by Salman Hameed
The recently Oslo attack is horrendous. For a while it also seemed that Europe will be gearing for another anti-Muslim/anti-immigrant backlash. However, it seems that the attacker is a right-wing, anti-Muslim nut job. It has been interesting to see the evolution of reporting in this regard. I do not have time to comment on it right now, but please check out this excellent analysis in Salon: The Omnipotence of Al Qaeda and the meaninglessness of "Terrorism":
The recently Oslo attack is horrendous. For a while it also seemed that Europe will be gearing for another anti-Muslim/anti-immigrant backlash. However, it seems that the attacker is a right-wing, anti-Muslim nut job. It has been interesting to see the evolution of reporting in this regard. I do not have time to comment on it right now, but please check out this excellent analysis in Salon: The Omnipotence of Al Qaeda and the meaninglessness of "Terrorism":
But now it turns out that the alleged perpetrator wasn't from an international Muslim extremist group at all, but was rather a right-wing Norwegian nationalist with a history of anti-Muslim commentary and an affection for Muslim-hating blogs such as Pam Geller's Atlas Shrugged, Daniel Pipes, and Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch. Despite that, The New York Times is still working hard to pin some form of blame, even ultimate blame, on Muslim radicals (h/t sysprog):
Terrorism specialists said that even if the authorities ultimately ruled out Islamic terrorism as the cause of Friday’s assaults, other kinds of groups or individuals were mimicking Al Qaeda's brutality and multiple attacks."If it does turn out to be someone with more political motivations, it shows these groups are learning from what they see from Al Qaeda," said Brian Fishman, a counterterrorism researcher at the New America Foundation in Washington.
Al Qaeda is always to blame, even when it isn't, even when it's allegedly the work of a Nordic, Muslim-hating, right-wing European nationalist. Of course, before Al Qaeda, nobody ever thought to detonate bombs in government buildings or go on indiscriminate, politically motivated shooting rampages. The NYT speculates that amonium nitrate fertilizer may have been used to make the bomb because the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, owned a farming-related business and thus could have access to that material; of course nobody would have ever thought of using that substance to make a massive bomb had it not been for Al Qaeda. So all this proves once again what a menacing threat radical Islam is.
Then there's this extraordinarily revealing passage from the NYT -- first noticed by Richard Silverstein -- explaining why the paper originally reported what it did:
Initial reports focused on the possibility of Islamic militants, in particular Ansar al-Jihad al-Alami, or Helpers of the Global Jihad, cited by some analysts as claiming responsibility for the attacks. American officials said the group was previously unknown and might not even exist.There was ample reason for concern that terrorists might be responsible.
In other words, now that we know the alleged perpetrator is not Muslim, we know -- by definition -- that Terrorists are not responsible; conversely, when we thought Muslims were responsible, that meant -- also by definition -- that it was an act of Terrorism. As Silverstein put it:
How's that again? Are the only terrorists in the world Muslim? If so, what do we call a right-wing nationalist capable of planting major bombs and mowing down scores of people for the sake of the greater glory of his cause? If even a liberal newspaper like the Times can't call this guy a terrorist, what does that say about the mindset of the western world?
What it says is what we've seen repeatedly: that Terrorism has no objective meaning and, at least in American political discourse, has come functionally to mean: violence committed by Muslims whom the West dislikes, no matter the cause or the target. Indeed, in many (though not all) media circles, discussion of the Oslo attack quickly morphed from this is Terrorism (when it was believed Muslims did it) to no, this isn't Terrorism, just extremism (once it became likely that Muslims didn't).
Read the full article here.
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This is a weekly post by Nidhal Guessoum (see his earlier posts here). Nidhal is an astrophysicist and Professor of Physics at American University of Sharjah and is the author of Islam's Quantum Question: Reconciling Muslim Tradition and Modern Science.
I just took part in the latest summer course offered by the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion (FISR) in Cambridge, UK. FISR, which has existed for a number of years now, aims at addressing various issues of intellectual and cultural engagement (or contention) between Science and Religion, by ways of courses, conferences, lectures, seminars and media. In addition to quasi-weekly seminars, its most notable offering is the yearly summer course.
The course gathers about 40 participants for 5 (very full) days of lectures and discussions. Each day, 4 lectures are given; each lasts an hour plus thirty minutes of Q & A. And in the evening, the lecturers of the day (usually grouped by theme) are gathered for an evening’s general panel discussion.
The list of lecturers and the topics addressed this year can be found on this webpage. I must say that I was fascinated by several lectures as well as by the quality of the participants. It is unfair to other speakers for me to highlight a few and not others, but I cannot resist mentioning the fascinating stuff that Dr. David Lahti presented in his two lectures on: a) Is Human Behaviour in the Genes?; b) Has Religion Evolved (going back 100,000 years)… Do check out his website and the various issues he and his students are working on. One other special mention goes to the joint presentation made by Drs. Jeff Schloss and Michael Murray on ‘Evil in Nature: scientific, philosophical, and theological perspectives’. As you can see from just these examples (and more from the full list), it is a great opportunity for anyone, including those of us who have been dealing with Science and Religion issues for a while, to listen to, question, and interact with experts who have very thoughtful things (and sometimes data) to bring.
Now, the participants came from a good dozen countries, including a few from as far back as Brazil, Lithuania, Egypt, and Indonesia, though most came from the UK and Europe. A significant number of them were doctorate holders, but the spectrum of background was very broad, with at least one TV producer, one retired lady who is an avid reader and a life-long learner, and one or two clergymen. The most interesting part was that not everyone was religious, by any measure; in fact, one person stated openly that he is an atheist, though he enjoys such gatherings and has attended FISR courses several times. Moreover, during the discussion session, it became clear that not everyone was a believer and not everyone was convinced by the ideas that were being presented, although very often no conclusions were drawn, and it was left up to the listener to try to integrate that additional knowledge into his/her own worldview.
Indeed, the format of the discussions was quite interesting. First, the course makes sure that topics are addressed and explored in enough time: lectures are all one-hour long, followed by 30 minutes of Q &A; most importantly, and in order to make sure that people’s inner thoughts are expressed without reticence, a box is made available where people put in their (often pointed) questions, which are then addressed in an anonymous way in the evening. Also, the speakers themselves are encouraged to attend as much of the course as they can (I only missed one afternoon in the whole week) and participate in all the discussions by asking questions, making comments, and helping answer any questions that may fall in their province of expertise. Finally, lunches and dinners are taken together in a very down-to-earth atmosphere amongst all, during which time more discussions take place. I must also say that I was quite impressed by the fact that few of the participants ever disappeared (for touristic or other reasons), even though many had come from far away; this certainly says something about both the intentions of the participants in coming to such a course and the quality of the content they found.
Please note that FISR video-records the lectures given there and posts them on its multimedia page, which right now has 360 entries. This year’s lectures won’t be there until later, but in the meantime, if you can find the time, do check out a number of great lectures and topics there.
I thus would like to recommend this course to anyone interested in the whole Science & Religion field. The courses are not free, but the fees are more than reasonable, especially for students, considering that one gets to spend a whole week in Cambridge. For people who live in Europe, the trip may not be too expensive (especially by train), but for people from far away, they can either apply for FISR course bursaries or get their institutions to support them.
Last but not least, I would like to highlight the fact that FISR has started giving short versions of its courses in various corners of the world: in Ireland last month; in Australia later this summer; in New Zealand in September; other courses will also be conducted in India and elsewhere. So perhaps you can catch one near you in the future.
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So I have a little obsession with dice. I'm ok. I just love them. And this picture is just my new stash of dice. I was at a math conference last week and I had to get some dice I have always wanted. I am super excited that I now have dice that go up to 20! And I am totally intrigued by the dice with the crown on them to the left! I have no idea what the crown is for but I am sure we can come up with something, right? Considering this is just a small sample of my dice, I had to start thinking of a way to organize my dice. I have been looking for a dice jar but I didn't want the kids to be spending time digging through a jar to get the dice they need. What I am hoping for is that my children will be able to pick the proper dice they need for the particular task and find it quickly.
I found this craft organizer at Hobby Lobby for $8 but I had a coupon so it was 40% off! All my new dice fit and so do the small dice containers. This is perfect for self serve dice!
I have to give credit where credit is due... My husband saw these at Dollar Tree and suggested I use them for dice. They came in a six pack! It is perfect for a single die. When you turn it upside down you can see and read the die perfectly!
And this is what it looks like inside all organized and happy...
Just for fun I have added a dice freebie to use when I am teaching the kids how to self serve dice, what dice to use and how to put things back. I have made a Roll and Record page so the children can practice, getting a die, experimenting and becoming familiar with different dice and recording what they have rolled. Please feel free to get your free copy and if you have time please leave feedback. The I Love Dice Roll and Record game is only available at my TpT store for a limited time!
So if you are interested in more dice fun... Roll the Dice is back and ready for Fall! This download is available from TpT and it comes with 3 levels of play and a total of 9 game boards that include apples, pumpkins and forest themed boards! Get em while they are hot!
I have teamed up with Empowering Little Learners for more dice fun and I hope you hop over and find more dice ideas!
We really don't want the dice fun to end because we are having so much fun! What do you do with dice? How do you store your dice? What are your favorite games with dice? What creative ways do you use dice in your classroom? Come on friends, don't leave us hanging... join in the fun and submit your ideas to the It's Getting Dicey Linky Party!
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To read the content of this post, please click here:
http://www.inspiremeasap.blogspot.com/2011/07/classroom-decor.html
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http://www.inspiremeasap.blogspot.com/2011/07/classroom-decor.html
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When I heard about a Linky Party at CreateTeachShare about Post it Notes, I just had to share! I love Post it Notes and use them to jot down notes, post reminders and I often send them with children to the teachers down the hall! In class, my favorite use for Post its has been with my counting jar. As one of the math investigations, the children count the contents of a jar and then record their answer on a Post it and post that note on the counting jar poster. We then discuss the contents of the jar. This year I am excited that I now have my Smart Cookie poster and I am going to use my Post its for the same routine. In the past I have used Post its for graphing activities. I was super excited to see the apple Post it holder on sale last week and a great teacher friend picked it up for me. I will use this every single day at school and I love that the base is weighted!
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So, you ran to Staples to get all of those highlighters and now you are wondering what in the world are you going to do with them? I have the answer! Go to First-School and take a look at all of those word searches! My children loved them for an entire year!
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by Salman Hameed
I'm in Pakistan (Rawalpindi) these days visiting family. Yesterday we had a chance to take an overnight trip to a small village named Malot in the Himalayan foothills (it is about 60 kms or 2 hours from Rawalpindi). It is close to Murree - one of the busiest tourist destinations in Pakistan - but thankfully, it is slightly off the beaten path. First here are two pictures of the place to give you an idea of the view from the location:
Here is a picture of the back wall of a public secondary school for girls.
There are often complaints about the ruinous state of public schools. But this one looked quite good, and so did the boy's section (I did not get a chance to take a picture of that). I discovered that the boy's school was completely destroyed in the 2005 earthquake - and it has been built again completely from scratch. I have blogged about girl's schools destroyed by the Taliban, so here is also a picture of a thriving school in the northern regions of Pakistan. And what a beautiful location!
There were also couple of unexpected things on the way. First, there was a fiber-glass shop that had models of different animals outside, including dinosaurs. It was just odd to see dinosaurs right off the main road, right next to a toll-plaza:
But a stranger thing was this statue/model of an unidentified animal right in front of a residential area:
This is a huge model. I mean this picture is taken from the highway and it still looks big. Now we have a dispute going on in our family if this is a horse, lama, or some sort of (perhaps yet undiscovered) dino. We did not take the time to stop and examine it (this picture is from a moving car). Nevertheless, we did agree that is an odd gigantic structure to be in front of a residential area. Has anyone else seen this animal model on this road and do you know what it is and why its there?
And in case you are wondering, yes, I have been eating mangoes every day here. And here is a piece of BBQ from Saturday night, and the picture of a devilish cat wanting a slice of it:
I also had a chance to visit the Pakistan Natural History Museum in Islamabad. More on that and Lok Virsa: Pakistan National Heritage Museum later.
I'm in Pakistan (Rawalpindi) these days visiting family. Yesterday we had a chance to take an overnight trip to a small village named Malot in the Himalayan foothills (it is about 60 kms or 2 hours from Rawalpindi). It is close to Murree - one of the busiest tourist destinations in Pakistan - but thankfully, it is slightly off the beaten path. First here are two pictures of the place to give you an idea of the view from the location:
Here is a picture of the back wall of a public secondary school for girls.
There are often complaints about the ruinous state of public schools. But this one looked quite good, and so did the boy's section (I did not get a chance to take a picture of that). I discovered that the boy's school was completely destroyed in the 2005 earthquake - and it has been built again completely from scratch. I have blogged about girl's schools destroyed by the Taliban, so here is also a picture of a thriving school in the northern regions of Pakistan. And what a beautiful location!
There were also couple of unexpected things on the way. First, there was a fiber-glass shop that had models of different animals outside, including dinosaurs. It was just odd to see dinosaurs right off the main road, right next to a toll-plaza:
But a stranger thing was this statue/model of an unidentified animal right in front of a residential area:
This is a huge model. I mean this picture is taken from the highway and it still looks big. Now we have a dispute going on in our family if this is a horse, lama, or some sort of (perhaps yet undiscovered) dino. We did not take the time to stop and examine it (this picture is from a moving car). Nevertheless, we did agree that is an odd gigantic structure to be in front of a residential area. Has anyone else seen this animal model on this road and do you know what it is and why its there?
And in case you are wondering, yes, I have been eating mangoes every day here. And here is a piece of BBQ from Saturday night, and the picture of a devilish cat wanting a slice of it:
I also had a chance to visit the Pakistan Natural History Museum in Islamabad. More on that and Lok Virsa: Pakistan National Heritage Museum later.
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OM~gosh! This entire basket of highlighters, note cards and pencils was 75 cents at Staples. Teachers get to purchase 25 of each one cent item with a school ID. Long gone are the days of going in and out of the store 25 times...and yes, I have done it for years. At one point, I thought I might have to buy a wig!
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TuneUp Utilities™ 2011 adalah tools untuk meningkatkan performa PC atau laptop. TuneUp Utilities™ 2011 memiliki 6 (enam) fitur untuk mengoptimalkan kinerja pada PC atau laptop. Software ini dapat meningkatkatkan kecepatan komputer dengan menonaktifkan fitur-fitur atau program yang tidak diperlukan oleh sistem. Software ini dapat bekerja pada Windows® 7, Windows® Vista, dan Windows® XP. Berikut
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I have been super busy with my Smart Cookies interactive bulletin board. I changed the letters to make them smaller before I glued them down! I backed the cookies with colored construction paper so I could use them for counting, patterning, addition, subtraction and some problem solving. I have to take the poster to get it laminated before I adhere it to the foam board. I thought a board would be good so I could hold it in front of me as I use it with the kids and because I have no more space available on my walls ; ). I am starting to get excited about using it!
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Me oh my, more binder easel fun! Today I made a few informal surveys using my favorite binder easel. I bought tiny clothespins so the kids could pin to the side but on second thought...I need slightly bigger clothespins. You can't blame a girl for trying! Gotta run!
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This week theme for Sharing Sundays is PASTA! There is nothing more versatile than pasta! You can eat it cold, hot, room temperature and mix pretty much any ingredient in with it. Pasta is also great when you are cooking for BIG groups of people....it helps stretch a dollar too. So let's see you favorite pasta recipes!
Our Rules:
1. Please become a follower of our blog.
2. Please share a link back to your actual recipe post, not to your main blog page.
3. Please link back to our blog so others can join in the fun.
4. Leave us a comment about what recipe you are linking up.
5. Have fun!
Thank you to everyone who linked up to last week's party theme BERRIES! Here are some of the most popular recipes.
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars by Crumbs and Chaos
Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars by The Sweet Swiper
Blue-Raspberry Streusel Muffins by The Kitchen Cookie
Blackberry Cream Cheese Pie by The 4 Little Fergusons
Baked Waffles with Raspberry Cream Cheese by
The Better Baker
Next on to all of those delicious PASTA recipes!! I can't wait!
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Our Rules:
1. Please become a follower of our blog.
2. Please share a link back to your actual recipe post, not to your main blog page.
3. Please link back to our blog so others can join in the fun.
4. Leave us a comment about what recipe you are linking up.
5. Have fun!
Thank you to everyone who linked up to last week's party theme BERRIES! Here are some of the most popular recipes.
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars by Crumbs and Chaos
Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars by The Sweet Swiper
Blue-Raspberry Streusel Muffins by The Kitchen Cookie
Blackberry Cream Cheese Pie by The 4 Little Fergusons
Baked Waffles with Raspberry Cream Cheese by
The Better Baker
Next on to all of those delicious PASTA recipes!! I can't wait!
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اسطوانة واقبل رمضان
اسطوانة جديدة طرحت لأول مرة
بتاريخ : 06/08/1431هـ 17/07/2010م
بتاريخ : 06/08/1431هـ 17/07/2010م
في موقع موقع نصرة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
في هذه الصفحة ونقل الموضوع منها
نبذه عن البرنامج
حرصنا أن تكون الملفات مع البرنامج والأستماع للصوتيات بدون الأتصال بالإنترنت
لإجل بقائها لمدة أطول
حرصنا أن تكون الملفات مع البرنامج والأستماع للصوتيات بدون الأتصال بالإنترنت
لإجل بقائها لمدة أطول
الصورة التي في البداية تعبر عن واجهة البرنامج
وكما ترى أيقونة الصوتيات وأيقونة الجدول وأيقونة كلمة الإدارة
وأيقونة إصدارات الموقع وأيقونة عن البرنامج
وكما ترى أيقونة الصوتيات وأيقونة الجدول وأيقونة كلمة الإدارة
وأيقونة إصدارات الموقع وأيقونة عن البرنامج
واجهة الصوتيات أنتقال تلقائي للدرس التالي عند الانتهاء وأيضاً إعادة الدرس عند الانتهاء
وكالعادة نحرص على هذه الخاصيات لأجل الأستماع بحرية للدروس كيفما تريد
وتستطيع تحريك الواجهة بمؤشر الماس الزر الأيسر
وكالعادة نحرص على هذه الخاصيات لأجل الأستماع بحرية للدروس كيفما تريد
وتستطيع تحريك الواجهة بمؤشر الماس الزر الأيسر
جدول الأعمال في رمضان فهو رائع جداً وخاصة أن رمضان به من الفضائل والاجور العظيمة فأحرص
على أن لاينتهي وإلا وأنت مستفيد من كل دقيقة وثانية به في الأعمال الصالحة
واجهة البرنامج للجدول تتحرك تلقائي إلى الأعلى
وكما تشاهد بجانب الجدول أيقونات منها :
وكما تشاهد بجانب الجدول أيقونات منها :
1ـ من أسمها واضحة وهي عندما تريد القراءة وتكون الكتابة مخفية إلى الأسفل فهذه الأيقونة تحرك الجدول للأعلى
2ـ عكس الأعلى
3 ـ إيقاف تحرك الجدول لإجل القراءة
4 ـ أستمرار بالتحرك
5 ـ وهذا مهم جداً وضعنا الجدول في مجلد لإجل حجم الجدول ودقته العالية جداً
فستجد الجدول جاهز للطباعة بحجم A4 وبدقة عالية جداً فعندما تريد الطباعة أضغط
على الصورة بالزر الأيمن للماوس وتختار طباعة أو أستخدم الفوتوشوب وثم طباعة أو أحد وسائل الطباعة
6 ـ خروج من الواجهة
2ـ عكس الأعلى
3 ـ إيقاف تحرك الجدول لإجل القراءة
4 ـ أستمرار بالتحرك
5 ـ وهذا مهم جداً وضعنا الجدول في مجلد لإجل حجم الجدول ودقته العالية جداً
فستجد الجدول جاهز للطباعة بحجم A4 وبدقة عالية جداً فعندما تريد الطباعة أضغط
على الصورة بالزر الأيمن للماوس وتختار طباعة أو أستخدم الفوتوشوب وثم طباعة أو أحد وسائل الطباعة
6 ـ خروج من الواجهة
كلمة الأدارة
كلمات ثمينة ومفيدة جداً فأحرص على قرائتها بمتعن لتسفيد منها
كلمات ثمينة ومفيدة جداً فأحرص على قرائتها بمتعن لتسفيد منها
حجم الاسطوانة 118 ميجا
التحميل مباشر
و الشكر موصول للأخ الكريم صاحب مدونة الروائع الدعوية لتفضله بطرح الموضوع فكتب الله أجره و نفع به
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When I found out there was a Linky Party at First Grade Blue Skies about bulletin boards that you LOVE, I just had to join. This year I have fallen in love with my Smart Cookies interactive bulletin board. My Smart Cookies bulletin board set kind of got me obsessed with the other products in the line from Artskills, which I buy at Target for $2.50 each! So many people have asked me where these products are located. You can find them with all of the other poster making products! I am kind of excited about my bulletin boards because I hear that Artskills is going to have a bulletin board contest! I know my Smart Cookie and 100 Day Tree Bulletin Board sets are going to be interactive and I am still working on those. But if I could WISH a real big WISH, I am hoping to find the Amazing Artist bulletin board set you see above! I guess it is selling fast and I am just one step behind! And wouldn't it be neat to have your class bulletin board featured and grab a I Was Featured On Artskills button? As soon as I have the info I will post it so you have time to get your stuff and start creating!
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These cookies are a big hit in our family as they taste delicious but also have a lot of healthy ingredients like brown rice syrup, dark chocolate chunks, and whole wheat flour. So enjoy them without the guilt!
Ingredients:
1 cup whole-wheat flour, spooned and leveled
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup oat flour, spooned and leveled
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown-rice syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 T water
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup natural almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
Preparation:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda , and salt.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, rice syrup, sugar, egg, water, and vanilla until completely blended. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients; fold in the chocolate and nuts.
Cover and refrigerate for at last one hour or as long as overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough by rounded tablespoons onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inces apart. Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 13 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Linked to Sweets for Saturday
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What better way to learn about the Allegory of the Cave than with Orson Welles (from Open Culture). The Enjoy!
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