#Ansari Forge

[farisjax]

Narrated Masruq:

I asked Um Ruman, 'Aisha's mother about the accusation forged against 'Aisha. She said, "While I was sitting with 'Aisha, an Ansari woman came to us and said, 'Let Allah condemn such-and-such person.' I asked her, 'Why do you say so?' She replied, 'For he has spread the (slanderous) story.' 'Aisha said, 'What story?' The woman then told her the story. 'Aisha asked, 'Have Abu Bakr and Allah's Apostle heard about it ?' She said, 'Yes.' 'Aisha fell down senseless (on hearing that), and when she came to her senses, she got fever and shaking of the body. The Prophet came and asked, 'What is wrong with her?' I said, 'She has got fever because of a story which has been rumored.' 'Aisha got up and said, 'By Allah! Even if I took an oath, you would not believe me, and if I put forward an excuse, You would not excuse me. My example and your example is just like that example of Jacob and his sons. Against that which you assert, it is Allah (Alone) Whose Help can be sought.' (12.18) The Prophet left and then Allah revealed the Verses (concerning the matter), and on that 'Aisha said, 'Thanks to Allah (only) and not to anybody else."

Sahih Bukhari : Volume 4, Book 55, Number 602 ( english reference )

[my-islam-reminder]

Narrated Masruq:

I asked Um Ruman, `Aisha's mother about the accusation forged against `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا . She said, "While I was sitting with `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا , an Ansari woman came to us and said, 'Let Allah condemn such-and-such person.' I asked her, 'Why do you say so?' She replied, 'For he has spread the (slanderous) story.' `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا said, 'What story?' The woman then told her the story. `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا asked, 'Have Abu Bakr رضی اللہ عنہ and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) heard about it ?' She said, 'Yes.' `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہا fell down senseless (on hearing that), and when she came to her senses, she got fever and shaking of the body. The Prophet (ﷺ) came and asked, 'What is wrong with her?' I said, 'She has got fever because of a story which has been rumored.' `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہ got up and said, 'By Allah! Even if I took an oath, you would not believe me, and if I put forward an excuse, You would not excuse me. My example and your example is just like that example of Jacob and his sons. Against that which you assert, it is Allah (Alone) Whose Help can be sought.' (12.18) The Prophet (ﷺ) left and then Allah revealed the Verses (concerning the matter), and on that `Aisha رضی اللہ عنہ said, 'Thanks to Allah (only) and not to anybody else."

Narrated by Sahih Bukhari in his bookImam Bukhari

Hadith (Sahih)

[blue-eyed-moon-child]

Thank you for retagging forg I did not see this

First fictional crush: Probably Danny Phantom tbh (or William Dunbar?? Can't remember)

Colour: green

Fanfiction that scarred me: I only read one that an acquaintance had sent me in like freshman year of high school and it was a Voltron AU but it wasn't scarring so idk

Coming to my house for dinner: ??? Umm probably either some type of soup, jambalaya, or hunters stew but really I'd cook whatever you'd like

Lions or kangaroos: definitely lions

Villain that can do no wrong: KAYNE KAYNE KAYNE KAYNE I LOVE THAT MAN HES A FUNKY LITTLE DUDE AND I CAN LOOK PAST BEING COVERED IN BLOOD CONSTANTLY

burn book?: I have yet to watch mean girls so I have no idea

Days I'd last in my fandom: well if it's sbg or Magnus, then I feel like I'd survive quite a while but if was Malevolent, I'd be dead day 3.

Mischief theater?: I have not but I could be convinced with the proper essay

Do I feel bad for Medusa?: I would actively kill and die for Medusa

Song for my OTP?: hmm, I have two but without saying which is for which, it's- Unknown/Nth by Hozier for one and Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens

Fav song to disassociate to: it also depends but lately it's been Olalla by Blanco White, Bathed in Sound by Cosmo Sheldrake, Sparks (Instrumental) by Evan Jacobson, and Seven Sins by Ren (don't ask why idk)

Np tags: @ldeedub @moonbiine @piigeonss @ariss-ansari @livingponcho @junebug99 @charliesrandomtalks @hozaloza

My own get to know you game:

Who was your first fictional crush?:

What’s the first colour you think of when I tell you to think of a colour?:

Which fanfiction emotionally scarred you and still makes you shudder to this day?:

I’m coming to your house for dinner, non-negotiable, what are you making me?:

Do you prefer lions or kangaroos?:

Which fictional villain do you brush past the glaringly obvious issues for because you really like them?:

What would accompany your picture in the Burn Book in Mean Girls?:

How many days would you last in the universe of your favourite fandom?:

Have you heard of Mischief Theatre?:

Do you feel sorry for Medusa?:

Which song makes you think of your OTP?:

Which song makes you disassociate and daydream the fastest?:

Tags: @weltato, @snarky-wallflower, @feathertru, @barclaysangel, @fanficwriter284, @silvershewolf247, @shadowbrightshine, @luxury-nightmare and anyone else who wants to have a go, feel free!

[fleshxfailures]

introduce yourself

Hi friends! I’m Tonie (she/her) and I play Medea, Seif, and Rodin. I recently finished grad school and have been working to flex my creative muscles more and spend more time writing with you all! Presently I work nearly full-time in bridal sales so I may be a bit busy during the day but I can be reached pretty easily through dms and will try to get back as soon as I get a free moment! check out the rest of my intro below:

describe yourself as a writing partner

I’m pretty laid back but I do try to get to responses as soon as I can, especially now that I don’t have classes on top of working to keep my hands tied. I tend to be a bit wordy but never worry about matching length! I just happen to take longer trying to come up with something shorter rather than writing out a longer blurb lmao, I tend to favor longer paragraphs with gifs but I’m not opposed to other types or lengths of replies. Dming is the best way to get a hold of me as the notifications help me remember who I was meaning to reach out to, but I will open things at work and forget sometimes so do feel free to pester me if I haven’t responded--I promise it’s not because I’m not interested! I love chatting out headcanons and can’t wait to come up with new plots with you all!

who are your characters? (click for bios)

Seif Al-Ansari: he/him, ghoul, 86 (appears in his late 30s). Bladesmith trust fund baby that spends most of his time holed away in his home forge or walking his rescue dog Siggy out and about. Introverted grumpy gus who secretly just wants to talk about historical weapons. Probably knows quite a few people through his dog Siggy alone, she insists on stopping for treats and pets. Medea Colchis: she/her, mage, 73 (appears to be in her 40s). Medea stems from a long line of powerful sorceresses but was discouraged from practicing magic by a mother who had been ungifted. She has spent the best of her later years honing her magic and owns an apothecary storefront, specializing in potioneering, elemental magic, and poisons. Likes fine arts, wine, and live music and appearing emotionally unavailable. Queen of treating herself. Rodin: he/they, demon, unknown (appears to be in his late 50s/early 60s). Owns The Gates of Hell bar frequented by members of the criminal underground and supplies them with various weaponry. Rodin is old as dirt and has very few allegiances; he will help most anyone with procuring resources or knowledge if they’re willing to pay the proper price. He gets very excited about destruction.

plot ideas

Seif: someone please let him be a nerd about blades and talk shit about historical inaccuracies in popular media (aka this grumpy boy needs some friends). i also uhhhh would love to see him in an antagonistic relationship because he’s got a temper and i want to see him fist fight lol. he also supplies weapons through rodin some times so it would be fun to see him involved in some shadier business, and have some regular customers in general Medea:  my chaotic wine aunt, it would be great to see her have some friends to cause a ruckus and go to museums/art galleries with. she also loves helping others meddle and would be happy to supply spells and potions for your assorted revenge plots and the likes (especially if something ends up going wrong oops). she’s running from a tragic past which could be of interest to either potential enemies or intimate relationships. she’s been playing the emotionally unavailable card for a while because of it so i’d also be open to casual romantic interests or even tiptoeing in to something more serious. Rodin: first and foremost, i’d love to get him in to all kinds of trouble! as supplier of the criminal underground there would be plenty of opportunity to get involved in some shady business. he’s also very old so it would be nice to see him come across faces he may not have seen in a very long time. as the main plot progresses i think it would be interesting to have some interactions that would require him to get more personally invested in the community and the drama being unveiled from more than just a business standpoint.

wanted dynamics

Seif: platonic friends, fellow creators/artisans, maybe individuals with specific opinions (positive or negative) about ghouls, customers past and present, past or present romantic/sexual partners, someone older who might have information (troubled past w/ the supernatural government) on him to hold over his head, someone who pulls him out of his shell

Medea: platonic friends, fellow business owners, fellow magic practitioners, antagonist characters, someone she may have done wrong in the past (through her own doing or by helping someone else screw them over), neighbors that may find her jazz and barefoot dancing in the back yard schtick seem odd lol, past and present customers, past or present romantic/sexual partners, someone she feels comfortable opening up to/can be vulnerable around, intimacy that’s terrifying and exhilarating. 

Rodin: i absolutely would love for you all to use rodin in your shady business as much as possible, he’s very much the type to sit by on the sidelines and be an enabler with his wheeling and dealing. would also be interested in friends old and new, bar regulars, weapons enthusiasts, antagonistic relationships (especially with angels, though he has been known to target lesser demons to collect souls for weapons so like, who hasn’t he pissed off by now?)

present headcanons what is your character(s) doing in the present?

Seif: business as usual. he commissions custom orders out of his home forge and also sells a variety of blades to/through Rodin. he makes daily trips out with Siggy either for supply orders or simply for coffee and a walk. very much enjoys his (somewhat bland) routine, could use some spicing up. lives in his family’s historic mansion

Medea: constantly treating herself to local fare and sights when she isn’t working, does a great deal of gardening for her own materials. always shopping around and splurging, be it on wine or local businesses or clothing. lives a rather lavish but solitary lifestyle, perfectly comfortable going out places on her own. extravagant but eco-conscious lol. lives on the waterfront

Rodin: loves causing a commotion and encouraging chaos. gets excited when he comes up with new weapon ideas, disappears occasionally to fight some lesser demons or celestial beings to make weaponry of them. usually always on the bartender side of the bar but can be seen mingling, mostly in his own establishment unless duty calls. lives in a penthouse downtown

do you have any inspirations for your muses

pinterests to come!!

[starfriday]

*Josh celebrates the success of its flagship program Josh All Stars in a glittery event in Mumbai*

The event witnessed the participation of popular Josh creators such as Arhaan Ansari, Harsha Khandeparkar and Eshan Masih

Mumbai, 26th August 2022: Josh, India’s fastest growing and most engaged short-video app, celebrated the success of its mentorship program Josh All Stars. The flagship program launched its second edition - Josh All Stars 2022, in an exclusive event in Mumbai, today. Josh All Stars is India’s largest and first-ever formal training academy for short-video creators and since its launch, the programme has received tremendous response from the creator community.

The fest witnessed the participation of numerous Josh creators wherein a graduation ceremony was organised for the 2021 batch of Josh All Stars programme. Josh creators were also felicitated at the ceremony for their various milestone achievements on the platform. The celebration included a knowledge session from the Josh mentors who educated creators on short-video being the next creative frontier, monetisation avenues on the platform, new features on the Josh app, and more to enable them to further boost their journey on the app and to help create opportunities in the future. The event was graced by the presence of popular Josh creators including Arhaan Ansari, Harsha Khandeparkar, Sufiyan Khan, Nida Khan, Eshan Masih, Mohak Manghani and Mukul Choudhary, who also collaborated with other creators to develop unique content.

Josh All Stars programme was envisioned to identify and mentor India’s next 10,000 creators by providing participants with a holistic understanding of content creation. Similar to the first edition, Josh All Stars 2022 will provide creators with curated training, including multiple levels of personalised grooming, expert guidance and extensive promotions over a period of six-weeks. The top content creators from each category will get a chance to become a part of various upcoming campaigns on Josh.

Samir Vora, Chief Marketing Officer, VerSe Innovation, said, “In the past few years, short-video platforms have witnessed massive adoption and brands are increasingly leveraging creators to craft engaging and impactful conversations with the audience. This has led to the evolution of unique revenue models for creators through brand collaborations, influencer marketing and live commerce. With Josh All Stars, we aim to enable our creators to forge communities, build their brands, explore the monetization avenues and become entrepreneurs through a holistic grooming programme. We extend our best wishes to the graduating batch of Josh All Stars and look forward to delivering a host of exciting experiences for our new participants”.

Sunder Venketraman, Head of Creator and Content Ecosystem, Josh, said, “The content creator community is growing rapidly and emerging technologies are paving new ways of engagement, furthering the potential of the ecosystem. At Josh, we understand our audience and have worked towards delivering creative and engaging content to our users. We have always strived to bring quality experiences to our creators and Josh All Stars is yet another step towards redefining the potential of short-form video and elevating content creation.”

Josh All Stars was launched in September 2021 and till now more than 5,000 creators have benefitted via training sessions like content conceptualisation, content production, content discovery, monetization and online etiquette.

About Josh:

Josh is a made-in-India, short-video app launched in August 2020 by VerSe Innovation. It represents a confluence of India's top 1000+ best creators, 20,000 strong managed community of creators, the 10 biggest music labels, 15+ million UGC creators, best in class content creation tools, the hottest entertainment formats, and formidable user demographics. Josh has been consistently rated as the leading Indian short-video app in India on the Play store with 100 million+ downloads. Josh is currently the fastest growing and most engaged short-video app in India with over 153 million MAUs (Monthly Active Users), 74 million DAUs (Daily Active Users) and 23 minutes average time spent.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Virus’s impact (AP) The eruption of COVID-19 last year caused the proportion of people working from home in the U.S. to nearly double. The share of employed people working from home shot up from just 22% in 2019 to 42% in 2020, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was among the striking findings of an annual government survey that documents the far-reaching impact the viral pandemic has had on Americans’ everyday lives since it struck in March of last year. Because of the pandemic and the widespread social distancing it required, people on average spent more time last year sleeping, watching TV, playing games, using a computer and relaxing and thinking—and less time socializing and communicating in person—than in 2019. Adults also spent more hours, on average, caring for children in their household. The survey also lends support to concerns that the pandemic worsened isolation for millions of Americans. With people working from home or attending school online, the time they spent alone increased. Among Americans ages 15 and over, time spent alone each day increased by an average of an hour. For those ages 15 to 19, it rose 1.7 hours per day.

Medical debt (NYT) A new study put the amount of unpaid medical bills held by collection agencies at $140 billion last year, up from $81 billion according to a similar analysis carried out in 2016. The analysis looked at 10 percent of all TransUnion credit reports and found that about 18 percent of Americans have medical debt that has been sent to collections. Over the period from 2009 to 2020, the largest source of debt owed to collection agencies became medical debt. The $140 billion, to be clear, is not an estimate of medical debt; that figure is far higher, as the $140 billion is merely the debt that has been passed along to the vultures.

Crews make progress on huge Oregon blaze (AP) The nation’s largest wildfire raged through southern Oregon on Friday but crews were scaling back some night operations as hard work and weaker winds helped reduce the spread of flames even as wildfires continued to threaten homes in neighboring California. The Bootleg Fire, which has destroyed an area half the size of Rhode Island, was 40% surrounded after burning some 70 homes, mainly cabins, fire officials said. The fire, which was sparked by lightning, had been expanding by up to 4 miles (6 kilometers) a day, pushed by strong winds and critically dry weather.

Thousands of bullets have been fired in this D.C. neighborhood (Washington Post) Markeith Muskelly, a barber who has spent half his 52 years cutting hair in Southeast Washington, has seen people get shot on the street outside the shop where he works. Last fall, he saw a man die there. The shop is tucked into a corner of the Benco Shopping Center, a mainstay in the Marshall Heights neighborhood for six decades. Its plate-glass window has long offered a view of one of the most dangerous streets in the District. In the neighborhood where Muskelly works, gun violence has affected generations, bringing a sad realization that, for some, that the danger may never end. A Washington Post analysis shows that in a recent period of a little more than three years, crime scene technicians found 2,759 bullet casings—byproducts of shootings involving rifles, pistols and shotguns—in about a one-square-mile area that includes Benning Road in Marshall Heights, with Benco between them. Bullets have struck people, pockmarked parked cars, embedded in walls of homes and shattered windows of businesses filled with patrons. Patrol officers carry “quick clot gauze” used by troops in war.

Volunteers hunting for Mexico’s ‘disappeared’ become targets (AP) The mainly female volunteers who fan out across Mexico to hunt for the bodies of murdered relatives are themselves increasingly being killed, putting to the test the government’s promise to help them in their quest for a final shred of justice: a chance to mourn. Those who carry on the effort tell tales of long getting threats and being watched—presumably by the same people who murdered their sons, brothers and husbands. But now threats have given way to bullets in the heads of searchers who have proved far better than the authorities at ferreting out the clandestine burial and burning pits that number in the thousands. Two searchers have been slain the past two months. Fear has always accompanied the searchers. They go to wild, remote, abandoned places where terrible crimes have been committed. But up to now, they mostly shrugged it off.

Cuba’s communist authorities have long feared change. Street protests show the risk of resisting it. (Washington Post) On a farm not far from the town where Cuba’s protests first erupted this month, police investigators last summer carried out a major sting operation. Their target was not a dissident activist, but a dairyman nicknamed El Rey del Queso: The King of Cheese. His offense? Operating a clandestine factory that produced tire-sized hunks of cheese for private sale in Havana. Authorities arrested the King, confiscated hundreds of pounds of yellow queso and produced a news report about the bust on Cuban state television depicting him as a villain. Cuba’s communist authorities have for decades treated private entrepreneurs as a threat to be contained, not encouraged. Long after China and Vietnam embraced market reforms, using material prosperity to buttress authoritarian rule, Cuba has clung to an economic model based on centralized planning and state control. The July 11 protests that shook Cuba’s rulers showed that model might be their biggest vulnerability, as its weak foundation is further eroded by the decades-long U.S. embargo, additional Trump-era sanctions and now the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s economy contracted 11 percent last year, according to government data. Cubans are spending hours in lines to buy basic goods they can barely afford. Hospitals have been overwhelmed by covid patients, and medicine is scarce. Power outages are turning stifling summer heat into an explosive fuse. “Unless the government makes profound changes, I think people will take to the streets again,” said Camilo Condis, a Cuban entrepreneur and business advocate.

Haiti leader’s slaying exposes role of ex-Colombian soldiers (AP) As the coronavirus pandemic squeezed Colombia, the Romero family was in need of money to pay the mortgage. Mauricio Romero Medina’s $790 a month pension as a retired soldier wasn’t going far. Then came a call offering a solution. When Romero answered the phone on June 2, another veteran, Duberney Capador, offered what he said was a legal, long-term job requiring only a passport. But Romero had to make a decision fast. “Talk about it with your family and if you are interested, see you tomorrow in Bogota, because the flight is the day after tomorrow,” Romero’s wife, Giovanna, told The Associated Press, recalling the conversation. A month later, Romero and Capador were dead and 18 Colombians were reportedly in custody, accused of taking part in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. It’s a case that dramatizes Colombia’s role as a recruiting ground for the global security industry—and its murkier, mercenary corners. Colombia’s Defense Ministry says about 10,600 soldiers retire each year, many highly trained warriors forged in a decades-long battle against leftist rebels and drug trafficking cartels. Many—including a number of those involved in Haiti—have been trained by the U.S. military. Those soldiers make up a pool of recruits for companies seeking a wide range of services—as consultants or bodyguards, in teams guarding Middle Eastern oil pipelines or as part of military-like private security in places like the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan. The UAE paid Colombian veterans to join in the battle against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Italy makes health pass mandatory for many leisure activities, in bid to pressure the unvaccinated (Washington Post) Italy on Thursday significantly ramped up pressure on its unvaccinated population, announcing that a digital or printed health pass would be necessary for accessing a range of everyday leisure activities, from theaters to indoor dining. The decision puts Italy in a rare category along with France among Western nations that have been willing to leverage certain freedoms and equalities now that vaccines have become widely available. Italy is essentially betting that it can revive its slowing vaccination campaign—and avoid future, onerous restrictions—by creating heavy incentives for inoculation, in the kind of step that would be politically unthinkable in the United States. Italy is looking for ways to avoid a new round of closures and curfews. For now, every Italian region is “white”—meaning that life proceeds almost as normal, and people can stay out as late as they want. That has made for a joyful Italian summer.

‘Messy’ fight (Washington Post) KUNDUZ, Afghanistan—Around 3 a.m., a small team of elite special forces were halfway through an operation to retake a sliver of territory along the city’s northern edge when a police unit assisting them refused to advance. Hours later, the police fled, ceding the territory back to the Taliban. For weeks, the Afghan military has struggled to hold provincial capitals such as Kunduz after a surge of Taliban attacks that came as U.S. forces withdrew and U.S. air support dropped. Afghan ground forces are increasingly used to fill the void. Their capabilities are uneven, however, resulting in government advances that often rapidly evaporate. Experienced and motivated elite units are leading the battle to retake territory. But the troops called up to secure those gains—army, police and irregular fighters—often have little training and are less inclined to fight. First Lt. Abdullah Ansari, 30, led the elite unit retaking territory house by house in Kunduz earlier this month. He said the debacle on Kunduz’s northern edge made him miss working with U.S. troops. “Now everything is just messy,” he said.

Death rates soar in Southeast Asia as virus wave spreads (AP) Indonesia has converted nearly its entire oxygen production to medical use just to meet the demand from COVID-19 patients struggling to breathe. Overflowing hospitals in Malaysia had to resort to treating patients on the floor. And in Myanmar’s largest city, graveyard workers have been laboring day and night to keep up with the grim demand for new cremations and burials. Images of bodies burning in open-air pyres during the peak of the pandemic in India horrified the world in May, but in the last two weeks the three Southeast Asian nations have now all surpassed India’s peak per capita death rate as a new coronavirus wave, fueled by the virulent delta variant, tightens its grip on the region. The deaths have followed record numbers of new cases being reported in countries across the region which have left health care systems struggling to cope and governments scrambling to implement new restrictions to try to slow the spread.

Typhoon to bring heavy rains to Taiwan, China over weekend (AP) A typhoon is forecast to bring heavy rains to Taiwan and coastal China over the weekend, days after the worst flooding on record in a central Chinese province caused at least 51 deaths. Forecasters say Typhoon In-fa is moving toward China and expected to make landfall in Zhejiang province either Sunday afternoon or early Monday morning. Zhejiang’s bureau of emergency management said on its microblog Friday that it is raising its risk warning to the second-highest level and calling on all localities to take preventative measures. Those usually include recalling fishing boats to port and relocating people living in vulnerable coastal communities. Fujian province to the south has issued similar orders. On its current track, the eye of the typhoon is expected to pass north of Taiwan while still bringing considerable rain to the island.

[phgq]

Army helps settle bloody clan war in Cotabato City

#PHnews: Army helps settle bloody clan war in Cotabato City

COTABATO CITY – The Army-led Joint Task Group Kutawato (JTGK) has facilitated the settlement of a long-standing family feud here, the military announced Friday. 

Col. Jose Ambrosio F. Rustia, commander of the JTGK, said the two feuding groups were the family of Ansari Kadatwan, chairperson of Barangay Tamontaka 3, and that of Theng Salik, a former “tanod” (watchman) in the same village.

On Thursday afternoon, the families settled their differences after weeks of mediation.

“The settlement was made possible through the combined efforts of (the) JTGK and city police in close coordination with the city mayor’s office,” Rustia said.

It was not clear what triggered the clan war and how many lives have been lost during their misunderstanding. 

“No one from both sides would like to talk about it,” he said, adding that both families agreed to surrender their firearms and committed to ending their bloody conflict.

The surrendered firearms consisted of an M16 rifle, a Carbine rifle, and two .45-caliber pistols.

Maj. Gen. Juvymax R. Uy, the Army’s 6th Infantry Division commander, lauded the efforts of the JTGK, the city police, and local government officials in selflessly reaching out to both parties to forge a peaceful settlement of their differences.

“I commend our troops for promoting peace and unity to the families who made the realization to bring an end to their quarrel,” said Uy, who also heads the Joint Task Force Central. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Army helps settle bloody clan war in Cotabato City." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133376 (accessed March 12, 2021 at 07:08PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Army helps settle bloody clan war in Cotabato City." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1133376 (archived).

[basicsofislam]

THE SUNNA OF THE PROPHET (peace and blessings be upon Him ) : Verification.Part1

The Companions strove to verify the Tradition’s meaning. None of them lied, for their fear of Divine punishment was too great. However, reporters might have misunderstood the Tradition, missed an important point while receiving it from the Messenger, or interpreted it incorrectly. With no intention of opposing the Messenger, they exerted themselves to understand his true purpose and discussed what they received from him.

A woman once asked Caliph Abu Bakr if she could inherit from her grandchildren. He answered: 

“I have seen nothing in the Qur’an that allows this, nor do I remember the Messenger saying anything on this point.” 

Mughira ibn Shu’ba stood up and said: 

“The Messenger allowed the grandmother to receive one-sixth (of the estate).” 

Abu Bakr asked Mughira if he could produce a witness to testify to this. When Muhammad ibn Maslama testified to it, Abu Bakr gave the woman one-sixth of her grandson’s estate.

When the Messenger declared: “Those called to account for their deeds on the Day of Judgment by God will be ruined,” 

‘A’isha asked: 

“What about the Divine declaration in the Qur’an: Then they will be called to account (for their deeds), and it will be an easy act of giving account’? 

The Messenger answered: 

“It is about presentation. Everyone will give account to God for their deeds. If those who did evil deny their evil deeds, God will inform them of their deeds. Such people will be ruined.” ( Bukhari, “‘Ilm,” 35; Muslim, “Janna,” 79 )

As recorded in Bukhari, ‘Umar narrates:

I heard Hisham ibn Hakim pronounce some words of Surat al-Furqan somewhat differently from the way the Messenger taught me. I waited patiently until he had finished praying, and then asked him: 

“Who taught you such a recitation?” 

When he told me that he had learned it from the Messenger, I took him to the Messenger and explained the situation. The Messenger asked Hisham to recite the sura, which he did. The Messenger nodded, saying: 

“This is the way it was revealed to me.” 

Then he asked me to recite, which I did. Again he nodded and said: 

“Thus it was revealed.” 

He added: 

“The Qur’an is revealed in seven different ways. Recite it in the way easiest to you.”

The Companions were so devoted to the Sunna that they would travel long distances to learn just one hadith. For example, Abu Ayyub al-Ansari traveled from Madina to Egypt to check one hadith’s exact wording. Among those who had received it from the Messenger, only ‘Uqba ibn Amir was still alive and living in Egypt. Abu Ayyub arrived in the capital city and, calling on its governor Maslama ibn Mukhallad, found a guide to take him to ‘Uqba. When he found this Companion in a street, he asked him about: 

“Whoever covers (hides) a believer’s defect in the world, God will cover his (or her) defects in the Hereafter.” 

Being told by ‘Uqba that his memory was correct, Abu Ayyub took his leave, saying: 

“I came just to ask about this hadith. I wouldn’t like to make my intention impure [by staying] for some other reason.” ( Khatib al-Baghdadi, “al-Rihla fi Talab al-Hadith,” 118–24. )

As related in Bukhari, Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah traveled for a whole month just to receive a hadith directly from its narrator, ‘Abd Allah ibn Unays. Finding ‘Abd Allah, he said: 

“I’ve been informed that you relate a hadith that I didn’t hear from the Messenger. Fearing that one of us may die before I learn it, I have come to you.” 

Jabir learned the hadith and returned to Madina.

Such journeys continued throughout the following centuries. Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib, Masruq ibn Ajda, and others made long journeys to learn a single hadith or even to confirm a single letter of one hadith. Kathir ibn Qays relates that one such lover of knowledge traveled from Madina to Damascus to learn a single hadith from Abu al-Darda’. The Tabi’un exhibited the same degree of caution as the Companions when narrating a Tradition. As stated by A’mash, they would prefer the sky to collapse on them than to add so much as a wrong vowel to a hadith. ( Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Kifaya fi ‘Ilm al-Riwaya, 178. )

The Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama’a agree on the Companions’ absolute truthfulness. However, after internal conflicts broke out among the Muslims, the Tabi’un began to scrutinize whatever hadiths they heard and to inquire about their narrators’ truthfulness. Muhammad ibn Sirin says: 

“Before, we didn’t ask about the narrators. But after the internal conflicts broke out, we began to ask.” ( Muslim, “Muqaddima,” 5. )

People of weak character and ungrounded faith fabricated Traditions to promote their sectarian beliefs. The Nasiba (the Umayyads and their supporters who opposed ‘Ali) forged Traditions in favor of ‘Uthman and Mu’awiya and against ‘Ali, and the Rafidites (Shi’a extremists) forged Traditions against ‘Uthman and Mu’awiya and for ‘Ali. This caused meticulous, truth-seeking scholars to undertake a detailed and careful examination of each reported hadith and its narrators’ character. Abu al-‘Aliya says: 

“We were no longer content with what was reported to us from a Companion. We traveled to receive it directly from the Companion or Companions who had narrated it, and to ask other Companions who knew about it.”

[kevinpolowy]

Sundance Report: Kumail Nanjiani Headlines Hilarious and Moving Comedy 'The Big Sick'

The Big Sick is insanely funny. It’s also incredibly touching. Somehow the film manages to be equal parts both at once — not an easy balancing act to pull off — which is why it has been one of the best early surprises in Park City after premiering to a standing ovation for cowriters Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival. (The film was acquired Saturday by Amazon Studios for $12 million in one of the biggest deals in Sundance history.)

Real-life married couple Nanjiani (the Pakistani-American comedian best known for Silicon Valley) and Gordon (a North Carolina-raised therapist-turned-journalist-turned-screenwriter) based the comedy on their relationship, and the story feels not only authentic to its core but exactly like the type of love story America needs in 2017.

Related: Sundance Report: Jessica Williams on Leaving ‘The Daily Show’ for ‘The Incredible Jessica James’

Kumail (Nanjiani) is a standup comedian/Uber driver in Chicago whose strict Muslim parents make relentless attempts to set him up with young Pakistani women in a contemporary, Americanized version of arranged marriage. After a set one night, he hooks up with Emily (Zoe Kazan), a psychology grad with her own troubled romantic past.

Though both attempt to resist, a relationship blooms. The chemistry between Nanjiani (typically and perfectly sardonic) and Kazan (magnetic and wry) is effortless, even when everything eventually comes crashing down and they call it a day.

While Kumail humors his family’s matchmaking attempts and toils with his posse of comics (including SNL‘s Aidy Bryant) as they aim for a coveted slot in an upcoming comedy festival, Emily falls gravely ill with a throat infection and is put into a medically induced coma. Kumail soon finds himself camped out at the hospital agonizing over her increasingly worrisome state.

Related: See Photos of All the Biggest Stars at Sundance 2017

There he’s joined by Emily’s fierce mother and more mild-mannered father, played by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano in performances so strong we might be talking about them during next year’s awards rounds. As good as Nanjiani and Kazan are together, the interaction between Kumail and Emily’s parents — from uneasy union to eventual bond forged by their mutual devotion to Emily — injects poignancy into the film’s equally funny second half.

The Big Sick is directed by Michael Showalter, the Wet Hot American Summer and The State alum who also helmed the underrated comedies They Came Together and Hello, My Name Is Doris, and produced by king of comedy Judd Apatow.

Two years ago Apatow directed and produced the uproarious Amy Schumer vehicle Trainwreck, which capitalized on the comedien’s growing buzz and helped catapult her into major stardom. This film could be the same propellant for its driving force, Nanjiani. He gives a fresh and roundly hilarious performance while — much like Aziz Ansari in the Netflix hit Master of None — giving a voice to the South Asian-American experience. He also delivers the most cutting 9/11 joke committed to film yet — one that had the Sundance crowd laughing so loud the next 10 seconds of dialogue were inaudible (and one that you have to reserve judgment on until you see it). You get the distinct feeling watching The Big Sick that Nanjiani has a healthy dose of gems like this to come. Don’t be surprised if they’re written in partnership with his wife.

[todaybharatnews]

via Today Bharat Paatal Lok, produced by Anushka Sharma, is written by Sudip Sharma (who wrote Udta Punjab,NH10) and directed by Prosit Roy and Avinash Arun Rating: Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime) Cast: Jaideep Ahlawat, Neeraj Kabi, Gul Panag, Abhishek Banerjee,Swastika Mukherjee,Ishwak Singh,Jagjeet Singh,Asif Khan,Mairembam Ronaldo,Niharika Lyra Dutt, Bodhisattva Sharma, Manish Chaudhary, Rajesh Sharma, Anup Jalota, Loveleen Mishra Director: Avinash Arun Prosit Roy Rating: **** Paatal Lok, a riveting crime-drama about cops, criminals, police investigation, politics and power games, arrived this Friday and is already a huge hit, with a fan following that is growing by the minute. It deserves every bit of the fawning, and more. Especially its excellent, accomplished ensemble of actors, led by Jaideep Ahlawat, an actor who made an impression in the opening sequence of Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), and has finally got a role that he could sink his teeth into. Paatal Lok, produced by Anushka Sharma, is written by Sudip Sharma (who also wrote Udta Punjab, NH10) and directed by Prosit Roy and Avinash Arun (who directed the beautiful 2014 Marathi film, Killa). The plot and characters are quite obviously based on Tarun Tejpal’s book, The Story of My Assassins, though the credits don’t mention it. Paatal Lok opens when an anonymous tip is received by the CBI and a crime that was about to take place is averted. Four men are arrested Hathoda Tyagi (Abhishek Banerjee), Tope Singh (Jagjeet Sandhu), Cheeni (Mairembam Ronaldo Singh) and Kabir M (Aasif Khan) and there are no clues except the target. That is Sanjeev Mehra (Neeraj Kabi), a star-journalist and TV anchor. The case is assigned to Hathiram Chaudhary (Jaideep Ahlawat), a beat cop, and his junior officer at the thana, Imran Ansari (Ishwak Singh), who is preparing for his civil services exam. The case is very important to Hathiram, not just to finally get a long-overdue promotion, but to also prove his worth to himself. As he begins the investigation, different worlds and their characters come into play. There’s the CBI and its officers who walk with an officious, haughty air that’s heavy with their own compromises and rot within. There’s the media and its divas. But everyone seems to be a pawn and it’s not really clear who is moving them. Only two people seem to be who they are the lowly cop and the lowly criminal. As Hathiram and Imran follow leads, trace the lives, misdemeanours and motives of each accused, the trail leads them away from the city, into a labyrinth of back stories in villages where caste hierarchy and land disputes are settled by rapes, and a dalit uprising can be nipped with a beheading. The village here is not a place of idyllic charm. It is often more violent and lawless than the cities and pivots on the terms and whims of upper caste men for whom women and their bodies are like games of knots-and-crosses drawn in the mud. As Hathiram progresses, the show’s focus narrows to three men and their lives the cop, the criminal and the journalist. We see them in their personal spaces something that has now become standard for all crime stories and police procedurals, from Trapped to Mindhunter. There is Hathiram's dimpled wife Renu (Gul Panag) and their son Siddharth (Bodhisattva Sharma) struggling to survive. In a lovely bungalow is Sanjeev's dog-loving wife Dolly Mehra (Swastika Mukherjee) and at office there’s a reporter, Sara Matthews (Niharika Lyra Dutt). Hathoda Tyagi’s only link with the world seems to be one Masterji. While it is all still unraveling the politics of the investigation, the corruption and compromise of media, leads suddenly going dry, people turning up dead, screw ups all answers, it is announced, have been found. All roads lead to men with ISI links, Pakistani passports, maps, weapons, ammunition, jehadi literature, assassination plots. And for it all to make sense, “Batla House” is thrown into the mix. Paatal Lok's screenplay is sharp, political and it's hell bent on showing us the horror of our reality, how an ugly India is getting uglier. So it draws generously from our world, from stuff happening around us. While there are some direct references to certain horrific incidents the assassination of Gauri Lankesh, a lynching on a train, etc Paatal Lok’s main characters are amalgamations of many. Instead of pointing at just one, they point at the crumbling pillars of democracy. At one level the show treats us to a vivisection of Delhi where relationships are forged not between people but between the power they wield, the favours they can pull, the deals they can strike, and it also shows how, when left deliberately unattended, a nation’s taste for violence grows more murderous. We see how fast it is moving from the dusty villages to cities. Paatal Lok is quite relentless in showing the rising bigotry that now runs through the veins of our sarkari institutions, and how words like “inki community” said in a meeting, over a cup of tea are no different or less objectionable than the loud chants of “mandir yahin banayenge”. Paatal Lok, however, is not for the tender-hearted. It is abusive, relishes gory violence and is often crass. But, as the suspense and tension build up to unbearable levels, you can’t help but binge watch it. Paatal Lok has a huge cast and everyone is quite good, especially Abhishek Banerjee, Ishwak Singh andNeeraj Kabi. They inhabit their characters and spaces with an ease I haven’t seen in our serials for a while. But Jaideep Ahlawat, who leads the charge without missing a beat as Hathiram Chaudhary, is the moral compass with whom we negotiate this paatal lok. I have a feeling we will be on another outing with him very soon.

[thenorthlines]

7 Kashmiris caught at Punjab border with fake passes

NL CORRESPONDENT

Mohali, Apr 19: A group of Kashmir residents escaped from Mohali using fake curfew transit passes but were caught while attempting to cross the state border at Pathankot. After detecting the fraud, Pathankot police detained Hamid Gauri, Ali Mohammed Raina, Urfee Jaan, Aasma Hamid, Mohammuddin, Mufzar, and Ansari Bhat. They were headed towards Anantnag in J&K using a forged pass…

[thetechmedia1]

SpaceX partners with Space Adventures to ferry private citizens to space aboard Crew Dragon

Space Travel just got further to being a more commonly used term. Space Adventures, a company that turns the far fetched dream of space travel into a reality for private citizens, has partnered up with SpaceX to launch private citizens on the Crew Dragon, for its first ever private citizen journey to space. This stems from the successful Crew Dragon operation last year, and the successful satellite launches by SpaceX in the past few months.

The two companies have partnered to transport ordinary citizens(who carry some extraordinary cash) to board SpaceX’s famous Falcon 9 rocket and travel to the highest altitude ever reached by a private spacecraft and witness the eccentric beauty of our motherland. Falcon 9 is SpaceX’s ace in the hole, and has gathered a lot of acclaim due to its ability to land the rocket thrusters back on ground for intel and future operations.

All of this sounds like something from Rick and Morty, and it is mind boggling how far humanity has come in the last century. The last record set for the highest altitude reached by a private carries was during the Gemini program, and now, Space Adventures has set out to put that to shame.

“Creating unique and previously impossible opportunities for private citizens to experience space is why Space Adventures exists. From 2001-2009 our clients made history by flying over 36 million miles in space on eight separate missions to the ISS,” said Eric Anderson, Chairman, Space Adventures, in a statement to The Tech Portal.

“Since its maiden mission in 2010, no engineering achievement has consistently impressed the industry more than the Dragon/Falcon 9 reusable system. Honoring our combined histories, this Dragon mission will be a special experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity – capable of reaching twice the altitude of any prior civilian astronaut mission or space station visitor,” he added.

2020 has been a good year for SpaceX so far, as the company has already launched 3 successful satellite launches atop the Falcon 9, as part of its Starlink constellation. The company now has around 300 satellites in orbit, and is on track to start broadband services in America and Canada by the end of the year. In fact, Starlink has become so big that a report suggests that a future IPO is not out of the question.

This partnership will be another feather in the company’s cap, and it is very excited to see the fruits it will bear. Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer, SpaceX said,“This historic mission will forge a path to making spaceflight possible for all people who dream of it, and we are pleased to work with the  Space Adventures’ team on the mission.”

Space Adventures is credited to ferry the world’s first private explorers to space. Headquartered in the Washington, D.C., It offers a variety of programs including spaceflight missions to the International Space Station, around the Moon, record-breaking orbital missions, and various training and spaceflight qualification programs. The company’s orbital spaceflight clients include the likes of Dennis Tito, Mark Shuttleworth, Greg Olsen, Anousheh Ansari, Charles Simonyi, Richard Garriott, and Guy Laliberté.

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[whittlebaggett8]

Shia areas of Budgam may turn the tables amid poll boycott

Chadoora /Budgam: Most villages in Budgam district witnessed lower voter turnout on Thursday as people stayed absent from polls expressing “politicians have failed them”. The Shia dominated places of the district, on the other hand, recorded moderate polling, mostly in favour of Aga Syed Mohsin of PDP and Irfan Raza Ansari of People’s Meeting. The higher voter turnout in these places may perhaps convert tables for Dr Farooq Abdullah of Countrywide Meeting. Those who voted in Budgam responded cautiously to inquiries, expressing only that they want to “give chance to new leaders against the oldies”. “Leaders have cheated us in the previous. We never believe in them now,” claimed Abdul Gani, a regional of BK Pora location, who sided with the standard boycott of these elections. He mentioned the situation experienced worsened in Kashmir since 2014. “We are struggling due to highhandedness of protection staff just about every day. Our children are in jails. How can we vote?” he questioned. Chadoora constituency recorded negligible polling throughout the initially 4 hours. Till 11am, only 13 voters had turned out to vote in the six polling booths of BK Pora space, out of 4,303 registered voters. Even though the Shia belt of Chadoora which includes Chattergam, Khanda and Rawatpora witnessed average polling till midday, in other spots folks stayed absent from polling booths. Exterior the Govt Boys Higher Secondary Faculty Khanda, which was the only polling station in the village, individuals voted in significant numbers ignoring the boycott phone presented by pro-freedom parties and militant organisations. They ended up also unmoved by a poster of a slain militant brandishing an AK-47 rifle and pleasing to voters in a bilingual information that mentioned: “No Election, No Assortment, Try to remember Me” and in Urdu, “Shaheed Humse Keh Rahay Hai, Lahu Hamara Bhula Na Dena Jab Tab Kashmir Gulam Hai, Tab Tak Vote Haraam Hai (Martyrs are telling us not to fail to remember their blood voting is sin until Kashmir is less than slavery).” In this village, 342 voters (15.6 %) forged their vote out of 2,193 full voters until 11am, even though 156 votes had been forged in Chattergam during initial three hrs out of 2,527 votes. “We vote due to the fact incumbent leaders have failed. Outdated and dynastic rule should end in Kashmir once for all,” stated Ali Muhammad Instead of Chattergam. He stated that youthful leaders had a superior likelihood this time as the outdated management had failed. “We were supporting Javaid Mustafa Mir in each and every election due to the fact he has worked genuinely tricky to support people in the villages. But this time he is not in the fray so we are supporting our Aga sahib,” explained Rather. The development of minimal voter turnout also ongoing in Charar-i-Sharief the place 8 % voting was recorded till midday. In Trajbal village in Charar-i-Sharief, the place clashes broke out involving protestors and govt forces, only 42 votes have been solid until 2pm out of 368 in a close by polling booth. Equally, in Nagam and in key Chadoora, negligible polling was recorded at the polling stations for the duration of the early morning hours. Only some places like Doyun village, which is Shia dominated, witnessed brisk polling. The principal polling booth of the village recorded 31 p.c polling until 1pm. In some polling booths in Nagam, a couple polling personnel were sitting down in the lawn whilst scores of paramilitary troops and policemen guarded the station. Violence was described in some polling booths such as in Chattergam and Charar-i-Sharief. Youths also threw hearth crackers and stones in direction of some polling stations in Khanda and Chattergam spots.

  JK Elections, Kashmir conflict, Kashmir problem, Lok Sabha elections, Poll boycott

Related

The post Shia areas of Budgam may turn the tables amid poll boycott appeared first on Defence Online.

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[1clickpar]

Indian spy Hamid Ansari returns dwelling after launched from Pakistani jail (VIDEO)

Indian spy Hamid Ansari returns dwelling after launched from Pakistani jail (VIDEO)

LAHORE – Hamid Nehal Ansari, an Indian spy who had illegally entered Pakistan eight years in the past and was concerned in anti-state crimes and forging paperwork, has returned to his nation after finishing his three-year jail sentence in Pakistani jail.

Ansari illegally crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan in 2012, and was convicted for spying and forging paperwork in December 2015.

He advised…

[theconservativebrief]

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.

Russia threatens war against Ukraine over naval sovereignty; Nancy Pelosi wins her party’s nomination for House speaker.

Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Some regions of Ukraine were under limited martial law, or military control of the government, on Wednesday, with the nation’s leaders hoping it’s enough to prevent a Russian invasion. [Al Jazeera / Tamila Varshalomidze]

This is the first time martial law has been imposed in the Eastern European country. President Petro Poroshenko urged lawmakers in Kiev to pass the necessary legislation on Monday following a naval dispute in the Black Sea over the weekend, when Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels. [NBC News via AP]

The dispute in the waters off the Crimean Peninsula has a bitter history. Since March, Russia has forcefully seized and detained many Ukrainian ships for inspection, and also built a bridge linking Crimea to Russia’s southern region to assert sovereignty. The naval battle is just the latest in a series of rifts. [Washington Post / Dmitry Gorenburg and Michael Kofman]

Poroshenko notably said of the law: “I don’t want anyone to think this is fun and games. Ukraine is under threat of a full-scale war with Russia.” [The Journal]

The Kremlin denounced the 30-day military control of the government, saying it will escalate tensions between the two nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin also accused Poroshenko of staging the Crimea attack to boost his ratings ahead of the 2019 presidential election. [BBC]

If that’s the case, it appears it may have partly worked. Nationalists took to the streets Monday to violently protest the Russian attack and praise Poroshenko for acting so swiftly. Many more residents in Ukraine and Poland held peaceful rallies in support of the law and condemnation of the attack. [Reuters / Matthias Williams]

In response to Ukraine’s move, Russia plans to send more S-400 missiles, which can travel as far as 250 miles, in Crimea in case the clash grows bigger. [NPR / Bill Chappell]

In a rare break with Russia, US President Donald Trump also condemned the naval conflict, threatening to cancel his meeting with Putin at the upcoming G20 summit if the situation is not resolved. [Bloomberg / Joshua Gallu]

The news, but shorter, delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy. For more newsletters, check out our newsletters page.

House Democrats once again chose California Rep. Nancy Pelosi as their pick for speaker in leadership elections Monday. She still faces a full House vote in January to secure the bid. [CBS News]

Pelosi faced her toughest challenge yet. Several Democrats spoke out against her leadership after regaining control of the lower chamber of Congress in the midterm elections, saying the caucus needed younger and more progressive faces to represent it. [NPR / Scott Detrow]

However, Pelosi is so far running unopposed. At one point, Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge was rumored as a potential challenger, but Pelosi forged a deal placing Fudge as the chair of the reinstated House subcommittee overseeing elections if she’s appointed speaker, earning her allyship. [Politico / Heather Caygle and John Bresnahan]

Matt Yglesias writes that Pelosi’s strength lies not in her public speaking skills, but rather her legislative prowess. If she’s elected speaker, Democrats’ task will be to find a new talking head who can represent the entire caucus to the media. [Vox / Matt Yglesias]

Sixteen Democratic Congress members (incumbent and elect) signed a letter last week stating they will oppose Pelosi’s bid in the January vote. She needs 218 total House votes to win the election. With one race still uncalled, Democrats currently hold 234 seats, meaning she cannot afford to lose another vote from her party. [Vox / Ella Nilsen]

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, first published in 1985, is getting a sequel, slated for release in September 2019. [Vanity Fair / Laura Bradley]

A Scientific American story is making the rounds on the internet and receiving backlash from dog lovers everywhere, as it publishes the findings of a study that says dogs are not that “exceptional” after all. [Scientific American / David Z. Hambrick]

Famed actress Rita Moreno, who won an Oscar for her performance as Anita in the 1961 West Side Story movie, is making a comeback in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the musical — this time, as an executive producer. [BBC]

Aziz Ansari announced a pan-American standup tour that will kick off in February 2019. This marks the first full tour for the actor and comedian since he was accused of sexual misconduct at the onset of the #MeToo era. [Pitchfork / Sam Sodomsky]

“The first time I saw it, they give you a tissue box in the screening room, and I thought, ‘Oh, that’s very nice. I don’t have a cold.’ … They started screening the movie and 25 minutes into the movie, I stood up and went to the back of the room.” [John Krasinski’s reaction to watching wife Emily Blunt portray Mary Poppins in the sequel film out in December / Huffington Post]

CBD isn’t BS. But CBD products probably are. [YouTube / Christophe Haubursin]

Ivanka Trump says there’s “no equivalency” between her emails and Hillary Clinton’s

Jerome Corsi, the conspiracy theorist now entangled in the Mueller investigation, explained

Some airlines may be using algorithms to split up families during flights

Why buy Christmas when you can rent it?

The Senate is moving closer to ending US support for the war in Yemen

Original Source -> Vox Sentences: Russia threatens war with Ukraine — again

via The Conservative Brief

[jonathanalumbaugh]

What I learned

January 13th, 2018, 7th issue. A roundup of what I learned this week, sources linked. Published weekly. All blurbs written by yours truly unless otherwise noted. Grouped in quasi-random order.

Design

Land art is awesome. — 10 Female Land Artists You Should Know

There's free money out there for projects! — The Complete Guide to 2018 Artist Grants and - Artwork Archive

Better design can help guide the user to what they want to do, while leaving them in control. Bad design lets them flounder. — Hawaii missile alert: Blame terrible interface design for the Hawaii debacle — Quartz

Looking at a familiar environment through a photo can give us a new perspective. — January Cure 2018 Assignment 7 - Photograph Your Home - Apartment Therapy

Design-centered companies like IBM seem like the ideal, if there must be monoliths like them. — IBM’s Quest To Design The “New Helvetica”

Things that are interactive get more attention than things that are static. Things that are interactive in strange and unexpected ways, probably even more so. — Ikea’s New Ad Is A Pregnancy Test You Pee On. Really.

The impact of simple choices ("this font or that one?") is important. — The importance of typography in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

International fire code/OSHA guidelines for evacuation floor plans are a thing that exists. — Is there a Standard for Emergency Evacuation Maps? - NFPA Xchange

Basic principles of animation apply to more than just animated films. — Making CSS Animations Feel More Natural - CSS-Tricks

CNC made houses cause quite a stir in the comments section. — The PlyPad: CNC Machine Yourself A Tiny House - Hackaday

Design nostalgia looks to an era that never existed, a charicature of an era that wasn't as glorious as it's made out to be. — That font you hate is coming back in style - The Outline

Git

Yes, a section dedicated solely to all the things I learned about git.

Git is a powerful way of managing projects that have releases, ongoing development, and multiple team members. — A git Primer

Use "git checkout" to use files from a different branch in the current branch. — Git: checkout files or directories from another branch – clubmate.fi

This was supposed to help me deploy my website. — Git: copy all files in a directory from another branch - Stack Overflow

Git can also be used to automate deployment of web apps or websites, especially powerful when combined with post receive hooks. — Setting up Push-to-Deploy with git - Kris Jordan

Order of operations: git commit > git pull > merge whatever needs to be merged > push to server. — When do I need to do "git pull", before or after "git add, git commit"? - Stack Overflow

Finance

In systems of continually growing complexity, administration becomes more and more difficult. — An Alleged Theft of a Billion-Dollar Fund Grips ETF World - WSJ

A lot about retirement accounts. — Congratulations, Your Income Is Too High: Non-Deductible IRA Conversions - Part 2 - Seeking Alpha

Ethereum is a crypto-currency that is built to be used for smart contracts, which function as multi-signature accounts, manage agreements between users, store information about an app, and more. — How Do Ethereum Smart Contracts Work? - CoinDesk

Scandal

In a shitstorm of bad apologies for terrible assaults, a victim accepts her harasser's apology. — Dan Harmon’s apology to Megan Ganz was a moment of self-reckoning - Vox

Excerpt: “We are talking here about destroying all the ambiguity and the charm of relationships between men and women,” explained the writer Anne-Elisabeth Moutet... “We are French, we believe in gray areas. America is a different country. They do things in black and white and make very good computers. We don’t think human relationships should be treated like that.”

What I learned: I'm not really sure.

— Opinion: Catherine Deneuve and the French Feminist Difference

In the almost every one of the differing opinions about Ansari's wrongdoings, even the ones who decry his accuser, there is at least some shred of truth. — The Humiliation of Aziz Ansari

Social media

Facebook has shifted its focus from personal connection to advertising. Can it be saved? Probably only by killing it. — Facebook Can’t Be Fixed. — Facebook (FB) is using an old drug dealer tactic to keep its users hooked to News Feed

In a society anxious to be texted back, we value the ability to put off replying. — How It Became Normal to Ignore Texts and Emails

Algorithmic systems like Youtube feed off of its users preferences. If we don't like it, it's our fault. — Making a Better YouTube

There is a new dialectic, or at least one that has been brought to the fore by the over-availability of news: virtue signalling vs. engagement. Every inflammatory headline begs to be shared with righteous opinion attached, and every time one is it fans the flames of the 24 hour news cycle. Maybe before long, it'll be called the 1400 minute news cycle. — Seriously, You—Ok, We—Need To Stop Watching The News This Year

Massive systems like Youtube are now almost completely run by algorithms that are exploitative. It's not that there is aberrant behavior in the algorithm; it is built to be exploitative, and it's now being taken to its natural end. And yes, as users, we are complicit. — Something is wrong on the internet – James Bridle

We need to consider the root beliefs collectively held by society that have given rise to the services that now run our lives. — Lost Context: How Did We End Up Here?

Life

A catch-all category for stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else, or fits in too many other categories!

There are points in time that we're more likely to work to push beyond our current capabilities; perhaps by preparing for them, we could push even farther. — The Bizarre Motivating Power of Aging Into a New Decade

Spiciness is carried to our brains through nerves in the dermis on our tongues, not through taste buds. — Did You Know That "Spicy" is Not a Taste?

Alcohol hits the bloodstream very quickly (~90 seconds) but takes hours to be fully released into the bloodstream, so BAC can climb even after the last drink. — Here's Why You Vomit After Drinking Alcohol And How To Feel Better After Getting Sick

Discomfort and fear keep us from enjoying ourselves. When we experience them, slow down, check them at the door and forge ahead. — I Was the Youngest Person at the Dump - Kathleen Ann Thompson

The authors argue that inequality is almost the same as it has been for decades, the top 1% is simply receiving their large slice of the pie in salary, rather than in increasing shareholder value pre-Reagan tax changes. — A new study says much of the rise in inequality is an illusion. Should you believe it?

Making room for opportunity to occur is the first step to seizing opportunity. — Opportunity Knocks When You Least Expect It. - Kathleen Ann Thompson

What I learned: The internet is a utopia; it does not physically exist, it's a virtual space that enables the amplification of the moral outrage that is a tool of self-absolution. And now we are no longer able to shape the internet, what we made now shapes us. Excerpt one: "The utopian ideal of the internet—unregulated access to information, pure connectivity—now feels antiquated. Also antiquated: trying to determine if the internet is simply good or bad. Possible and necessary: thinking more deeply about how it’s rewiring our brains and warping our experience of time, about the vistas of reality it’s revealing and creating, and what to do with our positions therein, so that we do not go mad from it all nor flee altogether." Excerpt two: "Communicating every thought about every moral conflict has become so effortless, even obligatory, that it feels like nothing could possibly be informing our reactions beyond the conflicts themselves." Excerpt three: "The myriad reckonings we’re desperate for might be cultivated in the kind of safe space Kaufman describes. Not a literal dream state, but somewhere where you don’t feel watched or compelled to perform. Somewhere private, or where you’re listening to one person at a time rather than a ton of little representations of people all at once. Somewhere where the discomfort of moral responsibility can’t be mowed over with the stimulus of an outrageous story. Where, if you’re disturbed to come upon a transgressive thought of your own, the next move is to pick it apart, rather than to go online and project an image of yourself as perfectly evolved." — Rookie » Editor's Letter

Automating repetitive tasks using whatever tools at hand is a powerful way to reach past a productivity plateau. — Schedule Tasks on Linux Using Crontab

Giving our viewers "everything" is doing our audiences a disservice. Shows like Twin Peaks make us work to understand. — ‘Twin Peaks’ Episode 8 Explained: Recap & Top Theories

B teams at Google (teams that were not composed of top performers) made more significant contributions to the company than its A teams, once again proving that soft skills are incredibly important. — The surprising thing Google learned about its employees — and what it means for today’s students

Figure out your most productive hours and be prepared to work on your most important projects in that time. — Work During Your Hours of Peak Productivity

Google may not be explicitly evil, but it is starting to force web developers to do things the Google way. — Web developers publish open letter taking Google to task for locking up with web with AMP / Boing Boing

Psychology

I have no idea what's going on here. — Carl Jung Was Alt-Right

Contradicting perhaps decades of psychology, personality (as measured by OCEAN, or the "Big Five") shows downward trends in all traits except agreeableness. — Study of 50,000 people shows personality changes throughout life

A free "Big Five" or "OCEAN" test! — Understand Yourself - Personality Test

Beginnings, endings, and other psychological landmarks are powerful times to take advantage of in our lives. — You’re Most Likely to Do Something Extreme Right Before You Turn 30