text: Up to the sixth mile the needles were deflected with great rapidity on the connexion being made with the voltaic element. The reversal of the order of connection also satisfactorily reversed the needle from east to west, and the contrary. But when the deflection fell to below 40°, the movements were exceedingly sluggish, so that on an average two seconds elapsed before each signal could be read off. The change of battery poles then often failed in reversing the direction of the needles and here, as before, at least two seconds were consumed in each movement. Applying the same rule to this as to the preceding experiment, the galvanometer would convey signals by a copper wire to a distance of twenty-eight miles-and this might be increased by enlarging the wire or the battery, or by adding to the delicacy of the galvanometer --but in one essential point this system was deficient, namely, in rapidity of movement. Two seconds or even one, on each telegraphic movement, would be an extravagant waste of time compared with the celerity with which signals can be conveyed by another method. One of the most delicate of all tests of voltaic electrical action is the decomposition of ioduret of potassium and the production of a blue colour which the free iodine strikes with starch. This effect was produced in my experiments for a line of three miles of wire. Beyond this no decomposition could be effected. From this fact we are entitled to infer the impracticability of Soëmmering's method. See § 2. Induction machine, and mode of correspondence by Pulsations and Chronometers. The battery was connected with the primary coil see fig. 1. p. 723. by very short wires;-the ends of the secondary coil wires screwed to the right and left wires of the great parallelogram. P. 721. On breaking contact with the primary coil, a shock utterly intolerable passed at half a mile to an individual holding the metallic handles in which the wires ended. To avoid fatiguing details I may at once state, that by this secondary coil, excited by but three small voltaic couples, the shocks up to seven miles were exceedingly smart-at eleven and a half at each side, they amounted to no more than strong, but not disagreeable, sensations. I think these might be best termed "pulsations," for to the hand they impart the same feeling proportionately, that a strong and full pulse does to the finger. Each pulsation is practically simultaneous with the breaking of contact with the battery. To give a rude idea of the velocity of the signal, the contact being broken by a clicking wheel, on a perfectly calm morning, at a distance of but sixty yards, the pulsation was invariably felt at a sensible interval before the click which preceded it was heard. Thus sound travelling at the rate of 1090 feet in one second to 121 feet in one-ninth of a second, the electrical impulse passes through a total circuit of twenty-two miles, in less than that practically insignificant fraction of time. This however conveys but an erroneous notion of the almost inconceivable velocity of the impulse. Professor Wheatstone has proved that the electrical accumulation of the Leyden phial is discharged and circulates through copper conductors, one fifteenth of an inch in diameter, with greater velocity than the progress of light through the planetary spaces, and in the rate at least of 288,000 miles in a second. Now the discharges of the Leyden bottle and those of induced coil electricity are in the closest circumstances analogous to each other. Of the pulsations thus transmitted, it is perfectly easy to count six in one second-thus with a little practice any signal number can be made from one to six in one second. Besides the simple repetition of the pulsations up to nine, beyond which they become indistinct for each signal, there are at least two modes of conveying other sensations by this apparatus. If the connexion between the battery of the primary coil be made and broken by a ratchet-wheel of brass and silver, and the wheel be turned pretty rapidly, a sensation analogous to the ruffle of a drum is so distinct as to render mistake impossible. A third set is obtained by interposing a flat file in the battery circuit, and interrupting this by drawing one wire along the surface of the file; here instead of the ruffle, the feeling is that of a blunt saw drawn lightly across the palms of the observer's hands. It is difficult to express in words the differences in these distinguishing signals, but the practice of a quarter of an hour will make the observer so familiar with them, that he can without the slightest difficulty carry on a communication by numbering or spelling with his distant correspondent. With a tithe of the practice of a pianist or harpist, the most perfect sympathy is practicable between the signalists, and that as fast as the signal can be spelt. In short, with but little less velocity than the articulations of language or the writing of stenographic characters, this silent, but thoroughly intelligible, and still most secret of all correspondence can take place. It is almost unnecessary for me to remind the reader of the admitted fact, that the exquisite delicacy of the impressions of the touch transcends, in some respects, the evidence of all the other senses. The eye and ear are liable to distraction by casual sounds or phenomena, while the attentive touch knows no interruption. The eye must close momentarily and thus lose the observance of many rapid phenomena. Dazzled by too vivid lights, and confused by too constant watching, vision soon ceases to be accurate, while the frequent repetition of similar sounds either becomes absolute silence to the ear, or like the murmuring of a rivulet or the humming of insects, gradually narcotizes the observer. Let the experimentalist attempt to count but 200 rapid strokes of a faint bell, and he will at once acknowledge the imperfections of any acoustic method. Thus with copper conductors equal in diameter to the iron wires I employed, signals by pulsation are proved to be communicable by the method above described, in less than any appreciable period of time, to the distance of 154 miles. Besides the method of telegraphing by pulsations and other signals recognized by touch alone, there is another of which I have made extensive trial, and which is capable of affording still more accurate and intelligible and equally rapid results. Without any knowledge of the experiments quoted by Steinheilsmany months indeed before the paper by that author was published in England-I attempted, and with success, to effect the transmission of signals by using time-keepers at each terminus, and causing the pulsation to be felt as the hands simultaneously passed a certain number or letter on the dial. In these experiments I first employed a pair of watches modified for my use by that ingenious artist Mr. Grant, of this city. All the movements were taken out but those connected with the second-hand, and a long lever was so constructed as to check the balance-wheel at pleasure during the recoil. Round the second-hand was placed a card dial laid off with three concentric circles divided each into twenty parts. Omitting vowels and superfluous letters, the alphabet was laid down in each circle so that the hand would during each revolution point to any letter three times; the compartments were moreover numbered on the same principle, so that each figure from one to ten would be pointed to six times in a revolution. The hand is passing each compartment during three seconds. The observer receives say two pulsations, and is thereby referred to the second circle, and reads the letter or cypher, according as the signal be for spelling or numbering. Although the watches were of the very cheapest kind, and would not keep time together for more than five minutes, still they were quite sufficient to enable a correspondence to be carried on. Thus a signal seldom lasted longer than three minutes; both watches were then allowed to run to No. 1 or zero, and stopped. To renew correspondence a prolonged roll was communicated. If but one roll, it indicated spelling; if two, numbering. On the roll ceasing, three pulsations at intervals of one second were passed, and at the third the correspondents started their watches. The pendulum was also tried, and with decided advantage. Two German clocks sufficed to demonstrate the practicability of the system. The striking parts were removed, and also the hour and minute hands and dial. To the axis of the escapement wheel a needle was attached, carrying a light hand which indicated on a dial the signals above described. The German clocks (which cost but 16 rupees the pair,) in numerous experiments beat together for several hours, and could always be relied on for one hour at least. It is almost needless to add, that by shortening or lengthening the pendulum the rate was readily varied from 40 to 80 seconds for each revolution. I did not omit chronometers, although I could not of course so alter these costly instruments as to adjust them perfectly to my experiments. It is obvious however that chronometers will on my method give an unerring and constant mode of telegraphic correspondence. In a recent trial at Greenwich the mean error of several instruments in one year was but two seconds!* Here then are two movers constantly and simultaneously pointing to one and the same signal, be it letter, figure, or cypher. The electric pulsations which "take no note of time" or distance, supply us with the means of converting this synchronism to the unexpected and invaluable end to which it is now proposed to be applied. Even employing inferior chronometers, the addition of a moveable dial which could be adjusted daily on a method too simple to need description, would secure the perfection of the correspondence; or the daily difference of the instruments being known, a tabular correction could we made; or, lastly, by an occasional astronomical observation of true time at each station, the object in view could be as certainly obtained. * In 1831, the first three prize chronometers only differed year. |


text: Users who book travel through OTAs prefer to search for travel information and book flights, hotels, and rental cars using online platforms instead of more traditional travel agents. In Slovenia, 51.4% of Users Booking Travel Through OTAs are in the 25-34 age group. Explore more characteristics of these users in the charts below.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Almost Dawn in Libya, a collaborative project for which eight photographers raised money for four simultaneous Libyan exhibitions of photographs from the country's conflict—as described here on LightBox—reached its fundraising goal of $40,000 and will be completed in the next few weeks. Photographer André Liohn, one of the guiding forces behind the initiative, spoke to LightBox from Misrata, Libya, where he was preparing for the installation in that city.
"That we finally have the pictures in our hands," says Liohn, "is very exciting."
Liohn estimates that they are about 80 percent done with printing the photographs for the shows, but the progress is dodged by remnants of the conflict that the exhibitions are intended to address. On the day before Liohn spoke to LightBox, militiamen seized control of the Tripoli airport. Elections are also on the horizon. It's still unclear whether the other photographers who are part of the Almost Dawn project—Lynsey Addario, Eric Bouvet, Bryan Denton, Christopher Morris, Jehad Nga, Finbarr O'Reilly and Paolo Pellegrin—will have difficulty getting to Libya for the openings.
But, after everything endured by the photojournalists who captured the Libyan conflict on film, these obstacles are not overly daunting. Liohn says he's ready to get the shows up and running, particularly because the people he meets in Libya are ready too. Despite—or perhaps because of—the trauma of war, they seem, to him, eager to help with the vision of healing through photography.
"We feel that the project is pretty much as much theirs as it's ours," says Liohn, citing the people who have donated both living space and expensive printing services. "To me, it's very courageous that they are taking so much responsibility for making this happen."
The Almost Dawn in Libya team has also provided LightBox with the panoramic view shown here, as designed by Paolo Pellegrin and curator Annalisa d'Angelo, which replicates the gallery set-up that will be seen in Libya. The lack of captions was part of the original vision for the project, meant to allow viewers to see past any divisions between Libyan regions and peoples. Although work remains to be done—unsurprisingly, considering the task of mounting four identical exhibitions across a still-scarred nation—the shows are expected to open in early July in four Libyan cities, Tripoli, Misurata, Benghazi and Zintan, with the goal of providing fodder for debate and discussion about the country's future among those who come to see the photographs.
"They fear that Libya will not become a good country," says Liohn. "Still they are not letting the fear keep them from making Libya into what they want."
Learn more about Almost Dawn in Libya—and the photographers involved at their emphas.is fundraising page here.
Almost Dawn in Libya will be shown on the following schedule:
July 1 – Misurata – Goz-elteek-Hotel
July 4 – Benghazi – Benghazi Museum
July 10 – Tripoli – Dar Al Funnun – Tripoli Art House
July 12 – Zintan – Zintan Media Center
You can also follow the exhibition's progress at ADIL's Facebook page, here.
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text:
Staff complaints about recent comments by CEO Tim Armstrong have led AOL to reverse policy and again match employees' 401(k) contributions each pay period, rather than once a year.
Armstrong announced the reversal in a staff e-mail Saturday.
In addition, he apologized in the memo for comments made during an employee conference call "when I mentioned specific healthcare examples in trying to explain our decision making process around our employee benefit programs."
Armstrong did not describe the examples, but on the employee call Thursday he cited two distressed pregnancies costing $1 million each as a reason for the annual 401(k) matching.
In interviews and the employee call, Armstrong said that the increased costs of health care insurance brought about by the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, were a key factor to the decision to match 401(k) contributions annually.
The comments and the 401(k) disclosure didn't sit well with the people who work at AOL (AOL), which operates websites including AOL.com and The Huffington Post.
"The leadership team and I listened to your feedback over the last week. We heard you on this topic," Armstrong said in his e-mail Saturday. "And as we discussed the matter over several days, with management and employees, we have decided to change the policy back to a per-pay-period matching contribution."
The annual contribution would have caused anyone who left the company before the end of the year to forfeit any match.
Related: Add Tim Armstrong's distressed babies to the pile of gaffes
Before the reversal, AOL was the latest in a string of companies to change their benefits because of Obamacare. A few weeks ago, Target (TGT) said it will stop offering health insurance to part-timers and instead help them buy coverage on the state and federal exchanges. Last year, United Parcel Service (UPS) and the University of Virginia said they are dropping coverage for employees' spouses that have access to benefits elsewhere because of Obamacare.
--CNNMoney's Tami Luhby, CNN's Janet DiGiacomo and Fortune's Claire Zillman contributed to this story


text:
Indians slip by Royals
Published 4:43 am Tuesday, April 22, 2014
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley hit two-run homers, powering the Cleveland Indians over the Kansas City Royals 4-3 Monday night when a fearless squirrel ran around Progressive Field and provided some extra entertainment.
Kipnis connected in the sixth inning off Jeremy Guthrie (2-1), overcoming a 3-2 deficit. Brantley provided Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
Zach McAllister (3-0) gave up six hits and overcame three errors — one on his errant throw. Marc Rzepczynski and Cody Allen pitched a hitless inning each, and closer John Axford worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save.
Alex Gordon and Omar Infante each had two of the Royals' six hits.
Indians designated hitter Jason Giambi went hitless in four at-bats in his season debut. He missed Cleveland's first 18 games with a broken rib.
Nick Swisher led off the sixth with his second double, and Kipnis followed with his third homer, a drive into the seats in right-center. Kipnis is 8 of 13 (.615) with two homers and six RBIs off Guthrie, who except for the home runs pitched effectively for 6 1-3 innings.
The game was momentarily delayed in the second inning when a squirrel ran onto the field. Swisher motioned for the critter to run to him, but it darted past and into the outfield grass. The squirrel was directed inside the Royals bullpen by members of the grounds crew, but the slippery rodent escaped and returned for another scamper to the delight of the crowd of 10,789. The pesky intruder hung around for another inning before it was shooed into the Indians' center-field bullpen.
The squirrel perched on a ledge for several minutes before jumping the wall into the Heritage Park monument area.
Helped by McAllister's throwing error, the Royals scored three runs in the fifth to take a 3-2 lead.
Mike Moustakas doubled to open the inning and scored when diving center fielder Michael Bourn couldn't squeeze a sinking liner by Alcides Escobar. Jarrod Dyson followed with a bunt toward third that McAllister fielded cleanly before throwing wildly past first, allowing Escobar to score. One out later, Infante's RBI single put the Royals in front.
Brantley connected in the fourth for his team-leading fourth homer, and second in two days.
Kipnis led off with a double, and with one out, Brantley drove a 2-1 pitch from Guthrie over the wall in right. Brantley only hit 10 homers last season, and manager Terry Francona believes the 26-year-old could develop into a more potent power hitter because "he gives himself a chance every at-bat."
NOTES: Royals 1B coach Rusty Kuntz was struck on the left wrist by a line drive during batting practice and was replaced by Mike Jirschele. … The Indians entered the week as one of four teams — the Reds, Rockies and Padres are the others — yet to play an extra-inning game. … With Giambi available, Francona gave struggling DH/3B Carlos Santana the night off. Santana was just 2 for 38 in his past 10 games. … Royals LHPs Tim Collins (strained hip) and Francisley Bueno (sprained finger) is to throw a simulated game Tuesday. Manager Ned Yost said both will go on a minor league rehab before being activated.


text:
The family of Kendrick Johnson recently filed a lawsuit against the funeral home that handled his remains, claiming they committed negligence and fraud.
Johnson's parents say they were shocked to learn, when they ordered a second autopsy, that Kendrick's organs were missing and had been replaced with newspaper by Harrington Funeral Home in Valdosta, Georgia. An investigation by a state board found, however, that the handling of the body did not violate any law.
The family alleges, in a lawsuit amended Wednesday, that the funeral home mishandle the organs and disposed of them in an attempt to thwart investigations into Kendrick's death.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family, joined NewsOne Now Thursday to update Jeff Johnson on their fight for justice.
"We now cannot retest his organs to see what happened because the funeral home threw them away or Georgia medial examiner threw them away," Crump told the host. "They're pointing fingers at each other but we need to know because whoever did that should be accountable to this family."
Watch Jeff Johnson's report on this latest development in the Kendrick Johnson case.
Be sure to tune in to NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, weekdays at 7 a.m. EST.
Update: Attorney Ben Crump Talks New Kendrick Johnson Lawsuit was originally published on newsone.com


text:
Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade Routes. From the Mediterranean to the Black Sea
Permanent Delegation of Ukraine to Unesco
Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
Les Listes indicatives des États parties sont publiées par le Centre du patrimoine mondial sur son site Internet et/ou dans les documents de travail afin de garantir la transparence et un accès aux informations et de faciliter l'harmonisation des Listes indicatives au niveau régional et sur le plan thématique.
Le contenu de chaque Liste indicative relève de la responsabilité exclusive de l'État partie concerné. La publication des Listes indicatives ne saurait être interprétée comme exprimant une prise de position de la part du Comité du patrimoine mondial, du Centre du patrimoine mondial ou du Secrétariat de l'UNESCO concernant le statut juridique d'un pays, d'un territoire, d'une ville, d'une zone ou de leurs frontières.
Les noms des biens figurent dans la langue dans laquelle les États parties les ont soumis.
This selection of "Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade Routes. From the Mediterranean to the Black Sea" includes some of the most significant examples, chosen from a dense network of maritime and mercantile settlements distributed around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In their physical form and variety, these settlements share recognisable urban and architectural features, and represent a strongly individualised system of ancient seaborne trading ports, situated in areas where the Genoese influence is still clearly legible.
Genoa's several hundred medieval harbours in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Atlantic, and northern Europe are evidence of its presence in all those areas between the 11 th and 15th centuries. As the outward expression of the strategic activity in which it was engaged during that period, the particular characteristics of these settlements were a product of the uniquely Italian system of comuni (sovereign city-states). The settlements were based on locally modified versions of Genoa's domestic economic model, which was essentially private or public/private (and was only rarely wholly public). From place to place, to a greater or lesser extent, the Genoese allowed these settlements to respond to local conditions. But whilst they were all significantly different, they were also the interdependent parts of a coherent network, designed to ensure maximum mobility and operational flexibility for the ruling class of Genoese and Ligurian families, who had organised themselves into groups of great importance, and had branches all over the world.
The city of Genoa had grown up in a particular way for a number of reasons, partly intrinsic due to its geographical position, and partly because of the political circumstances of the time. Genoa enjoyed a favourable geographic location and setting, well served by roads but with no agricultural hinterland on which to rely. It was positioned on an axis that connected to Rome, was close to Milan and the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, and sat midway between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. It also benefited from having a non-monolithic, fragmented political system; her comune system of city government was the key factor for her international success.
Thanks to the sea, trade, and then, increasingly, the power of capital and also the technological capabilities of the famous Genoese admirals, who were sought-after by all the medieval navies; and thanks to the constant need to find new overseas areas of activity, the region of Liguria, which only had a small population, found itself obliged to make all its resources available to others as well as to itself, and therefore had to limit to the essential the costs of any new overseas urban settlements. On that basis, by the 1ih century Genoa had established a presence on the northern Atlantic coast of the Iberian peninsula (at Santiago de Compostela), on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, and the whole of the western Mediterranean basin. At the same time, Genoese mercantile activity and its intensive participation in the First Crusade (1097-1109) also enabled it to create urban settlements to the East, which took a different form from place to place. It is important to note that in creating its free network of terrestrial and maritime communications, similar operations were also undertaken in the areas immediately bordering the city (which were much more extensive than present-day Liguria), involving both Piedmont and the Po valley, the two coastal areas to east and west, and the nearby islands including Corsica, which as soon as it was taken was integrated into metropolitan Genoa.
These operations were of great magnitude, and required heavy investment, so in general the Genoese, in view of their limited resources, preferred to follow a policy based on making treaties. Warfare, the construction of urban settlements and fortified structures, or upgrading previous settlements, were only undertaken when strictly necessary, and direct rule was only resorted to in outstandingly important cases of particular strategic significance, where there was a need to establish control over trade routes, market outlets, or to preserve a Genoese monopoly. In all other cases the Genoese preferred to negotiate the use of harbours and/or urban areas which they then organised and regulated differently from place to place, depending on the local powers that retained control. In each of the overseas outposts established by the Genoese at different times, in the Islamic and Byzantine areas, the Black Sea, Corsica, Portugal, Castile, Flanders, and England, each situation was therefore different.
This is all still clearly legible in the system of strategically-positioned settlements that the Genoese gradually built up, of which some examples are described below. In the coastal area immediately to the east of the city, these settlements varied from the creation of a "colony" at Portovenere, to the construction of an urbanised quarter with a castle, at Chiavari. They took great care to build and maintain a system of fortifications to the immediate west as well, in which Ventimiglia and Noli played important roles, and Monaco in particular was strongly defended. Important roles were also played, during this period, by the islands of Corsica and Sardinia, where Genoa engaged in a series of private and public initiatives: Bonifacio, Calvi and other places in Corsica became integral parts of the Genoese system; in Sardinia, a private Genoese presence was maintained at Castelsardo. Further field in Seville there is still a Genoese Quarter today; an even stronger Genoese presence continued to exist in Andalusia, in the wake of the Castilian conquest in the mid-thirteenth century; present-day Lisbon still has an "Admiral's Quarter", and signs of the Ligurian presence can also still be seen in the Maghreb, at Tunis, and in Morocco.
As a result of having taken part in the Crusade, the Ligurians established a virtual monopoly in the whole Syro-Palestinian area of the eastern Mediterranean, where the Embriaci dynasty created their own private settlement at Gibellet (Byblos/Jbeil). Other Genoese urban quarters existed in Antioch, Laodicea, Tyre, and Acre as well as in Cyprus, after the island was conquered by Richard the Lionheart. At the same time, there was a Genoese connection with Byzantium, where private monopolies were operated by the Zaccaria family at Focea (for alum) and Chios (for mastic gum). From an early stage the Genoese also occupied a very important urban quarter in Constantinople, at Pera and on the hill of Galata. After 1261 and the Treaty of Ninfeo, they established another monopoly across the whole of the Black Sea, with its stronghold in the Crimea at settlements like Cembalo (Balaklava), Caffa (Feodosia) and Sudak (Soldaia). Here, a more sophisticated and extensive urban system was built, similar to those in other areas controlled by Genoa, i.e., based on the municipal system in Genoa itself. Subsequent history has demonstrated that thanks to good relationships between the Genoese and the Turks, the Crimea proved to be of such strategic importance that it continued to be defended even after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, right up until 1475.
As has been said, all these settlements were profoundly different, but their planning was always based on the same three subdivisions as those of Genoa herself: castrum, civitas, and burgus. The most strongly defended commercial core was the castrum. Its enclosed, walled urban fabric showed affinities with the Islamic fonduk, and consisted of a gridded system of urban blocks; this arrangement was then followed in all subsequent extensions of the city, of which the first was the civitas, a second enclosed perimeter that included the buildings occupied by the Genoese urban aristocracy. Beyond the civitas, and always or almost always outside the walls, was the urban accretion known as the burgus or borgo ("town"): a heterogeneous urban quarter which in more complex examples could consist of several borghi. In general, the Genoese did not live in the borgo.
But it must be underlined that these three components were not built or developed to the same extent in every settlement; their structure differed according to the local setting, the pre-existing built artefacts, and the strategic importance of each particular locality.
Selection of the sites. The candidate sites, which were selected from about 100 mediaeval seaports in the Genoese network, were narrowed down to twenty of the most important examples. The selection was based on a number of methodological considerations, which took account of the cultural context of reference, the extent to which a settlement embodied the values of the Genoese network as a whole, and its attributes of authenticity and integrity. Particular attention was also paid to its visible historic, cultural and scenographic remains, in respect of the three historical/settlement matrices of Genoese tradition: the castrum, civitas, and burgus just mentioned.
Other sites that could also be considered significant elements of the system have not been brought forward, because either their attributes· of integrity, their recognisability, or their degree of protection does not, for the moment, suggest that they should be included. This leaves open the future possibility of extending the scope of the network by stages, to include such sites which do not currently appear to meet all the prescribed conditions for inscription on the list.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPONENTS WITHIN UKRAINE Sudak (Soldaia)
The fortification complex 29.5 ha in area is situated on the north and south-west slope of Fortress Mount (160 m) and south-east slope of Polvani-Oba Mount (106 m) that are located on the sea coast and close the mouth of Sudak Valley from the west. The massif consists of marble-like limestones of coral origin and underclay. The north and the south slopes are separated by rocky ridges. From the north, their slopes are rather gently sloping. From the south (from the sea-side), the limestone cliffs stretch deeply into the sea. On the seashore in amphitheatre between them, there was a port suburb.
According to the latest research, the remains of early, mainly fortification structures that are
located in the port part of the Sudak Fortress on the north slope of Fortress Mount date back to the 3d 4th c. They testify to the existence here of a fortified port station of the times of the Bosporan Kingdom. From the second half of the ih century, Sudak (Sugdeia) represented a fortress under the reign of Byzantine that protected an important port station, anchorage and a place of repair and wintering of ships. At the beginning of the 8th century, the city acquired the status of episcopal centre,
i.e. in medieval Christian conception, it became a city. In the 8th -12th centuries, Sudak became one of the most famous centers of international trade in the region. From the middle of the 13 th century,
Sugdeia as well as the whole Crimea fell under power of Mongol Empire. The establishment of Mongolian Kingdom, contributed to the rapid development of trade ties of the Mediterranean countries with Central Asia and Far East namely through the ports of the Crimea and Black Sea regiOn.
From the end ofthe 13th century, Sudak became an occasional scene ofmilitary confrontation between Genoa and Venice, but it was under complete control of the Golden Horde. In 1365, the Genoese gained a victory and had control over the city until 1475. The major part of fortification structures of the Sudak Fortress that has been well preserved till nowadays was restored in the time of "Great Commune of Genoa". Almost a score of official lapidary inscriptions dated from 1371 till 1469 testify to it. Some of them have been preserved in-situ on the towers of the Sudak Fortress.
The fortification structures of the Genoese time almost reproduced the main schema of the city protection of Byzantine period, which completely corresponded to characteristics of relief. But the new masters of the city gave it the structural features, which were peculiar to them at home and typical for the majority of Genoese strengthened port settlements of Mediterranean. Structurally, it is possible to distinguish Castrum -the castle -citadel, protected by stone walls with three towers along the ridge of Fortress Mount with the complex of Consular Castle on the east and donjon -the Watchtower on the summit of the mountain, which is known from the written sources as "Castrum Santa Elia"; Civis -the city on the north slope of Fortress Mount, protected by stone walls with 14 towers and a rampart in front of them, which is known from the written sources as "Castrum Santa Croche"; Burgus -a port suburb, protected from land by a stone wall with tower, which is connected with the city by a curtain wall.
The restricted area of the port made the inhabitants to find the place for settlement behind its walls north-ward, where external suburb arose -Antiburgus. Since ancient times on the territory of the city, the buildings of two cisterns (1374) and the temple of Catholic Monastery, reconstructed from the mosque (1373) have been preserved. During archaeological research, the foundations of Catholic Cathedral of Blessed Virgin (between 1365 and 1384) and a large "house with fireplace" near the only city gate, perhaps the building of city loggia (logia comunalis) were discovered. As it was clarified during research, a civil residential development in Genoese times didn't typologically differ from the prior period. It also hasn't undergone any significant changes in Ottoman period. The majority of residential constructions that arose in the 12th- 13th century without significant changes, particularly alterations, existed until the decay of the city in the first half of the 17th century.
At the time of Ottoman rule (1475-1771), Sudak hasn't lost its significance as an administrative centre of important agricultural region. Only at the beginning of the 17th century, the decay of the city began and in those times, when the Crimea was annexed by the Russian Empire (1783), it represented a small but picturesque settlement near the ruins of the former Genoese Fortress.
The fortification system of the Genoese city has survived in all its details and combines organically with a scenic natural landscape that resembles maritime landscapes of the northwest Mediterranean familiar to the Ligurians.
The Sudak Fortress acquired a museum status as early as in 1868. At that time it was subordinated to the Imperial Odessa Society of History and Antiquities. Since 1959, the Sudak Fortress Museum has become a part of the properties of the National Conservation Area "St. Sophia of Kyiv". The territory within the fortress walls represents the entire, undeveloped and unique archaeological monument, on which the properties of medieval urban fabric, residential, public and religious structures are examined.
Justification de la Valeur Universelle Exceptionnelle
Examined in their complexity over the long term, the system of trading posts and fortifications on Genoese trade routes can be seen as an important prelude to the modern era. In its various forms of settlement, this system provides an exceptional body of evidence about Genoa's particular approach to economic expansion and her relationships with the world. This anticipated similar approaches adopted by others in later periods.
The Genoese settlements around the shores of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea are of astonishingly high importance in their urban planning, architecture and landscape; in each place, the environmental and strategic context was shrewdly exploited to harmonise it with pre-existing settlements and architecture. This very well reflects Genoa's expansionistic-mercantile approach as it developed between the 11th and 15th centuries; essentially a private or public/private system, it was locally adapted to create very different local arrangements, which however were interdependent. This inaugurated an essentially very modern type of economy, global in scope and based on a commercial network in ways that ensured maximum mobility and operational flexibility for the Genoese and Ligurian ruling class; this approach enabled it to survive even after the area had passed under Turkish influence.
Criterion (ii): The trading posts and fortifications on Genoese trade routes stand as an exceptional body of evidence testifying to the considerable exchanges between civilisations promoted by the Genoese in the Middle Ages and the modern age, in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, and which influenced the structure and development of a remarkable number of maritime-seaport urban settlements, which are noteworthy in terms of the contexts in which they were built, the development of trading relationships, the techniques ofcomrnerce, maritime and naval technology, and architecture and the arts.
Criterion (iv): Taken as a whole or individually, the settlements and the overall system are outstanding examples of historical-maritime urban settlement, showing how coastal land and preexisting settlements were used to create examples of urban planning of high landscape value. They are the physical expression of an urban and sea-going culture that later became the strongest economic, social and environmental matrix for subsequent developments in Mediterranean and the Black Sea and as far as the Atlantic.
Déclarations d'authenticité et/ou d'intégrité
The assessment of integrity and authenticity ofthe Sudak Fortress is the following:
The Sudak Fortress is an integral architectural complex, which still has necessary urban planning and natural elements to express the outstanding universal value of this monument of defensive architecture. The original perimeter of the walls with towers and other fortifications has a large extension. The key elements of fortification, namely the Citadel with the Consular Castle and the biggest towers of the fortress preserve a considerable integrity and authenticity. The range of walled fortifications of the Genoese period preserves unaltered form and structure. During restoration and renovation of the fortress as an integral defensive complex, the building traditions concerning the technique and materials were taken into account, which were consistent with the period of its construction. The massif of Fortress Mount, with which the fortress is directly associated, is also completely integral and well-preserved. This architectural and landscape complex dominates the sea and Sudak valley.
Comparaison avec d'autres biens similaires
In the period in which Genoa was developing and consolidating its expanded network of trading posts and fondaci (11th-15th centuries) around the Mediterranean, the two other territorial and political entities that can most directly be compared with it are Venice and the Arab World.
The Venetian empire's period of maximum splendour, between the 12th century and the end of the 16th century, was marked by a significant expansion of the territorial possessions she had won and which she then defended militarily as fully integrated, active parts of the Venetian state. The "Gulf of Venice" was always taken to include the entire Adriatic, as the essential base for the land and sea power of the Serenissima Repubblica. As urban images, Venice's overseas settlements were therefore built to exactly copy her own urban scenography; with spectacular force and determination, they expressed the same architectural and urban characteristics as Venice herself.
The modernity and efficiency of the Genoese system, inflexible when it came to retaining the economic advantage in its agreements with overseas territories, but pragmatic and malleable in the politics of her territorial agreements, contrasted with the Venetian approach, which almost always gave precedence to military and maritime power over the venal interests of traffic and trade. On the other hand, the Genoese system gave rise to the construction of urban developments which although they differed greatly, are sometimes difficult to tell apart, as in the case of the urban quarters built in many different places (Acre, Seville, PeralGalata etc.). But in only in a few instances -as in Corsica and around the Black Sea -it is possible to observe a precise, visible Genoese intention to organise and control.
As for the Arab world, by the 7th century it had already established a decisive presence along the warfaring sea routes of the Mediterranean, and this presence remained virtually unchallenged by any enemy right up until the end of the 10th century. The Islamic attitude to territorial conquest seems to have relied on the same military principles that were later espoused by Venice. Clear testimony of this Islamic approach to seafaring and also, in part, to trade, can be seen from the Middle Ages right up to modem times in the Islamised parts of Europe: in the long-lasting presence Islamic presence in Iberia, from the earliest possessions and throughout the succession of later governments; in the more ephemeral Sicilian emirates and on the Italian mainland, and in the extensive Islamic areas of Mediterranean Africa, the Middle East, and in Eastern Europe, including the 400 years of the Ottoman Empire. The Islamic occupation of the Iberian Peninsula led to the construction of the A1cazars: areas of high ground, dominated by a fortress, and with an urban fabric tightly concentrated within a walled perimeter, which descended from the fortified hilltop to enclose the harbour as well. This way of organising an urban fabric within walls was of absolutely original type; it consisted of a series of concentric arrangements that formed a "labyrinth" similar to the enclosed building types of the souk and the fonduk.
Whereas in Genoa's overseas settlements the urban landscape was characterised by a profusion of porticoes and arcades that expressed openness and a predisposition to trade, in the Islamic urban landscape these areas were restricted to the closed market or "caravanserai" areas. But the privacy and protection afforded by the Arab souk were appreciated by the Genoese, who imitated them when they came to build their ownfondaci in their overseas settlements, but only as reserved inner areas of the buildings, which continued to be built overlooking the ubiquitous wide, open, arcaded streets.
It may have been the early collaboration between the Genoese and Portuguese that accentuated the mercantile character of Portuguese expansionism. Thanks to the strongly businessdirected intentions of the Portuguese, in fact, Portuguese expansionism aimed at creating a "grid" of ports and settlements under their control, which they used to establish an extensive sea traffic network, and to which they later added more extensive territories, as they conquered them.
In the centuries that followed, after the known world had opened up to much broader horizons, the Dutch -who created the Dutch East India Company -initially built a strategic system of fortified commercial bases (partly doubling up with those of the Portuguese), and later extended it to bring it under their own direct territorial control. The English, for their part, also created an East India Company, but based it on a wider range of systems: permanent settlements directly controlled, protectorates, and semi-autonomous local governments. It grew to become the largest empire of all time (in terms of size, only the Mongol Empire could be compared with it).


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My pet "phon-prob" concerns velar nasals: what makes them so special (and rare)? Why is it they are far more constrained than n and m, at least in most languages I know of? E.g., why doesn't English have words like *ngail, *ngight, *ngine, *ngoon, etc. There must be a simple answer to this obvious question, but I can't understand why the combination of "velarity" and "nasality" is somehow exceptional, whereas velar stops are unproblematic.
I don't know whether anyone has an answer that would satisfy Robert. I haven't got one myself. The usual explanations in terms of markedness theory seem to me to be post hoc and circular (because X is rare, we say it's marked; then it is the markedness of X that's responsible for its rarity).
There are of course plenty of languages in the world that do have initial velar nasals. One must remember that the languages familiar to Europeans are by no means representative of the world's languages. Even in Europe, an initial velar nasal is quite common in Welsh, though only through mutation of an initial velar plosive: e.g. fy nghi 'my dog' və ŋhiː, from ci 'dog' kiː; and fy ngardd 'my garden' və ŋarð, from gardd 'garden' ɡarð. In colloquial spoken Welsh the fy və bit can be dropped, leaving the velar nasal phrase-initial.
See the map and discussion in the World Atlas of Language Structures. Part of the map is reproduced in miniature here:You can see that initial velar nasals are found particularly in central Africa and in the southeast Asia – Pacific area.
Of those languages in the database that have a velar nasal as an independent phoneme (234), there are more that allow it in initial position (146) than that disallow it (88), which you may find surprising.


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I feel the need to include a disclaimer before getting into this: I don't own an original Xbox, I own a Playstation 2, I consider myself a casual gamer, I'm a fan of Open Source and not Microsoft.
I purchased this box on the first day because early versions of consoles are generally easier to modify. With the PSP ver. 1.0 it was easy to run homebrew code, but with each successive firmware version, Sony makes it harder. The original Xboxes that are being sold now make it almost impossible to run Xbox Linux because of a hardware change.
Before we get to my experiences, here are some links that you might find interesting.
- Chipworks de-capps and photographs Xbox silicon. Chipworks is a leading silicon reverse engineering company. [via bunnie, who still needs a 360]
- Anandtech's photo tour of the 360 internals, one and two
- batlogic's VGA cable pinout and article on the original Xbox's security model
- Free60.org, the Xbox 360 Linux project
This is the current hot topic (puns are always intended), so I'll start with it. As you can see from the photo above, I have experienced problems with my 360. You can see more photos on the Flickr Hack-A-Day photo pool. While observing a race that
Joystiq was in, I brought up the sidebar to play music from my iPod. This resulted in severe graphic glitches (the music wasn't playing right either) and I had to reboot. Another time while playing PGR3 I brought up the sidebar and the system froze; I could still chat, but the system would not respond to any button presses, so I rebooted. I feel that both of these issues are Dashboard problems and not heat related. I'm guessing these problems will probably be cured in a future Dashboard upgrade. When you access Live for the first time the dashboard upgrades from ver. 2.0.1888.0 to 2.0.2241.0.
I haven't experienced any problems that I would consider heat related. That being said: This console is extremely hot. Heat pours out of the back out the machine even when doing menial tasks like playing MP3s. If you place a hand across the right side of the box you can feel the suction from fans. This is the largest intake and because of that I think standing the box up on carpet would be a really bad idea. The feet are short enough that I wouldn't feel good about standing it up on a hard surface either. The power supply has been blamed for most overheating problems. It has intake and exhaust ports that consist of two rows of holes in a 2×1/4 inch space. The power supply doesn't get too hot; I'm sitting with my feet on top of it right now using it a foot warmer.
From the top photo you can see I've got the 360 plugged into my
Dell 2405FP using the included component cable. The component cable also has a composite video connection so you don't need a different cable when connecting to an SDTV. Yes, 720p looks amazing and I'm glad that Microsoft has required support for it in all games. It looks a lot better than the jaggie 480p from my Playstation 2. The clarity of the HD is a little lost on me since I use this as my regular computer monitor which can support resolutions up to 1920×1200. I did buy this monitor specifically for the HD support and it should be able to handle 1080p, if the Playstation 3 manages to support it. It's also nice being able to work while monitoring Live using the picture in picture.
Following the trend set by Nintendo, the Xbox's OEM wireless controller is great. They added two shoulder buttons, but unlike the Playstation, placing four fingers on the shoulder buttons doesn't feel natural. This is fine because the upper buttons are used for occasional tasks like switching view points; you spend most of your time with index fingers on the triggers. The light on top of the controller indicates which number 1-4 the controller is assigned to, a nice touch. It would be nice to see the possibility of more players supported on a single console though. The wired USB controllers can be used with Windows, but not the wireless controllers when connected with the "play &charge". The obvious conclusion is that: the play & charge is just a power cable and doesn't add any sort of USB functionality. I think the headset connector is identical to the original Xbox: 2.5mm jack like cellphone headsets, I also have a 2.5mm RCA cable from my digicam that would work. There are two slots next to the headphone jack that have two metal contacts each which aren't used by the headset.
One of the first things I did was plug every USB device I had into the Xbox to see how it behaved. My keyboard worked fine whenever there was an on-screen keyboard (It's the keyboard from the Playstation 2 Linux kit). The system really hated the mouse; none of the other peripherals would work when it was plugged in. My video iPod came up almost immediately and was identified by its name "pwn3d by hackaday". Plugging in the camera, card reader and flash drive all worked, but not at the same time. It also doesn't like the card reader built into the monitor, but the flash drive and keyboard both work when connected through the monitor's hub. My Prism2 based WiFi adapters were not recognized by the box.
One of the main reasons I purchased the Xbox was its media streaming ability. Using the Windows Media Connect you can access music and photos stored on your Windows XP machine. The software will also stream video, but not to the Xbox 360 because Microsoft has decided to cripple it. This is an attempt to sell more Windows Media Center PCs since you can stream video using them. Media Connect uses the UPnP AV protocol to stream media, but the Xbox won't recognize other UPnP servers like uShare. If it did, it would be easy to stream from a Mac or a Linux machine. The Xbox also doesn't appear as a media renderer when using Cidero UPnP control Point software. Here is a good overview of the media center features. [via Xbox360Fanboy]
Playing music is easy enough. It was a lot more enjoyable navigating music stored on the iPod than on my roommate's XP machine. The iPod is neatly organized while Media Connect scrapes every directory you give it, listing every random music file and playlist it comes across. The interface is pretty easy to use, but I have a couple complaints. Adding a song to a playlist takes at least three button pushes. When you click "add to playlist" it takes you to the playlist and then you have back up to get back to where you were before. They should dedicate one button on the controller for adding the song and not make you jump back and forth. Also, you can't save playlists that include music not stored on the hard drive. The easiest way to manage playlists is building them on your PC or in iTunes for your iPod instead of using the Xbox interface. The Xbox does work really well if you want to play by album, artist, or genre though.
I've enjoyed playing on Xbox live. Being able to jump easily into a game with friends is great. Delivering free demos to consoles is a wonderful idea: I'm much more likely to buy games I've already played just like buying DVDs of movies I've already seen. It would be nice to receive videos from videogame review sites too. The downloads from Live are extremely slow, they should really use a distributed system since they have a huge network of identical consoles. I wish Live had a way to organize friends into groups like I can on IM: coworkers, readers, random.
Money, money, money
This is what I hate the most about the new Xbox 360.
- Sure, you can buy a Core bundle for $299, which isn't anymore than the last version, but it doesn't come with a hard drive. The hard drive is a $30 SATA drive, but since it is for the Xbox it costs $99.
- The free Media Connect software is fully capable of streaming video, but you have to buy a Media Center PC to do it.
- Media Connect is using the open UPnP AV protocol, but you can't use other UPnP software to stream to the Xbox
- Xbox Live costs extra – Didn't I pay a huge entry fee by buying the console? Why do I have to pay a monthly fee just to use it?
- Micropayments – Sure, these little bits of content aren't worth much, but we are still going to make you pay for it.
The bottom line
Is the Xbox 360 worth buying? If you have prerequisites like an HDTV and a Media Center PC the Xbox 360's support for these items will make it well worth your time. If you want to just use it as gaming system, it's hard to justify the expense right now. Like most console launches, the titles aren't that revolutionary. I think the best plan would be to wait till next year to make the purchase: the console will be cheaper, the selection of games will be broader, used games will be available, you'll know the Playstation 3's features, the Xbox 360 games will be making better use of the console's power, Microsoft will have most of the bugs ironed out and you might be able to run Linux.


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WASHINGTON – Two senators unveiled a bipartisan plan Wednesday to raise federal gasoline and diesel taxes for the first time in more than two decades, pitching the proposal as a solution to Congress' struggle to pay for highway and transit programs.
The plan offered by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bob Corker, R-Tenn., would raise the 18.4 cents-a-gallon federal gas tax and 24.4 cents-a-gallon diesel tax each by 12 cents over the next two years, and then index the taxes to keep pace with inflation. The increase would be applied in two increments of 6 cents each.
The plan also calls for offsetting the tax increases with other tax cuts. Senators said that could be done by permanently extending six of 50 federal tax breaks that expired this year, but they indicated they would be open to other suggestions for offsets.
The plan was immediately embraced by industry and transportation advocacy groups seeking a long-term means to keep the federal Highway Trust Fund solvent. However, it would require a lot of heavy lifting from Congress in the politically charged atmosphere of an election year to pass such a plan before late August, when the trust fund is forecast to go broke.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has indicated he's looking for means to shore up the fund for about the next six months while working on a long-term plan. That would move debate on a gas tax increase or some other revenue-raising scheme until after the midterm elections in November.
Revenue from gas taxes and other transportation user fees that for decades hasn't kept pace with promised federal transportation aid promised to states. People are driving less per capita and cars are more fuel efficient, keeping revenues fairly flat. At the same time, the cost of construction has increased, and the nation's infrastructure is aging, creating greater demand for new and rebuilt roads and bridges.
The last time federal gas and diesel taxes were increased was in 1993 as part of plan to reduce the federal budget deficit. Republicans castigated Democrats for the tax increase, and it was a factor in the GOP takeover of the House and Senate the following year.
Since then, lawmakers have been reluctant to raise fuel taxes despite calls from several blue-ribbon commissions to do so.
"For too long, Congress has shied away from taking serious action to update our country's aging infrastructure," Murphy said in a statement. "We're currently facing a transportation crisis that will only get worse if we don't take bold action to fund the Highway Trust Fund."
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, who attempted to increase the gas tax increase in 2010, said he was glad to see the idea "gaining more bipartisan support."
Since 2008, Congress has repeatedly dipped into the general treasury for money to keep the trust fund solvent, sometimes waiting until the government was the verge of slowing down payments to states. States have complained that the uncertainty over whether federal aid will be forthcoming has limited their ability to commit to larger projects that take years to plan and construct.
"Congress should be embarrassed that it has played chicken with the Highway Trust Fund and allowed it to become one of the largest budgeting failures in the federal government," Corker said.
The six expired tax breaks identified by the senators as possible offsets for fuel tax increases are a research and development tax credit, certain expensing by small businesses, the state and local sales tax deduction, increasing employer-provided transit benefits to the same level as parking benefits, a deduction for spending by teachers on classroom supplies, and an increased deduction for land conservation and easement donations.
The anti-tax Club for Growth, which is influential with GOP conservatives, issued a statement opposing the plan. Congress should "devolve highway funding to the states and let them fund their own infrastructure needs," said Chris Chocola, the group's president.


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The Food and Drug Administration has warned people about the many dangers of buying medications from foreign pharmacies over the Internet. While some sites might offer high-quality medicines, there are plenty that sell bogus and potentially dangerous products.
But a recent economic analysis suggests that while there's good reason for the safety warnings, the FDA's stance on the matter might go too far. Many Americans don't fill their prescriptions because they can't afford to, the study says, and some legitimate foreign pharmacies may offer medicines at prices lower than those of verified U.S. suppliers.
"A blanket warning against any foreign website may deny consumers substantial price savings," states the report from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Researchers Roger Bate, Ginger Zhe Jin and Aparna Mathur looked at how different online pharmacies compared in terms of drug safety and cost savings. They went to dozens of websites and ordered medications widely used by Americans: Viagra, Celebrex, Lipitor, Nexium and Zoloft.
They obtained 328 drug samples from 41 online pharmacies based in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe or Asia. They found the foreign suppliers the same way many consumers do: by doing a search on Google and Yahoo.
Eight of the websites were U.S.-based providers verified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, LegitScript.com, PharmacyChecker.com or the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. Those websites were classified as Tier 1 and sold high-quality, authentic drugs. (The researchers established the drugs' authenticity through detailed, chemical analyses.) Another group — classified as Tier 3 — was made up of unverified, mostly foreign providers that sometimes shipped fake versions of one of the drugs, Viagra.
But there was a middle group of mostly foreign suppliers that had been verified by two agencies — dubbed Tier 2 — that sent drugs that were authentic and cost much less than at Tier 1 pharmacies.
In fact, the Tier 2 drugs were, on average, 52.5 percent cheaper (including shipping and handling) than the Tier 1 medicines. The only exception was Viagra, which was the same in drug safety and price for both groups.
"In the U.S., tens of millions of Americans go without prescribed medication due to cost each year," the study says. "For most uninsured Americans, lower priced drugs from foreign online pharmacies are an attractive option and for many a necessary one."
"In light of this," the researchers asked, "we wonder whether a blanket warning against foreign websites has limited price competition between U.S. and foreign websites, and whether a more open and educational policy could make better use of the existing verification services for consumer savings in authentic drugs."
Still, people shouldn't rush online and buy from a pharmacy that hasn't been checked out. The FDA strongly recommends verification from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.
Plus, as Nancy Shute has reported in Shots, people searching for prescription drugs even on legitimate websites can sometimes fall victim to hackers and scams.
Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, tells Shots that despite the study's findings, he has concerns about the safety of the products from foreign pharmacies. When drugmakers develop and sell generic copies of existing brand-name drugs, he says, regulators require them to prove the copies are not only chemically identical but work the same way inside the body — a concept known as bio-equivalence.
If the drugs from foreign websites could be shown to be the same in terms of bio-equivalence as drugs from verified suppliers, he says, "we would strongly support it."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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It has been a busy week for attorneys in sports, media and entertainment law. And topics run the gamut.
First up on the scorecard, the Miss Lebanon Emigrants USA 2012 beauty pageant will take place as planned Thursday night at the Greenfield Banquet Hall in Dearborn, after a federal judge denied the request for a restraining order against its organizers.
U.S. District Judge Patrick Duggan ruled this week in favor of Joumana Kayrouz, owner and president of the personal injury firm Law Offices of Joumana B. Kayrouz PLLC and president of the Miss Lebanon Emigrants USA committee, along with several other pageant officials and Reach Media Inc.
Kayrouz and pageant Executive Director Elie Farah are among the defendants in a federal lawsuit on behalf of Miss Lebanon Committees SARL, a previously licensed pageant holder owned by Antoine Macksoud. Macksoud's organization sought a temporary restraining order and injunction blocking the local committee from hosting an event under the Miss Lebanon Emigrants name, which he trademarked in Lebanon in 2004.
Miss Lebanon Emigrants is a series of beauty pageants for women of Lebanese descent, held annually in 35 countries with sizable Lebanese communities, as authorized by Lebanon's Ministry of Tourism. Macksoud was U.S. pageant organizer from 2000 until last year, when the Ministry replaced him with Kayrouz's committee.
A Canadian competition takes place Saturday in Toronto, and Australia had a similar pageant earlier this month. Winners of the in-country events advance to a worldwide competition Aug. 11 in Beirut.
Farah said the Lebanese trademark does not authorize him to host the U.S. event or license the use of the name here.
"We did not even know about the court case. We found out about it yesterday by mistake," he said. "We had hired a private investigator who went to look into the matter for us some more, and he had been to the court and contacted us to tell us we had a hearing in court today at 3 p.m. I think they (the plaintiffs) were a little surprised when we showed up for it."
Duggan denied the request for a temporary restraining order against the Dearborn pageant at a motion hearing Tuesday. The lawsuit remains pending.
"We don't know yet if the plaintiffs yet intend to pursue it further. They could conceivably ask for damages based on some claimed misappropriation of the name," said Steven Susser, an attorney for Kayrouz and principal at Carlson Gaskey & Olds PC. "But if they do, they're going to have problems. They were trying to disrupt an important cultural event for this community, and fortunately they failed."
Next up, installation contractor Eastern Sign Tech LLC in New Jersey is working to resolve a dispute with several vendors on the installation of the $10 million scoreboard installed for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park earlier this year.
Four supplier and service companies — Scion Steel Inc. in Warren, Contractors Steel Co. in Livonia, and Detroit-based J.J. Curran Crane Co. and Curran Lifting Systems Inc. — have filed claims totaling more than $357,000 against the bonding company for Eastern Sign.
South Dakota-based DakTronics Inc. is designer-contractor for the 6,096-square-foot, high-definition LED video scoreboard completed for this season, which the Detroit Tigers have said makes theirs the fourth-largest scoreboard in Major League Baseball.
Ronald Rich, attorney for the four local vendors and president of Ronald B. Rich & Assocites in Farmington Hills, brought the four claims against project bonding company American Fire & Casualty Co. earlier this month and said he could file a civil suit if the payment dispute is not resolved by early next month. He said he has been told DakTronics was paid, but Eastern Sign either has yet to receive its distribution of payment or forward along payments to vendors.
Bill Harper, project manager for the Comerica Park installation at Eastern Sign Tech, said he could not yet comment on the payment dispute.
"The scoreboard has been up and operating in place for a few months, since at least a few weeks before the season started," Rich said. "We've got to get somebody to wake up here and take care of us. This is a lot of money. And I believe there may be other companies involved here, about to come out of the woodwork. And we haven't heard anything about the work being unfinished or any complaints about the work."
In other news for intellectual property law buffs, the Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club of Detroit is now barred from use of that name, after the Michigan Court of Appeals today sided with rival Ghost Riders Motorcycle Club Inc. in its request for an injunction.
The first biker club, organized in 1978 and based in Manitou Beach west of Ann Arbor, seeks to "promote brotherhood between motorcyclists (and) promote safe motorcycling." The club sought the injunction against the eponymous club that organized in Southeast Michigan sometime around 2000.
A Wayne County judge had found that the newer club's name creates confusion, but "Ghost Rider" is a generic reference and the original club was not injured by a duplicate club using the name. But the higher court today reversed that finding and called for an injunction.
"The statute makes no exceptions for names containing generic terms. The question is whether the defendant's name is a colorable imitation of plaintiff's name or calculated to deceive the public," the ruling states. "While we agree with the trial court that there was no intent to deceive in this case, (the) name is clearly a colorable imitation" of the original club.


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Headquartered in Simpsonville, South Carolina, KEMET operates 23 production facilities in Europe, North America and Asia and employs 10,420 employees worldwide. Manufacturing facilities are located in Mexico, China, Italy, U.K., Portugal, Finland, Sweden, Indonesia, Germany, Bulgaria and Macedonia. KEMET also owns two specialty electronics companies--FELCO in Chicago, Illinois and Dectron in Farjestaden, Sweden. Sales offices and distribution centers are located around the world.
KEMET is a leading global manufacturer of the world's most complete line of surface mount and through-hole capacitor technologies across tantalum, ceramic, aluminum, film, and paper dielectrics. KEMET's customer base includes most of the world's major electronics original equipment manufacturers, manufacturing services companies, and electronics distributors. Production is measured at over 30 billion pieces per year.
High reliability versions of KEMET capacitors have shared in every important defense and aerospace effort of the past 60 years, from the first Telstar satellite and Apollo 11 to the Patriot Missile, International Space Station and Mars Pathfinder.


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by Silas
Muhammad died in 632 A.D. He died as a result of being poisoned
following his attack upon and conquest of the Jewish settlement of
Khaibar. About 2 month before his
attack on Khaibar Muhammad failed in an attempt to go to Mecca. This failure resulted in the Treaty of
Hudaybiyya with the Meccans. He
returned humiliated in the eyes of the Meccans and in the minds of his people. To lift their defeated spirit, Muhammad told
his followers that the events at Hudaybiyya were really a victory. In fact, another convenient
"revelation" was given to Muhammad as proof that it really was a
victory (Sura 48:1). However, Allah was
not able to deliver the Meccan's goods as booty, so Muhammad told his followers
that they were going to attack and plunder the weaker Jewish settlement of
About 6 weeks later Muhammad led his
army and attacked the Jews while they were on their way to work on their date
palms. Khaibar was a settlement
defended by a number of forts spread apart from each other. One by one Muhammad's army took the
forts. Finally, the last few
surrendered to him. Muhammad had
several of the leaders of the Jewish settlement beheaded, one leader (Kinana)
was tortured to reveal where buried treasure was hidden. Then when Kinana was near death, Muhammad
commanded that he be beheaded. Many of
the women and children were enslaved.
Muhammad even took the most beautiful woman for himself and married her
Some of Khaibar's residents made a
deal with Muhammad. Instead of
enslaving them, which would leave the
rich orchards of Khaibar to go untended and unproductive, the Jews would give Muhammad and the Muslims 1/2 of
all of what they produced. Muhammad
accepted the deal, with the stipulation that they could be expelled at his
slightest whim. Years later, Umar
expelled the last remaining Jews from Khaibar.
Immediately following the conquest
of Khaibar, a Jewish woman prepared a dinner for Muhammad and some of his
men. Unknown to the Muslims was that
she had put a poison into the lamb (some say goat) that was served at
dinner. Muhammad ate some of the
poisoned lamb and died as a result three years later.
I will use quotes from 4 highly
respected Islamic writings:
1) "Sahih Bukhari". This Hadith is considered to be the most
important Islamic book, after the Quran.
2) Ibn Ishaq's biography, the "Sirat
Rasul Allah", (THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET), translated by A. Guillaume as
"The Life of Muhammad", is the most authentic Sirat (biographical)
literature recognized in Islam.
3) Ibn Sa'd biography, the "Kitab
al-Tabaqat al-Kabir" (Book of the Major Classes), Volume 2. Of the three, Ibn Sa'd's Sirat contains the
most information relative to Muhammad's death.
I will not attempt to cover the spectrum of subjects Ibn Sa'd addresses
in his. However, I will cover and
present his relevant material.
4) Tabari's "History". Tabari is one of the most highly respected
authors in Islamic writings. His
"History" is 39 volumes.
5) "Sahih Muslim". This collection of Hadith is considered to
be equal to, or slightly below Bukhari's collection of Hadith.
NOTE: I have quoted quite a bit of material. Some of it is redundant, but I feel that
each quote I present provides an important detail concerning Muhammad's
poisoning and death. Please forgive the
tedious nature of the quotes; it is essential that I present the source
material as accurately as possible.
NOTE: My comments appear in [ ] type brackets. Frequently the authors themselves enclose comments in ( ) type brackets. I will copy them as they appear in the text.
NOTE: In some cases I will leave out the chain of
narrators because they are quite long, and not necessary for the context of the
Also, I will present quotes from the
sources in as much of a chronological
sequence as possible.
Bukhari's Hadith 3.786:
Anas bin Malik: A Jewess brought a
poisoned (cooked) sheep for the Prophet who ate from it. She was brought to the
Prophet and he was asked, "Shall we kill her?" He said,
"No." I continued to see the
effect of the poison on the palate of the mouth of Allah's Apostle.
Bukhari's Hadith 4.394: Narrated Abu
Huraira: When Khaibar was conquered, a
roasted poisoned sheep was presented to the Prophet as a gift (by the Jews). The Prophet ordered, "Let all the Jews
who have been here, be assembled before me." The Jews were collected and the Prophet said (to them), "I
am going to ask you a question. Will
you tell the truth?" They said,
"Yes." The Prophet asked, "Who is your father?" They replied, "So-and-so." He said, "You have told a lie; your
father is so-and-so." They
said, "You are right." He
said, "Will you now tell me the truth, if I ask you about
something?" They replied,
"Yes, O Abu Al-Qasim; and if we should tell a lie, you can realize our lie
as you have done regarding our father."
On that he asked, "Who are the people of the (Hell)
Fire?" They said, "We shall
remain in the (Hell) Fire for a short period, and after that you will replace
us." The Prophet said, "You
may be cursed and humiliated in it! By
Allah, we shall never replace you in it."
Then he asked, "Will you now tell me the truth if I ask you a
question?" They said, "Yes, O
Abu Al-Qasim." He asked,
"Have you poisoned this sheep?"
They said, "Yes." He
asked, "What made you do so?"
They said, "We wanted to know if you were a liar in which case we
would get rid of you, and if you are a prophet then the poison would not harm
From Ibn
Sa'd page 249:
Verily a Jewish woman presented
poisoned (meat of) a she goat to the apostle of Allah. He took a piece form it, put it into his
mouth, chewed it and threw it away.
Then he said to the Companions:
"Halt! Verily, its leg
tells me that it is poisoned."
Then he sent for the Jewish woman and asked her; "What induced you to do what you have
done?" She replied, "I wanted
to know if you are true; in that case Allah will surely inform you, and if you
are a liar I shall relieve the people of you."
From Ibn
Sa'd page 249: [different narrator]
The apostle of Allah and his
companions ate from it. It (goat)
said: "I am poisoned." He [Muhammad] said to his Companions,
"Hold you hands! because it has
informed me that it is poisoned!"
They withdrew their hands, but Bishr Ibn al-Bara expired. The apostle of Allah sent for her (Jewess)
and asked her, "What induced you to do what you have done?" She replied, "I wanted to know if you
are a prophet, in that case it will not harm you and if you are a king, I shall
relieve the people of you. He gave
orders and she was put to death. [SEE
From Ibn
Sa'd page 250: [different narrator]
Verily a woman of the Jews of
Khaibar presented poisoned (meat of) goat to the apostle of Allah. The he recognized that it was poisoned, so
he sent for her and asked her, "What induced you to do what you have done?" She replied, "I thought if you are a
prophet, Allah will inform you, and if you are a pretender, I shall relieve
people of you. When the apostle of
Allah felt sick, he got himself "cupped". [SEE NOTE 2]
From Ibn
Sa'd pages 251, 252: [different
....When the apostle of Allah conquered
Khaibar and he had peace of mind, Zaynab Bint al-Harith the brother of Marhab,
who was the spouse of Sallam Ibn Mishkam, inquired,
"Which part of the goat is liked by Muhammad?"
They said, "The foreleg."
Then she slaughtered one from her goats and roasted it (the meat). Then she wanted a poison which could not
fail. .... The apostle of Allah took
the foreleg, a piece of which he put into his mouth. Bishr took another bone and put it into his mouth. When the apostle of Allah ate one morsel of
it Bishr ate his and other people also ate from it. Then the apostle of Allah said, "Hold back your hands!
because this foreleg; ...informed me that it is poisoned. Thereupon Bishr said, "By Him who has
made you great! I discovered it from
the morsel I took. Nothing prevented me
from emitting it out, but the idea that I did not like to make your food
unrelishing. When you had eaten what
was in your mouth I did not like to save my life after yours, and I also
thought you would not have eaten it if there was something wrong.
Bishr did not rise form his seat but
his color changed to that of "taylsan" (a green cloth)..........The
apostle of Allah sent for Zaynab and said to her, "What induced you to do
what you have done?" She replied,
"You have done to my people what you have done. You have killed my father, my uncle and my husband, so I said to
myself, "If you are a prophet, the foreleg will inform you; and others
have said, "If you are a king we will get rid of you.""......
The apostle of Allah lived after
this three years till in consequence of his pain he passed away. During his illness he used to say, "I
did not cease to find the effect of the (poisoned) morsel, I took at Khaibar
and I suffered several times (from its effect) but now I feel the hour has come
of the cutting of my jugular vein."
From Tabari
Volume 8, page 123, 124:
When the messenger of God rested
from his labor, Zaynab bt. al-Harith, the wife of Sallam b. Mishkam, served him
a roast sheep. She had asked what part
of the sheep the messenger of God liked best and was told that it was the
foreleg. So she loaded that part with
poison, and she poisoned the rest of the sheep too. Then she brought it. When
she set it before the messenger of God, he took the foreleg and chewed a bit of
it, but he did not swallow it. With him
was Bishr b. al-Bara b. Marur, who, like the messenger of God, took some of it;
Bishr, however, swallowed it, while the messenger of God spat it out saying,
"This bone informs me that it has been poisoned." He asked, "What led you to do
this?" She said: "How you have afflicted my people is
not hidden from you. So I said,
"If he is a prophet, he will be informed; but if he is a king, I shall be
rid of him"". The prophet
forgave her. Bishr died of the food he
had eaten.
From Tabari
Volume 8, page 124: [different
The messenger of God said during the
illness from which he died - the mother of Bishr had come in to visit him -
"Umm Bishr, at this very moment I feel my aorta being severed because of
the food I ate with your son at Khaybar."
[See NOTE 3]
There is disagreement over whether of not Muhammad had the women who
poisoned him put to death. In short, he had her put to death for the death of the
other Muslim - Bishr, who quickly died from the poisoning. See the reports by Ibn Sa'd, p. 250.
NOTE 2: Cupping is essentially drawing a small
amount of blood from your body.
Muhammad believed that bleeding oneself was "the best of
The note on quote A8 states that the expression, "it severed his aorta"
need not be taken literally; it is used metaphorically for extreme pain.
Bukhari's Hadith 5.713:
Narrated Ibn
'Umar bin
Al-Khattab used to let Ibn Abbas sit beside him, so 'AbdurRahman bin 'Auf said
to 'Umar, "We have sons similar to him." 'Umar replied, "(I
respect him) because of his status that you know." 'Umar then asked Ibn 'Abbas about the
meaning of this Holy Verse:-- "When comes the help of Allah and the
conquest of Mecca . . ." (110.1)
Ibn 'Abbas
replied, "That indicated the death of Allah's Apostle which Allah informed
him of." 'Umar said, "I do
not understand of it except what you understand."
'Aisha: The Prophet in his ailment in which he died, used to say, "O
'Aisha! I
still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this
time, I feel
as if my aorta is being cut from that poison."
From Ibn
Sa'd page 244:
... and there has been no prophet
but he has lived half the life of the prophet preceding him. Jesus the son of Mary lived for one hundred
and twenty five years, and this is the sixty second year of my life. He (prophet) died half the year after this.
From Ibn
Sa'd page 239:
The appointed hour (of death) of the
apostle of Allah came near and he was ordered to recite repeatedly
"tasbih" (lit. glorification) and ask for His forgiveness.
From Ibn
Sa'd page 240:
When (the Surah) Allah's succor and
the triumph comes; was revealed he (prophet) said: (It signifies) call from Allah and departure from the world.
From Tabari
Volume 9 page 108:
When the prophet returned to Medina
after performing the Pilgrimage of Completion, he began to have a complaint of
illness. As travel was allowed (after
the pilgrimage), the news of the prophet's illness spread......Then in Muharram
the prophet complained of the pain from which he died.
NOTE: It was already quoted from Ibn Sa'd above
(page 250 that Muhammad tried to get himself healed of the poisoning.
From Ibn
Sa'd page 263
Verily during his illness the
prophet recited "al-Mu'awwadhatayn" [Sura 113, and 114], and blow his
breath upon his body while rubbing his face.
[This was done in an effort to be healed].
From Sahih
Muslim volume 3, # 5440
Aisha reported that when Allah's
Messenger fell ill, he recited over his body Mu'awwidhatan and blew over him
and when his sickness was aggravated I used to recite over him and rub him with
his hand with the hope that it was more blessed. Also ref. Hadith # 5441.
From Ibn
Sa'd page 265
The apostle of Allah fell ill and he
i.e. Gabriel, chanted on him, saying, "In the name of Allah I chant on to
ward off from you every thing that harms you and (to ward off you) against
every envier and from every evil eye and Allah will heal you."
From Ibn
Sa'd page 265 [Different narrator]
Aisha, the wife of the prophet used
to say, "When the apostle of Allah fell ill, Gabriel chanted on him
saying, "In the name of Allah Who will cure you and Who will heal you from
every malady (and will ward off) the evil of envier who envies and from smite
of the evil eye.""
From Ibn
Sa'd page 322
Verily, whenever the apostle of
Allah fell ill, he asked for recovery, from Allah. But in the illness as a result of which he died, he did not pray
for recovery; he used to say, "O soul!
What has happened to thee that thou are seeking refuge in every place of
D1 [again
quoting from Bukhari's Hadith 5.713:]
The Prophet in his ailment in which
he died, used to say, "O 'Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food
I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from
that poison."
From Ibn
Hisham page 678:
While matters were thus the apostle
began to suffer from the illness by which God took him to what honor and
compassion He intended for him shortly before the end of Safar or in the
beginning of Rabi'ul-awwal. It began,
so I have been told, when he went to Baqi'u'l-Gharqad in the middle of the
night and prayed for the dead. Then he
returned to his family and in the morning his sufferings began.
From Ibn
Hisham page 679:
Then the apostle's illness worsened
and he suffered much pain. He said,
"Pour seven skins of water from different wells over me so that I may go
out to the men and instruct them."
We made him sit down in a tub belonging to Hafsa d. Umar and we poured
water over him until he cried, "Enough, enough!"
....then he [Muhammad] said,
"God has given one of his servants the choice between this world and that
which is with God and he has chosen the latter."
From Ibn
Hisham page 680:
Then some of his wives gathered to
him.... while his uncle Abbas was with him, and they agreed to force him to
take medicine. Abbas said, "Let me
force him," but they did it. When
he recovered he asked who had treated him thus. When they told him it was his uncle he said, "This is a
medicine which women have brought from that country," and he pointed in
the direction of Abyssinia [Ethiopia].
When he asked why they had done that his uncle said, "We were
afraid that you would get pleurisy;" he replied, "That is a disease
which God would not afflict me with.
Let no one stop in the house until they have been forced to take this
medicine, except my uncle."
Maymuna [one of Muhammad's wives] was forced to take it although she was
fasting because of the apostle's oath, as a punishment for what they had done
to him.
From Ibn
Sa'd page 294
Umm Bishr [the mother of the Muslim
man who also died eating poison], came to the prophet during his illness and
said, "O apostle of Allah! I never
saw fever like it in any one." The
prophet said to her, "Our trial is double and so our reward [in heaven],
is double. What do the people say about
it [his illness]?" She said,
"They say it is pleurisy."
Thereupon the apostle said, "Allah will not like to make His
apostle suffer from it (pleurisy) because it indicates the possession of Satan,
but (my disease is the result of) the morsel that I had taken along your
son. It has cut my jugular vein."
From Ibn
Hisham page 682:
....that he heard Aisha [one of
Muhammad's wives] say: "The
apostle died in my bosom during my turn: [the night Muhammad was to spend
sleeping with her] I had wronged none
in regard to him. It was due to my
ignorance and extreme youth that the apostle died in my arms."
From Ibn
Sa'd page 322:
When the last moment of the prophet
was near, he used to draw a sheet over his face; but when he felt uneasy, he
removed it from his face and said:
"Allah's damnation be on the Jews and the Christians who made the
graves of their prophets objects of worship."
NOTE 3: Pleurisy is an infection of a lung
membrane. It is painful. I don't know why Muhammad considered this
infection to be from Satan, but poisoning would not be from Satan.
Muhammad attacked Khaibar. He destroyed,
tortured, murdered, plundered, and enslaved many people (ref Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir,
volume 2, page 134, 136, 137). They were not preparing to attack him. A Jewish woman,
whose family had been wiped out by Muhammad, put poison into a lamb and fed it to
Muhammad and the other Muslims. Muhammad ingested some of the poisoned lamb and
began to feel it's effects. He died three years later as a result of the poisoning.
What needs to be investigated here
are the circumstances of Muhammad's death.
The Jews were planning to murder him.
The Jews believed that a real prophet would be forewarned of their deed
but an impostor wouldn't be warned by God.
The Muslims also believed this; the other Muslim who died said that he
didn't think Muhammad would eat of something that was poisoned (see quote in
The Jews were right, Muhammad did
eat of the poison, and did die from it.
They proved, according to their test, that Muhammad was not a
prophet. As they said (quote A2):
"We wanted to know if you were
a liar in which case we would get rid of you, and if you are a prophet then the
poison would not harm you."
These Jews were convinced that a
real prophet would know what was going on.
In this case Muhammad didn't know.
Only after Muhammad ate from the lamb did the lamb "talk to
him". I don't think that that was
anything miraculous in itself; even the other Muslim knew it was bad before
Muhammad ate from it. Most adults know
when they are eating something that is bad.
So for Muhammad to say the sheep "talked" to him is not
prophetic at all. Even a child spits
out bad tasting food.
Many times previously, Muhammad
claimed to have had "revelations" that warned him of danger. He even used one of these convenient
"revelations" as grounds to attack the Jewish settlement of Banu
Nadhir. Yet at Khaibar the revelation
came too late: too late to save his own
life, too late to save Bishr's life.
As his illness wore on, Muhammad
began to pray for healing – he even rubbed his "healing" hand upon
himself. Gabriel also got into the act
and prayed for his healing (see quotes
C2 & C3). Muhammad even got himself
"cupped" (the best of all medicines!), (quote A5). Obviously, at this point in time, Muhammad
wanted to be healed.
But it didn't help. As it progressively got worse, Muhammad
realized that he was dying, ceased praying for healing (quote C4), and claimed
that Allah had given him a choice to going to Paradise, or living on
earth. Muhammad said he then wanted to
go to Paradise. Knowing the game was
up, he made the best out of a failed situation.
Muhammad's earlier premonitions of
his deaths read more like the cosmic words of a mystic. Nothing definite is ever said about them
until after his approaching death.
Perhaps he had seen this type of death before and knew the outcome. It doesn't take a prophet or a "revelation"
to know that death is near.
My basic point is this: the Jews proved that Muhammad was not a real
prophet. He ingested the poison, so did
at least one of his followers. He
attempted to be healed, he tried his medicine, and his form of "laying on of hands", his prayer, Aisha's
prayer, and even Gabriel's prayer, but in the end, he died from the poison.
1) If Muhammad were a real prophet of God,
why didn't he catch the poison before he ate it?
2) If you believe that it was God's will
for Muhammad to have eaten the poison, along with Bishr, why then did Muhammad
try to get well? Even Gabriel prayed for Muhammad to get better, but Allah didn't
answer that prayer either.
3) Why did Gabriel not know the will of
Allah? Why would Gabriel pray if Allah had decided death?
4) Why
did Muhammad force the other Muslims to drink the medicine he was given? One
of them was one of his wives, and she was fasting. He forced her to break her
fast and drink the medicine as well. Doesn't this sound vindictive and petty?
5) Why, when just before his death, did
Muhammad have to utter a curse upon the Christians and the Jews? Wouldn't it
have been better for Muhammad to pray for guidance for them? This also
sounds like a jealous, bitter prayer to Allah. Muhammad prayed for and uttered
curses instead of asking Allah to guide people.
6) Why would pleurisy, which is a normal
infection of the lung membrane, be considered to be from Satan, but being
poisoned would not be from Satan?
Muhammad was not a real prophet, he
was a false prophet. He died as a
result of eating poison that he didn't know about. The poisoned lamb "spoke" to him too late. Only when he realized he was dying did
Muhammad "spiritualize" his suffering and coming death.
Prior to that he tried to get well.
Moses knew about his coming death
(Deut 34:1-5). Jesus also knew of His
future death (Mark 8:32, 32). Yet
Muhammad was in the dark until he himself realized he was going to die.
Paul the apostle was bitten by a
poisonous snake (Acts 28:1-6), but Paul suffered no ill effects from the
bite. God had his hand of protection on
Paul, to finish the work laid out for him.
Muhammad died so suddenly that there was confusion as to would be the
next ruler of the Islamic state. To
this day, part of that confusion remains. The Islamic world is divided in part
because of this issue (Shia vs. Sunni).
Wouldn't Allah, who abhors division within the Ummah have protected
Muhammad long enough to insure that his state remain unified, and a clearly
defined successor be named?
Jesus predicted false prophets would
come into the world and mislead many (Matthew 24:24). Muhammad was such a false prophet. Both Jesus and Moses knew God face to face, Muhammad only had a
spirit or angel he called "Gabriel" speaking to him. In the end, even this angel's prayers were
not answered by Allah. Could it be that
this "Gabriel" was preaching a false religion (Galatians 1:8) to
Muhammad? Could Gabriel have been a
deceptive demon or Satan himself?
Rev A 3-11-98, Rev B: 9/3/01, Rev C: 11/28/02
Articles by Silas
Answering Islam Home Page


text:
Nassar case raises questions about reporting process for victims of abuse
| Lansing, Mich.
Sports doctor Larry Nassar is on his way to prison for the rest of his life for molesting scores of young female athletes, but the scandal is far from over at Michigan State University in East Lansing as victims, lawmakers, and a judge demand to know why he wasn't stopped years ago.
Some are likening Michigan State to Penn State University in State College, Pa., where three senior officials, including the school's president, were sentenced to jail last year for failing to tell authorities about a sexual abuse allegation involving coach Jerry Sandusky.
Mr. Nassar, a former member of Michigan State's sports medicine staff, has admitted penetrating elite gymnasts and other athletes with his fingers while he was supposedly treating them for injuries.
Some of the more than 150 women and girls who have accused him said they complained to the sports medicine staff, a campus counselor, and the women's gymnastics coach as far back as the late 1990s.
In Michigan, it is a misdemeanor punishable by up to three months in jail and a $500 fine for certain professionals to fail to report a suspected case of child abuse.
Lou Anna Simon, who resigned under pressure Wednesday as Michigan State's president, insisted, "There is no cover-up." But the university last week asked Michigan's attorney general to conduct a review. And in sentencing Nassar to 40 to 175 years in prison Wednesday, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina called for "a massive investigation as to why there was inaction, why there was silence."
Jennifer Paine, a Michigan lawyer who specializes in child protection law and is not involved in the Nassar case, said there are probably grounds for charging some Michigan State staff members for failing to report what victims were saying.
"The obligation to report doesn't mean anything unless people enforce. That's why it's there," she said.
No one has been charged in the scandal besides Nassar.
John Manly, an attorney who represents more than 100 victims in lawsuits, said Michigan State, USA Gymnastics, and the US Olympic Committee "miserably failed children." Nassar was a team doctor at USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians.
"They had an opportunity, instead of being Penn State, to make them a beacon of how to handle this," Mr. Manly said. "It's too late. You can't fix it now."
Penn State's former president, Graham Spanier, and two other ex-administrators, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, were prosecuted for child endangerment for not reporting a 2001 complaint about Mr. Sandusky showering with a boy. Sandusky's arrest a decade later blew up into a scandal that brought down legendary football coach Joe Paterno.
Sandusky is serving 30 to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing 10 boys. As of last year, Penn State had paid nearly $250 million in fines, settlements, and other costs associated with the scandal.
Nassar has also been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for child pornography. Federal prosecutors have declined to say if they are looking at any other aspects of the case.
Elsewhere, in Texas, the Walker County sheriff's office said it is investigating the Karolyi Ranch, which was a training site for Olympic gymnasts. Some gymnasts said Nassar assaulted them there.
In Washington, US senators from both parties are calling for creation of a select committee to investigate the US Olympic Committee. The NCAA said it has sent Michigan State a letter of inquiry about potential rules violations.
In the Penn State scandal, the NCAA fined the school $48 million, reduced the number of football scholarships, barred the team from postseason play, and invalidated 112 victories. Some penalties were later eased.
Kyle Stephens, who was a Nassar family friend, said he molested her for years at his Lansing, Mich.-area home. She said she told a campus counselor, Gary Stollak, about the abuse in 2004. Nassar met with Mr. Stollak and denied it, and no police report was made.
Stollak, now retired, testified in 2016 that he couldn't remember anything because of a stroke.
"He didn't report it, and he's a mandatory reporter," Ms. Stephens said, referring to those who are legally required to report sexual abuse. "Michigan State keeps saying that 'we didn't know.' Who should I have told? Tell me who I should have told so I know what I should have done... They are continuing to drag out my pain, and that is inappropriate."
A 2014 police investigation into other assault allegations ended with no charges against Nassar. The university, however, told him that he needed to have a chaperone in the room during certain exams. He was fired in 2016 for failing to do so.
Some victims say they reported Nassar to Kathie Klages, who ran camps for teen gymnasts and was Michigan State women's gymnastics coach until last February. She has denied wrongdoing.
Michigan state Sen. Margaret O'Brien (R) said college coaches should be added to Michigan's list of mandatory reporters, which includes therapists and medical professionals. In the state House, lawmakers sent a letter to Michigan State on Thursday requesting certain reports about Nassar.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.