A short summary of Ibn Ishaq
The earliest biography of Muhammad was written by Ibn Ishaq, a devout Muslim who lived from AD 704-767. His biography is respected and studied in Muslim universities around the world. The English translation is 690 pages long, not counting introduction, endnotes and indices. What appears below is an 18 page summary of Ibn Ishaq’s The Life of Muhammad. The numbers in parentheses are the page numbers in the book. Some of the confusion in the summary below is due to my faulty understanding of a difficult text. Some of the confusion, however, is due to considerable lack of clarity in the English translation itself. At any rate, here is the life of the man a billion people revere as the greatest prophet of God and whom many love more than life itself:
Life of Muhammad
Muhammad was the son of Abdullah and Amina. He never knew his father who died while Amina was still pregnant (69). At one point in his childhood Muhammad and his brother were with some sheep behind their tents when Muhammad’s brother ran for help saying that something was wrong with Muhammad. When asked what was wrong, Muhammad, “standing up with a livid face” said, “Two men in white raiment came and threw me down and opened my belly and searched therein for I know not what.” They took him back to the tent and his [adoptive?] father said, “I’m afraid that this child has had a stroke.” Muhammad’s mother asked her other son if he feared that a demon had possessed Muhammad and he answered yes. Muhammad’s mother replied that “no demon had any power over her son who had a great future before him” (72).
When Muhammad was six years old his mother died and he was left in the care of his grandfather (73). Two years later his grandfather died and he went to live with his uncle, Abu Talib (79) who stood by Muhammad and protected him even into adulthood.
When Muhammad grew up, an older and very wealthy merchant woman named Khadija heard of his “honorable character” and hired him to take her goods to Syria (82). She would later become Muhammad’s first wife and faithful supporter.
When Muhammad reached the age of forty he began to feel like God was sending him “as an evangelist to all men” (104). He used to travel out to the “glens of Mecca” where “no house was in sight” and he began to hear voices saying “Peace unto thee, O apostle of Allah” but there was nothing there except “trees and stones.”
Once a year during the month of Ramadan, Muhammad would “pray in seclusion and give food to the poor that came to him.” After “he returned from his seclusion,” before returning home, “he would go to the Ka’ba,” the black square-shaped temple in Mecca, and “walk around it seven times or as often as it pleased God; then he would go back to his house until the year when God sent him, in the month of Ramadan” (105).
One day, Muhammad said that while he was sleeping, Gabriel came to him with something that had writing on it, and said “Read!” According to Muhammad,
“I said, ‘What shall I read?’ He pressed me with it so tightly that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said, ‘Read!’ I said, ‘What shall I read?’ He pressed me with it again so that I thought it was death; then he let me go and said ‘Read!’ I said, ‘What shall I read?” He pressed me with it the third time so that I thought it was death and said, “Read!’ I said, ‘What then shall I read?—and this I said only to deliver myself from him, lest he would do the same to me again. He said, “Read in the name of thy Lord who created, Who created man of blood coagulated. Read! Thy Lord is most beneficient, Who taught by the pen, Taught that which they knew not unto men.’ So I read it and he departed from me (106).
Muhammad woke up and began to wonder if he was demon possessed. Afraid that the local Quraysh tribes would think he was indeed demon possessed he considered throwing himself down a mountain to kill himself but on the way up the mountain he heard a voice saying he was the apostle of God (105-106). Instead of committing suicide, Muhammad decided to tell his wife, Khadija, of his dream and of his fear of demon possession (106). Khadija sought advice from her cousin who was a Christian. When he heard the story he assured her that Muhammad must be a prophet (107).
After that, Muhammad began receiving revelations. Khadija accepted his revelations as true, became his first convert, and helped him in his work (111). The first male to become a Muslim was Ali, at only 10 years old (114). Soon, however, men and women began to accept Islam in large numbers “until the fame of it was spread throughout Mecca” (117).
When the early Muslims prayed they often went to the glens around Mecca so their people could not see them praying. While Sa’d b. Abu Waqqas was praying with other Muslims “a band of polytheists” came by and “rudely interrupted them.” “They came to blows” and “the first blood to be shed in Islam” occurred when “Sa’d smote a polytheist with a jawbone of a camel and wounded him” (118).
Most Meccans did not turn against the Muslims until Muhammad “spoke disparagingly of their gods.” Then “they took great offense and resolved unanimously to treat him as an enemy.” But Muhammad was protected by his powerful uncle, Abu Talib (118). Yet “They were always talking about him and inciting one another against him” (119):
‘Then the Quraysh incited people against the companions of the apostle who had become Muslims. Every tribe fell upon the Muslims among them, beating them and seducing them from their religion. God protected His apostle from them through his uncle” (120)
Many of the Quraysh “called him a liar, insulted him, and accused him of being a poet, a sorcerer, a diviner and of being possessed.” Muhammad, however, continued to proclaim his message and condemn their religion (130).
One day while prominent men of Mecca were talking about him, Muhammad began to walk around the temple of Mecca known as the Ka’ba. As he passed by these men “they said some injurious things about him.” When he passed by them the second time, “they attacked him similarly.” “Then he passed a third time, and they did the same.” This time Muhammad stopped and swore by God that he would bring them slaughter (131)!
Islam was spreading throughout Mecca in the tribes of the Quraysh, “though Quraysh were imprisoning and seducing as many of the Muslims as they could” (133). Since persecution wasn’t working, the Meccans tried to shut Muhammad up by negotiation. If he wanted money, they would make him rich. If he wanted honor or sovereignty, they would make him a prince or even a king. If he was demon possessed, “they would exhaust their means in finding medicine to cure him.” Muhammad would have none of it so they told him that they would not leave him alone “until we destroy you or you destroy us” (134).
The Quraysh continued to persecute the Muslims, “beating them, allowing them no food or drink, and exposing them to the burning heat of Mecca.” “Some gave way under the pressure of persecution, and others resisted” (143). For example, Bilal was a faithful Muslim slave who belonged to Umayya b. Khalaf. Umayya would take his Muslim slave out to the desert in the hottest part of the day, throw him on his back, and place a heavy rock on his chest saying, “You will stay here til you die or deny Muhammad” and worship the goddesses of Mecca (144).
One day Abu Bakr, one of Muhammad’s most faithful followers who would eventually be Muhammad’s successor, saw this slave being tortured. Abu Bakr said, “Have you no fear of God that you treat this poor fellow like this? Umayya responded saying, “You are the one who corrupted him, you save him from his plight…” (144). Abu Bakr said he had a black slave who was not Muslim and was stronger than the slave being persecuted. He offered to trade slaves and the deal was accepted (144).
Although Muhammad escaped much of the persecution through the protection of his powerful uncle, Muhammad could not protect his followers so he suggested that they go to Abyssinia in Africa whose Christian king, Muhammad told them, “will not tolerate injustice.” Many Muslims followed Muhammad’s advice (146).
When the Quraysh heard this, they sent men to Abyssinia to force the Muslims to return. The case came before the king who said he would not surrender the Muslims to them. He then summoned the Muslims and asked them about their religion. They told him that they had been “an uncivilized people, worshipping idols, eating corpses, committing abominations, breaking natural ties, treating guests badly, and our strong devoured our weak” (150-152).
They said that Muhammad has summoned them to acknowledge God’s unity, to worship God “and to renounce the stones and images” which they had formerly worshiped. Muhammad had forbidden them from committing abominations, speaking lies, devouring property of orphans, or vilifying chaste women. On the other hand, they were commanded to worship God alone and not to associate anything with Him,” and to observe “orders about prayer, almsgiving, and fasting” (150-152).
Meanwhile, Muhammad became very pained about his estrangement from his people and “longed that there should come to him from God a message that would reconcile his people to him.” It wasn’t long before Muhammad got a revelation saying that the three goddesses of Mecca, al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat were exalted and that their intercession was approved by Allah. The Quraysh “were delighted and greatly pleased at the way in which he spoke of their gods” (167).
Muslims, however, thought there must be some mistake since this seemed to contradict the essence of Muhammad’s monotheism. The issue was soon resolved when Muhammad got another revelation saying that Satan, not God, had told him the goddesses’ intercession was approved. Muhammad repented and “God annulled what Satan had suggested” (179).
One day Muhammad reported that he and Gabriel had been carried away from the “mosque at Mecca” to “the Masjid al-Aqsa” in Jerusalem where “he found Abraham, Moses and Jesus among a company of the prophets.” Muhammad “acted as their imam in prayer.” Two containers were brought to him, one with milk and one with wine. When Muhammad drank the milk and left the wine, Gabriel said Muhammad had been “rightly guided” because, he was told, “wine is forbidden to you.” Muhammad then returned to Mecca in the morning and told the Quraysh people of his trip. “Most of them said…this is plain absurdity!” In fact, many Muslims even gave up their faith because of the story (181-183).
When asked what he thought of Muhammad now, Abu Bakr said if he says it, its true. Muhammad’s wife Aisha used to say that Muhammad’s body “remained where it was but God removed his spirit by night.” A woman named “Hind” said,
“The apostle went on no night journey except while he was in my house. He slept that night in my house. He prayed the final night prayer, then he slept and we slept. A little before dawn the apostle woke us, and when we prayed the dawn prayer he said…I prayed with you last evening prayer in the valley as you saw. Then I went to Jerusalem and prayed there” (183-184).
She tried to persuade Muhammad not to tell anyone for fear that they would insult him but he wouldn’t listen. She asked her black slave to follow Muhammad and listen to what he said. Muhammad reported his experience and, when asked for proof, he said that he passed a certain caravan in a particular valley (183-184).
Muhammad’s wife Khadija and his uncle Abu Talib died in the same year. Khadija had been a faithful supporter who listened to his troubles while Abu Talib had been his protector. The Quraysh began to treat Muhammad “in an offensive way which they would not have dared to follow in his uncle’s lifetime”. Someone even threw dust on Muhammad’s head (191).
In the following year—“before the duty of making war was laid upon them”—twelve of Muhammad’s helpers met at al-Aqaba and pledged themselves to Muhammad, promising not to steal, not to commit fornication, not to kill their offspring, not to slander their neighbors, and not to disobey Muhammad in what was right. They understood that if they fulfilled these, paradise would be theirs but if they “committed any of those sins it was for God to punish or forgive as He pleased” (199).
“When God gave permission” for Muhammad to fight, “the second [meeting at] Aqaba contained conditions involving war” which were not part of the first pledge. The men “Now they bound themselves to war against all” for Muhammad and God (208). Muhammad received a revelation saying, “Fight them so that there be no more seduction” away from Islam and “Until God alone is worshiped” (213).
After this permission to fight, the Ansar Clan pledged their support to Muhammad and the Muslims began to emigrate from Mecca to Medina in order to link up with the Ansar. Abu Bakr and Ali stayed behind in Mecca with Muhammad for a time, until he received permission from God to go to Medina (213).
Once Muhammad emigrated to Medina he made a “friendly agreement” with the Jewish tribes of Yathrib (Medina). Any disputes were to be resolved by Muhammad (232). Once Muhammad was established in Medina he instituted prayers, fasting, alms tax, legal punishments and spelled out that which was forbidden and prescribed (235).
Some Jewish rabbis, however, were hostile to Muhammad, annoying him with questions, introducing “confusion,” and trying to extinguish Islam. “They were joined by men from al-Aus and al-Kihazraj who had obstinately clung to their heathen religion” (239-240). Some Jewish rabbis came to Muhammad and said they would follow him if he would answer some questions. Their first question was, “Why does a boy resemble his mother when the semen comes from the man? Muhammad answered that “a man’s semen is white and thick while a woman’s is yellow and thin, and the likeness goes with that which comes to the top” (255).
“Some Muslims remained friends with the Jews because of the tie of mutual protection and alliance which had subsisted between them.” Muhammad, however, received a revelation forbidding Muslims to take Jews as intimate friends. He explained that the Jews would corrupt them and that the Jews had hatred concealed in their breasts. Muhammad told Muslims that while they believe in the Jews' holy books, the Jews didn’t believe in the Muslim’s holy book so “you have more right to hate them than they to hate you” (262-263).
One day Abu Bakr went to a Jewish school and called on one of their Rabbis to become a Muslim. The Rabbi’s response enraged Abu Bakr who hit the Rabbi in the face saying “Were it not for the treaty between us I would cut off your head.” The Rabbi complained to Muhammad and Muhammad asked Abu Bakr about it. Abu Bakr said the Rabbi had blasphemed but the Rabbi denied it. Muhammad then received a revelation supporting Abu Bakr (263).
One day when a Jewish man was brought to Muhammad on the charge of committing adultery, Muhammad ordered both of them to be stoned. “When the Jew felt the first stone he crouched over the woman to protect her from the stones until both of them were killed" (266-267).
Thirteen years after his call, Muhammad “prepared for war in pursuance of God’s command to fight his enemies and to fight the polytheists” (280). At first Muhammad made several raids on the Quraysh, including the first raid on Badr, but returned to Medina without fighting (281-286).
One day Muhammad sent Abdullah b. Jahsh and eight other Muslims with orders to “Lie in wait for Quraysh and find out for us what they are doing….” A Quraysh caravan came by and the Muslim raiders “decided to kill as many as they could of them and take what they had.” When they returned to Muhammad he rebuked them for fighting during the sacred month. Muhammad, however, later received a revelation relieving them “of their anxiety” in the matter. Muhammad took one-fifth of the booty and rewarded the raiders out of what was left over (288).
Muhammad then heard that a large caravan of Quraysh loaded with money and merchandise was coming from Syria led by Abu Sufyan b. Harb. Muhammad ordered the Muslims to attack the caravan, an attack which took place near the water of Badr. Muhammad encouraged his men saying that all those fighting “with steadfast courage advancing not retreating” would be rewarded with paradise if killed in the battle. When Muhammad saw them coming he cried, “O God, here come the Quraysh in their vanity and pride contending with Thee and calling Thy apostle a liar…Destroy them this morning!” Muhammad’s men routed their foe, killed many of their chiefs, and captured many of their nobles in this battle of Badr (289-294).
Muhammad then divided the booty including the captives equally among the Muslims (307). As Muhammad ordered one of the captives to be killed the captive pleaded, “Who will look after my children?” “Hell,” replied Muhammad, and the man was executed (308). Muhammad then divided the prisoners among his companions, telling them to treat them well (309).
One day Muhammad received a revelation saying, “I am with you so strengthen those that believe…I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, so strike off their heads and cut off their fingers, because they oppose God and His apostle.” The revelation went on to say that Muslims on the march who turn back in the face of the unbelievers are destined for hell (322).
In another revelation, Muhammad heard, “O prophet, exhort the believers to fight. If there are twenty steadfast ones among you they will overcome two hundred, and if there are a hundred of you they will overcome a thousand unbelievers for they are a senseless people.” Hearing that twenty Muslims were to fight two hundred enemy and that a hundred Muslims were to fight a thousand was quite a shock to the Muslims! Muhammad, however, soon received another revelation cancelling this one, saying instead that if their forces were less than half of the enemy’s they could withdraw and not fight (326).
Muhammad then made some more raids but returned to Medina without having to fight (360-362).
Meanwhile there was the affair of B. Qaynuqa so Muhammad assembled the Jews in their market and warned them of vengeance. They told Muhammad that he should not be deceived by the fact that he had won a battle against people who had no knowledge of war and that if Muhammad fought them he would find that they were real men! Muhammad then received a revelation about them: “Say to those who disbelieve: you will be vanquished and gathered to hell” (363).
After the Muslim attack at Badr, the Quraysh were then “afraid to follow their usual route to Syria” so they went by the Iraq route. Muhammad then sent a raiding party led by Zayd to meet one of the caravans which was transporting a large amount of silver. The men of the caravan got away, but Zayd captured its contents and brought the spoil to Muhammad (364).
Muhammad heard that Ka’B b. Al-Ashraf had composed poetic verses insulting Muslim women so Muhammad asked who would rid him of Ka’B. The response came from Muhammad b. Maslama who said he would kill the man but would have to tell lies. Muhammad told him to kill Ka’B if he could and to say whatever he needed. When the Muslims came to Ka’B’s castle he suspected nothing. After some time Muhammad b. Maslama cried, “Smite the enemy of God!” He thrust his dagger into Ka’B’s body and “bore down upon it until I reached his genitals, and the enemy of God fell to the ground.” This attack “cast terror among the Jews, and there was no Jew in Medina who did not fear for his life” (367).
On another occasion Muhammad said, “Kill any Jew that falls into your power”. Muhayyish b. Mas’ud obeyed Muhammad’s command and killed a Jewish merchant. A man named Huwayisa began to beat Muhayyish saying that much of their wealth came from this merchant. Muhayyish responded saying if Muhammad ordered him to cut off Huwayisa’s head, he would have done so. Huwayisa said that any religion that had this kind of power was wonderful, and he became a Muslim (369).
In one of the battles, the “Muslims were put to flight and the enemy slew many of them.” An enemy got to Muhammad, hitting him in the face with a stone, breaking one of his teeth and injuring his lip so that blood was running down his face. Muslims came to Muhammad’s aid and Muhammad ordered them to bring the attacker to him. The attacker “died with his face on” Muhammad’s foot (380).
After the battle, Utba and some women began to mutilate the bodies of the dead Muslims. “They cut off the ears and noses” and a woman named Hind made these body parts into “anklets and collars.” “She cut out Hamza’s liver and chewed it, but she was not able to swallow it and threw it away.” “Then she mounted a high rock and shrieked at the top of her voice: We have paid you back for Badr…” (385).
When Muhammad found Hamza “with his belly ripped up and his liver missing and his nose and ears cut off” he said, “If God gives me victory over Quraysh in the future I will mutilate 30 of their men.” Muhammad later pardoned some enemies and forbid mutilation (387). When he got home Muhammad handed his sword to his daughter Fatima, saying, “Wash the blood from this daughter for by God it has served me well today” (389).
When Muhammad went to B. al-Nadir to seek help in getting revenge for a murder, the men of B. al-Nadir agreed to help but then decided to drop a rock from the top of a building on Muhammad’s head. Muhammad discovered the plot, went back to Medina and ordered his followers to prepare for war. The Jews of al-Nadir took refuge in their forts” so Muhammad “ordered that the palm-trees should be cut down and burnt.” The men of al-Nadir called out to Muhammad, “you have prohibited wanton destruction… Why then are you cutting down and burning our palm-trees?” Eventually, the Jews reached an agreement with Muhammad that he would spare their lives and allow them to flee with whatever they could carry on their camels. Everything left behind became Muhammad’s personal property but “he divided it among the first immigrants” (437-438). After the attack on al-Nadir, Muhammad stayed in Medina while sending out several other raiding parties (445-449).
A group of Jews went to the Quraysh in Mecca and “invited them to join in an attack” on Muhammad in order to get rid of him. The Quraysh were eager to take part. When Muhammad heard about their plans, he had a trench built around Medina, even working on it himself. He encouraged his Muslim followers “with the hope of reward in heaven.” Some Muslims, however, began to sneak away to their families without Muhammad’s permission. Muhammad gave a speech warning them to “beware lest trouble or a painful punishment befall them.” Then the Quraysh laid siege to Medina with 10,000 troops against Muhammad’s 3,000. The situation for the Muslims “became serious and fear was everywhere” (451-453).
The siege lasted for nearly a month when some of the Quraysh beat their horses into dashing through a narrow part of the trench. Among them was Amr, the uncle of Muhammad’s friend Ali. Ali challenged Amr to dismount and Amr replied, “O son of my brother, I do not want to kill you.” Ali replied, “But I want to kill you.” Amr was enraged and “aimed a blow which cut deeply into the shield so that the sword stuck in it and struck his head.” But “Ali gave him a blow on the vein at the base of his neck and he fell to the ground.” Eventually, distrust between the attacking tribes caused them to abandon the siege against Muhammad and return home (454-460).
One day Muhammad received a revelation saying, “God commands you, Muhammad, to go to B. Qurayza” because God was about “to shake their stronghold.” Calling the Jews of Qurayza “brothers of monkeys,” Muhammad laid siege to their forts for twenty-five nights. The people of Qurayza finally surrendered to Muhammad who confined the captives in Medina while he had trenches dug in the market place. Muhammad then ordered the execution of every adult man of Qurayza. The captive Jews were brought out to the trenches in batches and the Muslims cut off their heads—estimates ranged from 600 to 900 men in all. Muhammad then divided their property, wives and children among his Muslim followers after selling some of them for horses and weapons and taking one-fifth for himself. Muhammad also chose “one of their women for himself.” He had proposed marriage to her but she “clung to Judaism.” She remained under his power until her death (461-466).
After “the fight at the trench and the affair of the B. Qurayza were over, the matter of Sallam b. Abu’l-Haqayq…came up in connection with those who had collected the mixed tribes together against” Muhammad. Khazraj asked for Muhammad’s permission to kill Sallam who was in Khaybar and Muhammad granted it. Accompanied by Abdullah, Khazraj came to Sallam’s house and Sallam’s wife answered the door. They told her they were Arabs in search of supplies. Once inside they bolted the door behind them and killed Sallam with the sword. When they came back to Muhammad, Khazraj and Abdullah both claimed to have killed Salam. Demanding to see their swords, Muhammad said, “It is the sword of Abdullah b. Unays that killed him; I can see traces of food on it” (483).
“Six months after the conquest of Qurayza” Muhammad “went out against B. Lihyan to avenge his men killed at al-Raji.” “He made as though he was going to Syria in order to take the people by surprise” but the surprise failed and he returned to Medina (486).
Only a few nights later Muhammad received word that his milch-camels had been raided. The man guarding them had been killed and the man’s wife had been captured. Muhammad ordered his men to pursue. The perpetrators were captured and their heads were removed (486-489).
In A.H. 6, Muhammad “received news that B. al-Mustaliq were gathering together against him.” In the ensuing battle, Muhammad put them to flight, killing some of them and taking “their wives, children and property as booty.” Muhammad distributed them among the Muslims but kept a most beautiful captive, Juwayriya d. al-Harith, for himself. She agreed to marry him in return for his agreement to release a hundred families of her tribe (490-493).
When Muhammad went on expeditions he would “cast lots between his wives” to see which one “should accompany him.” On one particular occasion the lot fell to Aisha. On the trip a string of beads fell from her neck and she went back to look for them. The men thought she was in the howdah as they lifted it on the camel and the caravan left without her. Sulami “had fallen behind the main body” and when he saw her he told her to ride on his camel until they caught up to the rest. Some men began to spread rumors about the two of them, though Aisha knew nothing about it (493-495).
Now Arab people loathed and detested indoor privies such as foreigners had. Instead they went out to the open spaces of Medina to relieve themselves. One night as Aisha went out, Umm Mistah told her what people were saying. Aisha cried so hard she thought her liver would burst. Muhammad asked his companions Ali and Usama b. Zayd for their advice in the matter. Usama spoke highly of Aisha but Ali said, “Women are plentiful and you can easily change one for another.” Ali said that Aisha’s slave girl would tell the truth. Muhammad called the slave girl and Ali “gave her a violent beating, saying, ‘Tell the apostle the truth.” She said she knew only good of Aisha (495-496).
Not entirely convinced, Muhammad told Aisha just to repent if she had sinned but Aisha replied that she would never repent of something she didn’t do. Suddenly Muhammad began to sweat profusely and he received a revelation saying that Aisha was innocent. Muhammad gave orders that those “most explicit in their slander” should be “flogged with the prescribed number of stripes” (496-497).
One day Abu Basir, a Muslim who had been imprisoned in Mecca, came to Muhammad asking for asylum. Muhammad pointed out that he had a peace treaty requiring him to return escaped captives. A delegation from Mecca had come to return a slave that had escaped from the Muslims and to retrieve Abu Basir. Muhammad told Abu Basir to return with them. On the way back, Abu Basir managed to kill one of his captors and escape. When he came back he told Muhammad, “Your obligation is over and God has removed it from you. You duly handed me over to the men and I have protected myself in my religion lest I should be seduced therein or scoffed at.” This satisfied Muhammad and he allowed Abu Basir to go free (507-508).
Other Muslims confined in Mecca heard of what happened so they went out to join Abu Basir. About seventy of them camped by a road used by the Quraysh to travel to Syria “cutting to pieces every caravan that passed them” and killing every Quraysh they could get their hands on. Finally the Quraysh wrote to Muhammad asking him just to take them back in order to stop the killing. He did (507-508).
Muhammad then made peace with the Quraysh again “on condition that he should return to them those who came to him without permission of their guardians.” Muhammad returned such men who came to him, but when women who had converted to Islam came to Muhammad, Muhammad received revelation saying that they should not be returned (509).
One day Muhammad marched against Khaybar. When Khaybar workers came out in the morning and saw Muhammad’s army they turned and ran. Muhammad cried, “Allah akbar! Khaybar is destroyed!” Muhammad “seized the property piece by piece and conquered the forts one by one.” He also took captives including a woman named Safiya b. Huyayy. Although Kihya b. Kahalifa had asked Muhammad for this woman, Muhammad took her for himself. Muhammad, however, gave Kihya her two cousins. The rest of the women were distributed among the Muslims (510-511).
Kinana b. al-Rabi had custody of the treasure from B. al-Nadir. He was brought to Muhammad who asked him about it and said, “Do you know that if we find you have it I shall kill you?” Kinana said, yes. Muhammad excavated the place and found some of the treasure but Kinana refused to produce the rest so Muhammad gave orders to have him tortured “until you exact what he has.” They “kindled a fire with flint and steal on his chest until he was nearly dead.” Then Muhammad turned him over to Muhammad b. Masalama who cut off his head in revenge for killing his brother (515).
After Kaybar had been conquered, al-Hajjaj b.‘Ilat al-Sulami asked permission of Muhammad to retrieve money owed him by some merchants of Mecca. Muhammad gave permission but al-Hajjaj said, “I must tell lies, O apostle.” Muhammad said, “Tell them” (519).
When the men of Fadak heard what Muhammad had done to Khaybar they were terrified. They sent Muhammad “an offer of peace on condition that they should keep half of their produce.” Muhammad “accepted their terms” and “Fadak became his private property.” (523). After returning from Khaybar to Medina, Muhammad sent out numerous raiding parties and expeditions (530).
One day Muhammad said to Abu Sufyan, “isn’t it time that you recognize that I am God’s apostle?” Abu Sufyan said that he still had some doubts. Umm Salama told Abu Sufyan to “Submit and testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the apostle of God before you lose your head.” Abu Sufyan converted (547).
When Muhammad and his armies finally attacked Mecca he instructed his commanders that they were “only to fight those who resisted them,” but that a few were to be killed no matter what. One of those doomed to execution was Abdullah b. Sa’d because he was once a Muslim who even wrote down Muhammad’s revelations, but he left the Muslim faith and returned to the Quraysh. Another was Abdullah b. Khatal who had also left the Muslim faith. Abdullah had two singing girls who “used to sing satirical songs” about Muhammad so Muhammad ordered them killed as well (Muhammad later granted one of them immunity). Another was al-Huwayrith b. Nuqaydh who used to insult Muhammad in Mecca (550-551).
Muhammad then conquered Mecca and ordered that their 360 idols be broken up and burned. He also ordered that the pictures in the Ka’ba (their temple) be erased, except the pictures of Jesus and Mary (552).
Muhammad “stood at the door of the Ka’ba and said…O Quraysh, God has taken from you the haughtiness of paganism and its veneration of ancestors.” Then he told them to go their way, they were free. The people of Mecca then gathered together to “do homage to the apostle in Islam” (552-553). “The Muslims who were present at the conquest of Mecca numbered 10,000” (557). Concerning the conquest of Mecca, Bujayr b. Zuhayr said, “We smote their shoulders and cut and thrust and shot them with our feathered shafts…we came back plundering what we would” (560-561).
After the conquest of Mecca, Muhammad went out with 2,000 Meccans and 10,000 of his companions to Hunayn. “When the polytheists were routed” the Muslims continued on to al-Ta’if (569, 574). After Muhammad left Ta’if and returned to Medina, Bujayr b. Zuhayr “wrote to his brother Ka’b telling him that” Muhammad “had killed some of the men in Mecca who had satirized and insulted him.” Bujayr advised his brother that if he valued his life he should repent and convert or else get to some safe place (597).
In A.H. 9, Muhammad sent Abu Bakr in command of the pilgrimage to Mecca “to enable the Muslims to perform their hajj while polytheists were at their pilgrimage stations.” Muhammad then received a revelation “permitting the breaking of the agreement” between him and the polytheists. When the sacred months passed, the Muslims were to “kill the polytheists wherever you find them, and seize them and lie in wait for them in every ambush.” However, “if they repent and perform prayer and pay the poor-tax, then let them go their way” because “God is forgiving and merciful” (614-618).
After Muhammad conquered Mecca, Tabuk, and Thaquif, Arabs knew they could not fight Muhammad or even “display enmity towards him” so they came to him from all directions and converted to Islam “in batches” (628).
Muhammad ordered Surad and those of his people who had accepted Islam to fight the neighboring polytheists. After laying siege for about a month without success, they withdrew to the nearby mountains. When the inhabitants of Jurash pursued them, the Muslims killed a large number of them (642).
Then Muhammad sent Khalid b. al-Walid to the people of b. al-Harith and gave them three days to accept Islam. If they refused, Khalid was to attack. They decided to accept Islam so Khalid wrote to Muhammad informing him of their decision. When the people of al-Harith were brought to Muhammad he asked them if they were the people “who when they were driven away, they pushed forward.” They remained silent so Muhammad said, “if Khalid had not written to me that you had accepted Islam and had not fought I would throw your heads beneath your feet” (645-646).
Muhammad “took part personally in twenty-seven” raids and “actually fought in nine engagements” (659-660). Muhammad had said, “fight everyone in the way of God and kill those who disbelieve in God. Do not be deceitful with the spoil; do not be treacherous, nor mutilate, nor kill children” (672).
“After the killing of Khubayb and his companions” Muhammad sent Amr b. Umayya and an “Ansari” out telling them to kill Abu Sufyan.” The Meccans recognized these men so they fled to a mountain cave. While they were there ‘Uthman b. Malik came by the entrance of the cave cutting grass for his horse. Amr told his friend that Uthman would reveal their location so they “stabbed him under the breast with the dagger” (673-674).
Amr then hid in another cave and someone from his own clan came by. They stayed together in the cave until the passerby started singing “I won’t be a Muslim as long as I live…” As soon as the singer was asleep Amr put the end of his bow in the other man’s eye and “bore down on it until” it came out the back of his neck. Amr then came across two men who were sent to spy on Muhammad. He ordered them to surrender and when they refused he shot one (with an arrow) and killed him. When the other surrendered, Amr bound his thumbs with bowstring and brought him to Muhammad. Muhammad laughed when he saw the prisoner and, after hearing all that happened, blessed Amr (674-675).
On another occasion, Abu ‘Afak “showed his disaffection” when Muhammad killed al-Harith b. Suwayd. Muhammad asked, “Who will deal with this rascal for me?” Salim b. ‘Umayr went right out and killed Abu ‘Afak for Muhammad (675).
On yet another occasion the daughter of Marwan was criticizing Islam and asking, “Is there no man of pride who would attack” Muhammad? When Muhammad heard it he said, “Who will rid me of Marwan’s daughter? Umayr b. ‘Adiy al-Khatmi went to her house that night and killed her. In the morning he reported what he had done and Muhammad told him, “You have helped God and His apostle, O ‘Umayr!” (675-676).
In the raid of Muharib, Muhammad “had captured a slave named Yasir, and put the slave in charge of his milch-camels.” Some men came to Muhammad saying they were “suffering from an epidemic and enlarged spleens.” Muhammad told them to drink the milk and urine of his milch-camels and they would recover. They drank it and recovered. Then they killed Muhammad’s shepherd-slave Yasar “and stuck thorns in his eyes and drove away his camels.” Muhammad sent Kurz B. Jabir who captured them and brought them to Muhammad who cut off their hands and feet and gouged out their eyes (677-678).
Muhammad “sent Usama to Syria and commanded him to take the cavalry into the borders of the Balqa and al-Darum in the land of Palestine.” Meanwhile, Muhammad began to suffer from the illness which eventually took his life. The pain overcame him as he was making the rounds to his wives. He asked their permission to be nursed in Aisha’s house and they agreed. His illness and pain worsened and after some time he “died with the heat of noon” (678-682).
After Muhammad died, Umar got up and told the people that Muhammad was not really dead but that he had gone to the Lord like Moses. Umar assured them that Muhammad would return to them and cut off the hands and feet of any men who say he’s dead. When Abu Bakr heard this he addressed the people saying, O men, if anyone worshiped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead: if anyone worships God, God is alive, immortal.” Then Abu Bakr recited the verse that says “Muhammad is nothing but an apostle” (682-683). After the people swore allegiance to Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s body was prepared for burial on a Tuesday (687).
When Muhammad died many Arabs turned away from Islam, and “Christianity and Judaism raised their heads and disaffection appeared.” According to one sources, Muhammad’s last words were, “Let not two religions be left in the Arabian Peninsula” (689).
(Ibn Ishaq. The Life of Muhammad. New York : Oxford University Press, 1955, 2006.)


History of the Regiment
The 145th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was raised in Erie, PA in September of 1862. As the third regiment raised from this area, Hiram L. Brown (Colonel), David B. McCreary (Lt. Colonel), and John Patton (Major), were appointed commanding officers of the regiment.
Four colors were received by the 145th Pennsylvania, by a local presentation. Company F (recruited in Warren County), received a silk flag from the ladies of Tidioute on August 16th. The Conneautville Soldiers' Aid Society presented a "beautiful flag" to Company H (recruited in Crawford County) on September 3. A national color war presented to Company A on September 11.
Within two weeks, 9 out of 10 companies of the 145th Pennsylvania left Erie (company K was delayed until September 15th), without arms and equipment, and proceeded to Chambersburg (from Harrisburg) where camp was set up for 2 days. Here, the men were supplied with Harpers Ferry muskets. They were also presented a regimental color on September 30th while the command lay in camp near Harper's Ferry. The flag was made by the ladies of Erie, and was presented by Lieutenant Colonel McCreary on behalf of the absent donors.
Shortly after, the 145th Pennsylvania then moved under orders of General John P Reynolds towards Hagerstown, MD. By the 17th of September, the regiment moved approximately 10 miles outside of Antietam, where they could hear the sounds of cannon fire from the ongoing battle. By noon on the same day, the regiment had arrived at the extreme right of the Union line (which at this time was engaged with General "Stonewall" Jackson's Corps). Placed in a gap that existed in the Union line, the 145th held the tow-path and the road which runs under the high bluff skirting from the Potomac River. The position was held until the morning of the 19th, when it was discovered that the enemy had escaped. As other regiments pursued the retreating Confederate forces, the 145th Pennsylvania was left to care for the dead and wounded on Antietam battlefield. Within 4 days, many men of the 145th fell ill to the stench and sickness that plagued the battlefield. Between two and three hundred men were disqualified for duty.
Soon after, the regiment set camp in Bolivar Heights (just above Harper's Ferry). Here, they temporarily attached themselves to the Irish Brigade, then assigned to the First Brigade, First Division, Second Corps. The regiment was then assigned to picket and guard duty and extensive drill.
By the end of October, the regiment moved with the rest of the army towards Falmouth, Virginia, where General Burnside (now in command of the army), made every possible effort to engage the enemy. On December 11th, the entire army was placed at the Rappahannock awaiting the battle of Fredericksburg. The 145th Pennsylvania crossed on he upper pontoon bridge, where on the afternoon of December 12th, formed in line upon a street that ran parallel with the river.
On the following morning, December 13th, 1862, the regiment moved back 2 to 3 streets near the Courthouse where it came under heavy artillery fire and numerous sharpshooters that were concealed from view. Around noon, the 145th moved with the rest of the First Division towards the ditch and stone wall at the foot of Mayre's Heights. Here, 8 of the 10 companies of the regiment engaged the Confederate forces. The Division remained here until after nightfall. When the firing ceased, it was relieved and returned to town.
On the night of December 15th, the army re-crossed the river and the remaining men of the 145th Pennsylvania took possession of the remaining quarters on Strafford Heights. Of less than five hundred men from the 145th that crossed the river on December 13th, two hundred and twenty six men were either killed or wounded. Despite the losses, General Caldwell remarked: "The regiments, however, all behaved with the greatest gallantry and fought with steadiness, except the 145th Pennsylvania, which broke and fell back, its colonel being severely wounded."
The flag presented to the regiment by Colonel McCreary at Harper's Ferry suffered severe damage during the battle of Fredericksburg. Thirteen bullets and a large piece of railroad iron pierced the silken banner. Another piece of shell broke the staff and a bullet clipped off part of a wing on the eagle shaped finial. The regiment, considering this flag too damaged to carry, sent it back to Erie.
When the army finally moved in the spring of 1863, the regiment was finally ready to redeem itself, although misfortune would again occur. On May 1, 1863, the battle of Chancellorsville began. The Second Corps was immediately thrown forward on the road leading to Fredericksburg, with the First Division forming the advance line. The regiment spent the night putting up breastworks in the dense woods of Chancellorsville.
By the 3rd of May, a detail of around 150 men from the 145th Pennsylvania were ordered to relieve a skirmish line in the breastworks that had been previously built. During engagements, this detail failed to receive orders to withdraw with the rest of the army towards the river. Lieutenant Colonel McCreary, 5 line officers, and 116 men were captured. The unit's bravery was again questioned.
Upon return of the army from Chancellorsville, the regiment remained quietly in camp for nearly six weeks, picketing the line of the river. When it was discovered that the Confederate army was withdrawing from the Rappahannock, the Union army pursued, meeting again in Gettysburg, PA. Then Second Corps reached the fields of Gettysburg on the morning of July 2nd, 1863. The brigade, now led by Colonel Brooke, set forth into the Wheat Field, where the battle was now raging fiercely. The brigade was led forward, silencing a battery that was wreaking destruction on the Union troops.
The 145th Pennsylvania held the extreme right of the brigade while the Confederate forces attempted to flank the right of the line. The regiment suffered severely for their brave fight. Of nearly two hundred that were engaged from the 145th, nearly 80 including many officers were killed, lost, or wounded (1st Lieut. Horatio F. Lewis, Company D, was mortally wounded in this engagement)
In pursuit of the Confederate forces, the 145th, along with the rest of the army, entered into Virigina. The regiment, in late summer of 1863, finally received its first group of drafted soldiers. With their arrival, desertion became common, and disciplinary problems began to increase. Shortly after, the regiment was engaged in Auburn Hill, the Bristoe Station campaign (October 1863), and Mine Run (November-December 1863). Winter camp was then established near Germannia Ford.
During this winter campaign of 1863-1864, recruiting detachments were sent back to Pennsylvania with hopes of drawing additional men to the ranks of the 145th Pennsylvania. By spring of 1864, the regiment numbered over 700. By the first days in May of 1864, the 145th had become engaged at Spotsylvania Courthouse, where it met Confederate forces beyond the Brock Road. Company H was sent out on the 5th of May to form junction with the outposts. For nearly two days, it stood at its post without food or water. By then, the company had been accidentally discovered after it had been previously thought captured. The company was then relieved.
Shortly after, the army moved towards Richmond, Virginia, where Colonel Brown was placed in temporary command of the Third Brigade. Major Charles Lynch (previously Capt. of Company D before promotion to Major and Colonel), assumed command of the 145th Pennsylvania (Lt. Colonel McCreary was on detached service at this time).
Upon reaching the Po River, General Hancock led the Second Corps against the enemy. By order of General Meade, Hancock then attempted to withdraw the troops from this position. Confederate forces, seeing this opportunity, immediately attacked. The primary force of the attack was received by Brooke's and Brown's Brigades. In the engagement, the woods in the rear of these two brigades caught fire from Confederate artillery shells. In withdrawing, many of one of the companies of the 145th Pennsylvania was caught in the flames, without possibility of rescue.
By June, the Second Corps was pushing forward to Cold Harbor, here, charging close to enemy entrenchments. The ground gained was held, and a line of fortifications was set in place. Enemy lines were so close that stones could be thrown across opposing lines.
On June 16, 1864, at Petersburg, Virginia, Lieutenant Colonel McCreary and 111 other officers and men from the regiment were captured. These captured men were hurried to Andersonville, and the officers to Macon, and were afterwards held at Charleston, Savannah, and Columbia, being kept in confinement until March, 1865. The rest of the regiment spent a long summer of 1864 in trench warfare around Petersburg. All of the field officers were captured or killed by autumn of 1864, and the command of the regiment was in the hands of company grade officers.
During the remainder of the summer of 1864, the handful of men that was left was at the post of duty in the trenches, while under almost constant enemy fire. The 145th engaged in the battles of Ream's Station and Deep Bottom. It spent the fall and winter in the trenches, engaged in picket and fatigue duty. By January of 1865, only 156 officers and men remained in the ranks of the 145th Pennsylvania.
By spring of 1865, the Second Corps was moving and engaged in the battle of Five Forks. Afterwards, the Corps was detached and sent to aid General Sheridan, where the Corps rendered efficient service. After the surrender of General Lee of the Confederate Army, the 145th Pennsylvania moved with the rest of the Corps to Alexandria, Virginia, where it set up camp, and participated in the grand review of the armies on May 23 and 24th, 1865.
On May 31, 1865, the regiment was mustered out of federal service. On June 5, the remaining members of the regiment was welcomed home to Erie, Pennsylvania. After speeches by local politicians, the 145th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry held its last parade and was dismissed for the final time.
The flag carried in Fredericksburg that was sent back to Erie is now housed (with its staff and eagle finial) at the Blasco Memorial Library in Erie, PA.


“Return The Treasures” a new song from the album by THE PROCESS, “Who Is That Mad Band?” was inspired by the tireless work of Ras Seymour Mclean, in his efforts to return the treasures of the fortress of Magdala in Ethiopia, which was looted by the British in 1868, back to the land where they belong.
The holy relics and crown jewels are held to this day, in the British National museum. Return The Treasures features Skip McDonald aka Little Axe, Ghetto Priest, Mikki Sounds, Adrian Sherwood and the voice of the mighty Lee Perry.
Let’s work together to return the treasures, back where they belong. To Ethiopia, the land where they come from.


COIL - Citadel Exploration, Inc.
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“Where We Played like Legends…but Could Only Draw”
Lydney II 1 – Old Bristolians II 1
Saturday 16th November 2013
Lydney: K. Alexander, D. Legg, E. Matthews, J. Box, A. Farr, J. Samuel, R. Lugg, G. Cox, A. Bannister, M. Royle, S. Mitchell (Captain)
Somewhere in the Shire of Lydney, a plucky crew of mixed ages, experience and backgrounds was drawn together by the command of one voice, Sarah ‘Gandalf’ Mitchell. From here they traveled, their merry band expanding as they were joined by others along the way. They forded dangerous rivers (the Wye and the Severn) and passed swiftly through tolls (luckily without having to answer any tricky riddles) and made their intrepid way, sometimes by separate paths to the Centre of Middle
As this noble band convened at the sacred home of Ye Olde Bristolians: Riven-Gordano-Community-Trust-Sports-Centre-Dell they were joined by others (despite Ali ‘Eowyn’ Bannister’s temporary loss of inner compass). Hurdles many had been thrown in their path but once they were all together at Longwood Lane (and after a rapid costume change) the trek to the pitch could begin. Toes were lost (might have been socks) and dehydration was a constant source of concern, but on they trudged. On and on and on…and on and on….until eventually the hinterland of the Turf of Atrso was reached, and the battle they had come for could commence.
Both teams of warriors confusingly sported the Noble Maroon and Whyte colours of Sir Stryke-the-Ball-a-Lot. The Lydneyshire fellowship however, wore the modern arrangement whereas Ye Olde Bristol-eo-lians had opted for the traditional quarters, the choice of a previous millenium. There were those in the Lydneyshire fellowship however, who remembered the days in Quarters. They had fought and won under those heavy shirts of olde and the lessons were not lost on them. Indeed, the Olde Ways were called upon when during battle a ‘Bullye’ was required to be performed.
Both armies battled hard but the deadlock was broken when Jane ‘Baggins’ Box cannoned a ball into the ‘D’. The opposition was unable to deflect it away and the Sphere of Infinite Dimples was sent thundering into the Goal of Mouth where it should have stayed forever. However, as everyone’s backs were turned, it was retrieved by a cunning Olde Bristolian* and the battle was on AGAIN. (Honestly, it was just battle after battle after battle…with little dialogue).
*just as the half time credits rolled to leave things nicely open for a follow-up of course…
And a follow-up there was, as an even harder battle commenced that saw ‘Princess’ Megan Very-Royle elbowed to the floor despite her protective gloves of woven unicorn fur. In a Peter-Jackson-like twist of fate, Lydneyshire’s fortunes were reversed as they found themselves suddenly having to defend. Ali ‘Eowyn’ Bannister showing bravery a-plenty threw herself in front of the ball in the ‘D’. She wished that she’d had The One Ring on her finger though as the Ump of Pyre saw the speeding sphere hit her feet in the Mouth of Goal and bounce off the back line. He called upon Karen ‘Gimli’ Alexander to face battle in a one-on-one duel with OB’s feared Striker. As tradition dictates, both armies retreated to the sides of the playing battlefield for this tense showdown.
Powers of the mind were used by Striker to try to send Alexander the wrong way, but as a projectile was launched hard towards her, Alexander read Striker’s hit perfectly and stepped the right way, the sphere colliding with her leg armor but the force of it caused it to slither on past her into the Mouth of Goal.
The Fellowship answered the silent (and not so silent) inner call to retaliate and worked as one to gain a Penaltee Corner. In a cinematically close call Jane ‘Baggins’ Box struck The Sphere towards the target but one of the enemy skimmed it with a swinging weapon and it collided noisily with one of the pillars at the entrance to the Mouth of Goal and deflected away as the ringing continued in everyone’s pointy (and not so pointy) ears.
As the fighting continued, the Lydneyshire fellows were forced to retreat and defend more with Sarah ‘Gandalf’ Mitchell being presented a Carde of Greene for attacking from the side of Lefte and ‘Baggins’ Box being badly injured. This did not deter the troops though and nimble, elf-like switching round the back and up the wing to Abbi ‘Arwen’ Farr and Grace ‘Galadriel’ Cox saw plenty of determined charges; though it proved impossible for the Fellowship to return the Sphere of Infinite Dimples to the Mouth Of Goal. They managed to keep it from falling into enemy hands though by passing it cunningly between them with great communication, trust in each other and quick little moves.
In a final attack, Racheal ‘Legolas’ Lugg bravely took The Sphere from the Lands of the Twenty-Fyve-Yard-Lyne into the Dee and launched it at The Farr Poste. Sadly though, The Sphere went slightly wide (which was lucky for the heavily armored OB defender as she was slow to react and didn’t quite reach it to make sure).
As the final Horn of Ump from Pryre rang out over the domain, the battle was declared a draw. The Fellowship have no choice but to try again On Satyr-day.
On a brighter note, post-battle sustenance was of an unusually high standard with a Shire Cottage Pie and
flagons of ale tea and coffee available on production of a special token – tokens presented as an Olive Branch of Peace by the enemy. This was a game that critics rated as ‘FIVE STAR’, ‘Superb viewing’, and, ‘A performance well directed by Sarah Mitchell’. Let’s hope that the lessons learnt can be remembered for the future.
Hobbit of the Match was Ali Bannister.


Dissertation submitted to the department of Middle East and African Studies at the Tel Aviv University on September 2009 and was graded "summa cum laude".
A heterodox religious sect with its roots going back to pre-monotheistic era, the Yezidis has certainly been one of the most enigmatic and elusive religious sects of Iraqi Kurdistan, home of the main and largest Yezidi community. Being a predominantly oral religion and culture, numbered only are the written resources that this religion has provided and not much numerous are the researches and accounts written on Yezidis.
My dissertation attempts to focus on a rather recent cultural, social and intellectual phenomenon among Yezidi communities in homeland Iraqi Kurdistan and in European diasporas. "The Yezidi Cultural Movement", a non-official network of Yezidi intellectuals has been attempting in recent years to construct a new, alternative, Yezidi collective identity and collective memory along with a new system o collective myths and symbols. The movement strives to create a new sense of Yezidi collectivity, separate from the old hegemonic Kurdish and Arab national movements that had been trying to win over the Yezidis. This is achieved by the construction of a new trauma-discourse in which a series of persecutions and annihilation campaigns that were declared on Yezidis in the past are interwoven and established as the community's authentic historical narrative.
Special attention will be given to the unique role played by the Cultural Centers in Iraqi Kurdistan and their parallel institutions in Germany ("The Yezidi House" – "Al-Bait Al-Yezidi"). These institutions are being used as the main indoctrinators of the new Yezidi narrative as well as the prompt agents of the new Yezidi "Imagined Community". No less attention will be given to the use made of the "New-Media" and the internet as well as "traditional" printed media as the main carriers of the new Yezidi traumatic discourse.
The first chapter of the dissertation portrays the emergence of the Yezidi religion, its evolution and its first contact with its monotheistic surroundings. Integrated in this chapter are many citations from other researches and reports written on Yezidis that have had a great influence on the way this religious community was perceived in the Islamic as well as the Western world and in turn on Yezidi self-views. The second chapter examines the history of the community from the last hundred years of the Ottoman rule in Iraq to the late 20th century. The military campaigns, repression and persecution surveyed in this chapter comprise the main stages in the Yezidi traumatic events continuum as was shaped by the Yezidi Cultural Movement.
The third chapter introduces the "Yezidi Cultural Movement", its aims and its methods of action. In this chapter I sought to examine the construction of the new Yezidi collective trauma in the Yezidi community's collective consciousness and narrative as a long and coherent continuum of "stages" and to elucidate the rationale behind the very processes of identity and memory reconstruction as well as indoctrination. The fourth and last chapter is a live example of the evolution of the new Yezidi discourse in what concerns the community's self definition and its collective identification. The examples brought in the chapter demonstrate the vitality of the new trauma-discourse among Yezidis. These examples also allow a good opportunity to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the Yezidi Cultural Movement to influence Yezidi day to day reality with its new discourse and actions.


Back in the 1800’s, members of the International Typographical Union (ITU) were unfortunately, stricken with a form of black lung and tuberculosis. These diseases that inflicted the members were due in large part, to the toxic mix of the equipment and the carbon-based inks used in the printing industry during such time. It was believed that the mountain climate offered in Colorado Springs, Colorado was beneficial for treating such lung diseases and, in 1892, the design and construction of the Union Printers Home (UPH) was initiated and completed. The facility was a place to care for the infirmed ITU members, and over the years, the Home grew to comprise of over 260 acres which included a dairy, farm, several gardens, a power plant and much more.
However, nothing can remain unchanged. Advances in medical treatments and technology began to minimize the need for the Home, and effective treatments became wildly available where members actually lived. The members no longer had to go to Colorado Springs for treatment and could stay closer to their loved ones in their own home town. The Home’s utilization was on a steady decline over the next several decades. The Home was opened and utilized by the public in 1990, but further changes needed to be made.
In 2014, the UPH Board of Directors started looking closely at the feasibility of the Home with only one or two Union members left in residence. The Directors decided it was time to wind up its affairs and sell the Home, and the Union Printers Home Foundation was created in early 2015.
The newly formed Foundation, with its office now in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was organized to provide educational and charitable benefits to those in need, and invest in tomorrow’s talent, today! Such charitable benefits include providing academic scholarships, to successful candidates, and lessening the burden of obtaining a higher education by today’s youth.
So, this is where the Foundation stands today, residing in a new city, with a new mission, and adapting to an ever-changing environment. Resonating the fine traditions of the past yet standing ready for the challenges of the future. The Union Printers Home Foundation and you, improving the lives of the future through charitable acts today.


Nepal (Nepali: नेपाल [neˈpal]), officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is located mainly in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. With an estimated population of 26.4 million, it is 48th largest country by population and 93rd largest country by area. It borders China in the north and India in the south, east and west while Bangladesh is located within only 27 km (17 mi) of its southeastern tip and Bhutan is separated from it by the Indian state of Sikkim. Nepal has a diverse geography, including fertile plains, subalpine forested hills, and eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. Kathmandu is the capital and the largest city. Nepal is a multiethnic country with Nepali as the official language.
The name “Nepal” is first recorded in texts from the Vedic period of the Indian subcontinent, the era in ancient India when Hinduism was founded, the predominant religion of the country. In the middle of the first millennium BCE, Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, was born in Lumbini in southern Nepal. Parts of northern Nepal were intertwined with the culture of Tibet. The centrally located Kathmandu Valley is intertwined with the culture of Indo-Aryans, and was the seat of the prosperous Newar confederacy known as Nepal Mandala. The Himalayan branch of the ancient Silk Road was dominated by the valley’s traders. The cosmopolitan region developed distinct traditional art and architecture. By the 18th century, the Gorkha Kingdom achieved the unification of Nepal. The Shah dynasty established the Kingdom of Nepal and later formed an alliance with the British Empire, under its Rana dynasty of premiers. The country was never colonized but served as a buffer state between Imperial China and British India. Parliamentary democracy was introduced in 1951, but was twice suspended by Nepalese monarchs, in 1960 and 2005. The Nepalese Civil War in the 1990s and early 2000s resulted in the establishment of a secular republic in 2008, ending the world’s last Hindu monarchy.
The Constitution of Nepal, adopted in 2015, affirms Nepal as a secular federal parliamentary republic divided into seven provinces Nepal was admitted to the United Nations in 1955, and friendship treaties were signed with India in 1950 and the People’s Republic of China in 1960. Nepal hosts the permanent secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), of which it is a founding member. Nepal is also a member of the Non Aligned Movement and the Bay of Bengal Initiative. The military of Nepal is the fifth largest in South Asia; it is notable for its Gurkha history, particularly during the world wars, and has been a significant contributor to United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Before the unification of Nepal, the Kathmandu valley was known as Nepal Rajya.[b] The precise origin of the term Nepāl is uncertain. A number of plausible theories are found in religious as well as academic texts. Nepal appears in ancient Indian literary texts dated as far back as the fourth century BC. However, an absolute chronology can not be established, as even the oldest texts may contain anonymous contributions dating as late as the early modern period. On the other hand, academic attempts to provide a plausible theory suffer from lack of a complete picture of history, and insufficient understanding of linguistics or of relevant Indo-European and Tibeto-Burman languages.
According to Hindu mythology, Nepal derives its name from an ancient Hindu sage called Ne, referred to variously as Ne Muni or Nemi. According to Pashupati Purana, as a place protected by Ne, the country in the heart of the Himalayas came to be known as Nepal.[c] According to Nepal Mahatmya,[d] Nemi was charged with protection of the country by Pashupati.[ According to Buddhist mythology, Manjushri Bodhisattva drained a primordial lake of serpents to create the Nepal valley and proclaimed that Adi-Buddha Ne would take care of the community that would settle it. As the cherished of Ne, the valley would be called Nepal.] According to Gopalarajvamshavali, the genealogy of ancient Gopala dynasty compiled circa 1380s, Nepal is named after Nepa the cowherd, the founder of the Nepali scion of the Abhiras. In this account, the cow that issued milk to the spot, at which Nepa discovered the Jyotirlinga of Pashupatinath upon investigation, was also named Ne]
Norwegian Indologist Christian Lassen proposed that Nepala was a compound of Nipa (foot of a mountain) and -ala (short suffix for alaya which means abode), and therefore, Nepala meant “abode at the foot of the mountain”. He considered Ne Muni to be a fabrication. Indologist Sylvain Levi found Lassen’s theory untenable but had no theories of his own, only suggesting that either Newara is a vulgarism of sanskritic Nepala, or Nepala is Sanskritisation of the local ethnic. Levi’s view has some support in later works.[ The idea that Nepal is a polished form of Newar, the name of the indigenous people of Kathmandu valley, may be gaining support, but it leaves the question of etymology unanswered. One theory proposes that Nepa is a Tibeto-Burman stem consisting of Ne (cattle) and Pa (keeper), which alludes to the fact that early inhabitants of the valley were Gopalas (cowherds) and Mahispalas (buffalo-herds). Suniti Kumar Chatterji thought that ‘Nepal’ originated from Tibeto-Burman roots- Ne, of uncertain meaning (as multiple possibilities exist), and pala or bal, whose meaning is lost entirely


From a small basement club to Shea Stadium. Within a matter of a few years one group exploded onto the world stage and changed the course of pop music; and Liverpool would be forever known as the city where The Beatles are from. But it didn’t start with The Beatles and certainly didn’t die with them.
Get Back – The Story of the City that Rocked the World tells the story of Liverpool’s music scene from the 1950’s to present day. It explains how the local music scene was influenced by the docks, the influx of people from around the world, and seamen bringing home records from the United States. Music was already happening in Liverpool in the 1950s with skiffle bands and jazz, along with rock ‘n’ roll artists such as Billy Fury. But by the early 1960’s, clubs like The Cavern and groups began popping up all over the city, and a ‘scene’ was born. Get Back features interviews and live performances from bands, club owners and managers from what was to become known as ‘The Merseybeat‘.
While The Beatles went on to become the biggest and most popular group in the world, others followed in the crush to sign Liverpool artists. Though, within a few years whether, as the documentary suggests, there was a backlash from the London-based music industry against signing bands from Liverpool, or bands failed to move with the times, other cities became the focus of attention, as pop music turned psychedelic and rock replaced pop.
In the late 1970s, following The Sex Pistols and the London-based punk rock scene, the Liverpool music scene was rejuvenated . Once again there were clubs and like-minded musicians coming together. The scene appeared to resonate from a club called Eric’s where the likes of Big In Japan, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardop Explodes and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark began hanging out, before forming bands. All of whom very quickly went on to sign for major labels, except Big In Japan who, along with Jayne Casey, would later give the world of pop music Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) and Bill Drummond (KLF).
In the late 1980s Liverpool was overshadowed by neighbouring Manchester, with its club The Hacienda and the so-called ‘Madchester’ sound of the Stone Roses, Inspiral Carpets and the Happy Mondays. But Liverpool still had a thriving music scene. Baeleric beats and house music found a home in Cream, while bands like The LA’s, The Farm and The Christians continued to add to Liverpool’s rich music history. But with all that had passed throughout the last 60 years, even current bands such as The Wombats, Zutons and The Coral get asked ‘what’s it like coming from the same city as The Beatles?’
Get Back – The Story of the City that Rocked the World is available as a DVD and digital download from Revolution Films & Bulldog Film Distribution.


An attempt at controlling the populace is documented in history during the 13th century when the inquisitions were used to bring the masses under control. Those who did not submit to the beliefs of the leaders were eliminated. They were branded heretics, witches or other socially-accepted “criminal” labels of the time and persecuted, with or without justification. Once again history shows us an attempt to control the minds of the people.
Their choices were to convert, conform or die.
More specific types of mind-control techniques used by one group or another, are efforts to control people through the use of institutions. This practice has continued throughout the centuries and evolved to a point where today’s institutions play a key role in shaping personal belief systems as well as influencing how their time and money are spent.


He attended the very first certificate program for exporters launched by the IGEME (Turkish center for development of exports) when the Turkish Government launched the exports spurt in 1982. After graduating from the program, Gebelek joined IZDAS Dis Tic. A.S. as an exporter. He is one of the pioneers of Turkey’s iron and steel exports.
Gebelek also served at major Turkish steel producers ICDAS and Kaptan Demir Celik, before founding his own company ROLMET Dis Tic. Ltd. He was involved in ferrous scrap exports from Romania, Russia and other countries. Gebelek and his partners also introduced the induction furnace technology in steel production to Turkish steel industry, and built the production facilities at some rolling mills. 4 Steel mills with 200,000 tpy capacity are working at full capacity.
Gebelek joined IREPAS in 1986 and represented Turkey in several IREPAS meetings. He served as vice president of IREPAS and organized 3 IREPAS meetings in Turkey. He also served as the chairman of the IREPAS Raw Material Suppliers Committee.
He has later taken his experiences to his beloved Beşiktaş JK to help the sports club in administrative and procurement matters since August 2012.


The 1940s were the decade in which men could be said to be gentlemenly when it comes to fashion for men. Practicality was an important value which the war made us aware of in every area of our life. The clothes were simple and simple, as was the lack of extravagant accessories. The time was also considered to be the starting point of Hollywood. The article outlines some of the trends that made the ’40s an interesting decade for men’s fashion.
The 1990s witnessed the growth of subcultures like hip-hop, grunge and rave that would go through the popular culture. This youth-oriented style is a direct response to over-indulgence in the previous two decades. Tee-shirts and jeans were an everyday item, while sneakers as well as hoodies were prominently featured. This trend became particularly well-liked by men, and it helped to change from informal dress code to a more formal one for work.
Casual workplace attire was first introduced in the 1990s. The first casual-workwear outfits were worn by the workforce. The clothes could be paired with turtlenecks, jeans Polo shirts, and jean jackets but they were surprisingly traditional. In this time, youngsters began to gravitate towards the hip-hop style and sporting apparel as their main wardrobe items. It was also the time that the sportswear uniform was the most popular style.
In men’s fashion, the 1970s marked an era of change. It was a time of ease for travel. This led to the fact that synthetic materials’ cost dropped dramatically, so the average person could afford whatever they liked. man lifestyle Males began to wear more colorful sportswear, and also graphically printed button-downs. Men’s clothes became casualer in the 1980s. The advent of jeans as well as hoodies, shirts and other shirts witnessed the rise in popularity among young people who were embracing athletic wear as well as college clothes.
The decade between 1990 and 2000 saw the advent of fast-fashion. The rise of outsourcing and globalization led to an increase in the cost of clothing and the demise of social structures that were dependent on the size of the consumer. The result was that ’90s male fashion was dominated by leather suits, puffy jackets, tracksuits and Rockport boots. “Futuristic” style continued to be the dominant style for males over the next ten years.
’90s was also a time that men began to wear stylish three-piece suits. They wore a wide lapel along with slim trousers as well as a waistcoat with a high-rise. The 1980s saw the neckties grew wider and the sleeves were shorter and more pointed. ’90s man fashion has evolved with the advent of athletic fashion. Fashionistas of this decade have changed the face of the fashion scene.
The 1980s were a time when simplicity was a key theme. People wore lighter and simpler clothes, which meant they were more functional. An outfit for the day is a single-breasted jacket with small lapels, slim pants, as well as a button-down shirt that has an elongated collar. The trousers are short and tieless. The shirt was paired with leather boots and boaters. These styles are still popular even today, although men’s apparel is more modern in the past century.


Which has been considered a romantic spot, the most interesting for lovers. Even though accompany him or his family, friends and even wandering alone in Paris, autumn has brought to the French capital charms hard to resist.
Together at some famous sites in the City of Light immersed in earning excellent.
In autumn, Paris seems to put on the new clothes. When dusk falls, the Eiffel tower majestically 324 meters altitude reflective golden afternoon sunshine. Sunny also flooded around the tower around Paris brings a poetic beauty charismatic.
From the top of Montmartre, Paris panorama stretches with incomparable beauty. Fall is also a great occasion to admire the golden autumn sunshine, reflecting on the white walls of Sacré Coeur Basilica is famous. Inaugurated in 1900, it connects the avenue Winston Churchill to power Invalides. With copper pillars are elaborately decorated statues and works of art can be said to be the most famous of the 37 major bridges in Paris. Just nearby, visitors can admire the royal palace Grand Palais.
With a multitude of large and small travel companies organize Bateaux-mouches trains, explore Paris on the Seine is easy. Many routes are served, usually lasts about 1 hour. From the deck, visitors will be able to admire the beautiful Paris golden fall colors along the famous historical buildings of the capital. The tour can also be combined with a romantic dinner on board.
In autumn, Paris rather new shirt color. In the gardens and parks, the tree begins to color the leaves. Located on the campus of the Louvre, the Tuileries gardens with decorative statues exquisite, large water tank and covered walkways poetic gold leaf is the ideal place to enjoy autumn. Inaugurated in 1989, the pyramid of the Louvre today become structures are most visited in Paris. Made of glass and steel, this is a unique entrance leads visitors to the museum area. Here also is the site of many events, concerts and exhibitions of the city.
The famous stairs leading up Montmartre hill that visitors will take a little effort. But up to the top of the hill will have a wealth of interesting sites to visit, such as Place Tertre, meet the artists, the famous Moulin Rouge bars and Lepic streets. Exhibitions, concerts … At the occasion of September, a lot of artistic activity in Paris honored with several attractive programs for lovers of art. Musée d’Orsay, housed in a former train station linking Paris neck and Orléans, where the focus of many paintings period the second half of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.


Apple(s) & Orange(s) & Fuckwits Oh My
The U.S. supported South Korea (formerly the Republic of Korea) in a 3-year conflict which began when it was invaded by forces of North Korea (formerly Democratic [ironically enough] People's Republic of Korea). As hostilities remained between these two sovereign nations, the US maintained (and still does) a presence to stave off possible future attacks.Orange:
The U.S. launched an unprovoked attack on the sovereign nation of Iraq in March of 2003 creating mass destruction, chaos, and a breeding ground for al Qaeda terrorists where none existed before; four years later the US still occupies this nation leaving US military members and Iraqi citizens in the middle of a bloody Sunni/Shiite civil war. Bush wants to remain thereFuckwits:
protecting our oil interestsas a stabilizing force -like in South Korea.


In 1962 Old Thamesians R.F.C was formed by a few school leavers fromThames Valley Grammar School, with the help of Phil Eldridge, a teacher at T.V.G.S. who enlisted some boys at the school to play twice every Saturday. By the late sixties two XV'2 were playing and the school's high standing in county rugby was reflected in the strengthening fixtures list and excellent playing record of O.T.R.F.C., a club changing at one venue, playing at another and drinking at a third.
By the early seventies, the club was putting out three sides and Easter Tour was a well established tradition, regular success in Sevens tournaments was achieved and Old Thamesians gained recognition for more than just the fact that they were the only rugby club in the county with a lady Hon. Sec. - Gillian Twydell. In 1976 the club made up for several near misses trying to reach the Middlesex Sevens Finals by becoming the first southern winners of the National Old Boys Sevens Tournament, bringing home the title and the magnificent trophy fromBirmingham.
By the late seventies the "clubhouse" had changed from The Nelson to The Red Lion, Teddington, to The Prince of Wales and the club had gained the honour of seeing two of its former players earn full international caps - Graham Birkett for Scotland in New Zealand in 1975 and Bob Mordell for England against Wales at Twickenham in 1978. The transformation of Thames Valley Grammar School into a Sixth Form College and then a Girl's Secondary forced the club open and then towards the association with Richmond-upon-Thames College, as their Old Boys.
We moved to Twickenham Golf Course in 1982 and remained there until we moved to the DERA Club at the start of the 91/92 season. After a short stay there we moved in 1993 to our present clubhouse, The Pavilion on Twickenham Green.
A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AS THAMESIANS MOVE FORWARD IN TO 2019!The TRFC club committee set itself some ambitious targets over the last six months most of which we have ticked... Read more
Whilst the 1st team were playing the Bank of England - on the adjacent pitch Hersham Vets were being playing soccer. In their team was Steve Livey. Steve had a heart attack and... Read more
Clubhouse Upgrade The upgrade of the bar area is now complete as you can see from the photos below. The work inside the building has been jointly funded by Thamesians RFC,... Read more
Our all new kit can now be ordered from exhibit1: Thamesians Kit Store Read more
It’s that time of the year that we’ve all been waiting for…the return of the rugby season and our retaking of the Clubhouse! The committee have been hard at work over the summer... Read more


THEOSOPHIA was a name of independent theosophical periodical edited by Boris de Zirkoff, compilator of The Collected Writings of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. THEOSOPHIA was published every three months from May 1944 till June 1981.
Its objective was: “To uphold and promote the Original Principles of the modern Theosophical Movement, and to disseminate the teachings of the Esoteric Philosophy as set forth by H.P. Blavatsky and her Teachers.”
An International Group of Theosophists sponsored the magazine, and none of the organized Theosophical Societies, as such, was responsible for any ideas expressed in the THEOSOPHIA magazine, unless contained in an official document, and the Editor was responsible for unsigned articles only.
Some time ago, the THEOSOPHIA magazine was digitized and put online by a group of independent theosophists. Most of the Volumes were scanned by Jake Jaqua; the missing Volumes XVIII – XXVII were provided by Jerry Hejka Ekins and scanned by Anton Rozman. The permission for the publication was obtained from Mrs. Dara Ecklund, hair of Boris de Zirkoff’s legacy. The publication was realized by Anton Rozman and placed on “Theosophy in Slovenia” website, where it was meticulously proofread by Nicholas Weeks.
With the renovation of “Theosophy in Slovenia” website the THEOSOPHIA magazine, as all other website content, was archived in the Digital Archive of the NATIONAL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY of Slovenia. You can access the THEOSOPHIA magazine HERE.
A unique collection of theosophical texts on the old “Theosophy in Slovenia” website is also the collection of THEOSOPHICAL FABLES, which were scattered throughout theosophical periodicals and collected by Mark Jaqua. You can access it HERE.


The 4 fountains that make up the Quattro Fontane in Rome had been constructed by on the list of architects of modern Rome, Pope Sixtus V, and his architect of preference, Domenico Fontana. They had been initially built to boost the crossing of certain routes in the town. Made from travertine, the fountains below were designed to point out two virtues and two rivers. Fontana didn’t really Make all 4 fountains – he was accountable for 3 of them with the creation from the fourth slipping to Pietro de Cortona. Cortona’s fountain are available with a wall within the Barberini gardens.
The river fountains in the quartet use river gods to depict the Tiber and the Anio rivers. It really is held the river references listed here pay back tribute to Sixtus V’s innovative programs to work with a canal process to convey h2o with the Anio to the town. He also planned to divert the Tiber for various purposes – unfortunately his papacy only lasted for 5 years so he could not bring his designs to entire fruition.
As time handed the 4 fountains right here also started to be often known as the four fountains of Lepidus by Romans. Sad to say the website current point out of these 4 historic monuments isn't so superior and they are slipping into disrepair to a certain extent. However they nonetheless give an interesting Perception to the record of Rome and to certainly one of its most ground breaking and forward-imagining Popes.
Sixtus V may well not have reigned for very prolonged in The nice plan of issues but he stays a dynamic character from the record of Rome. Even though he came from a humble qualifications Sixtus V was an astute leader – when he grew to become Pope the town was in a very lousy way and he did A lot to deliver it back again to a good economic keel and to enhance living situations throughout the board. One example is, the town at enough time has really serious issues with drinking water shortages and his ideas to deliver water to the city are of specific merit. For this reason alone, the 4 fountains of your Quattro Fontane are a fitting tribute to this pope and his achievements.


Roatan Then & Now
Roatan Then & Now
The Bay Islands – Roatan and its neighboring islands of Utila and Guanaja — were originally inhabited by Paya Indians, a peaceful, nomadic people who subsisted largely on fishing and farming. It was they whom Columbus encountered on his first trip to the islands in 1502. Few even then, their numbers dwindled, and today there is little sign of their culture on the islands or the Honduran mainland.
In the ensuing years, the British and Spanish fought for control of the Bay Islands, with neither seeking to establish permanent colonies for well over a century. The first recorded British presence on the islands was the short-lived attempt by William Claiborne to set up an enclave in 1638. By 1642, however, the settlers were driven off by the Spanish Navy.
With no one laying permanent claim for the next 100 years, the Bay Islands became the ribald hideaway of Dutch, English, and French pirates. At one time, in fact, an estimated 5,000 buccaneers used the islands as a safe haven, including such legendary privateers as Henry Morgan and John Coxen (for whom the capital of Roatan is named) – the real-life, rum-swilling, spine-chilling pirates of the Caribbean. In 1850, the British briefly claimed the islands as its own colony. But, after strong protestations from the U.S. government, the Crown relinquished control to the nation of Honduras, which has owned and administered the islands ever since.
European and American Influence on Roatan
On Roatan Island today, English is the official language. Those who wonder why need only look back to the earliest permanent population on The Island and at those who subsequently arrived to conduct The Island’s daily business. The majority of the first permanent population of Roatán originated from the British Cayman Islands. Of both European and distant African descent, they arrived shortly after the British abolished slavery in the 1830s and brought with them the British customs, traditions, and language. In short order, the British Caymanians became the largest cultural group on Roatan Island.
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Roatan’s population grew steadily as immigrants from throughout Europe and North America arrived to establish settlements and exert their influence. By the 1870s, the small fruit-growing companies on The Island and the mainland were purchased by American interests, most notably the New Orleans and Bay Islands Fruit Company. Later the Standard and United Fruit Companies broadened the American presence, sending in their own overseers and management. And the famous short story author O. Henry, writing from Roatan’s neighboring island of Utila, gave Honduras the sobriquet “Banana Republic.” More recently, a growing influx of American, Canadian, and European settlers and entrepreneurs have settled in Roatan providing the foundation for The Island’s burgeoning tourist trade.
Roatan: History in the Making
The history of Roatan Island is far more than what was. It’s what it is. And even more than that, what it’s about to become. It’s a story still being told, an unfolding saga … with every proud native and new arrival adding his and her imaginative twist to the evolving narrative.
Walk the well-worn byways of Coxen Hole, and you’re retracing the steps of legendary pirate John Coxen and his swarthy band of merry marauders who made this island hideaway their home. You can almost hear the swashbucklers’ lusty shouts as they haul ashore their forbidden booty seized from the Spanish Main.
But, incline your ear closer to home, and you’ll also hear the seafaring sounds of world-class luxury liners; bells clanging, whistles bellowing, as they offload thousands of eager passengers each week at Coxen Hole’s Port of Roatan or nearby Mahogany Bay. That’s right, where John Coxen’s rugged sloop once dropped anchor, the Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Oceana, Princess, and other prestige cruise lines now pull proudly into port.
Journey out to Las Palmas and Pirate’s Cove, just a short drive from Coxen Hole, and you’ll find yourself immersed not only in the turquoise sea, but in privateer lore as well. The Henry Morgan Museum features one of the Caribbean’s largest collections of genuine pirate artifacts and an authentic galleon is moored at the dock.
But, again, the past melds with the present and future, as nearby Roatan International Airport reminds you anew that while The Island embraces its heritage, it also proclaims its commitment to the future. Major airlines – including American, United, Delta, and TACA – now fly into Roatan Airport from throughout the United States and Canada. And regular charter flights arrive from as far away as Milan, Italy. They bring with them not only hundreds of thousands of tourists, but expats as well, eager to find a new life on a vibrant island where the old and new merge into one.
“When my wife and I came to Roatan Island nearly a decade ago,” says Dan Taylor, owner/developer of the Keyhole Bay residential resort community, “we had done our homework. So, we knew that The Island combined the best of both worlds; that while it would preserve the past and its pristine beauty, it would also increasingly offer all of the modern amenities that most of us now consider absolutely essential to an enjoyable life.
“I have a dear friend who likes to refer to The Island as ‘the United States of Roatan.’ And in a way he’s right – except that on Roatan Island you get to leave all of the hassles, hurry, and worry behind, while contemplating the carefree joys of the sand, sea, and swaying palms.”
In short, on beautiful Roatan Island, you write your own history. It can blend in elements of pirate ships, Spanish conquistadors, British hegemony, and much, much more. But, in the final analysis, it’s your own, personal narrative. It’s what you choose to share, or alternately shun. It’s what you decide leave behind, or bring to the table. It’s island life. And the true beauty is: in the final analysis, it’s all about you!


In the 1970’s, a dramatic increase in numbers occurred due to a mass migration from a war-torn Middle East. These new immigrants brought with them an increased vitality and a reawakening of what it meant to be Armenian. This renaissance of the Armenian Spirit brought out the need for a private Armenian day school—a school where the children could learn the history, culture, religion and language of Armenia, as well as those subjects covered by American schools in the Pasadena area. The Armenian Community felt that St. Gregory Church was the proper place for the school. The Parish Assembly voted to approve the establishment of St. Gregory Armenian School in January 1983.
St. Gregory Alfred & Marguerite Hovsepian School began operations on September 12, 1984, with 56 students ranging from Pre-K through Grade 4. In 1985, a fifth grade class was added and enrollment increased to 108 students. Sixth grade was added in 1986. Because of another influx of Armenians in the late 1980’s from Armenia, enrollment continued to rise. To accommodate the growing educational needs of the Armenian community, in 1993-1994 the school added Grades 7 and 8 to its program. Nursery was added for the 1991-1992 school year, and Toddler classes were added for the 1998-1999 school year.
This WASC accredited school operates under the umbrella of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena and as such is under the direct jurisdiction of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church and its Primate, His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. St. Gregory A. & M. Hovsepian is the only such school in the nation operating under the auspices of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, in Armenia.
St. Gregory A. & M. Hovsepian School is located at 2215 East Colorado Boulevard in the city of Pasadena. The area is zoned for business and residential use. The private school serves not only Pasadena but also the nearby communities of South Pasadena, Altadena, Glendale, Burbank, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, and Monrovia. However, we have students traveling from a distance as far west as La Cañada, La Crescenta, Tujunga, Sun Valley, Granada Hills, Northridge, and Sherman Oaks; as far east as Duarte, Azusa, and Glendora; as far south as San Gabriel, Montebello, and Whittier.


BAJRA SANDHI: MONUMEN PERJUANGAN RAKYAT BALI SUMBANGAN TERHADAP TEGAKNYA KEDAULATAN NEGARA KESATUAN REPUBLIK INDONESIA
Keywords:Bajra Sandhi, identity, patriotic
Bali as one of the battle ground against the colonizer holds many historic value. To commemorate the patriots’ virtue that was given for Indonesia, a monument called Bajra Sandhi was built. There are archieves about the virtues of Balinese patriots before and after the Independence Day. The monument is expected to give benefits for the sake of improving appreciation of the young generations in experiencing patriotic values that are inherited. The monument is the identity and the symbol of togetherness and as a media of communication between the post generations to the next generation. The track records of the patriots that are documented are a kind of guidance in developing and preserving the unity of the nation for the future.


Australian Christian Church Histories ©
East Melbourne Lutheran Trinity Church. The original 1853
structure was replaced by a bluestone church in 1874.
A portal for historical information on Australian Christian Churches.
This site contains a contemporary collection of 1,643 Australian Christian churches.
The site has a searchable database which includes (where available) the date the church was built, identification of the architect and builders, a list of clergy, the dates they served and details pertaining to certain specific fixtures.
The focus is on Australian mainstream Christian churches of the 18th and 19th centuries however the site does contain some more recent denominations.
Ideal for those searching for clergy or church historical facts.
Lists of Clergy and historical church information welcomed.


On 12 September 1939 in Abbeville a conference took place in which France and the United Kingdom decided it was too late to send troops to help Poland in its fight against Germany. (…) After five years, in September 1944, Abbeville was liberated by Poles (Polish division of the Canadian Army) – the 1st Armoured Division under General Maczek,
Źródło: Abbeville – Wikipedia
Źródło: Ameryka xD
Człowiek roszczeniowy to taki ancymon, który mało robi, a wiele wymaga. Każdy z nas ma w sobie takiego kogoś w różnym stopniu. Jak sobie z nim poradzić?


American Numismatic Association
March 8-11, 2018
Whitman Coin Show
March 22-25, 2018
Michigan State Numismatic Society
April 13-15, 2018
Central States Numismatic Society
April 25-28, 2018
Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists
May 10-12, 2018
More Dates Coming Soon
Paul A. Cunningham is a nationally known authority on American exonumia from the time period of the United States Civil War to the present. He has been involved in exonumia since the late 1960s. He is a Life Member of the American Numismatic Association, The Token and Medal Society (TAMS), the Civil War Token Society (CWTS) and the American Vecturist Association (AVA). He is also a Charter Member of the Casino Chips and Gaming Token Collectors Club, the National Token Collectors Association (NTCA), and the National Scrip Collectors Association. He has served as President of TAMS, CWTS and NTCA and was an officer of the AVA. He is currently serving his second term as CWTS President.
He has authored four exonumia books including the long awaited Lincoln's Metallic Imagery, published July 2015. He has published more than 20 other titles for organizations such as the Elongated Collectors and for private collectors. His articles have appeared in many numismatic and exonumic journals. He published the journals of TAMS and CWTS for more than 25 years. You can find him at dozens of coin shows every year.