religious foundation, non-Muslims are welcome to apply.
Déjà vu again in Syria? Flashback to Gaddafi and Saddam who gave up weapons before being attacked and toppled
Is Assad Being Tricked Into Sacrificing Syria?
Or is the plan to relinquish chemical weapons a geopolitical master stroke?
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
September 10, 2013
Is President Bashar Al-Assad being tricked into creating circumstances that will hand the Obama White House a justification for war, or is the plan for Syria’s chemical weapons to be destroyed a geopolitical master stroke that will avert a regional conflict?
Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem today formally accepted a Russian proposal – first mooted by John Kerry – for Syria to hand its chemical arsenal over to international control in a bid to avoid a US military attack.
Many see the development as a stunning example of Russia once again outmaneuvering the United States, seizing on an apparent gaffe by Kerry in order to pull the rug out from underneath Washington and derail Obama’s pretext for war.
However, could the precondition of Syria destroying its chemical weapons actually be used to rescue a congressional vote that had looked doomed to fail?
[...]
In December 2003, Colonel Gaddafi agreed to give up his weapons of mass destruction and allow unimpeded inspections. This didn’t stop the Obama administration coming to the aid of Al-Qaeda-linked rebels eight years later to destroy Libya and leave it in the hands of brutal warlords.
Similarly, Saddam Hussein agreed to give UN weapons inspectors unfettered access in a desperate bid to prevent the US invasion of Iraq, but the move was completely futile because, as in the case of Syria, the decision to attack had already been made...
[Click here to read the full article]
Related info:
--Intercepts caught Assad rejecting requests to use chemical weapons, German paper says
--US Prepares 60,000 Ground Troops For Post-Assad Syria
Or is the plan to relinquish chemical weapons a geopolitical master stroke?
Paul Joseph Watson
Infowars.com
September 10, 2013
Is President Bashar Al-Assad being tricked into creating circumstances that will hand the Obama White House a justification for war, or is the plan for Syria’s chemical weapons to be destroyed a geopolitical master stroke that will avert a regional conflict?
Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem today formally accepted a Russian proposal – first mooted by John Kerry – for Syria to hand its chemical arsenal over to international control in a bid to avoid a US military attack.
Many see the development as a stunning example of Russia once again outmaneuvering the United States, seizing on an apparent gaffe by Kerry in order to pull the rug out from underneath Washington and derail Obama’s pretext for war.
However, could the precondition of Syria destroying its chemical weapons actually be used to rescue a congressional vote that had looked doomed to fail?
[...]
In December 2003, Colonel Gaddafi agreed to give up his weapons of mass destruction and allow unimpeded inspections. This didn’t stop the Obama administration coming to the aid of Al-Qaeda-linked rebels eight years later to destroy Libya and leave it in the hands of brutal warlords.
Similarly, Saddam Hussein agreed to give UN weapons inspectors unfettered access in a desperate bid to prevent the US invasion of Iraq, but the move was completely futile because, as in the case of Syria, the decision to attack had already been made...
[Click here to read the full article]
Related info:
--Intercepts caught Assad rejecting requests to use chemical weapons, German paper says
--US Prepares 60,000 Ground Troops For Post-Assad Syria
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