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IMAM ALI, NAJAF & OTHER SHRINES- Buddhist influence in Islam.
Paper No. 1108 06/09/2004
by K. Gajendra Singh
Among Indians who reached Amman soon after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2nd August 1990 for evacuation to India, were about one thousand Muslim pilgrims. They were stranded in Iraq while on a pilgrimage to holy shrines at Najaf and Karbala as Air India flights to Baghdad and back were cancelled. Many had flown directly from India while others had crossed over from Saudi Arabia after visiting Islam's holiest Shrines at Mecca and Medina, as most Muslims do.
At the end of the war in March in 1991, encouraged by the Iraqi Shiites rose and killed many thousands Baathists and their supporters. But they were then ruthlessly crushed and no help was forthcoming from USA. Since then the Shiites lost trust in USA. The Najaf Shrine was badly damaged, but was quickly rebuilt by the Baathist regime.
The Najaf Shrine of Imam Ali was again a target of attacks in recent weeks, but this time by US planes, helicopter gun ships and tanks, as cleric Moqtda as-Sadr's al-Mahdi militia was ensconced there. Fortunately ill advised suggestions by ignorant persons and some media writers in USA to "take care" of the fiery 30 year old cleric Moqtda, who is opposed to US occupation and the regime in Iraq, were not implemented. Any major damage to the Shrine would have had horrendous consequences. It would have inflamed passions among a billion strong Muslim communities all around the world, specially among the Shiites. Imagine Sistine Chapel being damaged!
But the US forces did some damage the Shrine itself. "It will be hard, to redeem the TV images of fiery devastation delivered by US planes, helicopters and tanks, transmitted all over the Middle East - and not just by al-Jazeera's satellite channel." Reportedly, it was the newly arrived Marines who wanted to flex their muscles, as in Fallujah earlier.
It would not have been the first time that the people of Najaf suffered and the Shrine and its surroundings got damaged and desecrated by non-Muslims. Najaf revolted against the Ottoman rule in 1915 but came under British colonial rule in 1918; they revolted against the British, who cut off the water to the city. Najaf surrendered to the US troops in April 2003 following the US led invasion of Iraq. A car bomb exploded outside the Ali's Shrine in August 2003 and killed more than 80 people, including Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim. In April 2004, as-Sadr's al-Mahdi army and the US troops fought each other. In August 2004 the al-Mahdi army took over control of Najaf and was soon attacked by US planes, helicopter gun ships, tanks, marines and Iraqi troops.
History of Najaf
The history, myths and legends surrounding Najaf are as old as time .It is believed that Prophet Abraham who migrated from Ur in Iraq to Palestine via Harran (Turkey) once came to the village at Najaf with Prophet Issac. When local people wanted them to settle down there, Abraham agreed, but only if the valley behind the village were sold for cultivation. When Prophet Issac said that the land was neither fit for farming nor grazing, Abraham assured him that in future it would have a tomb and a shrine, and 70,000 people would gain entrance to Paradise and be able to intercede for many others. That prediction has come true with the tomb and shrine of Imam Ali erected there. Imam Ali once said about the valley, now the second largest cemetery in the world and a resting place for millions of Muslims, and called the Valley of Peace (Wadi-as-Salaam);
"This Valley of Peace is part of Heaven and that there is not a single one of the believers in the world, whether he dies in the East or West, but his soul will come to this Paradise to rest. As there is nothing hidden in this world from my eyes." Imam Ali then added, "I see all the believers seated here in groups and talking with one another."
According to another tradition, there was a mountain at Najaf, on which a son of Noah, refusing to get into the Ark, climbed up to see how high the water would rise. A revelation came to the mountain, "Do you undertake to protect this son of mine from punishment?" Lo, the mountain crumbled into pieces and Noah's son was drowned. In its place appeared a large river, but after a few years it dried up, so it is also called "Nay-Jaff", meaning, and "the dried river." Many Shiite also believe that Adam, the first Biblical man, is also buried at the mosque
Imam Ali was stabbed to death while praying at a mosque in Kufa. Following his instructions for the burial place, his followers tied the body to a camel and let it roam in the desert until it finally rested 11 kms north-east of Kufa, in Najaf, 60 kms south of Baghdad. But there are some who doubt if Ali's remains are really there as some traditions suggest that he was buried in Kufa and others that he was buried at Medina. Nevertheless, the vast majority of Shi'ites accept Najaf as Imam Ali's burial place and this is most important. The first building was constructed by the Abbassid Caliph, Harun al Rashid. How he found this place is also another interesting tradition. More buildings were added later on a but some were destroyed too by anti- Shiite Sunnis. Under orders of anti Shi'ite Caliph Al Mutawakkil the Shrine was ploughed over in 850, but after his death a temporary Shrin! e was erected.
But it was the Shiite Buyid ruler ad –Dawla who constructed the first major Shrine building at Najaf in 979, which lasted till 1354. However, the current structure and buildings were built by Iran's Shiite Safavid Shah Safi in about 1635. It was Nadir Shah who got the dome gilded. The Wahhabis burnt down the dome in 1801 and Ottoman Najib Pasha attacked it 1843. But Sunni Ottoman Sultans, always at war with Shiite Safavids of Iran, gave considerable autonomy to Shiite enclaves of Najaf, Kufa and Kerbala.
When the sun shines on the golden tiles of the Shrine, its dome appears splendidly luminous, making it a glorious sight to behold. The mausoleum consists of one large central dome which stands out of a square-shaped ornate structure with two minarets. The predominant colour of' the exterior is gold, bright shining gold and the entire exterior of the mausoleum is inlaid with a mosaic pattern of light powder blue, white marble, gold again with an occasional splash of Middle East rust. Millions from all over the world flock to the shrine to pay their respects, to offer salutations and pray to Allah and seek Imam Ali's intercession. The author was very moved by the sense of piety, serenity and peace in the Shrine when he visited it in 1977. It is the same feeling in most religious shrines.
Najaf, an Islamic center
Over a millennia, Najaf has become the residence of many teachers, and many seminaries and colleges were established here, making it a major center for scientific, literary and theological studies for the Islamic world. A collection of many rare Islamic relics and precious gifts by rulers can be viewed here. Construction of Hindiyya canal in 1803 ushered in prosperity for the city. Pilgrim trade and that connected with bringing of dead bodies for burial made Najaf prosperous. The recent battles between as-Sadr's al- Mahdi militia and US troops also hurt pilgrim and burial trade. Control over Najaf brings prestige and wealth.
Four senior Grand Ayatollahs constitute the Religious Institution (al-Hawzah al-`Ilmiyyah) in Najaf, the pre-eminent seminary center for the training of Shiite clergymen. Before the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, it was the most important center of study for Shiite religious leaders. Following Saddam Hussein 's oppression in 1980s and the expulsion of senior clerics, many shifted to Qum in Iran, which took over the religious leadership of the Shiites. In 1999, the Iraqi Shiite leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr, Moqtda's father was assassinated in Najaf, sparking clashes between the Shiites and the Iraqi government.
During his exile from Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini lived here (1964-78) prior to the 1979 revolution in Iran. Qum's pre-eminence is only since last 1979, while Najaf has a millennium long leadership. In mid-2003 the seminary in Qum hosted between 40,000 and 50,000 clergy, while the number in Najaf was about 2,000, down from 10,000 before the Ba'athist repression .The situation is bound to change.
There is a major difference between Najaf and Qum's concept of the Velayat-e-Faqih. According to the latter it is a God given authority to the top religious leader to oversee secular affairs and as the infallible Imam, like Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as the highest religious authority of the world's Shiites. The Najaf school does not interpret the Velayat-e-Faqih as meaning a direct intervention of clerics in politics. He should be a supervisor and adviser. So, Ali Sistani in Iraq refuses to wield temporal power but Moqtda's views are closer to that of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Caliphate of Imam Ali and Schism in Islam
In the Muslim community (Ummah) of over a billion faithfuls spread all over the world nearly 12 % are Shiites. Majority of Shiites are Twelvers – believers in 12 Imams (like Iran), but there are others too, like the Ismailis (of Agha Khans, Mohammed Ali Jinnah), from whom emerged the "Assassins" in early 2nd millennium, Alevis in Turkey, ruling Alawite regime in Syria, (and Lebanon, Turkey) and some very extremist groups. Nearly 60% of Iraqis are Shiites, the rest are mostly Sunnis.
The Shiites emerged out of seeds of disunity in the embryonic Muslim Ummah which were sown as soon as Prophet Mohammed lay dead in Medina. While his cousin and son in law Ali and the family were preparing the body for the burial, another clan of the Quraysh tribe elected Abu Bakr as the first Caliph- Prophet's deputy, countering the claims of Ansars of Medina, who had welcomed the Prophet during his Hijra .Abu Bakr's supporters said that he was closer to Mohammed, one of the very first converts to Islam and was from Mecca's Quraysh tribe. His daughter A'isha was wedded to the Prophet.
According to Shiites, Prophet Mohammed had given enough indications for Ali to be his successor and cite many hadiths in support of this claim. The Prophet had lived with his uncle Abu Talib, Ali's father and Mohammed's only child Fatimah was married to Ali .Ali also became Muslim before Abu Bakr and was perhaps his most trusted and the closest companion, even though he was about 3 decades younger than the Prophet.
Ali's election as the Caliph would have denied the chance to the older generation of power brokers, so they played politics and got their way. Ali was overlooked twice with Omar and Uthman succeeding Abu Bakr in cleverly planned successions to keep Ali out. As a result Ali mostly kept himself away and aloof.
Following the murder of Uthman, Ali was invited by the Muslims of Medina to accept the caliphate; reluctant, he agreed only after long hesitation. His brief reign was marked by difficulties of inheriting corrupt state of affairs, where the Quran and the traditions of Mohammed were neglected .Ali based his rule on the Islamic ideals of social justice and equality which clashed with the interests of the Quraysh aristocracy of Mecca grown rich through the Muslim conquests. A rebellion was instigated against him .Ali was victorious in many wars, but was forced into a trap of arbitration. He was assassinated by a Kharijite and Mu'awiya of the Umayyads established the dynasty at Damascus.
Ali was a devout Muslim with an outstanding reputation for justice, unlike Othman or the Umayyad dynasty that followed him, mired in nepotism with worldly and autocratic ways. Many Muslims feel this way about the Umayyad Caliphs except for Omar II. To many it was a betrayal of the Quran, which insists that the first duty of Muslims is to create a just and equal society.
Those opposed to Umayyads called themselves the Shia't-Ali (Ali's partisans) and developed a doctrine of piety and protest, refusing to accept the Umayyad caliphs, and regarded Ali's descendants as the true leaders of the Muslim community. This schism became an unbridgeable chasm and remains so, when in 680, Shiites of Kufa called for the rule by Ali's second son Hussein and invited him. Hussein set out for Iraq with a small band of relatives and followers (72 armed men and women and children) in the belief that the spectacle of the Prophet's family, marching to confront the Caliph, would remind the regime of its social responsibility.
But Umayyad Caliph Yazid dispatched his army, which slaughtered Hussein and most of his followers on the plain of Karbala with Imam Hussein being the last to die, holding his infant son in his arms. This event is now commemorated as Muharram. For Shiites that tragedy symbolizes the chronic injustice that pervades human life. Shiite Islam provides spiritual solace and shelter for the poorest and the deprived among the Muslims, as in as- Sadr city near to Baghdad. In almost all Sunni majority countries Shiites are ill treated and persecuted.
Imagery and this passion informed Khomeini's Iranian revolution, which many experienced as a re-enactment of Karbala - with the Shah Reza Pehlavi cast as a latter day Yazid. The recent attempts to attack Shiites in Iraq by US forces with support from puppet Allawi regime would fit into that imagery.
There is no agreement among Muslims on the Caliphs. Shiites do not recognise the first three and in many places curse them. For them Ali is the first rightful Caliph and Imam. For Sunnis, Imam is only a prayer leader and could be any one. But for the Shiites, he is a spiritual leader with the divine spark and juris-consult (Vilayet-el-Faqih) .The sacred Islamic law Sharia enacted under different situations and times has many schools among Sunnis, who unlike the Shiites have closed ijtihad, independent reasoning in Islamic Law to meet new situations .The Shiites Iranians (Aryans) perhaps created the office of Imam (like Shankracharya among Indo –Aryan Brahmins) as only an Arab from the Quraysh tribe could become a Caliph. Later when Turks, who came as slaves / warriors to Arab lands, captured power by the sword, raised a minor office of the Sultan to a powerful one, protector by now of a powerles! S Caliph. Then Ottoman Sultans appropriated the title of Caliph for themselves.
After the first dynastic Umayyad caliphate based in Damascus ended, another branch of Quraysh tribe, Abbasids took over and shifted to Iraq in 750, but after making false promises of installing the Prophet's family as the Caliph. Muslim Ummah's unity under the Sunni Caliph was finally broken when Fatimids anointed their own Caliph first in Tunisia, then in Egypt in 10th century. So an Umayyad prince in Cordoba too declared himself the third Caliph.
Muslims now gather under the umbrella of Organisation of Islamic Conferences (OIC), constituted after the 1969 fire in Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
Evolution of Shiism:
We should be clear about two things. Firstly, political Shi'ism which indicates a belief that members of the Hashim clan in the Quraysh tribe are the people most worthy of holding political authority in the Islamic community, but no belief in any particular religious position for the family. As for religious Shi'ism, it is about the belief that some particular members of the house of Hashim were in receipt of divine inspiration and are thus the channel of God's guidance to men weather or not they hold any defacto political authority. This was augmented by the Iranians who believe in the tradition that the mother of fourth Imam Zaynul- Abdin was Shahrbanu, the daughter of Yazdigird, the last Sasanian King of Iran.
From the very beginning all the Shiite Imams, descendants of Ali, every single one was imprisoned, exiled or executed or poisoned by the Caliphs, who could not tolerate an alternative centre to their rule. So by 8th century, most Shiites held aloof from politics and concentrated on the mystical interpretation of scripture. Says Karen Armstrong " Long before western philosophers called for the separation of church and state, Shias had privatised faith, convinced that it was impossible to integrate the religious imperative with the grim world of politics that seemed murderously antagonistic to it. --
"The separation of religion and politics remains deeply embedded in the Shia psyche. It springs not simply from malaise, but from a divine discontent with the state of the Muslim community. Even in Iran, which became a Shia country in the early 16th century, the ulama (the religious scholars) refused public office, adopted an oppositional stance to the state, and formed an alternative establishment that - implicitly or explicitly - challenged the shahs on behalf of the people."
The picture of early Shi'ism was created (as not much is available from records) from the point of view of Twelver Shiite, ignoring the Ismalis, Mutazilites or orthodox Sunnis. Modern scholars believe that this picture was retrospectively imposed over the facts by historians of 3rd and 4th Islamic century for doctrinal reasons.
It is only after 6th Imam Jafar as-Sadiq (died 765) that there is any firm evidence that any kind of religious leadership was being claimed for Twelver Imams. He was a well-known and influential figure in the Islamic world. Several of his students later became prominent jurists and traditionalists even among non-Shi'ite Muslims. Jafar as-Sadiq did not make an open claim to religious leadership, but his circle of students evidently looked to him as Imam, some including leading figures such as Abu'l-Khattab, who held beliefs of a ghuluww (extremist) nature regarding him, indicating that as-Sadiq wa! S a focus of religious speculation and leadership in his own time.
Evolution of Islam into Shiite and other forms:
The number of ghulat groups, increased dramatically especially in Kufa during as-Sadiq's lifetime. It is therefore useful to consider the origin of the ghulat. When the Arabs arrived in the Fertile Crescent, they encountered ancient civilisations with sophisticated religious systems. Iraq was already the centre of intense religious ferment with the ancient Babylonian religious systems, Zoroastrianism, Mazdaism, Manichaeism, Judaism and various forms of Christianity contributing to a kaleidoscope of religious! view points, debate and speculation. Islam by comparison was as yet simple and undeveloped. And with the Prophet already dead, there was no one to whom the Muslims could turn for an authoritative ruling on sophisticated religious speculations being posed by the ancient civilisations. There arose a ferment of discussion around some of the concepts introduced by these older religions and philosophical systems.
In the initial years the Arabs lived in their military camp cities and avoided intermingling with the native population and disturbing religious speculations but as more of the native population embraced Islam, such discussions increased. In this spiritual and religious ferment ideas were injected into the Muslim community and intensively discussed by people interested in such matters which could be considered by the majority of Muslims heterodox concepts and called ghulat or extremists.
Among the ideas injected were such concepts as tanasukh (transmigration of souls), ghayba (occultation), raj'a (return), hulul (descent of the Spirit of God into man), imama (Imamate, divinely-inspired leadership and guidance), tashbih (anthropomorphism with respect to God), tafwid (delegation of God's powers to other than God), and bada (alteration in God's will). But the ghulat needed of a priest-! god figure onto which to project their ideas of hulul, ghayba, etc., a role admirably suited to the persona of' Ali.
While the ghulat adopted Ali and his family as the embodiment of their religious speculation the Shi'ite of'Ali always looked on the ghulat with a certain amount of suspicion. However, the martyrdom of Hussein and the pathos of this event gave the family of Ali a cultic significance. It bestowed on Shiites, earlier primarily a political party, a thrust into a religious orientation directing it firmly towards the ghulat, and giving the ghulat milieu a hero-martyr and a priestly family with which they could associate much of their speculations.
Mosque and tombs
The word mosque itself derives from the Arabic masjid, "a place where one prostrates one's self (in front of God)." In earliest times any place could be used for private prayer with correct direction (qiblah, originally Jerusalem, but soon after Mecca). The collective prayer on Fridays, with a collective swearing of allegiance to the community's leadership also strengthens common bonds among all members of the Ummah.
According to some experts, the Quran does not utter a word for or against the representation of living things. But from about the middle of the 8th century a prohibition was formally stated .It became a standard feature of Islamic thought, even though the form in which it was expressed varied from absolute to partial. It has been suggested that Islam developed this attitude when it came into contact with other cultures and it was felt that the dreaded idol worship might return. The Qur'an (Sura ix, 31) prohibits the veneration of holy men and saints. In early Islam there was no special embellishment of funerary sites; 'the tombs of the rich and poor are! alike'. But the human desire to venerate and by many to be venerated is too old and deep rooted. The first changes occurred through veneration of the tombs of holy persons.
It appears that the construction of commemorative buildings over certain burial places began in the late 9th and 10th centuries especially over those of Shi'ite saints. Then over the tombs, mostly in Iran and Central Asia, of rulers of marginal or semi-independent regions, who often followed non-Sunni beliefs? T! hey were to project status symbols of secular power and were rather ambitious .In contrast, the tombs of holy men were simpler – which went towards satisfying the devotional needs of the population. Generally complex ensembles grew up around the tombs of many saints, like that of the mystic Sufi poet Jalal ud-Din Rumi, in Konya, or of Bayazid, in Bistam (1313).
Therefore the earliest surviving tombs belong to Shi'ite persona; the shrine of Fatima, sister of the Imam 'Ali ar-Rida at Qum, and that of the Imam Ali in Najaf. The earliest rulers' tombs are of 'Abbasid Caliphs al-Muntasir (in Samarra in 862), al-Mu'tazz and al-Mohtadi (built as a domed square building enclosed in an octagonal ambulatory) and are better preserved. A feature of royalty mausoleums was its concentration, like the Timurid Shah-i Zinda ensemble in Samarqand of 14th and 15th centuries or the Mamluk tombs of Cairo.
Mausoleums were also built to commemorate Biblical persons, companions of the Prophet and scholars, popular heroes and ghazis (fighters for the Faith). From 12th century secular mausoleums proliferated all over the world, in Egypt and Central Asia, northern and north-eastern Iran and Anatolia, and also in India and North Africa. They continue to be built, both for spiritual and secular leaders e.g., Firdausi, Avicenna, Umar Khayya! m, the late Agha Khan and the poet-philosopher Iqbal, and particularly imposing structures for Riza Shah Pahlavl, Ataturk and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
The mausoleum of the Samanids in Bukhara, commonly referred to as the Tomb of Isma'il, was constructed before 943 and consists of a square structure with a large central dome and four small corner ones set over a gallery. Especially noteworthy is the use of bricks to create different patterns in its various parts.
Then of course there are the famous imperial Moghul mausoleums, of Humayun (d. 1556) in Delhi, built of red sandstone and white marble; and the marvel in marble, the Taj Mahal, built in Agra by Emperor Shah Jehan for his favourite queen Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoleum of Akbar (d. 1605) is at Sikandra, and of his son Jehangir (d1627) near Lahore. The word mausoleum comes from the structure built in Asia Minor (Bodrum -Western Turkey) for an Asian ruler, Mausolus by his Queen, around the time Alexander the Great passed that way.
Buddhist influence on Islam and veneration of holy men;
Through out history, there was natural interaction through migration and conquest, travel and trade, between the Fertile Crescent, Asia Minor, Persia, Khorasan and Central Asia and Hindustan. Alexander the Macedonian went up to Bukhara and then north west Hindustan. Earlier some Indo- Aryan tribes like Mitannis had migrated from Eurasian steppes and ruled in upper Mesopotamia. Then the Arab armies marched north east and conquered areas up to the steppes. Then the Turkish tribes marched from eastern Asian steppes to Persia! and Turkey (and the Indian sub-continent). Then came Chengiz Khan and the Mongol hordes.
Culturally, linguistically, ethnically and spiritually there is no area in the world that has so much in common as that formed by the regions connecting the river basins of Euphrates, Tigris; Amu and Syr Darya: Indus and the Ganges. This is an area with a continuous history and cradle of most civilizations and religions; Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaism, Judaism and Christianity and Islam and their variations. The intermingling of Semitic, Indo-Iranian and Ural- Altaic languages with local languages produced a mosaic of new languages and tongues.
Influence of Buddhism in Central Asia perhaps started from the time of Greek King Menander in Bactria. During the rule of Kushana Emperor Kanishka (who was converted to Buddhism) from Peshawar, not only traders but also religious teachers moved freely throughout his Empire which then encompassed today's Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrghzstan and Xinjiang, Pakistan and Northern India and laid the foundations for the spread of Buddhism. Earlier Asoka had undertaken energetic steps to spread the Dhamma, but his efforts were more successful in South East Asia and Ceylon. Buddhism was taken to Central Asia either directly or via Tibet or Eastern Turkestan (Xinjiang) where wit! h little competition, it was easily accepted . But it was not so in Sogdiana and around it, where Zoroastrians were well entrenched, later came followers of Manichaeism and Nestorian Christians. Conquerors (and traders) spread their religions, but they were also influenced by the cultures and the creeds of the ruled.
To begin with in Buddhism symbols represented Buddha and Tantras. Sculpture representing Buddha in human form is a Greek contribution through Gandhara art from Afghanistan. Starting from Bactria, Buddhism evolved the concept of Bodhhisatva Maitreya as incarnations for attaining Nirvana and return to guide and help the laity. This universal and secular religion found favour with Central Asian Turks and Mongols (also Uighurs in Xinjiang) when it reached there.
Influence of Viharas and Stupas on darghas and khankahs in Central Asia
Excavations have revealed Viharas and Stupas all over eastern Turkistan, up to Bukhara and into Turkmenistan. To begin with, Stupas were built to keep sacred relics (of Buddha and some of his disciples) although Buddha himself was against such practices. Later Stupas became associated with the symbols of remains of saints and cemeteries. The respect and veneration is based more on Aryan belief in Brahman or the Reality (Universal Soul) and Atman (individual Soul) with the saints having achieved the Union with the Reality. Prophet Mohammed had underlined that God and man are different. (Christians have still not resolved this dilemma fully). Miracles and veneration of dead persons are denounced in Quran (Sura XI, 31).
Stupas started as simple structures, as in Sanchi in Central India (1st or 2nd Cent BC) with a semi-spherical dome for the remains, fenced by a wall and 4 entrances and a Chhatri (umbrella symbolising the Lord and the Sovereign). Later a raised square platform was added under the dome with the structures then becoming more complex and sophisticated, adorned with sculptures like Bamiyan Buddhas and paintings (some times in caves i.e. in Ajanta and Barhaut in India). Viharas are monasteries with cells constructed around a court yard, with Stupa in the middle, for monks to stay during the heavy Indian monsoon rains. Normally the monks were not to attach themselves to any fixed place.
With the spread of Buddhism Central Asians including Turks and Mongols adopted and assimilated phrases from Buddhism i.e. Sanskrit and Pali words like Nirvana =Nirvana (Nibanna), Dhamma =Dharma, Cindan =Chandan (sandalwood), used for funerary ceremony, Aratna =Ratan, Stup =Stupa, Mandal= Mandala, Chakra= Chakra, Bodhistava =Bodhistav, Bakshi (accountant)=Bhikku /Bhikshu (because a Bhikshu once did accounts for the Mongols) etc.
An excavation in 1930s at Moghoki Attar mosque in Bukhara, perhaps the oldest surviving mosque in Central Asia, revealed under it ruins of a Zoroastrian temple destroyed by Arabs and an earlier Buddhist temple beneath it. The name Bukhara itself perhaps derives from Vihara. (Tashkent could be from Tashkhund; region of stones in Sanskrit). There are many ruins of Viharas and Stupas in Termez on Amu Darya (Uzbekistan), Merv (Turkmenistan), Afrasiab (Samarkand), Khojand etc in Ferghana valley and around Lake Issik Kul in Kyrgyzstan .Of course in Eastern Turkistan (and Tibet) apart from the ruins, many thousand old Buddhist manuscripts (300 pages found in Merv too) and books were recovered. Buddhist paintings have also been found in Afrasiab and elsewhere in Central Asia. It is not a simple coincidence that after Islam's arrival all these places became centres of Sufi Islam. From Stupas and Viharas have perh! aps emerged sacred tombs, khankahs, darghas and madarsas.
Tombs were not popular in Arab heartland around Saudi Arabia. But the Persian, Turkish, Asian and African, even Berber Muslims accepted Pirs, Calandars, Sheikhs, Babas, Dervishes and others and their tombs became places of worship. Freedom loving eclectic nomads and others resisted Arab warriors in Sogdiana and Central Asia and their still austere Islam. It was only the modified, personalised and spiritual Islam of Persian Samanids based in Bukhara (Ismail's tomb looks like a simple Stupa) that was first accepted by Turks and others in Central Asia .To Islam had been added strands of local religions and beliefs .It is this form of Islam that was spread in India mostly by Sufi saints, but also by forced conversions or inducements.
Sufism developed fully by 12th century by which time Arab Islam had been modified and enriched by streams from Persian, Central Asian and other religions, beliefs and philosophies .It was in the heartland of Arab Islam ie Baghdad and Allepo, where Sufis saints Al Hajj (for insisting " Ana Al-haq "-I am the Truth) and Suhrawardi were martyred. Because of Sunni hostility tombs were erected much after the martyrdom of Imam Ali and Imam Hussein in Najaf and Karbala. The Wahhabis, Salafis remain deadly opposed to Sufism.
The major Sufi Tariqas had central Asian origin or influence i.e., Qadiriyas, Nakshabandis (many current Turkish leaders are its adherents), Rumi's dervishes, Bektashis, the patron saint of non-Turkish (mostly Slav), non- Muslim born Janissary corps and top Administrators of the Ottoman Empire based on devshirme system. Turkey's Shia Alevis' faith (majority from Turkmen Oghuz tribes) has strands from Christian, Shaman and other beliefs.
Intermingling of beliefs and faiths;
Human wish to comprehend and experience the Reality is as old as the natural talent to transcend beyond oneself, until this faculty was dimmed by technological afflictions. There are glimpses of it in earliest Aryan writings like Vedas and Avestan, even among Greek philosophers like Orpheus, Pythagoras, Socrates and others .So the environment and tools existed before formal religions evolved or were revealed.
Buddha himself went through the whole gamut of experiments and meditations including Jain like austerities, Hindu systems before attaining Nirvana. And his path and method of meditation were modified in east India, Tibet, China and Japan. If Buddhism influenced the evolution of Sufi Islam then Buddhism itself was influenced earlier by other religions and practices.
Indo-Iranian religion Mithraism flowered between the 2nd and 4th centuries in the Roman world and became very popular among the Roman aristocracy, military leaders and soldiers, traders and slaves with powerful patrons among Roman emperors, like Commodus, Septimium Severus, Caraculla and others. Diocletian built a temple for Mithra near Vienna on Danube as "the Protector of the Empire". He was the god of Light and Sun, contract, loyalty and justice. Celebrations for Mithra's birthday on December 25, the sun's solstice, was so popular in the Asia that Christmas had to be shifted to this day from January 6 to make it acceptable among the masses. Christianity also took over many of the rituals and symbols of Mithraism, like baptism, resurrection and prayers to honor the Sun.
India's Sikh religion also known as gurmat, the teachings of the guru, founded by guru Nanak (1469-1539), combines many elements of Hinduism and Islam. Guru Nanak believed that one could come close to the God through meditation and devotion .God is the true guru and his divine word has come to the humanity through the 10 historical gurus. Their sacred scripture Adi Granth is also called "Guru Granth Saheb ". The Sikh temples are known as gurdwaras, Guru's door. Many Shi'ites Ghulat groups believe that Ali and the Imams are doors to God. When the Sunni Moghul emperors persecuted the Sikhs and their gurus, Sikh religion took to militancy and those who died for the panth ( gurus' path) became martyrs.
Human beings have evolved many paths to the Reality ie various Yoga systems; Tibetan, Zen, Vipassana and other Buddhist Margs, Jewish Kabbalah, Christian Hesychasm, Gurdjief way, Sufi Tariqas and Transcendental Meditation (TM) in modern times for spiritually challenged materialists. The masses accept what the saints and holy men they trust teach them.
(K Gajendra Singh, served as Indian Ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan in 1992-96. Prior to that, he served as ambassador to Jordan (during the 1990-91 Gulf war), Romania and Senegal. He is currently chairman of the Foundation for Indo-Turkic Studies. The views expressed here are his own.- firstname.lastname@example.com)


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What people say about our workshops:
"Style and knowledge are both excellent. Engaging speakers who appear to be experts in the content" – May 2016
"Invigorating, empowering, excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Phil & Peter, thank you for putting things in perspective for us, keeping us motivated and greatly
inspired, empowering us to believe in ourselves as agents of change in the organisation"
"'Excellent from beginning to end – best I've had in a long, long time"
"'Fantastic and entertaining as always"

subset: commoncrawl


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Good Friday morning. It never seemed "Good" to me. Jesus death was always heinous and callous, demonic even. We can wait until Sunday to use the word "good". No, today is Uncomfortable Friday.
Then one day, one year, it was "good". The Good Friday Agreement was for celebration. The Resurrection of Northern Ireland, through a peace agreement, after decades of black Fridays and Bloody Sundays had a new start.
Today, both Jesus passion and that political agreement have been rumbling and tumbling around my head as my heart breaks for Lyra McKee a brilliant young Belfast born journalist and author who was senselessly shot dead on the streets of Derry/Londonderry, late on Thursday night.
That is the very worst of Good Friday news headlines. I have sat, a little stunned, incredibly sad, surmising, praying, wrestling a little with God.
We have had no Local Assembly at Stormont for over two years, the leaders of our leading parties seem so lost in their outdated ideologies that they refuse to get off their high horses to deliver health, education, economic development and most important of all peace.
Brexit has thrown the islands of Britain and Ireland into chaos bringing with it more uncertainty, some fear and more polarisation. The media interviews about up and coming Council Elections are haranguing matches about blaming and demonising the other without ever getting to any of the issues that would be dealt with in Councils!
Jesus is about to get killed, the hopes of the Good Friday Agreement are teetering and now one of our finest young talents is murdered on our streets. Lyra's death exposes the futility of such acts.
Dissident Republicans living in outdated ideologies need to understand that neither will softer Unionists who might be eventually convinced of a United Ireland be bullied into one nor will the Republic Of Ireland ever agree to take on a Northern Ireland that is at war and out of control. Lyra's murder further thwarts the Dissidents ambitions.
So, I have sat looking for hope in all of this. It took some time. Then the old faithful started singing.
In November 2015, days after the mass shooting during the Eagles Of Death Metal concert at Paris's Bataclan U2 were playing in Belfast. Bono tweaked a line from the song Song For Someone that would re appear in a slightly different guise on their next record Songs Of Experience:
"I know there's so many reasons to doubt
But there is a light
Don't let it go out"
Whether it is my way of life in trying to follow Jesus or the peace process in Northern Ireland there are those who would seek to snuff out all of our light.
Today's sadness at Lyra McKee's death will neither disappear or be denied by my hope in the light. Indeed, Lyra's partner Sara will not find that resurrection light of Easter Sunday heal their deeper sounds of heart and soul so quickly. I will naively believe that the events might eventually connect and pray for Sara and Lyra's family that Jesus would be proven right when he called the Holy Spirit 'a comforter'.
BUT… in the pain and despair and fear and uncertainty I will Bono… with so many reasons this morning to doubt… I will not let that light go out.


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As I woke on Sunday morning I reached out, as I always do, to my bedside table to check my phone. I had an e-mail from YouTube - "Comment posted on your video 'Gary Speed Tribute'". The comment simply said 'R.I.P. Gary'. My initial thought was "what the hell does that mean?" The possibility that Speed was dead didn't even register with me, despite the comment being as blatant as it possibly could be.
As I got up and headed to the shower my mind cleared and the gravity of the comment hit me - R.I.P. Gary. Hold on a minute - could Speed be dead? I immediately grabbed my phone again and typed the words "Gary Speed" into a Google search. Ignoring the first result, which was actually a news story about that mornings breaking tragedy, my eyes were instinctively drawn to the second result - Gary Speed's Wikipedia entry. There, in a preview of the article itself, were the words: Gary Andrew Speed, MBE (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh football player and manager.
I was stunned. Gary Speed was dead. My immediate instinct was to call my dad, the man who steered me from a young age towards following Leeds United. He hadn't yet wakened so hadn't heard. I informed him of the news and as I hung up the phone I tried to compose myself. What had happened? My immediate thought was a tragic car accident or something similar. Certainly not anything sinister. Further internet investigation revealed the truth. For the rest of Sunday, and everyday since to be honest; my thoughts haven't strayed far from Gary Speed.
As a child I remember vividly the Christmas of 1993. Squad numbers and names on shirts had become the new thing in football and I was delighted to wake up on Christmas morning to my shiny new white Leeds home shirt. And on the back? Only one choice: Speed 11. In fact on the street I grew up on, in a small Northern Irish town, there were two other kids - brothers - that supported Leeds. They too had 'Speed 11' on their shirts. Why Speed? To us he was the superstar of the team, the young, handsome, home-grown winger, capable of scoring spectacular goals and always giving 100%. In that famous midfield quartet of Strachan, McAllister, Batty and Speed, the latter two were the old heads, the responsible players, the players your dad related too. David Batty's role was difficult for a small child to appreciate. His game centred around crunching tackles and he scored few goals. He was unglamorous. Speed was the young maverick. Arguments would inevitably ensue as to who got to "be" Gary Speed when we had a kick about.
It's a hobby of mine to compile video tributes to my favourite Leeds players past and present. Just last week I compiled one for Gary Speed. Going back through all that old footage was wonderful - from "go on Gary Speed, get one yourself son" through to his final season at Leeds, reliving those childhood memories is a big reason why I enjoy making those videos so much. From 305 views before the news broke of Speed's death, the current view count sits at just north of 222,000. That is the measure of people that have been affected by his passing. The heart-felt comments left on the video range from the clubs he played for to their biggest rivals. Leeds and Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool. Why? Because Gary Speed was the kind of player any supporter would have wanted in their team. He wasn't quite world-class, but he could hold his own on any pitch and he always gave his all. He was never in the front pages of the papers. He was never even really a player talked about much. He was simply a constant, something taken for granted. Gary Speed's name would always be on the team sheet, and he would always give 100%.
On Tuesday night in Nottingham the travelling Leeds support gave Gary the send-off he deserved. The chanting of his name sent shivers down my spine as I listened on the radio. The players also responded with a top class performance. The timing of the first goal, just as the 11 minutes of non-stop chanting of his name ended; was like something out of a fairytale. Today I booked flights I can't really afford so that I can be at Elland Road this Saturday. Win, lose or draw I just have to be there so that I can chant the name of Gary Speed alongside my fellow Leeds supporters. I have never wanted to attend any game as much in my life.
It's hard to explain why the death of a footballer has had such a profound affect on me. It's hard to understand myself. Gary Speed was part of a Leeds team that delivered, a team I was in awe of as a small child. A team that has not been bettered since. The life of a football supporter, especially a Leeds one; can be a heartbreaking and cynical experience. In this day and age players come and go with such frequency an emotional bond is hard to establish between them and the fans. In 1992, with the advent of Sky, football changed forever. The days of the same group of players staying together under one manager over a prolonged period of years is gone. Testimonials are a thing of the past. Gary Speed broke into the Leeds team in 1988 and stayed there until 1996. To think he also served seven years at Newcastle is pretty remarkable.
As a child my VHS tape of the 1991/1992 title winning season was almost worn out because I watched it that much. In adulthood it is viewed with less frequency but still at least a couple of times a year. Last night I watched it and the feeling of nostalgic joy I usually get from it was tinged with sadness. I suspect this will now forevermore be the case. On Sunday 27th November 2011 Gary Speed chose to end his own life. The reasons why may never be revealed or understood. All I know is that with him died a very important piece of my childhood. But, tainted as they are with sadness, the memories live on and for me they always will. For that, Gary Speed, I thank you. Rest in peace.


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Parisian DJ and composer, Arnaud Malherbe AKA LaNoiraude began producing in 1999, when he bought his first sampler. Released in 2001, His first maxi 'Love Linge' (Missive) was well received by both the press and public. More releases ensued on Missive, Battle, Initial Cuts and Dialect recordings, gaining support from DJs and producers including Laurent Garnier, M.A.N.D.Y, Joe Claussel, Âme, Dixon, Idjut Boys, Rainer Trüby, Rob Mello, Daniel Bell and Quentin Harris.
The aptly titled 'Safari Through Unusual Layers' presents the different facets of his vast musical universe as well as chronicles of key events of his personal life.
From 'Les Yeux Secs'', tale of a painful break-up, to 'Hit By Cops', the title of which says it all, we're taken on a journey through House, Techno, Ambient and African territories. The album offers several dancefloor burners - 'Mbife' feat Fania, 'After Hours' feat. jjscenario, 'Mechanical Traction' and 'Hit By Cops' - as well as more delicately arranged compositions - 'Khen Hook', 'Bloom Doudouk', 'Wild Spaghetti' and 'Stayin' Home' - combining electronic and analogue layers in a very soulful and introspective way.
The album features great collaborations from talented musicians and singers Didier Malherbe (from legendary band Gong), Wilder Zoby, Jeremy Wilms and Yusuke Yamamoto of Chin Chin (signed to Dialect), Gilles Lamberton, Fania and jjscenario
Recent News
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September 4, 2007 at 7:21 PM CEST


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Ixazomib emerges as potential maintenance therapy for MM
Patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM) following induction and conditioning therapy and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) may derive survival benefit from maintenance therapy with ixazomib, according to the phase III TOURMALINE-MM3* trial.
"Ixazomib represents a new treatment option for maintenance after transplantation," said study author Professor Meletios Dimopoulos from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece, who presented the findings at ASH 2018.
"This … is a very important study because it is the first placebo-controlled trial that evaluated an oral proteasome inhibitor as maintenance showing that this can improve progression-free survival [PFS] with a good safety profile … [increasing] the options of maintenance therapy for newly diagnosed patients," said study co-author Dr Francesca Gay from the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria City of Health and Science of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Participants in this multinational (167 sites in 30 countries), double-blind trial were 656 adults (median age, 57 years) with MM with a partial response following standard-of-care induction therapy plus high-dose melphalan conditioning therapy (200 mg/m2) and single ASCT within 12 months of diagnosis. They were randomized to receive oral ixazomib (3 mg for cycles 1–4, increased to 4 mg from cycle 5 if tolerated; n=395) or placebo (n=261) on days 1, 8, and 15 in 28-day cycles for 26 cycles.
At a median 31-month follow up, ixazomib recipients had a 39 percent improvement in PFS compared with placebo recipients (median, 26.5 vs 21.3 months, hazard ratio, 0.72, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.58–0.89; p=0.0023). [ASH 2018, abstract 301; Lancet 2018;doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)33003-4]
"The treatment advantage of ixazomib over placebo was noticed in most of the subgroups analysed and in particular … in patients with high-risk disease that currently represent an unmet medical need," said Gay.
Ixazomib recipients also demonstrated greater depth of response compared with placebo recipients with 43 percent of ixazomib recipients demonstrating improvement from very good partial response (VGPR) at study entry to complete response (CR) compared with 32 percent of placebo recipients, and 53 percent vs 34 percent demonstrating improvement from partial response to CR or VGPR.
The PFS benefit was observed regardless of minimal residual disease (MRD) status at study entry with a median 38.6 vs 32.5 months among ixazomib vs placebo recipients who were MRD negative at study entry and a median 23.1 vs 18.5 months among those who were MRD positive at study entry. A greater proportion of ixazomib than placebo recipients who were MRD positive at study entry converted to MRD negativity (12 percent vs 7 percent).
Median overall survival has not been reached in either arm.
Incidence of new primary malignancy was comparable between ixazomib and placebo recipients (3 percent in each group). Serious adverse events (AEs) occurred in 27 and 20 percent of ixazomib and placebo recipients, respectively, with a 7 percent vs 5 percent rate of AE-related discontinuations. There was one on-study death among ixazomib recipients and none among placebo recipients.
Common grade ≥3 AEs in the ixazomib and placebo groups were infections (15 percent vs 8 percent), gastrointestinal disorders (6 percent vs 1 percent), neutropenia (5 percent vs 3 percent), and thrombocytopenia (5 percent vs <1 percent).
"Patients tolerated therapy extremely well with very few increases in serious side effects in the ixazomib arm compared with placebo," said study co-author Professor Vincent Rajkumar from the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, US.
Relapse following ASCT is almost inevitable in MM, with maintenance therapy following ASCT potentially delaying disease progression and prolonging survival, said Dimopoulos.
Although lenalidomide is approved as maintenance therapy, treatment discontinuation occurs due to treatment-emergent AEs, he said. [N Engl J Med 2012;366:1782-1791; N Engl J Med 2012;366:1770-1781] Furthermore, the heterogeneity of MM calls for more maintenance treatment options.
"Lenalidomide gives a longer PFS so it's probably the more preferred agent," said Rajkumar.
"Ixazomib can be considered for patients who are not able to tolerate lenalidomide or who have no access to lenalidomide or maybe some patients who have high-risk myeloma for whom lenalidomide does not work that well," he added.


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In last week's post, I laid out several streams of income that Mr. ThreeYear and I expect to utilize during early retirement. That led me to remember all the times we've had side hustles during our fifteen years together.
Mr. ThreeYear and I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit that runs through our collective veins.
I grew up as the daughter of a small-business owner. Although my dad was a pediatrician, he was also the owner and operator of his practice, and I grew up listening to him talk about managing his business for ultimate profitability. He was great at utilizing available resources to help him grow his practice in an extremely poor region of the country (rural South Carolina). Seventy-five percent of his patients received Medicaid, and despite the very low payout rates for those patients, he applied for government subsidies and programs to not only allow his business to survive, but to thrive. When he sold his practice a few years ago, he had over 14,000 pediatric patients in a town of only 4,600 inhabitants!
My husband grew up in a similarly resourceful household. His father built a small storefront on the front of his house, and ran a mini-market from their house for years. Mr. ThreeYear helped his dad make sandwiches to sell for workers at lunch time, homemade pickles, and other profitable sundries that would provide income for their families.
So, when Mr. ThreeYear and I got married, we of course pooled our collective knowledge and tried out many side hustles and businesses.
Here's a list of all of the businesses we've had over the years, with a (completely subjective) score next to it of how worthwhile it was, based on time required and profitability. Over the years, as we've become more financially stable, we take on less and less of these side hustles, but it's nice to know that we can create these streams of income should we need them.
1. Selling old stuff on eBay. Score: B.
When we lived in Atlanta, and were working to get out of debt, Mr. ThreeYear found a lot of treasures at local yard sales, especially electronics, and would resell them on eBay for a profit. He found an old iMac computer that was "broken" at a yard sale, dusted it off and cleaned it up to get it working again, and sold it for $400 on eBay. He also found a lot of Bose speakers and sold those for a handy profit. This business gets a B because it depended on what we were able to find at yard sales, and was very inconsistent for profit.
2. "Flipping" cars. Score: D.
Mr. ThreeYear, in our early years of marriage, would buy used cars in good condition (in cash) from wholesalers in the Atlanta area, drive them for a couple of months, then sell them on Craigslist. This wasn't meant to be a business, per se. Mr. ThreeYear just really enjoys buying cars. He would usually buy a car, spend a bit of money on it, then sell it to break even. (He did sell his beloved Acura MDX when we were getting out of debt to give us extra money to kill our debt faster, and found a smaller Audi that cost half as much). This could have probably been a successful business had he dedicated more time to it. As it was, it was a hobby that paid for itself. Mr. ThreeYear could try out lots of different cars without having to eat the depreciation. This "business" worked because we lived in Atlanta and had access to so many great used cars. Also, any mechanical work was super cheap, because Mr. ThreeYear had some awesome "friends" that did work very inexpensively.
3. Selling refurbished computers on eBay. Score: A.
This is another Mr. ThreeYear business. He has an eye for electronics, and will regularly scour our recycling center (aka "The Dump") for discarded computers and components. Then, he'll fix them up and sell them on eBay. Two years ago, he decided he wanted to make some extra money for a MacBook, so he took the business up a notch, and started selling a bunch of laptops he'd collected over the years. He ended up earning around $1000. This business has been successful because he's able to find computers and components and fix them, ultimately taking them out of the landfill (literally) and selling them. The only negative about this side hustle is that eBay takes a cut of earnings, and getting stuff to the post office is a bit of a pain, because we don't have pick up where we live. We have to take everything in to the post office, when it's open, in a timely manner. Also, if you sell on eBay, be prepared to deal with people who will send stuff back for the silliest reasons. It's just part of the business.
4. Spanish tutor. Score: B.
When my youngest son was a baby, I signed up as a Spanish tutor on WyzAnt and found some great clients. I tutored three nights a week after Mr. ThreeYear got home. It was great because I was able to get out of the house after a long day of being home with two young children, speak Spanish, and earn extra money. WyzAnt took a portion of my earnings, but I still earned a decent $30/hour as a tutor. Plus, my clients were so great–a mom and her stepsons who all wanted to improve their Spanish. The only reason I give this a B is because it took a lot of time in the evenings, and I had to travel to their house, which was a little far.
5. Freelance editor. Score: B.
After we left Santiago and had moved to Atlanta, I was offered a chance to edit business cases for some friends back at the Universidad Catolica de Chile, where I'd worked. They were working for the very prestigious Harvard University Social Enterprise Knowledge Network, writing business cases on corporate social responsibility in Spanish, then translating them to English. My job was to vet the English business cases. Their standards were obviously very high, but the work was very interesting and I got to put Harvard on my resume! They paid a decent amount for Chile, but by US standards it was fairly low, and it was time-intensive, so I eventually let this side gig go once I had a full-time job in the US.
6. Insurance translation. Score: A.
Over the years, Mr. ThreeYear and I have taken translation jobs from an insurance rep friend of my dad's. A specific company needs the information translated into Spanish. Mr. ThreeYear does the body of the translation. I help a little with formatting and invoicing. The jobs don't take too long and pay well, so this has been a consistent stream of extra cash.
7. Translation for NGO. Score: C.
When we lived in Santiago, we had the opportunity to take on several translation jobs (Mr. ThreeYear took on English to Spanish and I took on Spanish to English). I was much more optimistic about our ability to take on translating than was Mr. ThreeYear, whose profession it actually was. He explained to me, over time, that you have to be an expert in different areas in order to be an effective translator. There was one time when I was asked to take on a translation for a prestigious NGO that I should not have taken on. It was a huge job, and my contact needed me to translate it very quickly, while I was juggling a full-time job. The job paid well, which was why I took it, but in hindsight, it was too difficult and I didn't have enough time to devote to it. I finished the job, but because I wasn't an expert in this particular area (Latin American economics), I did not do a great job with this translation and I was not asked to translate any more documents from this particular organization!
8. Buying and selling copper pots. Score: D.
Early in our marriage, Mr. ThreeYear and I found a coppersmith living in the Santiago neighborhood where he grew up. These beautiful pots were handmade, hand-pounded, made of a thick outer shell of copper and an inner shell of aluminum. They were beautiful! We thought we'd buy a bunch, ship them to the US, and sell them for a handsome profit. There were just a couple of problems with this plan: one, our wholesale price was too high for us to make a profit, two, the cost of shipping one tenth of a container to the US was astronomical, and three, we had no distributors in the US. We did zero cost analysis before we undertook this business. We ended up giving away a lot of pots and pans as gifts, and my parents still have some in their attic. The only redeeming part of this business was we learned a lot through all of our mistakes.
9. Blogging. Score: B.
I love, love, love to blog! But it currently costs money to run the blog, versus making money, so I have to give it a B. One day I hope it makes enough money to support the back-end costs.
I'm sure I've forgotten one or ten side hustles that we've undertaken over the years. Everything we've done, though, has improved our skill set in hustling and making money. Our businesses have taught us about interacting with clients and customers, and we've learned what works and what doesn't. We've also developed self-confidence because we've never limited ourselves to one way to earn money.
What's your most memorable side hustle? What grade would you give yourself?


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You divide your employable skills into the categories of hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are your technical or functional abilities that apply directly to your job title (i.e. accountant, engineer, project manager). Soft skills apply more to your personal characteristics and work ethic such as effective communication, problem resolution, customer service, and team collaboration.
Soft Skills versus Hard Skills
A common perception in the employment arena is that companies prefer candidates who can rapidly perform at the same level of momentum as the rest of the organization. Therefore, they place more emphasis on the hard skills. This is not the case. Your soft skills are vital to the organization's ability to function effectively both internally and in their industry. Employers cannot discount soft skills when considering a candidate for hire because these characteristics are necessary for a company to maintain a high level of professionalism and customer satisfaction.
One of the reasons soft skills are so important in the workplace is because the tide is shifting in terms of customer relations. Companies hoping to maintain a position in the marketplace are recognizing that service is the new selling. Rather than talking about themselves and their products and services, companies are focusing more on identifying the problems that their customers face and solving those problems. Therefore, your ability to effectively listen, communicate, and solve problems is extremely valuable in any organization.
Do You Have the Required Soft Skills?
When it comes to evaluating soft skills, the challenge for employers is in vetting these skills that candidates present on their resumes. Your responsibility is to not only tout these skills, but prove them as well. Historically, you might have been able to simply say that you're a "people person," "team player," and an "efficient communicator." It's too easy to just cite these skills on your resume without really validating them and a lot of job candidates do it. Instead, you need to backup these claims with substantial proof. The following are a few examples:
- Proficient Communicator: Trained over 100 employees on a new product tracking system that reduced customer-order turnaround time from two weeks to four days.
- Team Builder: Key player on team that improved customer satisfaction by redesigning the department's quality control process.
- Problem Solver: Compiled and evaluated customer input and developed new company-wide customer service policies and procedures.
Employers who are hoping to remain competitive in their markets place an equal amount of emphasis on your soft skills as they do your functional skills. You can elevate your success in the job market by presenting these skills in a way that employers will immediately recognize that they are valid and can be a valuable asset to their organization.


text: "Configuring Source Address Selection Policy by Neighbor Discovery Protocol for IPv6", Tomohiro Fujisaki http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-arifumi-ipv6-nd-source-address-select-02.txt This document describes a Neighbor Discovery IPv6 Source Address Selection(SAS) Policy option for distributing of source address selection policies to end nodes. This option is particularly effective when a consumer site has multiple address blocks. Every end node is guided by such a policy in selecting an appropriate source address for each destination address. This makes it possible for an end node to set up a connection without concern for transfer failures due to ingress filtering by ISPs, for ISP operators to manage user behavior and networking policy, and for consumers to be provided with networks that are almost automatically robust and reliable. 2005-01-31T08:00:00-00:00


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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Australia or New Zealand (01/15/09)
TITLE: Love Letters | Previous Challenge Entry
By Diana Smith
My Dearest Emily,
Last night the moon emerged from hiding and shone on the huddled group around me. Would you believe that it was the twin of the moon we saw on New Brighton Beach that night? I gazed at my round friend and dreamed we were walking hand in hand, planning our years together. What was that name you picked for our firstborn son? I think I remember - Hamish was it? Were you truly angry when I laughed and insisted not? No matter now, any name would do were we to be blessed with a child.
The moon retreated and has not come out since. The sound of far off field guns and the constant murmur of the men invade my dreaming and bring me back to reality. As you may remember from my last letter, our brigades have been in good spirits since the battle at Amiens and have been pressing steadily across the French countryside. It's rumoured that we are headed for the German-occupied town of Le Quesnoy. I've heard that the outer walls are penetrable and that it can be taken with only minor casualties.
That reminds me of your words the morning I shipped out, can you recall them? "Men die in war," you said. "Don't be one of them Peter." I'm glad to say I'm not one yet, but it has been difficult when death befalls others I care about.
How are my mother and sister? Taking care I hope. Please give them my love and take a boatload for yourself as well. The enemy is growing weaker; I can feel it in my cold bones. Could I hold you close this summer and smell the sea in your hair? Pray for that.
Until then I will bask in the memories of you.
Love Peter
Christchurch, New Zealand, late October 1918
Dear Sweet Peter,
I remember that moon fondly as well as our discussion about children. That seems awfully long ago and I'm anxious to talk with you about it again.
I was very proud to hear of the bravery and victory at Amiens and overjoyed that you stayed firmly in the camp of the survivors. The talk here is that the war may end soon; the Germans are retreating and so forth. Home is just beyond the horizon my dear.
All is not rosy here though. The flu is spreading rapidly and we are working to exhaustion. Nursing is normally rewarding labor, but this outbreak has loaded us down dramatically. My rounds begin at the local depot administering the dosages of medicines and salt gargles. Most of the infected there do not eat much but need plenty of fluids and the more serious cases need stimulants every four hours. Then I take the bicycle to the homes beyond the town, down the Smith Road and around that loop. It hurts me to report that Old Man Peters and his son Doug have succumbed to the illness. What will his wife do now?
There are other rumours here, mainly that the newest outbreak has been brought in by the P.M. himself. A few weeks ago, Massey and Ward were aboard the RMS Niagara when it docked in Auckland. Word has it that their refusal to be quarantined allowed the ship to be cleared. There were six reported cases of the flu onboard and it has been said that those have birthed many more. I don't have the strength right now to be concerned with the how, only with the care of those already infected. Ease your mind with the assurance that I wear my mask diligently and sleep with windows wide open for ventilation.
Please forgive my complaints. I am sure New Zealand is a much finer place than France these days and you would give anything to be here. I would love to feel your embrace and if I take the time to dream, it is of us picnicking in the Botanical Gardens or sharing tea at your mum's. Those days will come my love, I am sure.
With Adoration,
The town of Le Quesnoy, France was liberated on 4 November 1918 through a spectacular attack by the New Zealand Division. A battlefield memorial stands there today.
The Spanish Flu pandemic spread throughout the world. New Zealand was hit dramatically with over 8000 citizens dying of the disease.
Peter and Emily had two sons, Peter Jr. and Hamish.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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EUR99 per EXPERT TIPS
EUR169 per PROFESSIONAL TIPS
EUR229 per GENUINE BETS
Soccer-advise.com is the tipster I rely most and I have reasons to believe on this site. This website plays fair game that is to calculate winning probabilities of contesting teams. And it never supports match fixing or gives fixed match tips.AverieSingapore
Posted on 2018-01-04 | 22:07:41
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text: Fiery Jack 69 Report post Posted March 21, 2015 Touchdown on Thursday afternoon. Nana Hotel please. Check in 5pm. Bag dumped. Key dropped. Start the show slowly with five happy hour pints of stout in the Irish pub near Bus Stop on Soi Nana. Hanratty's? Hanrahans? Some murderous name. It's shit and expensive (100 sheets a pint even during guzzler's hour) but it's air conditioned thus not treacle-muggy, and you don't get hassled by slack old bangers who look like extras from the Addams Family and want 'to be your friend' (see under Morning Night/Stumble Inn as poetically rendered, with some poignancy, in that old six-triggered rogue Fiery Jack's second last brilliant Trip Report). The birds that serve in Hanratty's/Hanrahan's are all tastier than the beer too (though no doubt much more expensive): I tip my trilby to the manager. The one that brought me a dull-looking platter of cardboard 'fish and chips' was full of fun and wouldn't have looked out of place at Rainbow (or on the end of my cock, come to think of it). Lovely tits and nipples like chapel hat pegs under a Liverpool (or was it Chelsea?) shirt that looked like it had been sprayed on by a particularly skilful pervert. Or maybe that's the manager's job as well as hiring? If so, I tip my titfer in his direction once more. I thought about suing the menu writer, for in my fish-and-chip dish fish there was none. Plenty of batter, but scant piscatorial flesh to speak of. I had a sixth pint and staggered out into the treacherous arms of another sultry Thai March night. Get as far as Golden Beer Bar where I hurtle into the leery intoxicated gaze thence wide-open arms of a not unattractive freelancer I do not know from Adam but who claims she 'have good boom boom' with me in January. Good news: the memory's gone but the pussy radar's still functioning, even under a fierce deluge of beer, it seems. Why not? I accompany her to my Nana Hotel room and have my first soberish (though not sobering) sex for some time. She is kind and attentive. I feel less than lonely awhile: this is okay. I will remember this hour, and some things I thought were frightening won't be so scary any more. We part cordially in the Nana lobby after, my wallet 2000 baht lighter, cheap price to pay for the way I feel now. She heads 'home'; I enter Nana Plaza. It's all a storm of tequila and Heineken thereafter, waking at 5am in my room with a chubby young bird, of who's provenance I am unaware (Rainbow 4? I remember being in there at some point, but she seems too rough-looking. Maybe a takeaway from Nana car park? That would seem to be more her league) pulling her pants up awkwardly beside my bed whilst trying to keep a towel on (a sort of poor persons' arse-backwards Houdini act) and three discarded condoms on the carpet (all empty). She trousers 3000 baht and bids me farewell. No idea whether I shagged her or not. If I were a gambling man, I'd bet on the latter (though the odds would not be good). What was that I was saying about the FJ Pussy Radar still being reliable even under a gallon of wines and spirits? Maybe not. (But I shagged the other one, and it was sublime. Swings and roundabouts, and the moral is, just keep moving.) I rise at 11 with a heavy heart and a whore of a hangover. I write this. More will follow. jack Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
Lack of Progress on Child Health, Well-Being Assailed
Characterizing the 1980's as a "decade of destruction" for children, a new report documents substantial increases in the numbers of children living in poverty, giving birth as unmarried teenagers, and suffering violent deaths.
In addition, the nation made little or no progress in stemming the proportion of low-birthweight babies or boosting high-school graduation rates, notes the "Kids Count Data Book," prepared by the Center for the Study of Social Policy with funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
"Violence and poverty, poor health, teen parenthood, and school failure dim the future of millions of children," says the report, which charts national and state progress on eight measures of child and adolescent health, education, social, and economic well-being.
The report rates Vermont as the furthest ahead on a composite of those measures and the District of Columbia as the furthest behind.
The report points out that Vermont was the only state that by the end of the 1980's had already met goals set by the U.S. Public Health Service to stem infant-mortality and child-death rates by the year 2000. Minnesota was the only state already meeting the goal of a 90 percent high-school graduation rate by 2000 set by the nation's governors and President Bush.
By 1989, the report says, more than 12 million children, or 20.1 percent, were growing up in poverty, up from 16 percent in 1980. While the share of children in poverty rose in 41 states and the District of Columbia, seven states--Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont--saw declines in that percentage.
The report also showed that black and Hispanic children are far more likely to be poor than white children, but that the rate of white and Hispanic child poverty grew far more rapidly than that of black children in the 1980's. The proportion of white and Hispanic children in poverty increased by 36 percent and 31 percent, respectively, while the share of black children in poverty rose by 16 percent.
Births to unmarried teenagers rose from 271,801 in 1980 to 322,406 in 1988, with about 40 states report ing an increase in out-of-wedlock births to teenagers over the decade.
While Southern states generally had the highest percentages of births to unmarried teenagers, the greatest increases were reported in Western states.
The report showed the incidence of teenagers dying violently as a result of accident, suicide, or murder increased by 12 percent between 1984 and 1988, with 33 states and the District of Columbia showing rates higher than the national average.
Reversing the pattern that held early in the decade, black teenagers--whose rate of death by vio lence rose by 51 percent between 1984 and 1988--were far more like ly to die violent deaths than white teenagers by the decade's end, ac cording to the report.
While 33 states and the District of Columbia saw some improvement in their high-school graduation rates in the 1980's, the report de cried the lack of "substantial improvements." It noted, for example, that the national high-school gradu ation rate made only a 2 percent im provement--from 69.7 percent to 71.2 percent--from 1982 to 1988.
"This small increase did not keep pace with the increase in per-pupil expenditures over the same period," which, when adjusted for inflation, rose by 26 percent, the report noted.
Other indicators in which progress was said to be "stalled" over the decade were the percent of low-birthweight babies--which increased slightly--and health-insurance provision for children, one in five of whom still has no public or private coverage.
On an encouraging note, the re port showed infant-mortality rates improved in every state between 1980 and 1988, and the rate of death for children ages 1 to 14 fell in 48 states and the District of Columbia.
It noted, however, that a black baby is still twice as likely as a white baby to die during the first year of life, and that, at the current rate of progress, the nation is not likely to meet the Public Health Service's target goal for reducing infant mor tality by the year 2000.
At a presentation on the data book by the Center for the Study of Social Policy last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation announced the award of $350,000 in grants to help eight states produce annual profiles on the condition of children.
The grants, awarded to children's organizations and state agencies in Arizona, California, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, and South Carolina, are de signed to improve data collection on child well-being, make such infor mation more accessible to policykers and the public, and aid in strategies to "improve outcomes for children."
The foundation also awarded a $150,000 grant to the filmmaker Roger Weisberg for a film on chil dren in poverty to air on the Public Broadcasting Service.
For more information on the "Kids Count Data Book," contact the Center for the Study of Social Policy, 1250 I St., N.W., Suite 503, Washington, D.C. 20005.
Vol. 10, Issue 20, Page 9Published in Print: February 6, 1991, as Lack of Progress on Child Health, Well-Being Assailed
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Nose to flank
Head down
Yielding to physical aids: exercises
Yielding to physical aids
Head down
Head down
Karine Vandenborre
Oct 16 2014
Yielding to physical aids
The exercise
head down
is a Groundwork exercise
. In this exercise, we teach the horse to yield to light physical aids (yielding to pressure) behind the ears (in the neck) or on the nose.
The horse learns to yield downwards.
When you work with a rope halter, the
horse yields to physical aids behind the ears
. When you work with a cavesson, the horse tends to yield to the downward pressure on the nose. Therefore, it is good to train with both tools. This way, your horse learns both (yielding to pressure in the neck + yielding to downward pressure on the nose).
Relaxation exercise
Head down is a relaxation exercise, because a horse that can keep his/her head down long enough calms down. In this posture, a horse produces endorphins.
A tense horse brings his/her head up; a relaxed horse brings his/her head down
. Hence, if your horse is slightly nervous or tense, you can help him/her by doing this exercise.
What do you need?
A rope halter or cavesson and a lead rope.
What do you do?
You close your hand around the lead rope and let your arm hang down, thus creating a subtle downward pressure. The horse is supposed to
learn to follow this pressure
, and lower the head consequently.
To what do you pay attention?
That you work in
That you
use static pressure
(so don't go pulling, and make a clear distinction between the various phases)
That you
work with feelin
Your own safet
y. For example, never put your head above the head of your horse. You may get a headbutt if your horse suddenly pushes his/her head back up.
What are the phases?
Phase 1
Very subtle pressure
: you close your hand very lightly around the rope and let your arm hang down. The weight of your arm is phase one. You do this for 4 to 5 seconds in the training mode.
Phase 2
A clearer pressur
e = a hand firmly closed. Again, hold for 4 to 5 sec.
Phase 3
You move your tightly closed hand slowly from side to side without letting go of pressure
for 4 to 5 seconds. This causes the head of the horse to move slowly from side to side too. Most horses lower their head, because this movement relaxes the back muscles, causing the head to go down. Instead of moving from side to side, you can also knead the rope, without fully letting go of the pressure.
Phase 4
. If the horse does not yield to phase 3,
help the horse by luring him downwards by putting your other hand under the snout
. Meanwhile, keep applying phase 3. The horse can yield (= give) in phase 1, 2, 3 or 4. In whatever stage the horse gives, please give immediately too.
This is a good exercise for
teaching your horse the
concept of yielding to physical aids
. The more places the horse understands this, the better your horse will yield.
down your horse
using as a
check exercise
: if the horse already knows this, you can check regularly whether the horse responds to your aids; in other words, whether he/she wants to follow the direction and speed of your aids.
preparing the horse for the
'forward-down' posture during the work in hand
How can I make this exercise more difficult?
Your horse understands this exercise if he smoothly yields in phase 1, sometimes phase 2, and if he remains still. The horse keeps his head down for a few seconds before pushing his head up again. If you ask him to low his head again, your horse complies. If your horse knows the exercise 'head down,' you
make this exercise last longer
, such as 1 minute or even 2 minutes. You can also
perform this exercise in more difficult situations
, such as in the streets, where more distractions occur. The following step is that your horse yields to your fingers
applying slight physical pressure on the neck
, instead of to the rope halter. Another exercise is that you
ask the head down from the partner position when walking
. Consequently, you no longer perform the exercise standing still but when moving.
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text:
Diedrich Bader is returning to TV Land's comedy The Exes, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.
Bader, who appeared in an episode last season, will reprise his role as Paul, an attorney who Holly (Kristen Johnston) works with. Holly has a major crush on Paul and when he returns after recovering from a heart attack, she's determined to tell him how she really feels.
The Exes Exclusive First Look: The boys head to couples' therapy
Paula Jai Parker (Hustle & Flow) will also appear in the episode, which is slated to air August 8.
The Exes airs Wednesdays at 10:30/9:30c on TV Land.


text:
A weekly look back at sports in the Lehigh Valley, in anniversaries of multiples of five years.
December 22
2004—Palisades offensive lineman Keith Weaver is the lone local representative on the Associated Press Class 2A All-State first team.
1994—East Stroudsburg University senior and Northampton graduate Steve Hynes is named to the first team of the Associated Press Little All-American team. The 6-4, 290-point offensive tackle is the fourth Warrior named to the first team. Kutztown junior linebacker John Mobley is a second-team pick.
1994—Pius X kicker Brian Menecola is named to the first team of the Associated Press Small School All-State team. Menecola was successful on 40 of 41 conversion kicks and on eight of nine field goals, including from 50, 44 and 42 yards for the Eastern Conference Class A champions.
December 23
2004—Courtney Molinaro scores 20 points and Central Catholic records the 1,000th victory since girls basketball began at the school in 1947 in a 55-47 win over Emmaus.
December 24
1994—The Associated Press Big School All-State squad features four local players on the first team: Central Catholic defensive lineman Marc LaPadula, Bethlehem Catholic quarterback Dan Kendra, Southern Lehigh offensive lineman Noel LaMontagne, and Stroudsburg punter Andy McClay. Kendra threw for 1,988 yards and 12 touchdowns while running for 748 yards and 12 more scores, and LaMontagne is the first-ever Spartan named to the first team.
December 25
1959—The Allentown Jets of the Eastern Basketball League play an exhibition game against league rival Easton-Phillipsburg as a preliminary game to a New York Knicks-Boston Celtics NBA game at Madison Square Garden. A crowd of 15,906 watches the Jets down the Madisons 128-123 behind 7-foot-1 former Knick Ray Felix, who scores 26 points and grabs 15 rebounds. The Celtics win the main event, 123-119.
December 26
1974—Doug Hendricks scores 21 points including two key free throws with two minutes left, to help Upper Perkiomen beat Brandywine 59-52 and snap a 34-game losing streak. The win was the Indians' first since a win over Quakertown in the 1972-73 season.
December 28
2004—Southern Lehigh's Erin Owens scores 40 points in a 59-38 nonleague girls basketball win over Stroudsburg.
Contributions, subject to verification in The Morning Call's archives, can be submitted to email@example.com or by mail to The Morning Call's sports department, marked to the attention of "Flashback." To be considered for inclusion, items must be submitted three weeks before publication date.


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Missing Person
Matthew Dyet
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- Age at disappearance: 58
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- Reference No: 09-003054
- Download: a poster of Matthew Dyet


text:
Toronto restaurant owner getting through pandemic with a little help from a friend
TORONTO -- For more than 40 years, it's been a staple of Koreatown cuisine.
From homemade noodles to an assortment of soups and stews, Korean Village Restaurant has been place for people to gather and dine for generations.
"It was started by my parents" owner Jason Lee told CTV News Toronto. "My mom and dad came from South Korea. They came to Canada, decided to open up a restaurant, and 42 years later we're still here."
Inside the kitchen, the restaurants original chef works to prepare his specialty dishes- he's been here since the beginning. So too has Lee, who grew up watching his parents run a restaurant, and build connections throughout the community. On the walls, dozens of printed photos showing his mother Ok Re Lee with celebrities, as well as family photos from those who've become regulars here. Last October, Lee's mother died, and he took over the family's restaurant.
Then came Covid-19.
"It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do," Lee said. "I had to lay off the majority of our staff- almost 20 people."
Barely surviving on take-out and delivery orders, Lee faced the decision as to whether or not he could afford to reopen at the end of July, when limited indoor dining was allowed in Toronto. Many of his staff had returned to Korea, or found other jobs and he didn't have the financial resources to hire new ones.
That's when his friends, like Andrew Oporto, realized how difficult the situation had become.
"I saw how stressed Jason was. The business wasn't here. I came in and it was a ghost town."
Oporto says he offered to help in any way he could, but wasn't sure that his offer was taken seriously.
"People don't ask for help, and they're always 'I'm fine, I'm fine'- and you can see them physically struggling. So I sat the guy down and I was like ask me if you need help- and he finally did."
"I just kind of thought 'ok great- thanks'. But once I talked to my wife I realized- oh my gosh we need some help. So we asked Andrew and he's been here- working here for two weeks and we haven't paid him anything yet," Lee said.
For the past two weeks, Oporto, who normally works as a comedian and actor, has been waiting tables inside the Korean restaurant. And other than tips, he hasn't taken a dime to do so. Oporto says he hasn't been a server in over a decade, and the job comes with some challenges- including the fact he speaks no Korean.
"I don't know if you know Korean cuisine- there are a thousand little plates you have to bring out with each order that I had to get used to- including the names. Some of the Korean patrons that are regulars would stare at me and wonder why is this guy serving me?"
Oporto says he knows firsthand that the restaurant is more than just a business to Lee and his family, having visited it many times while growing up.
"(Lee) knows every single customer that comes in here. A lady just came the other day and brought him lasagna and tiramisu and a card, and she's been coming here for 20 years. He stops and he knows every single person's name here. And then I've met people through it so it's like- the reward for me is incredible. I love it.
Lee says he's still trying to figure out how to keep the restaurant afloat, but admits he couldn't have made it this far without his friends. Another friend has driven from Burlington just to wash dishes, and yet another has volunteered to serve.
Lee laughs when asked what his mother might think of his new volunteer staff member. "We've never had a non-Korean work in the front. I don't know how she'd think, I don't think she'd be upset but I'm hoping my mom would be proud that we're still carrying her legacy."
It's a legacy that Oporto says he'll help to keep alive at no cost.
"I'll be here as long as he needs, you know- so hopefully business starts booming here!"


text:
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At CBDFx, we don't mess around when it comes to delivering the very best CBD products possible. Unlike most companies that are simply trying to capitalize on the craze, we've been dedicated to crafting high-quality CBD products that truly deliver. If you're looking for one of the most potent and effective CBD products on the market, our CBD Tincture Oil 1000mg is what you need.
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MCTs (Medium-Chain Triglycerides) are fatty acids that your body can quickly and easily break down and convert to useable energy. We've added MCT oil to our CBD tincture primarily to ensure you get the maximum benefit from the CBD you're dosing.
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Medical research surrounding CBD is still in its infancy, and so we can't make any definitive medical claims about CBD's effect on anxiety. However, we can confirm that anti-anxiety (anxiolytic) effects are one of the main reasons people currently purchase CBD products, and it's one of the primary focuses for researchers investigating the potential palliative uses of CBD. If you're interested in using CBD for anxiety relief, do some research (and speak with your physician to ensure it's appropriate for you), then try it yourself to see if it works for you!
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text:
Desire Los Cabos used to be our favourite Lifestyle resort and the one place we would think of when we were planning a vacation out of Australia. We made so many great friends during our visits there and we have created many wonderful memories. We met some of our closet friends at this resort, so it is a place that is close to our hearts.
As you will have heard, Desire Los Cabos ceased operating as of June 13, 2013, and was to be replaced by a 'vanilla' resort. We have been able to source exclusive access to some behind the scenes photos of what Desire Los Cabos now looks like.
** Warning! Some viewers may find these pictures upsetting**
Restaurant & Swim Up Bar
Restaurant Bird's Eye View
Room 1
Room 2
We look at these photos and remember standing and dining in these spots. It is very sad for us to see these pictures when we think back to how it used to look.
We also like to read over our old trip reports, and we are glad we were able to document how our trips have panned out. You can read our last trip report to Desire Los Cabos here…


text:
Concord La Scala Men's Chronograph 14.C5.1891.0
- Stock #: DG1378
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Certificate of Authenticity: Yes
Warranty: Yes
Additional Information:
Brand new Concord La Scala gent's watch, Model # 14/C5/1891/0.
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Also known as:
lascala, 14-C5-1891-0
Subject To Availability