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Hudhur Aqdas continued paying tribute to the Lahore Shohad'aa (martyrs) in his Friday Sermon today by citing brief accounts of their lives.
Ehsan Ahmad Khan sahib Shaheed, son of Waseem Ahmad Khan sahib: Shaheed's (martyr) grandfather Munshi Dinayat Khan sahib was a companion of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). He hailed from district Kangra and was of Yusufzai family. His grandfather's two brothers, Shahanat Khan sahib and Imanat Khan sahib (may Allah be pleased with them both) took their bai'at in 1890 and were included in the 313 companions. Missionary of the Jama'at, Zaheer Ahmad Khan, who is currently stationed in London, is Shaheed's uncle while his brother, Nadeem Ahmad Khan is studying at Jamia Ahmadiyya Rabwah. Shaheed was born in 1984 and was employed at Shezan for the past two years. He served the Jama'at as secretary Waqfe Jadeed. At the time of shahadat (martyrdom) his age was 36 and he was at Darul Zikr. On the day of the tragedy he bathed, said his Salat and recited the Qur'an and before leaving for work told his wife that he would offer his Friday Prayer at Darul Zikr. He patted his daughter and left. Around 1.35 pm he rang his mother from Darul Zikr informing her of the terrorist attack and reassured her, but he could not be communicated with again. He was initially injured with the shrapnel of a grenade. Later, at the misinformation that the terrorists had been killed he came outside. A further grenade was detonated and he was martyred. He was buried at Rabwah, prior to burial his uncle led his funeral Prayer at his home in which many people outside the Jama'at joined in.
About a month before shahadat, Shaheed's mother dreamed that her son is martyred and his body has been placed in the courtyard. She caresses her son's face and asks, 'what happened'? She awoke from the dream perturbed and gave sadqa. After the shahadat his body was placed at exactly the same spot. A few days before shahadat, Shaheed also dreamed that he has been martyred. All he told his mother was that he had had a bad dream and gave sadqa.
Shaheed was a very honest, pious-natured person who treated others with love and compassion. His uncle told Hudhur that he looked after his parents most attentively. On his return from work he would say Salaam to his parents and then go home. He leaves behind a four month daughter who is Waqfe Nau. Every night before going to bed he would massage his father's feet. He was married a year and a half ago. May Allah elevate his status.
Munawar Ahmad Qaiser sahib Shaheed, son of Mian Abdur Rahman sahib: Shaheed's family came from Qadian, from where they moved to Gojra and then Lahore. The first person to take bai'at in his family was Abdul Aziz sahib (may Allah be pleased with him), a companion of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). His grandfather was a cousin of Dost Muhammad Shahid sahib. His grandfather and others in the family took the bai'at during the era of the second Khilafat. Shaheed's profession was photography. He was 57 years old and for the past twenty years he had given duty at the main gate of Darul Zikr and often said that any attacker would first have to go over his dead body. On the day of the tragedy he arrived at duty around 11 am. He was at the very front when the terrorists attacked and started firing at 1.40pm, he took hold of one of the attackers but the other fired, martyring him. A few days earlier, his wife dreamed that there is coffin which is higher than normal. There is a bench nearby. One of their relatives puts his foot on the bench and lies down in the coffin. When asked why is he laying in there as he is healthy…Hudhur said some part of the narrative is missing here. Shaheed's wife says that on the day of the tragedy she ironed a golden-coloured suit for him to wear for Jummah and remarked that he had donned a 'bridegroom's' suit. He went to Jummah well-dressed. He had many qualities, was most conscientious of his responsibilities, did not ever complain to anyone and was regular in Salat. His work also entailed photo-copying. When students from a nearby college came to make photo-copies, he would take money from them without counting. He said he did not count because sometimes people do not have enough money to pay. At times, opponents would put up hostile posters in front of his shop while he was around. He would say nothing at the time and would quietly remove the posters at a later time. He advised his son if anyone wronged him he should walk away quietly, for with any response he would end his matter. However, if he left it to Allah, Allah would certainly take a reprisal.
Hassan Khursheed Awan sahib Shaheed, son of Khursheed Awan sahib: He was from district Chakwal. His father and grandfather were born Ahmadis, but, a while ago his family showed weakness and retracted. However, with the grace of Allah, Shaheed was connected to the Jama'at till the time of his shahadat as is his brother who lives in Germany. Shaheed was 24 years old at the time of martyrdom, was unmarried and was martyred at Darul Zikr where he had gone to offer Friday Prayers. He rang home and his family about the attack, he said he was injured. This is when he was martyred by the firing of the terrorists. His family members raised objections about his being an Ahmadi and his parents were pressurised. They said that if Ahmadis offered his funeral Prayer, commotion would break out in the area as there was a lot of influence of the so-called 'Khatm e Nabuwat' (finality of Prophethood) people in the vicinity. Thus Ahmadis were not allowed to offer his funeral Prayer which was offered by people outside the Jama'at. However, people in the area generally expressed regret over this. The father of the Shaheed declined from giving any details about him due to the opposition. He was counselled that his son had given his life and thus given a message not to be afraid of worldly people even if one's life is lost and that covering up the sacrifice of the Shaheed was unfair to him. However, the father still did not give any details. May Allah elevate the status of the Shaheed and may his sacrifice become a source of opening the eyes of his family.
Ameer sahib of Chakwal has reported that Shaheed would not leave any opportunity of summoning people to Allah. When recently his father withdrew from the Jama'at, Hassan Khursheed sahib stayed connected to his faith and remained so till his last breath. He would offer his Friday Prayers at Darul Zikr. In spite of several insistences of his parents, he remained firm on his faith.
Mahmood Ahmad Shaad sahib Shaheed, missionary of the Jama'at, son of Ghulam Ahmad sahib: Shaheed's family was from district Gujrat. His grandfather Fazl Daad sahib was the first to take bai'at [in the family]. His father was very prejudiced. Once, the book 'Tabligh e Hadayat' was scattered all over the floor, he started collecting it. As he began collating it, he read some part and got interested. After reading the entire book, he said he wanted to take bai'at. Thus at the age of 11 in 1922 he took his bai'at. Shaheed's father was a local government officer and never took any bribe. He looked after the lands in Sind belonging to Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) and was a most pious person. Shaheed was born on 29 May 1962 and was Waqf (devoted) from birth. He graduated from the Jamia in 1986, in addition he served Jama'at on local level in many capacities. He served as the sub-editor of monthly 'Khalid', served as a missionary in many places in Pakistan and later, for eleven years in Tanzania. He had been appointed at Baitul Noor, Model Town around three months ago. At the time of shahadat he was nearly 48 years old and was a subscriber to the Wasiyyat scheme. On the day of the tragedy, he wore a new suit and took a new handkerchief, offered two Rakah of Salat at home and went to the main hall of the mosque with his son for Friday Prayer. During the attack he continually drew attention to pray and when the assailant entered the mosque he raised a slogan out aloud and continually recited Durud Sharif. He took two bullets on his chest and was thus martyred. With Allah's grace his son remained safe during the tragedy.
Shaheed's wife relates that a night before shahadat, on 27 May, he repeated the Khilafat Day pledge, that Hudhur had taken on 27.5.2008, out aloud as it was being relayed on MTA and planned to have the entire congregation repeat it the next day, after Friday sermon. But Allah willed something else. His wife relates that he was extremely fearless. At the time of the Ordinance against the Jama'at, while out on a journey with his sister, he wore a badge of the Kalima on his shirt. His sister was fearful and asked him to be careful. He replied, 'is your faith this weak?' At the end of the journey he went up to the policeman on duty, shook his hand and told his sister, 'look, I have just greeted him'. His trust and reliance in Allah was great. He met opposition even during service in Tanzania and also witnessed signs of Divine help and succour. In 1999, an enemy of Ahmadiyyat Shaikh Saeedi alleged against him that he had given refuge to some illegal [immigrants] in his mission house. Police came to the mission house and after search took him to the police station. Once there, murrabi sahib introduced himself and the Jama'at, upon which the police apologised and let him go. Later, he developed good contacts with the police. Soon after, Shaikh Saeedi was deported from Saudi Arabia on the very same charge. When in Tanzania once as he left for a Jama'at trip, his wife said that she was suffering from malaria and he was leaving. His reply was, 'I am leaving for Allah's work and I am also entrusting you to Allah as I leave.'
Shaheed's wife relates that soon after his Model Town appointment threatening telephone calls started coming. When the first call came, murrabi sahib had gone to a wedding reception. It was discovered that he was being followed by some people. Some Khuddamul Ahmadiyya took murrabi sahib home safely. When he reached home he said to his wife, 'look what a magnificent Jama'at we have. These Khuddam have no worldly relation with us but they are ever ready for our safety'. Murrabi sahib said that he had prayed to Allah that he was willing and ready if Allah willed any sacrifice from him, but to keep his children ever connected to Khilafat.
His sisters would ring him and ask him to take leave and come to Rabwah. His response would be that if other Ahmadis were giving sacrifices, why would he not, and why should he run away? When his wife would get emotional over the situation, he would say to her, 'Allah does not waste the families of shohad'aa and looks after them Himself'.
Shaheed was most keen to summon people to Allah. A month before shahadat, a doctor from outside the Jama'at who was looking for some answers and had had discussions with many murrabis, but was not satisfied. Shaad sahib had two or three sessions, lasting many hours, with him. During these he read the words and revelations of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to the doctor in a most emotional manner. The doctor said he could not escape anymore, he was satisfied. How could the community of a person who did Tabligh with tearful eyes be not true? And he took his bai'at.
Apart from his parents, murrabi sahib's entire family is non-Ahmadi. He did Tabligh to them till his last breath. In particular he would take his children to the relatives at every joyous or sad occasion for them to observe the difference between them and us. While the relatives were weighed down by bad rituals and innovations, we are united under Khilafat.
Someone has written to Hudhur that in 2006 he was informed about the appointment of Shaad sahib at Baitul Hamd, Murree Road, Rawalpindi to which the narrator was assigned as the care-taker. He received instructions to arrange for the accommodation of murrabi sahib where he displayed much contentment and steadfastness. The accommodation of missionaries was on the third floor of the building. This floor would be extremely hot but murrabi sahib stayed there with supreme patience and compliance and never uttered a word of complain. He would listen to the sermons of the Khalifa of the time with great fervour and repeatedly advised members of the Jama'at to do the same. If the [satellite] dish broke down in any Jama'at he would not rest until it was fixed. Murrabi sahib was a most compassionate and cheerful person and had a friendly, loving connection with everyone. He knew the [Ahmadi] families very well and would develop personal connections with them. He would often quote from the writings and poetic compositions of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in his Friday sermons. He would often sound emotional during Friday sermons.
A few Fridays before the tragedy he gave a sermon in Model Town in which he read out a warning of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that mentions those in the Jama'at who do not read the Holy Qur'an regularly. He could not contain his emotions during this. He was foremost and ever ready in defence of Khilafat and the administration of the Jama'at and would silence anyone who said anything, no matter how small, [contrary] about Khilafat or the Jama'at and would not leave the matter until the person realised the error of their way. During his service he would attend Jama'at meetings in extreme cold weather riding there on a bicycle. When he was transferred to Lahore he was very pleased. Azam Siddiqui sahib writes that when he told him that he too had been posted to Lahore in his government job, murrabi sahib jokingly asked, 'will you come with me till Lahore or further on as well?'
Another murrabi sahib has written about him that he was a cheerful person who faced all difficulties with a smile, he was a brave and fearless person who was most fervent about Tabligh. Once in Tanzania, they were travelling together when they saw some maulwis. Mahmood sahib stopped the car and started Tabligh to them. It was evening time and the way ahead was dangerous. A crowd gathered and many people benefitted by being invited to Allah, while the maulwis ran off, rendered speechless. Resuming his journey he told his colleague, 'we have religious freedom here, we should not be scared and should do Tabligh openly'.
Shaheed was the only brother of many sisters. He served his parents extremely well, in particular his ailing mother. When he was about to be transferred abroad he was worried who he would leave his ailing mother with. During her lifetime, his services revolved only around Pakistan. When in Tanzania he would do Tabligh with much enthusiasm, availing of audio and video cassettes. He would organise Tabligh camps and as a result Allah granted many Jama'ats. During his time in Tanzania, observing his successful Tabligh, people outside our Jama'at started demanding Arab states for facilities that Shaad sahib had so that they could halt Ahmadiyyat. When one after the other all their Tabligh needs were met but no result could be seen, rather Ahmadiyyat continued to spread rapidly, the local religious leaders were asked why this was so. Their reply was that they lacked one thing. The Ahmadiyya Jama'at had a Pakistani missionary which they did not and that if they too were given a Pakistani missionary, with his guidance, they would succeed. Hudhur said it was their misunderstanding for any Pakistani missionary of theirs would have taught them abuse rather than Tabligh.
Waseem Ahmad sahib Shaheed, son of Abdul Quddus sahib: Shaheed was from the family of Nazam Din sahib (may Allah be pleased with him) who took his bai'at at the hand of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) as well as Babu Qasim Din sahib (may Allah be pleased with him) who was a companion of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). Babu Qasim sahib had remained the Ameer of Sailkot for a long period. This family is from the location where the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) lived before his claim and during his employment years. After his claim he would also visit and stay in this area. Shaheed passed his FSc from Sialkot and then joined Punjab University, Lahore from where he did his BSc in space science and later took his MSc in computer science. He worked as a manger in a software company. He served as Nazim Atfal in the Allama Iqbal Town area. At the time of shahadat he was 38 years old and was martyred at Darul Zikr. He offered his Friday Prayers at Darul Zikr as a rule. On the day of tragedy he came to the mosque from his work place situated on the Mall Road. He would usually sit in the first row of the main hall. On the day of the tragedy he sat in the first row and as the terrorists attacked, he stayed there on the instruction of Ameer sahib. When in order to save their lives others were leaving from the back door he was also asked to leave, but he said, 'let the other friends leave first, I will go later'. This is when he was martyred by the firing of the terrorist. His work organised a two-hour programme in his memory, the entire staff visited his home to pay their condolences and remembered him with very good words. His work colleagues were also present at the hospital to help him and also came to Rabwah for the burial. His company director came from Karachi to Sailkot as well as Rabwah to pay his condolence and expressed great sadness and grief. Wife of Shaheed relates that he was extremely obedient to his parents and elders and never spoke to them in a raised voice and treated everyone with respect. He served the Jama'at most devotedly. He also prepared some software with regards to chandas for Lahore Jama'at. He served as Nazim Atfal and had a most loving and affectionate bond with children. After shahadat his family took his funeral to Sialkot from Lahore, where funeral Prayer was offered and later it was taken to Rabwah for burial. Waseem sahib wished for shahadat and would say, 'if ever such a time came, my chest will be at the very forefront'. Imran Nadeem sahib relates about him that he had the gentlest of dispositions, was intensely obedient, would listen most attentively and calmly and then act upon instruction. He would take Jama'at children in his car for meetings etc. and drop them off back home as well. Sadr sahib of Halqa Allama Iqbal Town relates about him that he was a most sincere Ahmadi young man who took great interest in Khuddam work and was an excellent leader for the Tarbiyyat of Atfal. He was the eldest of five siblings, a most capable and hardworking young man. His mother played an important role in his education and training. Though not highly educated themselves, his parents aspired their offspring to attain high education and this came to pass with their dedication.
Writing to Hudhur, his wife relates, 'I can probably not enumerate his qualities. Hudhur, if I were to say that he was an angelic person, it would not at all be untrue. The entire family says there is none other like Waseem sahib. I consider that God gave him this honour because of his excellent and distinctive qualities. Waseem has not only raised the head of his parents and mine high with pride, rather the entire family's. He had great love for the Jama'at and had been Nazim Atfal Allama Iqbal Town Lahore for two years. He loved children a lot. In spite of heavy work engagements he would organise academic competitions among children and would prepare them, giving attention to weaker children. He would also advise their parents to support and encourage the children. Often children of our majlis would win many prizes which gave heartfelt joy to Waseem sahib. He would take children to Darul Zikr in his car and drop them off at home later. In short he worked hard at every task with dedication. In spite of his work commitments he often went to Darul Zikr for meetings in the evening and to observe Salat in congregation. He also offered his Salat at work. I often reflected on the way he offered Salat; he honoured the due of observance of Salat and was never even slightly distracted. It would appear as if he really was praying in the Presence of God. He was also foremost in financial giving and would pay one tenth of his income and also enthusiastically participated in all other chandas. He never spent unnecessarily on himself. He never spoke in front of his parents in a raised voice; in fact he never ever spoke in a raised voice. He was very gentle of temperament. In my entire married life I never heard a harsh word spoken by him.
Waseem sahib always had a smiling face and if I ever got upset over something he would assuage me most lovingly and would not stop until I was not upset anymore. When his body was brought home after shahadat, his face had the same smile and peace that it always did. He greeted guests in the finest manner and looked after his parents, brothers and sisters in every way and never got upset with relatives so much so that people at his office said that Waseem sahib did not even ever spoke to his juniors in a harsh tone.'
Waseem sahib was a fearless person and very keen about Tabligh. He would often have copies of 'Tashheezul Azhan' in his car. Seeing the magazines, his junior work colleague, an Ahmadi, would say to him that a mullah-type individual could harm him. To which he would reply that the status of shahadat was not for everyone. At home he would also often say, 'one should never be afraid. Sinners like us do not get honours like this.'
His junior colleague Asad relates that they both always sat in the first row. When the firing started everyone gathered to one side of the hall and started getting out of a door. Asad called Waseem, but he said, 'let the others go first, I will follow'. During this time Waseem sahib was hit by eight bullets in the stomach and he was martyred within an hour.
Waseem Ahmad sahib Shaheed, son of Muhammad Ashraf sahib of Chakwal: Shaheed obtained his education till the matric standard from his ancestral village and then joined the armed forces. After retirement from the army he was employed with a security company in Islamabad. Later, from 2009, he worked as a security guard at Darul Zikr. His father-in-law was employed as a driver by the Jama'at in Rabwah. At the time of shahadat he was 55 years old and he was martyred during security duty at Darul Zikr. On the day of the tragedy, Waseem sahib was on duty at the main gate. The assailants started firing from a distance, and he was thus martyred at the very beginning of the tragedy. Shaheed was married twice. His first wife passed away in 1983. In 1990 he married again. His wife relates that he was an extremely good person and had a good status in society. He was on good terms with everyone. In particular he was very kind to orphans, whether they were related or not related, Ahmadi or non-Ahmadi. He had great passion to serve the Jama'at and as result each time he went home on leave from Lahore he would say how happy he was in Lahore. He said each Ahmadi, old and young that came to the mosque met him with a lot of respect. Shaheed's children relate their father was a very good person and they had a great relationship. He respected all their wishes. His daughter relates that he would especially fulfil all her wishes. He was most enthusiastic about the education of children. He would say to his daughter that he would send her to Rabwah where the environment to attain education was good, saying, she could then serve the Jama'at in Rabwah, even if it meant he had to live with her in Rabwah. He was an extremely affectionate and loving father.
Shaheed's wife relates that a few days before shahadat he said he as he stood on duty Sadr sahib mosque Halqa passed by. He told Sadr sahib that his uniform was old, if he could have a new uniform it would give a good impression to all. Sadr sahib got him a new uniform. On the day of the tragedy he rang home and said he had the new uniform on. He attained the station of martyrdom in the new uniform.
His wife relates that she first heard of the news of shahadat on the TV. When they tried to contact him on his telephone they were not successful. Later an Ahmadi brother rang them from his telephone and gave them the news of his shahadat. While they were extremely pained and aggrieved, they felt a great sense of pride at the attainment of the station of martyrdom while protecting worshippers at a mosque. He was regular in observance of Salat and enthusiastically participated in all good works.
Nazir Ahmad sahib Shaheed, son of Mistri Muhammad Yasin sahib: Shaheed was the only Ahmadi in his family and as such faced great opposition from the entire family. According to Tajneed Shaheed was from Halqa Kot Lakhpat and would come to Baitul Noor, Model Town for Friday Prayers and offered other Salat at his local Salat centre. At the time of shahadat he was 72 years old and was martyred at Baitul Noor, Model Town. His funeral Prayer and burial was organised by his non-Ahmadi relatives and they buried him at the Kot Lakhpat graveyard. As soon as Shaheed had arrived for Friday Prayers the terrorists attacked and he was martyred, His body was kept at Jinnah Hospital from where his non-Ahmadi relatives took it for burial. His funeral Prayer in absentia was offered at Darul Zikr.
Shaheed was regular in his financial contributions and Salat. In spite of intense opposition from the family he stayed firm on Ahmadiyyat till his shahadat. His Sadr sahib writes that he had some valuable property in the main bazaar but his nephews had taken possession of it even in his lifetime. As a result he spent a very simple life. He bore the hostility of his family but that did not break his bond with Ahmadiyyat. Although his income was reduced next to nothing, he regularly paid his dues. He was a person of old ways, of simple nature who would cycle to Baitul Noor for Friday Prayers. He would arrive on time and would sit in the front row, greeting every one most warmly. He spent a lot of time in the mosque, wishing to spend as much time with Ahmadis as possible. In spite of the opposition of his family he had put up photographs of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and his Khulafa in his house. He had great devotion for office-holders and a great zeal for Tabligh work. Hostility is heightened in the area of his residence, yet he carried on with his Tabligh work fearlessly.
Muhammad Hussain sahib Shaheed, son of Nazam Din sahib: Shaheed's family belonged to district Gurdaspur where he was born. He did not have a worldly education but could read the Holy Qur'an. He came into the Jama'at by doing bai'at at the hand of Fazl Haq sahib, a former sadr. In his family he and his sister were the only Ahmdis. He was the maternal uncle of Inamul Haq Kauser sahib, murrabi of Chicago, USA. He worked as a labour supervisor in MES, he also worked as a carpenter and after employment, opened a furniture shop in Quetta. He was also enabled to serve in Furqan Force. He was 80 years old at the time of shahadat and was martyred at Darul Zikr. It was his routine to give sadqa on Friday and he would leave home at 11 am for Friday Prayers. On the day of the tragedy he was in the main hall of Darul Zikr. The right side of his body was all burnt, probably his shahadat happened when a grenade detonated. His non-Ahmadi relatives took his body from Mayo Hospital and organised his burial.
According to his family, Shaheed was regular in observance of Salat and paying chandas. Although his financial situation was not good, he would still save to help the needy without any distinction of religion and ethnicity. He would usually sit in the first row during Friday Prayers. Due to old age he could not remember which day of the week it was. As all his family are non-Ahmadi, they would not tell him when it was Friday. Shaheed had kept the call of a beggar as an indication that it was Friday and if he ever forgot, seeing the beggar would remind him that it was Friday. Once the beggar did not come but one of his daughters reminded him it was Friday. He left home for the mosque without eating his lunch. His older son relates that often he would not be on his bed at night and when they looked he would be on the Prayer mat, offering Salat. He would say to his children, 'I love Ahl –e-Bait of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) but you do not. I have met Ahl-e-Bait in my dream.' His son relates that usually he would fast on 10 Muharrum. Shaheed often related a visit of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) to Quetta when Hudhur stayed at the Park House villa. Shaheed did maintenance work there. On his arrival, Hadhrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) asked who had carried out the work, for the very walls exuded sincerity. During the stay once a water pipe leaked, Hadhrat Musleh Maud (on whom be peace) said, 'call Muhammad Hussain, he will fix it'. When he did fix it, Hudhur was very pleased and said, 'see, I did say Muhammad Hussain will fix it.' May Allah elevate his status and enable his offspring to recognise, Ahmadiyyat Islam.
Hudhur said these accounts are such that if one is to go in details, it would become a lengthy series, therefore Hudhur has touched upon them very briefly. However, a particular account of one Shaheed had been extremely short. His wife later sent some details, so Hudhur mentioned him again.
Dr. Umer Ahmad sahib Shaheed: His wife writes, 'he and I were together for only one and a half year but in this time I had the opportunity to live with an extremely loving, affectionate, quiet and simple person. He wanted to be a martyr from childhood. When he was only in his second or third year of school, he wrote an imaginary letter to Major Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, a martyred Pakistani army officer who was mentioned in a book, that he liked him very much and he too wanted to be a Shaheed like him. His mother has kept this brief letter. After marriage he would often talk about martyrdom. One day he said, 'I have reflected a lot and I have reached the conclusion that the only short cut to Paradise is martyrdom, but that is not in my fate!' He twice tried for commission in the army but both times did not get through at the last stage. He regretted this very much because he felt the armed forces were a good way to attain martyrdom'. Hudhur said therein is an answer to those who allege that Ahmadiyya Jama'at is against the country. Passion to serve the country was thus embedded in him. His wife relates, 'he often used to say, 'watch, whenever the Jama'at is in need, Umer will be in the forefront and will take the bullet on his chest'. He had signed his childhood letter to Major Aziz Bhatti, as 'Major. Umer Shaheed'.
His routine was to offer his Maghrib and Isha Salat at the mosque and after Isha do some Jama'at work before returning home. He was extremely active among Khuddamul Ahmadiyya. He would go on Waqfe Arzi once or twice a year. Was most eager about Khidmat e Khalq and always donated blood twice a year. The day he was injured at Darul Zikr, he had left for the office in a rush, saying he was late. As Darul Zikr was closer to his office he offered his Friday Prayers there. He looked after my every small and big need. He loved his daughter, who is now eight months old. On his return from office he would play with her at length and did not tolerate any carelessness as regards her. Not just his own daughter, rather, he was most affectionate to all children.
Two months before shahadat I dreamed that Umer's second marriage is taking place and I am crying a lot. I mentioned the dream to Umer, but he dismissed it laughingly. He was very neat and tidy; similarly, he had a clear conscience. He never gave anyone any trouble. When he came home from office in the intense heat of the afternoon, he would ring the bell most gently so that no one would be disturbed. Often, he would stand quietly outside, for up to half an hour. All his office colleagues praise him a lot – he was in a governmental research organisation – and say that one of our very dear young people has departed from us. All the office staff came home to pay condolence.
Whenever there was a difficulty he would promptly write to Khalifa of the time and would ask me to do the same. He greatly respected my parents and all relatives. Also respected his friends and always made time for them. Whatever Tehrik (programme/appeal) came from the Khalifa of the time, be it about prayers, Fasting, Tahajjud, sadqa, he would promptly act upon it. He paid all his chandas on time and always at the correct rate. On 23 May he paid the last instalment of his 'Hissa Amad' that was Rupee 9,500 and told us at home delighted that he was grateful that his chanda was completed. From the time that Sayyedna Bilal Fund was initiated, he would regularly contribute to it. If ever birthday celebrations or gifts were mentioned at home, he would be extremely displeased and say, 'do you not know Hudhur has forbidden this'. In fact he would say it was better to donate that money to one of the funds of the Jama'at.'
He was hospitalised for a few days and then was martyred.'
Hudhur said this concludes mention of the accounts of shohad'aa.
Adding, Hudhur remarked that in these accounts we see some excellent qualities as common values, for example observance of Salat. This observance was not only regular in their own persons; rather they would also draw attention of the family to it. For example, ringing from work to remind children or organising congregational Prayer at home with the concern that Salat is the surety of good in this world as the Hereafter and because the ways to Divine nearness are only determined by worship. We also see a particular commitment for Friday Prayers in all of them and many were regular in Tahajjud. Most of the younger martyrs as well as those older had an intense desire of martyrdom. Other high morals are also evident in their lives, domestic as well as outside home. They maintained excellent courtesy with workers of the Jama'at and also drew admiration from work colleagues through their high morals. Hudhur said a wife is indeed witness to a married man's high morals, for some people are very courteous socially but do not have the same demeanour at home. If a wife confirms the courteousness and devout worship of a man, then it is evident that he pays the dues of Allah as well as the dues of mankind (HaqooqUllah and Haqooqul ebad). Indeed, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that one who does not pay Haqooqul ebad and does not fulfil the rights of his wife and children, he does not also pay the dues of Allah. Even if he outwardly offers his Salat, due to not honouring Haqooqul ebad, his worship becomes in vain.
Hudhur said the attainment of the honour of martyrdom for these martyrs certainly carries a testimony of an acceptance of their worship and fulfilment of Haqooqul ebad. We observe that in addition they also honoured their responsibilities. They paid attention to their fatherly duty of being a guardian over the education and training of their children and we see this instance in each Shaheed. They kept the Quranic commandment in view: 'Kill not your children for fear of poverty…' (17:32). Hudhur explained one should not be so absorbed in one's employment/occupation that one may overlook the responsibilities one has regarding one's children. These people did not forget their pledge of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters and the commencement of this pledge is with Salat. One girl related that her father would take them along on long leisure trips and on the way he would read out prayers aloud, repeating them, so that the children would memorise them. He also taught them which prayer was for which occasion. Such were the principles of those who sacrificed their lives. The young among them served their parents day and night and honoured God's commandment to be kind to parents and never express slightest of annoyance to them. Hudhur said sometimes young married men overlook the rights of their parents in taking care of their wives or overlook the wife while fulfilling the rights of parents. However, these momins (true believers) also honoured these matters and looked after their wives and their parents equally and exceptionally well. Thus is the confidence and the fulfilment of dues that makes society paradise-like. Indeed, in recompense, Allah gave them the surety of eternal Paradise.
The parents and close relations, in fact people at the college he went to, have an opinion of a young man of 17 to 18 years, that he was a wondrous young man of unique temperament.
Another common value among them all that shines through was their sense of honour for the Jama'at, showing exemplary obedience. Giving precedence to faith over worldly matters and in spite of fulfilling other commitments, they made time for Jama'at work, not just during urgent situations but as a rule, at times overlooking their basic personal needs. They also had an extraordinary bond with Khilafat, expression of love and obedience. This expression was because the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had said that the eternal Khilafat that will follow the Promised Messiah and Mahdi will be made eternal with the sincerity, obedience and prayers of the believers for Khilafat. Thus, with their worship and their good works, they endeavoured till their last breath to make Khilafat eternal. They established most excellent standards and in their own spheres were the right hand of Khilafat. Hudhur said they were the Sultan e Naseer (excellent helpers) of Khilafat for which a Khalifa prays that he may be granted.
May Allah elevate their status and grant them nearness to His beloveds. These shohad'aa have attained their station, but with their sacrifice they have also drawn our attention that O' dear ones, brothers, sons, children, mothers, sisters and our daughters, we have fulfilled our pledge of bai'at following the model of the Companions, but while departing we express our last wish to you to always uphold this model of piety.
Hudhur said many men and women have written to him that Hudhur's current discourses on the shohah'aa fill them with admiration about the piety and sincerity of the martyrs but it also causes them shame that they do not reach the standards. Listening to their accounts enhances one's grief that such gems have departed from us. Hudhur said this realisation and view is very good but nations/people who move onwards do not consider realisations as sufficient, rather, in order to carry on these virtues, each person who is left behind endeavours to fulfil the objective of the sacrifice and the wishes of the departed. Our task and obligation is to fulfil the dues of these sacrifices by making pious changes in ourselves. Fulfil our responsibilities by honouring the rights of their families. While the administration of the Jama'at will fulfil its responsibility towards the upbringing of young children, each person of the Jama'at should pray for them. May Allah keep all the bereaved in His protection and refuge and may He remove their difficulties, grief and problems and Himself provide solutions. No matter how much, human efforts remain deficient. Allah alone provides real comfort and tranquillity. May Allah facilitate tranquillity for them and may He improve their situations. Hudhur said the families of the martyrs should be remembered in prayers. Members of the Jama'at should also pray for themselves, may Allah protect us from all evil. There is much need for prayers these days. The situation in Pakistan is deteriorating, this [tragedy] has made no difference, and opposition is on the increase. May Allah protect from all evil and may the evil of the mischief-makers rebound on them. May Allah grant steadfastness to every Ahmadi.
Next Hudhur announced that after Jummah he would lead funeral Prayer in absentia of Nazir Sahfeequl Muradi sahib, former Ameer Jama'at of Syria. He passed away on 30 June 2010 at the age of 67. His childhood home was in Damascus near where Muneerul Hassan sahib, the then Ameer sahib of Syria also lived. He knew him since childhood. In 1963 he heard some of the beliefs of the Jama'at and took his bai'at. He worked as in-charge of Urban Transport in Damascus. In 1986, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) appointed him as the first president of Ansarullah in Syria and in 1988 at the passing away of Muneerul Hassan sahib appointed him the Ameer of Syria. In 1991 due to the unfavourable situation in Syria the administration of Jama'at was discontinued and Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) told the Syrian Jama'at that they should become writers. He started writing books and with Allah's grace had eight books published. He was also writing a book at the time of passing away. He attended the UK Jalsa Salana in 1996 and afterwards, for the rest of his life, spoke of the hospitality and beneficence of Khalifa of the time. He had a very simple, yet jocular and cheerful personality and greatly respected Waqfeen (life-devotees). Explaining Hudhur said some of our Waqfeen Zindagi go to Syria for educational purposes. He had an ardent love for Khilafat e Ahmadiyya which was evident from his eyes and his voice when Khilafat was mentioned. He was extremely steadfast, always praising and thankful to Allah, no matter how big a difficulty he faced. He was a devoted friend and a resolute Ahmadi. The current president of Syria writes that when he was appointed to his office, the deceased displayed such sincerity and humility that he was amazed. May Allah elevate his status and grant steadfastness to his family.
The Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer is one form of congregational worship in Islam. It takes place every Friday. Regular attendance at the Jumu'ah prayer is enjoined on the believer. According to a Saying of Muhammad(sa) this congregational prayer is twenty-five times more blessed than worship performed alone. (Bukhari)
"O ye who believe! When the call is made for Prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off all business. That is best for you, if you only knew." more
"… (He who) offers the Prayers and listens quitely when the Imam stands up for sermon, will have his sins forgiven between that Friday and the next" (Bukhari)


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In the tech sweepstakes, perhaps Amazon may be less impressive than Google or Apple, but their employees are considered to be hotter --- and a lot less picky.
Hinge, a social networking and matchmaking app "for young professionals" found that Amazon workers were considered the most attractive out of a group including Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft, according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon workers' profiles were 14 percent more likely to get a request to connect than a typical Hinge profile. Microsoft workers had 8 percent, Googlers received only about 7 percent higher ad Facebook had a little over 2 percent. Apple employees fared worse -- they actually received less than average users by 0.2 percent.
"It wasn't necessarily as I would have guessed," Hinge CEO Justin McLeod told the Wall Street Journal.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Hinge boasts a user base of 99 percent college-educated professionals and is basically an app that takes information from Facebook profiles. It also incorporates an algorithm that integrates mutual friends.
What makes Amazon workers more attractive is that out of the five companies, it is also the least picky about potential matches. They rejected connections 15 percent less than the typical Hinge user. This is in contrast to Facebook, which rejected connections at a rate of almost 8 percent higher than average. That means the Menlo Park employees think they're pretty hot even if others don't.
To us, this means that Amazon employees probably have much busier weekends than their Silicon Valley counterparts.

subset: commoncrawl


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Indicative Rate * AU$239 to AU$269
Ketchup's Bank Glamping offers the glamour of luxury accommodation with the romance of camping under the stars. South East Queensland's first couples' luxury tent bush retreat can be found in a secluded location near Boonah in the heart of the Scenic Rim, only 90 minutes south-west of Brisbane.
Your Luxury Eco-tent provides you with a truly unique camping experience complete with ensuite, quality linens, private deck with spectacular views and your very own campfire and camp kitchen.
Set on the edge of 100 acres of private eucalypt forest, there are many hidden locations to escape to for breathtaking mountain views and glorious sunsets. Relax by the campfire and toast marshmallows or unwind on your balcony with a glass of wine as you watch the friendly wallabies grazing.
Only 15 minutes away you will find the country town of Boonah where you will be amazed at the genuinely friendly country charm of the locals, the unique shopping experience and the amazing variety of cafes and restaurants.
Visit a local winery, brewery, art gallery or one of the many national parks, swimming holes or lakes. For the more adventurous there is fixed wing gliding or world class rock climbing.
Due to current health advice on social distancing, please contact the business for the most up to date information regarding opening times and services.
Your Eco-tent provides you with a truly unique camping experience complete with ensuite, quality linens, private deck with spectacular views and your very own campfire and barbecue. Including all of the luxury appointments you would expect in quality accommodation - comfortable bathrobes, plush pillow top queen ensemble, flat screen television for playing your supplied DVDs. Ketchup's Bank Glamping is an eco-retreat proudly 100 per cent solar powered. For your convenience 240 volt converted solar power points are provided in your eco-tent for charging mobile phones.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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get the better of(redirected from Best of)
get the better of (someone or something)
To gain superiority, mastery, or an advantage over someone or something; to get control over someone or something. I knew I shouldn't be meddling in other people's business, but my curiosity got the better of me. I know we could have beaten them in last week's game, but they just got the better of us from the start.
get the better of
Also, get the best of; have the better or best of . Become superior to or master someone or something; win out. For example, John's common sense got the better of his pride, and he apologized, or Her older sister was always trying to get the best of her, or He was determined to have the better of his competitors. [c. 1600] Also see get the drop on.


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Fat Loss 4 Idiots
Fat Loss 4 Idiots SUCKS!
"Here's why I think fat loss 4 idiots sucks!"
Isn't it messed up that there are so many bogus weight loss and diet products on the market? I mean, it really makes me sick. Sick to my stomach at the thought of so many people being ripped off every single day.
And who would have thought that this ridiculous cartoon like ad… fat loss 4 idiots program could help you (or anyone) lose weight?? Not me, that's for sure.. Until I actually read it!
My name is Eric and I have been seriously trying to lose weight for the past four years. I have found that during that time I had to struggle to no end finding something that really works.
I was pretty amazed, within just 2 weeks of using this program, I started seeing some pretty darn good weight loss results. I couldn't believe I found a program that actually seemed to worked.
"The only thing that really sucked was that I didn't try it sooner."
When it truly comes to diet plan plans out within the market these days, the main problem why these so called diets aren't delivering the results effectively is partly due to the fact of the strict limitations the diet plan itself and being so complex they are too hard to follow.
Click Here To Get The Special Fat Loss 4 Idiots Discount! Shhhhhh! This Includes the Ultimate Diet PREMIUM ADD-ON PACKAGE At No Extra Cost.
After I got the body I wanted following the methods in this program, I'm pretty positive that the readers of this guide will learn to follow a program that delivers on its promise.
So no, I don't really hate Fat Loss 4 Idiots, I love it!
But… Will It Really Work For You Too?
Well, again.. if you are thinking that this is impossible, you need think otherwise.. because once you see the real proof and methods utilized, you will be blown away. And there IS A REAL PROVEN STRATEGY to all this.
But… You may ask, "Surely there has to be a downside somewhere?"
Yes there is and I will Sum it up Quickly for you now.
If you are not motivated to some degree, then forget it.
If you don't really like to follow instructions, then you will fail here.
If you let it sit there and just don't use it, then don't waste your money.
And finally… If you are looking for the same old rehashed info, then look else where cause this is completely different.
Simple as that…period.
Now… Right Below, you will find more information if you have the time to read it.
But if you have any questions regarding the program… just send me an email at email@example.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review
Product Walk Through: By Sean
(Video May Takes Up To 10 Seconds To Load)
Many diet plans can destroy the normal body metabolism since it restricts the quantity of calorie intake your body should have and in the process, your body loses essential muscle mass which in turn slows down your metabolism.
But the very good news is that you've got other possibilities now without the horrible sacrifice to your useful muscle mass by avoiding all the pitfalls of typical dieting programs. Maybe you are asking yourself how it is possible for you to reduce weight with this particular weight loss program or possibly you might be assuming that this is a scam of some sort. The reality is the fact that it can truly end your own search for an effective program for dropping weight. When compared with various other fast weight loss products that would probably normally starve you to death, Fat Loss 4 Idiots suggest you eat at least 4 to 5 daily meals daily.
Besides this, it does not in any way recommend that you really need to decrease the portion of one's meal but instead, you will be motivated to eat as much as like just short of getting full. This is because this diet regime strategy operates by supplying your body the adequate quantity of complex carbohydrates and proteins that may gives your body the energy it wants while puzzling or confusing it thus allowing your body's metabolic process to considerably boost.
When you search the internet, you'll be shocked when you do find that so many people have had such great success. This demonstrates that it is NOT a scam because you can find so many users prepared to attest to its genuineness and also the proficiency of the diet plan plan in terms of reducing weight in just a short time frame.
Another reason why this program is so effective is that you'll be allowed to list all of your favorite food items. This then creates your own personal diet generator.
The meals on your list will be the groundwork for the randomly produced day-to-day servings which you must stick to for 11 days. The diet regime generator effectively combines the food items in a particular structure. This structure is designed to confuse your body and then that will boost your metabolism.
Fat Loss 4 Idiots COMPLAINTS
The one thing I ALWAYS do before purchasing any product is to check for consumer complaints.
I investigate with both Ripoffreport.com and Complaintsboard.com
I was very happy to find no real valid complaints at all. There were two consumers that had not yet received a refund but both cases were resolved.
My Final Thoughts…
This product is NOT for everyone. Your average couch potato is not going to suddenly achieve real fat loss by only reading alone.
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Bottom Line, Fat Loss 4 Idiots is about transforming your body for life!
I should know being a User myself!
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Thank you for visiting my Fat Loss 4 Idiots Review site Today


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Reward for Patience
Taking care of his mentally unstable grandmother in the geriatric ward of the hospital was a very taxing task for the young man. Although she was unreasonably demanding and sometimes violently so, he managed to maintain his composure and to treat her with the greatest respect.
One day, while he was visiting her, she could not find her false teeth. She shouted at him, accusing him of stealing her teeth. When he tried to explain that he was innocent, she gave him such a resounding slap in the face that he felt as though he was about to lose his own teeth. He nevertheless suffered in silence and helped her locate the lost teeth.
A patient in a nearby bed was so impressed with the behavior of this young man that she decided to suggest him as a matrimonial prospect for a relative, a girl from one of the most respected families in Israel.
The shidduch worked out and on the first day of their marriage the young couple went to visit the grandmother whose patience-inducing slap brought them together.


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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Deathstroke #8 Cover
Here's the cover to Deathstroke #8. Pencils by myself, digitally inked by myself and colored by Jason Wright.
(Artwork is available and for
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Monday, December 05, 2011
Batwing Covers
Doing some Batwing covers for DC. Take a gander. Issues 6 and 7.
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The secret illusion show is a guide to big stage magic effects that cost little or no money and can be put together in a short amount of time. The manuscript is a collection of effects that can be performed individually or as a whole evening's show. This booklet is about the experience of the audience and not the expectations of magicians. Andrew Mayne teaches you how to leave an impression on the audience that will be with them for a long time. These illusions will definitely leave them buzzing.
Do you own this product? Write a review.


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News about Township, official information about releases of updates and a lot more!
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Colored Stone Pendant
Call for Availability | STYLE: 230-00262
Call for Availability
Aussie Opal Doublet and Diamond Necklace in 14k White Gold *Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
At Parle, we design and handcraft original jewelry with amazing color gemstones. From Opals, rainbows formed in the earth 100 million years ago, to Sapphire with the colors of the sky and ocean worn by Royalty, to classic Ruby & Emerald. Parle features only "Stones That Speak"! Let us color your world and find the perfect collection of colored gemstone jewelry that speaks to you.
General Details:
14K White Gold
Call for Availability


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In 2011, we're planning something bigger in correlation with Legoland California Resort's Star Wars Days on June 18-19th. But we need your help brainstorming and providing feedback if we're going to pull off a successful FBTB mini-convention.
We're conducting a poll to gauge interest in and potential attendance for this special event. Your vote and feedback will help us determine if this idea has legs, or it's destined for the Death Star trash compactor.
Head to the forum here to vote in the poll, and join in the discussion about activities, locations, pros, cons, and everything in between.
Permalink: https://www.fbtb.net/site-news/2011/01/27/lets-talk-fbtb-star-wars-days-event/


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Ford continues to churn out updates to its full-sized Ford Taurus, perhaps hoping GM will never produce another new Chevy Impala. Here's what appears to be the next-generation 2014 Ford Taurus in full camo.
Trying to discern the detailed design cues in this well-covered prototype is a lot like hoping to catch a breast in the fuzz of scrambled pre-digital cable channels. There's an outline, but not much that's going to encourage a vinegar stroke. What we can easily tell is the vehicle's profile is a meaningful departure from the staid current design.
For a detailed look, you're better off comparing it to the spy photos of the MKS. Looks like the Taurus will continue its fascination with LEDs.
You can't even buy the 2013 Ford Taurus and, if this first spy photo is any guide, maybe you shouldn't. A new one can only be a year or two away.
Photo Credit: Keith McCallum


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Forum Post: So, You Want to Hide from the NSA? Your Guide to the Nearly Impossible
Posted 6 years ago on July 10, 2013, 10:15 a.m. EST by LeoYo
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
So, You Want to Hide from the NSA? Your Guide to the Nearly Impossible
Philip Bump22 hours agoTechnology & ElectronicsInternetFacebookNational Security Agency
Complaining about the government is a key part of being American, the first amendment to the Constitution. But it seems like a bit of a trickier proposition these days, with the government listening to everything you say online. In the interest of preserving your freedoms and bolstering our fair nation, here is the full articulation of the deeply paranoid and complex life you must live in order to assure that the government leaves you alone.
Before we begin, we'll note that technically the NSA isn't allowed to look at the stuff you do online. Thanks to the Patriot Act, it can (and does) store the metadata on phone calls Americans make every day—who was called, how long the call lasted, maybe some location data. The NSA also pulls in online content, but can't do so legally on targets in the United States. This is part of the PRISM program you may have heard about, in which the NSA can access data from an array of companies in near-real-time. In practice, the NSA's procedures are sufficiently lax that it does collect information (content) from Americans, of course. And until 2011, it collected metadata on emails, including subject lines and to- and from-addresses.
That is the worst case scenario. Yes, the NSA is definitely slurping up scads of information about your phone calls. It probably isn't storing your Facebook chats, emails, and Skype calls. Our goal with this guide is to detail exactly what you need to do to assure that it can't, even if it wants to. As you will see, it is a cumbersome process. For assistance in fleshing out this guide, we spoke with Micah Lee, staff technologist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
The world learned about PRISM thanks to a series of slides leaked by Edward Snowden. Among those slides was one where, you can see the companies that participate in the program but also the data they offer the NSA, if the agency asks. Microsoft, Google, Yahoo (complete with trademark exclamation point), Facebook, YouTube, Skype, AOL, Apple. All of the logos smushed into the header of the slide. And all of the companies to be avoided if you don't want any chance that the NSA can surveil what you're doing.
Again: We are not saying that you should not use Facebook. What we are saying is that if you are desperate to prevent the NSA from knowing what you're doing, you shouldn't use Facebook. And there's nothing you can do to make using Facebook better—no encryption, no anything can make Facebook safe from the NSA. (We'll discuss this more a little later on.)
But it gets worse. These are the companies known to be participating in PRISM as of last October (when Apple was added). Since then, others may have been added; others may be added in the future. The truly paranoid, then, will have second thoughts about nearly any major Internet company.
And then it gets worse still, as Lee pointed out. "Any company that's inside of U.S. jurisdiction," he said, "can get government requests for data. Even if they're not listed in the PRISM slides, that doesn't mean the government isn't getting data from them." If the NSA wants your data, in other words, it can probably get it. It just might not be in real-time.
(There is some hope: Montana recently passed a bill that requires the governent to btain a probable cause warrant before spying on you through your cell phone or laptop. As Alexander Abad-Santos writes, "if you don't want the government to spy on you, move to Montana." Montana might be the safest state from cyber-spying in the nation, as it is the first to pass a comprehensive anti-spying bill, doing so even before the Edward Snowden saga broke out.)
Before we continue, we should flesh out an important distinction. When you think of an email, what you generally think of is the content of the email, the message. In order for that message to get to you, though, the email also needs to contain metadata, a term loosely-and-not-entirely-accurately used to refer to information about the email message itself. For example: who it is addressed to, who it came from, what its subject is. (We have gone deeper into this before.)
That distinction is important because email operates like a letter sent through the post office. A letter, sealed in an envelope, can be hidden from the mailman. But the mailman needs to be able to read the address, or your letter won't get there. In this case, the metadata is what appears on the envelope; the content is the letter.
So there is a good way to hide the content of your email messages. A tool called PGP (short for "Pretty Good Privacy"), created by a man named Philip Zimmerman, offers a way to encrypt (encode) email messages between two parties using what's know as peer-to-peer encryption. That's an important property. It means that person A encoded the message and only person B is able to decode it. So as the envelope moves around the web, you can be sure it stays sealed until it gets where it's going. (How PGP actually works isn't important for our purposes. In short: It involves doing a math problem involving two very, very large numbers.)
How do you get PGP? PGP as a brand is now owned by Symantec, so you can give them your money and they will set you up. But there are also open source implementations of the technology. (If you're deeply knowledgeable about technology, you can establish your own PGP system—but if you can do this, we doubt you need a tutorial.) One such product is known as GPG (Gnu Privacy Guard), which comes in both Mac and Windows versions. This is not simple to implement, mind you, but the documentation is pretty thorough. That's the tradeoff on this stuff. You can use a packaged product like, say HushMail, a program that gives you a free email account that can send encrypted messages. But when you sign up, you'll see a little notice that the company will work with law enforcement if you're using your account for illegal activity. And in the past, the company has done exactly that when ordered to do so. Easy to use, but not a guaranteed protection against the NSA—as the site's security page makes clear.
So you've got your PGP up and running and you're all set, right? Nope. Lee explains why. "PGP protects the content of your email," he says. "Specifically: Just the body, not the subject line. Even without the content of the email, it still doesn't protect the metadata." As recently as two years ago, the government was scooping up all of that metadata, reading all of those envelopes. PGP can't help with that. So how do you protect yourself from having your metadata read?
One way is to use email servers that employ a system called STARTTLS. This is complicated, but if two email servers employ STARTTLS, even the metadata information on emails is encrypted. So the NSA could see two email servers communicating, but not the To and From addresses involved.
An easier way to hide your metadata is to restrict your email to one domain. As Lee explains, if you're sending an email from someone at privateemail.com to someone at privateemail.com, that message never goes out on the Internet. Meaning that the government can't watch it zip around and pick up the metadata. It's like leaving a note for your roommate—the mailman won't see that.
Unless the mailman kicks in your door/the NSA subpoenas your email provider. Or if your email provider already has an agreement with the government—GMail or Outlook, for example—it may be easier than that. How do you solve that problem? Run your own email server and don't send email over the Internet. Easier: send a letter. (Or maybe don't do that, either.)
The NSA also collects data on targeted individuals' web activity. To prevent them from snooping on your important web activity (if you're like us: reading The Atlantic Wire; looking at pictures of animals), you again need to worry about encryption.
In web browsers, that means using HTTPS. HTTP, hypertext transfer protocol, is the normal way content is shipped from a web server to your browser. HTTPS is the secure version of that, using encryption between the server and your browser, preventing those watching the traffic go past from seeing what's happening. The most important thing you can do, Lee suggests, is use HTTPS whenever possible. To that end, the EFF has a browser plug-in called HTTPS Everywhere, which will make web pages that support HTTPS use it by default.


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By Teachers, For Teachers
Felix Baumgartner recently made headlines by jumping from over 128,000 feet above the earth. After two test jumps, of 15 and 18 miles high, Felix took the ultimate plunge over the desert near Roswell, New Mexico. With a thumbs-up before the jump and a victory pose after he landed, Baumgartner became the first man to break the sound barrier wearing only a protective suit.
For this video writing prompt, use the video of this epic current event to get your students thinking and writing about records, stunts, and more.
Felix flew from outer space to earth in just a few minutes. Draw a picture as if you were above the earth looking down. What would it look like? How would you feel?
Felix flew high in the air for several hours, before jumping down to the earth. He has spent many years working towards this jump, with many other lower dives. Around the world, many men, just like Felix, prepare and plan for dare-devil stunts just like this one. Would you want to grow up to be a dare-devil? What type of stunts would you do?
Felix broke several records in this exciting jump. He jumped from a record-breaking height of 24 miles above the earth, he reached record speeds of over 700 miles per hour, and he was the first man to break the sound barrier (move faster than the speed of sound). Can you think of a world record that you could match or break? How would you go about preparing for your world record?
Felix reached speeds of over 700 miles per hour. His speed surpassed the sound barrier. Using what you know about the sound barrier, what do you think happens when someone or something moves faster than the speed of sound? How do you think that Felix felt before, during, and after the jump?
Having trouble viewing the video? Click below to watch it on CNN.
SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration


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Budapest Photo Tour
When you hear the word Budapest, you probably don't think: that's where I want to go for my next vacation. Well... until now.
We've put together a huge photo tour of Budapest, from where we stayed to the best places to sightsee. And yup - this one doesn't have any words. So keep your eyes peeled as you goggle at this beautiful photo tour of Budapest, Hungary.
(Note: we stayed at the Four Seasons Budapest)
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We're a family of four (a daughter, a son, and their mother and father.... oh, and a six-month old Standard Poodle puppy). But we all share one thing in common: our love of travel and adventure!
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Solage Calistoga: the image of perfection. We stayed here recently on our trip to Napa Valley and couldn't have been more amazed at this stunning resort. The rooms, each one an individual cottage, were immaculate and private. The property itself contained multiple pools and other amenities, all of which were designed beautifully. One of our favorite parts had to be the Michelin-star restaurant, which served some of the best food we'd ever eaten. Solage Calistoga was the perfect fit for our family (and dog!), and we are eager to stay there again.


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Non-Enclosed, 100 kS/s/ch Simultaneous, ±10 V, 4-Channel C Series Voltage Output Module—The sbRIO‑9263 is a simultaneously updating analog output module. It features overvoltage protection, short-circuit protection, low crosstalk, fast slew rate, high relative accuracy, and NIST‑traceable calibration. The sbRIO‑9263 module includes a channel‑to‑earth ground double isolation barrier for safety and noise immunity. Non-enclosed modules are designed for OEM applications.
Find complete product documentation to learn how to get started and use the product.
Explore a wide range of support content, including examples and troubleshooting information.


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Rückgabe- und Widerrufsrecht
Returns & Refunds
You can return any item purchased within 14 days of the delivery date.
- The return provide the full refund of your purchase.
- The Refund will be processed with the same Payment Method used during the purchase.
- Shipping and/or Pickup charges will be paid by the customer.
Make sure the merchandise you return is in its original condition, tags and packaging included.
To start the Return process the customer have to send an email to [email protected] attaching the previously downloaded and filled "Return & Refunds Form – LaTuaModa.it".
The customer must ship the item to our office ONLY after receiving the confirmation mail.
During peak times it could take up to 7 business days. Once your return has been accepted, we will immediately request reimbursement and send you a confirmation e-mail.
The time needed to process your refund may vary based on the payment method used.
** For NO REASON the customer is required to send products without prior confirmation, in which case LaTuaModa s.r.l.. It is not liable in any way responsible for the goods nor is liable to make reimbursement for such purchase.


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Dear Valued Customer,
Please note that we are in the process of selling our Chicago operation to Connexion – a full-service electrical and lighting supplier based in the greater Chicago market. The sale is expected to be complete on Friday, December 28.
Thank you for your support of Van Meter Inc. since 2016, as well as your commitment to Bright Electric in prior years.
Connexion has hired many of our team members – the very same people you rely on for electrical supplies and expertise today. For your convenience, Connexion will also be operating out of our current location at 217 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL, in addition to their other Chicago-area locations.
We're confident the transition will be smooth. Should you have questions or concerns, please contact Connexion at 847-499-8300. The Connexion team looks forward to working with you.
Wishing you the best this holiday season. Thanks again.
- The Van Meter Team


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A top official of the Union of Democratic Forces party in Guinea (UDFG) said Guineans feel betrayed by the transitional government for its failure to resolve the ongoing stalemate which he said threatens to derail the proposed 10th October round-off vote.
Yousouff Sylla, a special adviser to former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo called on the international community, including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to help resolve the stalemate and pave way for the round-off vote.
?We are now at a stalemate and things are not moving as we expected. It?s now almost four months since the first round of elections went on. This is exceptionally too long. We feel that something has to be done to get things moving again and speed up the process. At this stage, we feel that we need an outside international intervention to help us,? he said.
Both rival parties, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party, led by veteran opposition leader Alpha Conde and the UDFG led by former Prime Minister Diallo are deadlocked over who should head Guinea?s Independent Electoral Commission that would organize the presidential run-off vote.
The new head of the electoral commission will replace Ben Sekou Sylla, who died recently in a French hospital, where he was receiving medical treatment for an undisclosed illness.
Military ruler General Sekouba Konate has reportedly been unable to resolve the impasse so far despite repeated talks with the two rival parties.
Adviser Sylla said the interim leader needs outside assistance to resolve the stalemate.
?He (Sekouba Konate) is subject to a number of pressures from groups and therefore it?s not easy for him to make the right decision. I think he needs some help,? Sylla said.
None of the political parties garnered over 50 percent required to win the 27th June first round presidential election. Guinea?s constitution only allows the two leading candidates to participate in the run-off vote.
The electoral commission has so far proposed 10th October as the new date for the run-off but, military ruler Konate is reportedly yet to officially receive the document from the electoral body.
Adviser Sylla said Guineans are tired of not knowing when the presidential election run-off will be held.
?We need the international community, especially ECOWAS and the African Union to act very quickly and help us get this process moving again and get it accelerated,? Sylla said.


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Mike Farris, founder and chairman of Home School Legal Defense Association and chancellor of Patrick Henry College, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court this week, defending the right of American citizens to engage in the democratic process for religious reasons.
Several years ago, voters in California passed Proposition 8, an amendment to the California Constitution that defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. The federal courts, including the Ninth Circuit, struck down Prop 8 as unconstitutional, and the case (Hollingsworth v. Perry) is now before the Supreme Court.
Writing on behalf of PHC's Center for the Original Intent of the Constitution, Farris countered arguments made by the American Civil Liberties Union and other anti-marriage groups who have argued that because many supporters of Prop 8 were religious, the amendment itself is an establishment of religion. He defended the right of religious voters to participate in democracy, citing numerous historical examples of such participation.
Farris argued that from the founding of the Republic to modern times, this country has enacted countless laws supported by those who have advanced religious and moral arguments justifying the law. Such enactments include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment, and the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s. He wrote that the courts are limited by the First Amendment and that as long as the Establishment Clause is not violated, every voter should be able to vote for the position of his or her choice for the reason of his or her choice. This includes the choice to uphold traditional western civilization concepts of marriage and the family, a concept vital to parental rights and freedoms.
The Court will hear oral arguments for Hollingsworth on March 26, 2013.


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Thanks to my good friend Simon I've been a happy git user for a few months now. I installed my own git server on Amazon EC2 using Ubuntu, git and gitolite and just fired it up once or twice a day to push and pull. This worked out fine but with more and more easy to use git hosting services springing up I gave Atlassian's bitbucket a try since it offers unlimited private repositories which is a bonus.
It took me a little while to figure out how to move my existing repository into bitbucket, especially since it was already tracking the existing remote repo on my server. What follows are a few easy steps that describe the process -


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WELCOME to our Friday blog. Every Friday we hand over to Carl and Alex Smith – known online as simply Carl & Alex. These super keen youngsters have a passion for making a variety of fishing videos, and provide a youth dimension to our new blogging mix.
We hope you enjoy the blog, written by Alex, and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter by clicking the icons above, or by the "old skool" method of telling fellow anglers!
Feel free also to comment by using the special space at the bottom on this page.
SUCCESS to report close to home this week, folks after fun on our lovely long summer holidays. Doesn't it feel good to be sleeping back in our own beds again… just a shame we're now back at college and school!
We arrived on Saturday afternoon at our local river hoping to catch some chub. We chose a small feeder, 5 lb hooklength and a banded pellet on a size 16 on our light feeder rod.
The weirpool swim is very popular with club members and so we were pleased to see that no one was fishing it. We deposited our bags and baits, spot secured. Carl and I both filled up our feeder and cast out into the centre of the pool where the water slackened slightly.
Within the first five minutes both of us had quite a few twitches on the tips of the rods but then suddenly my rod smacked round. I picked it up the rod… and it was bent full!
"Looks like a nice chub," Carl remarked. The fish then pulled line from my reel until it couldn't go any further. It was now at the back of the pool where there were tree roots and over hanging bushes that the fish at any moment could get into.
At this point I started to think it was a barbel because it was pulling so hard. After five more minutes of me gaining line and the fish pulling line I managed to get the fish on the surface. I was amazed to see the big head of a barbel!
We managed to get it in the net and let it recover after a long hard fight on 5 lb line.
We laid the fish on the mat and it weighed in at 9lb exactly! I couldn't believe it. My first barbel I had caught since we visited the Wye last October.
We had some photos taken of the beast and then let it recover in the water before we let it go. It's good to give fish a bit of time as you don't want them to turn the wrong way round in the fast flow. There are some good tips on barbel care on this website (click here to read that article).
My catch swam off fast and strong….lovely. What a feeling it was to have caught a junior record fish for this stretch of river and that we had only planned to catch a chub or two!
The next hour and a half passed uneventfully but I didn't mind. The barbel had made my day.
- If you want to see more of the lads' videos for free, now, just browse the Carl & Alex channel in this website's new TV player.
Here's the list of all our exclusive new daily blogs and when they go live:
MONDAY: Carp crews on rotation – Korda, Fox, Nash and ACE.
TUESDAY: Steve Collett, Mail contributor and ultimate all-rounder.
WEDNESDAY: Angler's Mail HQ – yes, us!
THURSDAY: Specialists from Pike Anglers Club, Korum and Pallatrax, on rotation
FRIDAY: Carl & Alex, Angler's Mail juniors and video diary makers.
SATURDAY: The Angling Trust – guys at the governing body.
SUNDAY: Colin Mitchell, veteran coarse angler and top journalist
Click HERE to find more recent blogs


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By Jim Miller
Even as California lawmakers target extra money at confiscating weapons from people who shouldn't have them, a new state audit finds that the state Department of Justice and the courts have failed to identify thousands of mentally ill people covered by the prohibition.
Tuesday's audit by the Bureau of State Audits found that 34 of 58 Superior Courts did not file at least 2,300 prohibited person reports to the Justice Department's mental health unit from 2010 through 2012. The number of unfiled reports was likely even higher because some counties could not tell how many reports they had failed to file, according to the audit. Other courts' filings lacked required information.
Earlier this year, lawmakers approved legislation that appropriated $24 million to the department to tackle a backlog of cases of prohibited persons having guns, a number that stood at 20,800 people in July. But Tuesday's audit warned that the effort is undermined by authorities' failure to collect and process prohibited persons' reports from the courts and mental health facilities.
"It is critical that justice improve its outreach and internal processes so its agents can better protect the public from armed prohibited persons," the audit said, calling on the department to step up its outreach and for the Legislature to require all mental health-related prohibited person reports to be filed within 24 hours.
The reports are supposed to go into the Armed Prohibited Persons System, which lists people who, for different reasons, cannot purchase or posses a firearm. The criteria include a court's determination that a mentally ill person poses a danger to others.
According to the audit, court officials in most of the 34 counties said they did not know about the filing requirement and the Justice Department failed to remind them or mental-health facilities. In addition, the audit found the department has struggled to process the reports it does receive.
Stephen J. Lindley, chief of the Justice Department's Bureau of Firearms, said it agreed with the audit's recommendations and plans to communicate more with the courts and other entities required to file the reports.
But the Administrative Office of the Courts said it disagreed with the audit's recommendation for a law requiring the courts to file prohibited-person reports within 24 hours. Current law requires the reports "immediately," with a law taking effect Jan. 1 that will extend the time to two court workdays.
"Given the unprecedented budget cuts to the judicial branch, limited business hours and staff, and other resource issues, the shorter deadline is not recommended," said Steven Jahr, the administrative director of the courts. Auditors stood by their recommendation, calling the suggested change "important to public safety."
The audit followed a request by GOP Assemblymen Katcho Achadjian and Allan Mansoor.
In a statement, Achadjian said Tuesday's report "confirmed our worst fears _ that information about individuals who should be on the list of armed prohibited persons is not being fully reported and is not being reported immediately as required by law."
The audit follows several bills this year meant to tighten the rules on gun ownership by the mentally ill. Earlier this month, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 1131 that increases from six months to five years the amount of time a person is prohibited from having a gun after threatening violence to a licensed psychotherapist.
But Brown vetoed a measure, Senate Bill 755, that would have added substance-abuse convictions and court orders to undergo outpatient mental-health treatment to the criteria that make a person ineligible to have a gun for 10 years.
(c)2013 The Sacramento Bee


text: Thursday, December 15, 2011 APTA Communities Unavailable December 16-20 APTA Communities will be unavailable beginning December 16, 3 pm ET, until as late as December 20, 5 pm ET, as APTA makes upgrades to the collaboration platform. As a result of the upgrade, APTA Communities will have a familiar yet improved look and feel, with more detailed navigation menus and breadcrumbs and a "ribbon" menu for more intuitive content authoring and management. APTA Communities allow groups to collaborate based on shared interests or responsibilities through discussion forums, document sharing, and more.


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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Tucson officials are hoping a pre-approved building permit will help persuade electric car company Tesla to build its planned battery plant in the city, the mayor said Thursday.
Mayor Jonathan Rothschild said Tesla Motors Inc. did not apply for the permit. Rather, it's a way to show the company how much the city is willing to do to ensure Tesla's presence.
"The permit is intended to convey the message to Tesla that, when you're ready to proceed, Tucson is ready to help," Rothschild said in an email.
Tucson is as an ideal fit for several reasons, including costs, logistics and its proximity to Mexico, the mayor said.
The building permit was first reported by the Arizona Daily Star (https://bit.ly/1o9E5TA ). It applies to the construction of a one-story facility up to 5 million square feet at an address to be determined.
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada and California are competing for the plant, which will represent a $5 billion investment from the California-based car company and its partners.
Tucson and Arizona officials have spent the last several months courting the electric-car maker. Both the Arizona Commerce Authority and the city have offered various tax incentives.
Tesla officials said Thursday that an announcement of the winning state is still months away. The company broke ground in Reno, Nevada, in June at a possible site for the new factory, but Tesla representatives said they are evaluating other locations and a final decision hasn't been made.
The company will team up with Japanese electronics company Panasonic Corp. to build the manufacturing plant, which is expected to create 6,500 jobs.


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Micromax pc suite 1.08 Free Download
Freeware: This program is free software
Connect your mobile and PC and manage its data easily
Micromax pc suite is a program designed to be used with any Micromax smartphone, which are really popular nowadays in Asian Pacific countries. This software helps customers to create backups of their data, to synchronize their mobile phone and to use it as a modem for the computer, providing Internet access if the phone has a data plan. The connection of your smartphone to your PC can be made using USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi networks.
Its interface is quite intuitive and colorful and using it won't be difficult even if you are a beginner. In the left part of the screen you will see the main functionalities, including 'Phonebook', 'Message', 'Settings', 'Melody', 'MMS' and 'File Manager'. At the top, you can find some icons for basic functions such as an eraser or copy option.
Some interesting tools included in this software
Micromax pc suite includes a tone editor and creator that enable users to create audio ringtones using even more than two files. This tool allows you adding extra quality to your tones and later sending them to your phone. Similarly, a new music manager has been included for you to create playlists and organize songs according to your preferences.
By using this application you can perform many functions from your computer as if you were using the real device. The user will be able to send and compose text and multimedia messages directly from the PC, edit the contact list and create a backup -something extremely useful when your phone is lost or stolen-, import your notes and your Outlook information, or manage files and move them between different sources. You can transfer any multimedia content (songs, videos, documents, etc.) to your phone or to your computer in a simple way through its improved file manager.
Micromax pc suite 1.08 Features
The unique features of this program are the following:
- You can send text and multimedia messages
- Possibility of changing the mobile settings directly from the computer
- Computer connection can be done through USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi networks
- New music manager to organize your songs
- Tone editor to create and enhance ringtones
- Enhanced file manager to put your archives in order and access them quickly
- You can create a backup of your contacts list thanks to 'Phonebook' functionality
If you want to read more information about Micromax pc suite before you download it, feel free to visit the developer's website .
System Requirements for the download and installation
Below you can find the minimum system requirements for the free download and setup of this software in your computer:
- Operating System: Windows XP or later
- Processor: 1GHz
- Memory: 512 of RAM
- Hard Disk Space: 20MB of free space available
If you own a Micromax smartphone you should have Micromax pc suite to sync your device with your computer. The connection will be done through USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi networks and will allow you to manage your files easily, create backups of all the archives, send SMS and MMS or create customized ringtones, among some other things.


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Results tagged ' Kevin Long '
Yankees Used to be the Class of the League, Now They are Just A**
Trivia Question: Who has the current record for most World Series rings?
Answer at the end of the Blog
I driving along today and listening to the Rays/Yanks game on the Rays' Radio Network, when our rookie third baseman Evan Longoria was up to bat in the first inning. Here we are, two days removed from the "whiny" accusations of Yankee manager, Joe Girardi, and Longoria is plucked by the pitcher in the midsection.
The Yankees' had minor league pitcher, Heath Phillips, starting the game due to Andy Pettitte's apparent tendonitis situation. That might be the reason for farmhand Phillips to get the nod for the game versus the Rays, or there could be another reason Pettitte was not pitching today?
Andy is a class act player, and maybe he wanted nothing to do with the kid games about to be played on the field. Pettitte is a hard nosed pitcher who is not afraid to pitch the inside corner, but doesn't have a history of brush-backs or knock downs of any MLB players. The reason I bring this up is that the Yankee starter, Phillips was ejected in the first Inning for a up-and-in fastball that hit Longoria. Kind of funny that he picked that player to pitch closely inside, and not the likes of Carl Crawford, Cliff Floyd or Jonny Gomes.
Home plate Umpire Chad Fairchild immediately sent Phillips to the showers while being given an earful by Yankee manager Joe Girardi concerning the ejection.
But that would not be the end of the fun today.
Not even an inning later,with the Yankees up to bat in the bottom of the second, Shelly Duncan was running out a ball hit down the Left field line when he came in with his spikes up on Aki Iwamura. Replays showed that the relay throw beat Duncan to the base by about 30 feet, and he would not have had any chance to beat the throw to the bag without Aki dropping the ball.
With that in mind, Duncan decided to do his "Ty Cobb" imitation and come in with the spikes up around the knee/groin area and opened a small gash over Aki 's right knee.
Immediately following the play, Rays Right Fielder, Jonny Gomes raced in and leveled Duncan from behind to set off a bench clearing brawl. Gomes said he wasn't surprised Duncan did what he did considering his comments to the New York media this week that he would consider retaliation for Saturday's play, and he didn't hesitate to get involved.
"That was sort of second nature," he said. "I was taught from T-ball all the way up to have your teammate's back. With that guy trying to hurt a teammate, I just acted how I acted."
Gomes did get an initial shot in on Duncan, but said an all-out brawl wasn't his goal. Because of his actions, Gomes, Duncan and Yankees Third Base coach, Bobby Meacham and Yankees Hitting Coach, Kevin Long were ejected from the contest won by the Rays' 7-6. My question is, where was the secret instigator, Joe Girardi during all of this mayhem. Probably giggling on the bench like a schoolgirl.
Rays closer,Troy Percival was in the clubhouse for the play, but he saw the spike marks visible on Iwamura's uniform pants, above his knee on the inside of the leg, and wasn't happy. "You're just going out there, spikes high, trying to put them into somebody?" said Percival. "There's no room in baseball for that kind of stuff. Ty Cobb's been gone a long time."
Is this the predestined action for the fun during the upcoming season for these two aggressive teams. Are the Yankees going to try and play hard, intimidation ball with a team that can dish out the same in return every night of the week.
In 2000,the Boston Red Sox came in to the Trop. in the send of the year, and tried to do the same to the Rays' in their home stadium. Red Soz pitcher Pedro Martinez hit Gerald Williams and a brawl ensued. I remember seeing Red Sox first baseman/ Strike Scab, Brian Daubach getting leveled by a bullpen guy and being helped off the field. Of course, in that game several pitches were thrown that got pitchers tossed from the game. The best was the pitch by the late Cory Lidle that missed the back of a Sox's player by two feet.
Does the actions of Jonny Gomes show that this team means business this year. Could we really be seeing the evolution of this franchise into respectability. I think the answer to both those questions is a loud and proud "Yes."
Does today's clear retaliation mean we have the Yankees worried for a change. Do they have a feeling that their "Empire"or "Dynasty" status is being challenged by an upstart team from the south. The last part of that word is what they have become in my eyes, just plain "nasty"'
This is going to be a fun year to be a Rays and Yankee fan.
"It's not typical of them, that's for sure," said Percival. "They've always been a professional organization. They've always played hard and they've always played smart. I won't say that about today's game."
I am all about hard hustle and playing to win every game,at-bat,or pitch. But what Duncan did was beyond the usual action of the game. Should he be suspended by MLB?, that is not for me to say here.
But I would be leery of him standing in Right Field for Batting Practice at the Trop. I will be ready to lay a few lines on him about his cheap sportsmanship.
I will clap for any teams,even a Yankee, who shows hustle and a great play or show of true sportsmanship. But I hate and loath a guy trying to inflict,or injury a player out of retaliation for a hard-nosed play from a past game. Shelly Duncan had no business doing a "spikes up" play on Aki and it shows his lack of class to even wear that Yankee uniform.
Gomes,Percival and others also feel unanimously that the play was "Bush League," and had no business being attempted today. Dirty play," said B.J. Upton. "Just a flat-out dirty play. Period."
Rays' skipper Joe Maddon summed it up best today:
"The other day we were playing in Tampa, that play you saw at home plate was a good, hard baseball play," he said. "What you saw today is the definition of a dirty play. There is no room for that in our game, it's contemptible, it's wrong, it's borderline criminal, and I cannot believe they did that."
Triva Question Answer:
Yankees' all-around good guy, Yogi Berra won 10 rings from 1946-1962.
Hey Shelly Duncan, Yogi Berra was a true winner, not a half *** whiner.