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December 28 Christmas SongsDecember 18, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
Whose Christmas Is It?By MICHAEL FEINSTEIN
ABOUT 10 years ago, I was doing a weekend of Christmas concerts, accompanied by a fine regional symphony in California. The first night went well, I thought, with a program of holiday classics that seemed beyond reproach. The song choices were about as controversial as a Creamsicle. But I was wrong. Minutes before I walked onstage the second night, a nervous representative of the orchestra board appeared in my dressing room to tell me that my program was “too Jewish.” Wow, I thought, who knew that orchestra management played practical jokes on artists moments before their shows? My laughter turned to disbelief when the stuttering gentleman said that there had, in fact, been complaints. Between numbers the night before, I had mentioned that almost all the most popular Christmas songs were written by Jews and then riffed on the idea that the Gentiles must have written mostly Hanukkah songs. The audience was enthusiastic, so I assumed it was somebody on the board who had been offended. Just as I was informing the unlucky messenger that the second night’s show would be “even more Jewish,” places were called. I bounded onstage in time to belt out the opening lines of “We Need a Little Christmas,” wearing a fake grin that barely concealed my rage. After a while, the music calmed me down, and I was able to merge with the holiday spirit encoded in the Jerry Herman classic. The Jewish Jerry Herman Christmas classic. The evolution of Christmas is reflected to a degree in its music. As the holiday has become more secular, so have its songs, with religious and spiritual compositions largely supplanted by the banalities of Rudolph, sleigh bells and Santa. Many Christians feel that the true essence of Christmas has been lost, and I respect that opinion. It must be difficult to see religious tradition eroded in the name of commerce and further dissipated by others’ embrace of a holiday without a sense of what it truly means to the faithful. Yet I also hope that those who feel this encroachment will on some level understand that the spirit of the holiday is universal. We live in a multicultural time and the mixing, and mixing up, of traditions is an inevitable result. Hence we have the almost century-old custom of American Jews creating a lot more Christmas music than Hanukkah music. If you look at a list of the most popular Christmas songs, you’ll find that the writers are disproportionately Jewish: Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” “The Christmas Song” (yes, Mel Tormé was Jewish), “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” “Santa Baby,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Winter Wonderland” — perennial, beloved and, mostly, written for the sheet music publishers of Tin Pan Alley, not for a show or film. (Two notable exceptions: “White Christmas,” introduced in “Holiday Inn,” and “Silver Bells,” written for “The Lemon Drop Kid.”) You’ll notice that certain famous Jewish songwriters are conspicuously absent from this list. Why? Unlike the Tin Pan Alley songwriters, who churned out songs to order on every conceivable subject for their publishers, writers like Jerome Kern, the Gershwins, Richard Rodgers and Harold Arlen mainly created songs for musical plays and films, and unless a story line required a holiday song they had no need to write one. When they did try one outside the framework of a show, it rarely had the same spark. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Happy Christmas, Little Friend,” recorded by Rosemary Clooney in the ’50s, is sadly lethargic. Even Clooney couldn’t recall it when asked to sing it 30 years later. Or so she claimed. In my holiday shows, I’m always looking for novel expressions of the season, and when I introduce a new song I don’t usually think about the religion of its creator. That said, I’m always pleased to discover a surprising juxtaposition. It doesn’t take Freud to figure out that the sugarplums, holly and mistletoe all tap into a sense of comfort, longing, security and peace that so many fervently desire; that we all wish the clichés were true. As Jews, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, Buddhists and everything in between, we are all more alike than we are different. That’s something to celebrate. Michael Feinstein is a musician and the author of “My Life in Song.” December 21 Out of their skins Read this in Friday Times and liked it so much that I decided to type it out. December 10th 2009 Friday Times Out of their skins Four young Pakistanis went to India for a week of fun and games, and to catch up with old friends. They say 45 minutes by air from Lahore to Delhi, it was another world where they were able to attend art and craft exhibitions, plays at the theatre, music concerts and films in multiplex cinemas. They also went clubbing and partying and felt completely at ease and anonymous in the metropolis that is Delhi. One evening, they went to an event at the historic Qutb Minar on the outskirts of Delhi. The venue had been done to perfection with lights and props and flowers and elegant dining tables. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, fireworks went off and the four Pakistanis simultaneously jumped out of their skins. The Indians sitting at the same table looked at them in horror. "Is everything alright?" asked their solicitious host. "Sorry" stammered the Pakistanis, "we thought a suicide bomber had struck." There could have been no worse indictment of the kind of place Pakistan has become. December 16 Interesting
Israel fury at UK's Livni warrant
Israel has reacted angrily to the issuing by a British court of an arrest warrant for the former Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni. The warrant, granted by a London court on Saturday, was revoked on Monday when it was found Ms Livni was not visiting the UK. Ms Livni was foreign minister during Israel's Gaza assault last winter. It is the first time a UK court has issued a warrant for the arrest of a former Israeli minister. Ms Livni said the court had been "abused" by the Palestinian plaintiffs who requested the warrant. "What needs to be put on trial here is the abuse of the British legal system," she told the BBC. "This is not a suit against Tzipi Livni, this is not a law suit against Israel. This is a lawsuit against any democracy that fights terror." She stood by her decisions during the three-week assault Gaza offensive which began in December last year, she said. Israel's foreign ministry summoned the UK's ambassador to Israel to deliver a rebuke over the warrant.
“
We completely reject this absurdity taking place in Britain
”
Benjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the situation was "an absurdity". "We will not accept a situation in which [former Israeli Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert, [Defence Minister] Ehud Barak and Tzipi Livni will be summoned to the defendants' chair," Mr Netanyahu said in a statement. "We will not agree to have Israel Defence Force soldiers, who defended the citizens of Israel bravely and ethically against a cruel and criminal enemy, be recognised as war criminals. We completely reject this absurdity taking place in Britain," he said. Pro-Palestinian campaigners have tried several times to have Israeli officials arrested under the principle of universal jurisdiction. 'Cynical act' This allows domestic courts in countries around the world to try war crimes suspects, even if the crime took place outside the country and the suspect is not a citizen.
Israel denies claims by human rights groups and the UN investigator Richard Goldstone that its forces committed war crimes during the operation, which it said was aimed at ending Palestinian rocket fire at its southern towns. The Palestinian militant group Hamas has also been accused of committing war crimes during the conflict. Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday: "Israel rejects the cynical act taken in a British court," against Ms Livni, now the head of the opposition Kadima party, "at the initiative of extreme elements". It called on the British government to "act against the exploitation of the British legal system against Israel". Addressing a conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Ms Livni did not refer specifically to the arrest attempt. But she said: "Israel must do what is right for Israel, regardless of judgements, statements and arrest warrants. It's the leadership's duty, and I would repeat each and every decision," Israeli media reported. 'Strategic partner' Israel says it fully complies with international law, which it says it interprets in line with other Western countries such as the US and UK.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO ARREST ISRAELI OFFICIALS
On Monday Ms Livni's office denied the reports that a warrant had been issued and that she had cancelled plans to visit the UK because of fears of arrest. It said a planned trip had been cancelled two weeks earlier because of scheduling problems. The British foreign office said it was "urgently looking into the implications of the case". "The UK is determined to do all it can to promote peace in the Middle East, and to be a strategic partner of Israel," it said in a statement. "To do this, Israel's leaders need to be able to come to the UK for talks with the British government." Palestinians and human rights groups say more than 1,400 people were killed during Israel's Cast Lead operation between 27 December 2008 and 16 January 2009, more than half of them civilians. Israel puts the number of deaths at 1,166 - fewer than 300 of them civilians. Three Israeli civilians and 10 Israeli soldiers were also killed. The BBC's Tim Franks says that, privately, senior Israeli figures are warning of what they see as an increasing anti-Israeli bent in the British establishment. In turn, our correspondent adds, there is clearly concern among British officials that should further arrest warrants be issued, relations with Israel could be damaged.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8413234.stm Published: 2009/12/15 17:30:42 GMT © BBC MMIX Print Sponsor Changing Attitudes America in the world
Pay any price? Pull the other one Dec 10th 2009 | WASHINGTON, DC
From The Economist print edition Both the public and the experts are retreating from foreign involvement
GENERAL STANLEY McCHRYSTAL, America’s commander in Afghanistan, and Karl Eikenberry, its ambassador there, turned up on Capitol Hill this week to tell congressmen how satisfied they were with Barack Obama’s decision to send 30,000 more American troops into the fray. But their enthusiasm is not widely shared. It is not just many of the Democrats in Congress who are troubled by their country’s entangling foreign wars. A poll of the foreign-policy attitudes held by Americans at large paints a bleak picture of an America that is no longer sure of its own pre-eminence and fast losing interest in causes such as promoting democracy or defending human rights in the rest of the world. The survey, “America’s Place in the World”, is conducted every four years by the Pew Research Centre and the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). It poses its questions not only to 2,000 members of the public but also to 642 members of the CFR, thus tracking both public opinion and the views of foreign-policy experts. Its headline finding this time is that, for the first time in over 40 years of such polls, a plurality of the general public (49%) say the United States should “mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along the best they can on their own.” Only 30% agreed with that statement in December 2002. How things have changed since early September 2001, when al-Qaeda struck New York and Washington, DC. Polls taken just before the attack showed a strong appetite to deliver the American blessings of democracy and freedom to less fortunate lands. No longer. Whereas 44% of CFR members thought that promoting democracy abroad should be an American priority in September 2001, only 10% think so today. Only 21% consider defending human rights a priority, down from 43%; only 35% think America should strive to improve living standards in developing countries. The French, scorned for opposing the invasion of Iraq in 2003, have been gloriously rehabilitated. Fully 62% of America’s general public now have a favourable opinion of France, up from 29% in May 2003. As for Britain, some accuse Tony Blair of following George Bush into Iraq to shore up Britain’s “special relationship” with the superpower. And yet a paltry 10% of the CFR’s members expect Britain to become a more important American ally in the future, whereas 58% think that of China and 55% of India. Among several differences between the views of the experts and those of the general public, it is perceptions of China and of Afghanistan that stand out. Only 21% of CFR members, fewer than in 2001 (38%), see China’s rise as a major threat to the United States. The general public is warier: 53% say that China is a major threat. And America’s recession has apparently magnified China’s economy in the eyes of Americans: 44% of the public now think that China is the world’s leading economic power, and only 27% name the United States (in fact, America’s economy is at least twice the size of China’s). As for Afghanistan, fewer than half of the public (46%) and CFR members (41%) say it is likely that the country will be able to withstand the Taliban. Half of the foreign-policy experts but only a third of the public said they were in favour of committing more troops. True, the poll was taken before Mr Obama announced that he would be sending reinforcements. Polls since then suggest that his speech may have changed some minds. But the general sentiment is plain: a weakened America has work to do at home. Abroad will have to look after itself for a while. December 11 Arabic Ten Commandmentsالوصايا العش خروج 20 1 ثم تكلم الله بجميع هذه الكلمات قائلا . 2 انا الرب الهك الذي اخرجك من ارض مصر من بيت العبودية . 3 لا يكن لك آلهة اخرى امامي . 4 لا تصنع لك تمثالا منحوتا ولا صورة ما مّما في السماء من فوق وما في الارض من تحت وما في الماء من تحت الارض . 5 لا تسجد لهنّ ولا تعبدهنّ . لاني انا الرب الهك اله غيور افتقد ذنوب الآباء في الابناء في الجيل الثالث والرابع من مبغضيّ . 6 واصنع احسانا الى الوف من محبيّ وحافظي وصاياي . 7 لا تنطق باسم الرب الهك باطلا لان الرب لا يبرئ من نطق باسمه باطلا . 8 اذكر يوم السبت لتقدسه . 9 ستة ايام تعمل وتصنع جميع عملك . 10 واما اليوم السابع ففيه سبت للرب الهك . لا تصنع عملا ما انت وابنك وابنتك وعبدك وامتك وبهيمتك ونزيلك الذي داخل ابوابك . 11 لان في ستة ايام صنع الرب السماء والارض والبحر وكل ما فيها . واستراح في اليوم السابع . لذلك بارك الرب يوم السبت وقدّسه . 12 اكرم اباك وامك لكي تطول ايامك على الارض التي يعطيك الرب الهك . 13 لا تقتل . 14 لا تزن . 15 لا تسرق . 16 لا تشهد على قريبك شهادة زور . 17 لا تشته بيت قريبك . لا تشته امرأة قريبك ولا عبده ولا امته ولا ثوره ولا حماره ولا شيئا مماhttp://www.arabicbible.com/bible/ot/exo/20.htm
Cool Quote"We are not here to convert anyone, we are just here to show the way of Love and Sincerity." http://www.nazr-e-kaaba.com/naila.php December 05 Akbar's DreamAkbar’s DreamAbi-Ru Shirzan
During the decades in which Tennyson was England’s Poet Laureate following the death of William Wordsworth in 1850, Matthew Arnold, Christina Rossetti, Robert Browning, and George MacDonald all published works that confronted the crisis of faith occasioned by Victorian materialism, progressivism and dedication to scientific rationality. Despite a jarring jingoism about the British Raj in many of his works, Tennyson turned more and more to the East for inspiration as he grew older. His fascination with legendary heroes was most famously exemplified by “Ulysses,” a poem about the hero of the Odyssey, by “The Lady of Shalott,” based on the Arthurian cycle, and by “The Idylls of the King,” a long work inspired by the same material. These two interests came together in “Akbar’s Dream,” published in Tennyson’s last volume a few months before his death in 1892. Tennyson inserts a suspiciously pro-British theme into the verse when Akbar, having foreseen the destruction wrought by his descendents, notes with relief that after the apparent ruination of his work, . . . from out the sunset pour'd an alien race, Despite this brief bow to imperialistic paternalism (Tennyson was, after all, appointed to his official post and granted a baronetcy by Queen Victoria herself), “Akbar’s Dream” is nevertheless a tribute to the enlightened rule, humanism, and mysticism of the Moghul emperor Akbar the Great (1542-1605). Akbar was illiterate. (Scholars disagree about whether he suffered from dyslexia or [whether he] was deliberately kept unlettered for other reasons.) Yet the scope of his learning would be remarkable even in today’s universities, and the breadth of his vision would be difficult to match in any time or place. A devoted student of the Sufi Shaykh Salim Chisti, Akbar assembled groups of learned men of all faiths to discuss, debate and deliberate about scriptures of various religions and philosophies of various traditions. As Tennyson reminds us, the emperor “let men worship as they will,” lifting restrictions on non-Muslims, issuing (and enforcing) edicts enjoining tolerance and faith-blind justice, and openly paying respect to Hinduism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism in addition to obeying the teachings of the Islamic faith in which he had been raised. After a mystical experience in mid-life, Akbar assembled a group often misunderstood—in his own time and subsequently—to be his attempt to found a new religion. Called Din-i-Ilahi or, sometimes, Tawhid-i-Ilahi—the “Faith of God”, or “the Unity of the One”—this set of beliefs was characterized by sulh-i kul. This term is often translated as “universal tolerance,” but it is closer in meaning to “embracingness,” a fellow feeling beyond the mere “putting up with” often mistaken for true tolerance. Of course, Akbar’s heterodox beliefs and behavior infuriated fanatics of all sectarian and secular creeds. Upon his death, his son Salim (“Peaceful,” named in honor of Salim Chisti), inherited the throne, changing his name to Jehangir (“World-Seizer.”) He immediately set about reversing most of his father’s liberal policies, re-instituting the special tax on non-Muslims, pulling down Hindu temples, and disenfranchising the Hindu peoples who comprised the majority of his subjects. The trend toward fundamentalist narrow-mindedness and pietistic injustice and cruelty reached its peak in Jehangir’s grandson Aurangzeb. Knowing that his elder brother, Dara Shikoh, was destined to rule and determined to return the Mughul kingdom to suhl-i kul, Aurangzeb executed him and sent his severed head to their dying father. This is the bloody future Akbar foresees in Tennyson’s poem. Abu’l Fazl, the confidant mentioned in the poem, was Akbar’s scribe, general, chief minister, close friend and kindred spirit. The letters and other documents he wrote for his illiterate sovereign are still admired as models of Persian prose, and his exhaustive and meticulous account of Akbar’s court (and Akbar’s India), the Akbarnama, still captivates and intrigues today. Not surprisingly, Akbar’s son Salim (Jehangir) resented Salim’s influence over the emperor. The vizir was waylaid and murdered at the command of the prince. Tennyson was acquainted with these facts. Knowing this tragic history, he yet speaks through Akbar to affirm a faith unlimited by petty disputes, man-made exclusions, and artificially imposed boundaries and differences. “All praise to Allah,” Akbar concludes, “by whatever hands my mission be accomplish'd!" Awakening from a nocturnal vision that has embraced both nightmare and fulfilled dream, Akbar concludes his intimate conversation by drawing his friend’s attention to swelling music and to the rising sun that the hymn salutes. As Tennyson’s own illustrious and celebrated life drew to a close, he seems to have found a resonance in the life of Akbar, “a torch in the darkness.” The well-known lines from Tennyson’s “Ulysses” might have served as well for the Moghul emperor who, powerful and far-seeing as he was, could not ensure that the harmony for which he yearned would survive him. The longing for the ideal, the poet suggests, is in itself a fulfillment. As though to breathe were life! . . . .And this gray spirit yearning in desire AKBAR'S DREAMAn Inscription by Abul Fazl For A Temple in Kashmir (Blochmann xxxiI)O GOD in every temple I see people that see thee, and in every language I hear spoken, people praise thee. Polytheism and Islam feel after thee. people ring the bell from love to Thee. for neither of them stands behind the screen of thy truth. AKBAR and ABUL FAZL before the palace at Fatehpur Sikri at night. 'LIGHT of the nations,' ask'd his Chronicler But come, Well spake thy brother in his hymn to heaven He knows Himself, men nor themselves nor Him, Shall the rose Look how the living pulse of Allah beats To drive I hate the rancor of their castes and creeds, And thou rememberest what a fury shook What art thou saying? " And was not Allah call'd, A voice from old Iran! —a sun but dimly seen The sun, the sun! they rail But no such light Ay but, my friend, thou knowest I hold that forms And what are forms? There westward—under yon slow-falling star, Still—at times Well, I dream'd HYMNIOnce again thou flamest heavenward; once again we see thee rise. IIShadow-maker, shadow-slayer, arrowing light from clime to clime, Tennyson’s Own Notes to “Akbar’s Dream”The great Mogul Emperor Akbar was born October 14, 1542, and died 1605. At 13 he succeeded his father Humayun; at 18 he himself assumed the sole charge of government. He subdued and ruled over fifteen large provinces; his empire included all India north of the Vindhya Mountains—in the south of India he was not so successful. His tolerance of religions and his abhorrence of religious persecution put our Tudors to shame. He invented a new eclectic religion by which he hoped to unite all creeds, castes and peoples: and his legislation was remarkable for vigour, justice and humanity. 'Thy glory baffles wisdom' The Emperor quotes from a hymn to the Deity by Faizi, brother of Abul Fazl, Akbar's chief friend and minister, who wrote the Ain i Akbari (Annals of Akbar). His influence on his age was immense. It may be that he and his brother Faizi led Akbar's mind away from Islam and the Prophet—this charge is brought against him by every Muhammadan writer; but Abul Fazl also led his sovereign to a true appreciation of his duties, and from the moment that he entered Court, the problem of successfully ruling over mixed races, which Islam in few other countries had to solve, was carefully considered, and the policy of toleration was the result (Blochmann xxix.) Abul Fazl thus gives an account of himself. 'The advice of my Father with difficulty kept me back from acts of folly; my mind had no rest and my heart felt itself drawn to the sages of Mongolia or to the hermits on Lebanon. I longed for interviews with the Llamas of Tibet or with the padres of Portugal, and I would gladly sit with the priests of the Parsis and the learned of the Zendavesta. I was sick of the learned of my own land.' He became the intimate friend and adviser of Akbar, and helped him in his tolerant system of government. Professor Blochmann writes 'Impressed with a favourable idea of the value of his Hindu subjects, he (Akbar) had resolved when pensively sitting ill the evenings on the solitary stone at Fatehpur-Sikri to rule with an even hand all men in his dominions; but as the extreme views of the learned and the lawyers continually urged him to persecute instead of to heal, he instituted discussions, because, believing himself to be in error, he thought it his duty as ruler to inquire.' 'These discussions took place every Thursday night in the ibadat-khana, a building at Fatehpur-Sikri, erected for the purpose' (Malleson). In these discussions Abul Fazl became a great power, and he induced the chief of the disputants to draw up a document defining the 'divine Faith' as it was called, and assigning to Akbar the rank of a Mujahid, or supreme Khalifa, the vicegerent of the one true God. Abul Fazl was finally murdered at the instigation of Akbar's son Saleem, who in his Memoirs declares that it was Abul Fazl who had perverted his father's mind so that he denied the divine mission of Mahomet, and turned away his love from his son. Faizi When Akbar conquered the North-West Provinces of India, Faizi, then 20, began his life as a poet, and earned his living as a physician. He is reported to have been very generous and to have treated the poor for nothing. His fame reached Akbar's ears who commanded him to come to the camp at Chitor. Akbar was delighted with his varied knowledge and scholarship and made the poet teacher to his sons. Faizi at 33 was appointed Chief Poet (1588). He collected a fine library of 4300 M.SS. and died at the age of 40 (1595) when Akbar incorporated his collection of rare books in the Imperial Library. The Warring World of Hindustan Akbar's rapid conquests and the good government of his fifteen provinces with their complete military, civil and political systems make him conspicuous among the great kings of history. The Goan Padre Abul Fazl relates that 'one night the ibadat-khana was heightened by the presence of Padre Rodolpho, who for intelligence and wisdom was unrivalled among Christian doctors. Several carping and bigoted men attacked him and this afforded an opportunity for the display of the calm judgment and justice of the assembly. These men brought forward the old received assertions, and did not attempt to arrive at truth by reasoning. Their statements were torn to pieces, and they were nearly put to shame, when they began to attack the contradictions of the Gospel, but they could not prove their assertions. With perfect calmness, and earnest conviction of the truth, he replied to their arguments.' Abu Sa'id 'Love is the net of Truth, Love is the noose of God' is a quotation from the great Sufi poet Abu Sa'id—born A.D. 968, died at the age of 83. He is a mystical poet, and some of his expressions have been compared to our George Herbert. Of Shaikh Abu Sa'id it is recorded that he said, 'when my affairs had reached a certain pitch I buried under the dust my books and opened a shop on my own account (i.e. began to teach with authority), and verily men represented me as that which I was not, until it came to this, that they went to the Qadi and testified against me of unbelieverhood; and women got upon the roofs and cast unclean things upon me.' (Vide reprint from article in National Review, March, 1891, by C. J. Pickering.) Aziz I am not aware that there is any record of such intrusion upon the king's privacy, but the expressions in the text occur in a letter sent by Akbar's foster-brother Aziz, who refused to come to court when summoned and threw up his government, and 'after writing an insolent and reproachful letter to Akbar in which he asked him if he had received a book from heaven, or if he could work miracles like Mahomet that he presumed to introduce a new religion, warned him that he was on the way to eternal perdition, and concluded with a prayer to God to bring him back into the path of salvation' (Elphinstone). 'The Koran, the Old and New Testament, and the Psalms of David are called books by way of excellence, and their followers "people of the Book"' (Elphinstone). Akbar, according to Abdel Kadir, had his son Murad instructed in the Gospel, and used to make him begin his lessons 'In the name of Christ' instead of in the usual way 'In the name of God.' To drive / A people from their ancient path of Truth Malleson says 'This must have happened because Akbar states it, but of the forced conversions I have found no record. This must have taken place whilst he was still a minor, and whilst the chief authority Was wielded by Bairam.' 'I reap no revenue from the field of unbelief.' The Hindus are fond of pilgrimages, and Akbar removed a remunerative tax raised by his predecessors on pilgrimages. He also abolished the jezza or capitation tax on those who differed from the Mahomedan faith. He discouraged all excessive prayers, fasts and pilgrimages. Suttee Akbar decreed that every widow who showed the least desire not to be burnt on her husband's funeral pyre, should be let go free and unharmed. Baby-wife He forbade marriage before the age of puberty. Indian widow Akbar ordained that remarriage was lawful. Music 'About a watch before daybreak,' says Abul Fazl, the musicians played to the king in the palace. 'His Majesty had such a knowledge of the science of music as trained musicians do not possess.' 'The Divine Faith’ The Divine Faith slowly passed away under the immediate successors of Akbar. An idea of what the Divine Faith was may be gathered from the inscription at the head of the poem. The document referred to, Abul Fazl says, 'brought about excellent results: (1) the Court became a gathering place of the sages and learned of all creeds; the good doctrines of all religious systems were recognized, and their defects were not allowed to obscure their good features; (2) perfect toleration or peace with all was established; and (3) the perverse and evil-minded were covered with shame on seeing the disinterested motives of His Majesty, and these stood in the pillory of disgrace.' Dated September 1579—Ragab 987 (Blochmann xiv.) Text source for both poem and notes: The Death of Oenone, Akbar's Dream, and Other Poems, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (New York: Macmillan and Co., 1892), pp. 25-46. Abi-Ru Shirzan, Revelation Editor for sevenpillarshouse.org, has spent many years as a college instructor of literature, writing, and English as a Second Language. She writes articles, fiction, poetry, and a weekly spiritual newsletter. In addition, Abi-Ru has served as editor for physicians and other health care professionals, engineers, and computer scientists. She was Editorial Manager of Health Programs in the standardized testing organization ACT and Director of Testing and Editorial Manager for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy as well as heading up her editorial business, Ghosh Writer Ink. Abi-Ru facilitates a study circle focused on the work of the poet Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi, and serves on several nonprofit boards and interfaith councils as she continues her university teaching. revelation@sevenpillarshouse.org October 24 Intelligent people Most interesting statistics found in last week's Lexington column in the ECONOMIST. Yet a poll last month found that most Americans would rather their government did less. Some 57% said it was doing too many things that were better left to individuals and businesses. Only 38% thought it should do more. The proportion who believe that government over-regulates private businesses has also risen from 38% to 45% in a year. And despite the attention lavished on Michael Moore’s new movie excoriating capitalism, only 24% of Americans think firms are under-regulated. Totally crazy, people think that bank and corporations should have less regulation. Wow. October 23 Short doses I've come to realize that people are best in short & light dosages. If the period of time you (I) spend with someone is too long, it will no doubt causes problems. I just had this realization which I'm sure the rest of the world has accept and embraced a long time ago. I'm usually a bit slow in comprehending emotional and social issues. When you first get to know people they seem nice etc. Its best to just keep it at that by keeping the dose low, don't see them too much and you can appreciate them. Don't get to personal and get into their life cuz then no doubt you will see the negative aspects. Another I think being introspective infront of other people is another problem, just keep that to yourself too. So here is life lessons by Faraz for Faraz. And another bombshell hit today, it's totally unrealistic to expect people to respect you. Even as just another human being. I think I always try to explain myself and let the other person know that I was trying to do the best that I can by doing this and that, but that's just futile. Just know what you are doing, be respectful of others but don't for approval and respect from them. Had a good meal at Sr. Liz's today. Enjoyed the food. Thinking about taking off next week. Don't know where to take off too though. Can't go to Zubi's she won't want to see me. Maybe I could meet Elliot for dinner or something in Isb. Well thats all for now, October 18 Lahore pre 1947
Lahore Lahore Aye: Where Hindus and Sikhs once lived
October 07 Wald Land CruiserGlenn Beck He tells viewers that Obama's volunteerism efforts are really an attempt to create a "civilian national-security force that is just as strong , just as powerful as the military." October 04 Sheldon Adelson Wow, was reading an old Time on the loo today. Came across this article about Las Vegas and how it has come to be hit really hard by the recession. Condos that were selling for 600,000 dollars last year are now selling for less than 200,000. How crazy is that. Anyway the reason it was a worthwhile article, so much so that I logged into here to write a bit about it is this casino owner Adelson. This guy was worth 40 billion last year apparently and now is worth 4 billion. But I guess what difference it makes, once you're past the 100s of million mark would it really make much difference to your lifestyle? The article says it does, read underline part at the bottom. Funny, I kinda would want to know more about it. Seems like quite a character. That is true even of Sheldon Adelson, who has lost more during this recession than anyone else on the planet. The 76-year-old chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns the Venetian hotel, the Sands Expo and Convention Center and the Venetian Macao, was in 2007 and '08 the third richest person in the world, with — by his estimate — a net worth of $40 billion. By February of this year, he said he had lost $36.5 billion — more than the GDP of half of the countries in the world. In the years before that slide, banks were begging him to take their money, given his massive success in building the first Vegas-style hotel and casino in Macao, China, in 2004. Adelson didn't hesitate, taking all he could get and building an entire mini-Vegas in Macao called the Cotai Strip, along with huge casinos in Singapore; he also doubled his Vegas space by adding the Palazzo to his Venetian hotel. In a short time, he has accumulated a debt-to-earnings ratio of 6.8 to 1 in the U.S. Then the loans stopped coming, and his stock price sank from $144 to $1.42 in March. (It now hovers at about $12.) He doesn't seem too crushed by his losses. "A billion dollars doesn't buy what it used to. So it's not as tragic as one would assume," he says. "I say to my wife that the worst tragedy I could have in business deserves a two-hour cry, and I scale down from there. I didn't cry one moment." When his wife asked him to cut back on expenses, he dismissed the suggestion, telling her he still had more money than they could ever spend. Eventually he capitulated: whenever possible, he uses his small private jet instead of his big one. September 23 Khwaja and Ijaz-ul-Haq get personal - Exposing Each Other! PLEASE CLICK PLAY BUTTON > Quote YouTube - Khwaja and Ijaz-ul-Haq get personal - Exposing Each Other! |
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