curlytopper

I think that that what you call a supernova, if i'm not mistaken. If the event happened 3 centuries ago, imagine how far that star was from our planet. Here's another pic I found on the internet: ___________________

The point here is that whenever Islam is being discussed there is always a connotation of violence that goes with it. I think it is because of the current situation of the world, particularly in the middle east that gives us this sort of mind set.

Junior had just received his brand new drivers license. To celebrate, the whole family trooped out to the driveway and climbed into the car for his inaugural drive. Dad immediately headed to the back seat, directly behind the newly minted driver. "I'll bet you're back there to get a change of scenery after all those months of sitting in the front passenger seat teaching me how to drive," said the beaming boy to his old man. "Nope," came dad's reply, "I'm gonna sit back here and kick the back of your seat while you drive, just like you have been doing to me for sixteen years."

Woman burned in France bus attack A woman has been seriously burned and three others are suffering from smoke inhalation after youths set fire to a bus in the French city of Marseille. A group of teenagers reportedly forced open the doors of the vehicle and threw flammable liquid inside before fleeing. There have been several attacks on buses over the past week, coinciding with the one year anniversary of riots in poor suburbs across the country. The riots were sparked by the deaths of two teenagers in the capital, Paris. Minor skirmishes were reported in Paris on Saturday. An additional 4,000 officers had been deployed - six were injured and 47 people were arrested, according to the interior ministry. At least six buses have been set on fire in suburbs around the capital this week in an upsurge of violence ahead of the anniversary of the riots. 'Calm and dignity' Earlier, about 500 people marched in memory of two teenage boys, both from immigrant families, who died in 2005. During the violence last year - between youths of mainly North African origin and police - more than 10,000 cars were set ablaze and 300 buildings firebombed. The families of the two dead youths, Bouna Traore and Zyed Benna, laid wreaths at the electricity sub-station where they were electrocuted. A monument to the boys was unveiled and the local mayor appealed for calm. "Once again France, and even the world, is watching us and waiting to see what we do. So I appeal solemnly for calm and dignity to prevail here," said mayor Claude Dillain, quoted by the Associated Press. But others have warned that the factors which played a key part in the riots - high unemployment, discrimination and youth alienation from mainstream society - remain unchanged.

Their way of worship and treating the other sects remind me of the times when Roman Catholics and Protestants persecuted each other. Why can't they just let the other worship as they want?

Talmud (attributed): Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

A hobo comes up to the front door of a neat looking farmhouse and raps gently on the door. When the farm owner answers, the hobo asks him, "Please, sir, could you give me something to eat? I haven't had a good meal in several days." The owner says, "I have made a fortune in my lifetime by supplying goods for people. I've never given anything away for nothing. However, if you go around the back, you will see a gallon of paint and a clean paint brush. If you will paint my porch, I will give you a good meal." So the hobo goes around back and a while later he again knocks on the door. The owner says, "Finished already? Good. Come on in. Sit down. The cook will bring your meal right in." The hobo says, "Thank you very much, sir. But there's something that I think you should know. It's not a Porsche you got there. It's a BMW."

California fireman clings to life A firefighter badly burnt in a California wildfire that killed four of his companions is in "poor" condition, with burns over 90% of his body. Doctors said on Friday they hoped to be able to operate on the injured man, Pablo Cerda, 23, to remove burned skin. Thousands of acres have been burnt around the town of Cabazon, some 125 miles (200km) east of Los Angeles. Hundreds of families have been forced to leave their homes in one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. Firefighters went door-to-door waking people overnight and ordering them to flee as the fire spread, Reuters reported. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger paid tribute to the firefighters who were killed on Thursday, saying Californians were "heartbroken" and ordering flags flown at half mast. A $100,000 (£52,700) reward has been offered for information about the fire, which investigators say was set deliberately. They have not said what evidence they have that suggests arson. A murder inquiry has been launched. No cover The dead firefighters have been named as Capt Mark Loutzenhiser, 44; Jess McLean, 27; Jason McCay, 27; and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20. They were killed when flames changed direction so quickly they had no time to take cover. More than 1,000 personnel have been involved in fighting the fire since it broke out at 0112 local time (0812 GMT) on Thursday. The flames spread rapidly, fuelled by strong winds, high temperatures and dry conditions. By late Friday the fire was 5% contained, officials said. The authorities believe it was started deliberately to cause maximum damage. "A deliberate arson fire that kills someone constitutes murder," Californian firefighters chief John Hawkins told reporters. The weather service has issued a red flag warning for extreme fire danger in the next few days. Officials say it may be next week before the blaze is under control.

An 80 year old couple were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them. When they arrived at the doctors, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory. After checking the couple out, the doctor told them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left. Later that night while watching TV, the man got up from his chair and his wife asked, "Where are you going?" He replied, "To the kitchen." She asked, "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?" He replied, "Sure." She then asked him, "Don't you think you should write it down so you can remember it?" He said, "No, I can remember that." She then said, "Well I would also like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down because I know you'll forget that." He said, "I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries." She replied, "Well I also would like whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down." With irritation in his voice, he said, "I don't need to write that down! I can remember that." He then fumes into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes he returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stared at the plate for a moment and said angrily: "I TOLD you to write it down! You forgot my toast!"

Very precisely said.In muslim countries, even to those that practice sharia law rape is not uncommon. In these places women are even covered almost completely except for the eyes. When the Pope said some things that muslims found to be offensive they immediately caused an uproar, how come when one of their own does the same thing they just remain quiet?

Windies victory dumps out England West Indies hung on for a nail-biting win over India to book their semi-final place and knock England out of the Champions Trophy in Ahmedabad. Chasing 224, the Windies looked home and dry but they lost four wickets in the last 13 balls before clinching a three-wicket win with two balls left. Ramnaresh Sarwan hit 53, Shiv Chanderpaul made 51 and Runako Morton kept up the momentum with 45. India were rescued by Mahendra Dhoni's valiant 51 in his side's 223-9. Skipper Rahul Dravid (49) and Yuvraj Singh (27) earlier guided India away from another mini-crisis at 69-3. For West Indies, Bradshaw took 3-30 off 10 overs, while Taylor took 2-33. India need to beat Australia on Sunday to progress, in a make-or-break match for both sides. West Indies play winless England in a dead rubber in their final match on Saturday. The Windies, who won the toss and chose to field, were in grave danger of batting themselves to defeat inside the last three overs, sparked by the demise of Morton. The right-hander was trapped lbw by Ajit Agarkar with 12 runs left to get after putting on 92 with Sarwan. Skipper Brian Lara, who passed a fitness test on his back, came in at number six hoping to steer his ship safely home. But after surviving one big appeal for lbw, and then stroking a sumptuous four, he dragged a delivery from Irfan Pathan on to his stumps for five. Two deliveries later, and still needing six off the last seven balls, Sarwan saw Dravid drop a skier, only for the home skipper to run him out. Windies needed five runs off the final over but Agarkar clean bowled Dwayne Smith with his first ball to leave the visiting side on tenterhooks before Carlton Baugh scrambled a single and Marlon Samuels smashed a four to clinch the win. Chris Gayle earlier got the Windies innings off to a flying start with a quick-fire 34 off 37 balls before needlessly holing out to RP Singh in the deep off Munaf Patel in the 10th over. Chanderpaul played second fiddle early on but took over as senior partner and combined with Bravo to add 57 before Bravo fell lbw to Harbhajan Singh for 16. The left-handed Chanderpaul lasted until the 17th over, facing 72 balls and hitting eight fours, when he edged off-spinner Virender Sehwag to Dravid at first slip. This ushered in the exciting Morton to join Bravo and the Windies seemed set fair for a comfortable victory before the late collapse. Lara's decision to bowl seemed vindicated when India lost opener Sehwag and Pathan quickly. Sehwag was trapped lbw by Jerome Taylor for 17, while Ian Bradshaw forced Pathan to drag on to his stumps in the sixth over, leaving Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid to avert a crisis. The pair steadied the ship for 10 overs, though Tendulkar survived a good lbw appeal from Smith in the 12th over. But Bradshaw eventually removed the prolific right-hander, who dragged a wide delivery on to the stumps after facing 45 balls and hitting four fours. Dravid and Yuvraj came together on 69-3 and put on 61 before Bravo pouched Yuvraj off Bradshaw with the first ball of the 31st over. Five balls later, Dravid was run out by a pin-point throw from Smith, leaving India struggling at 131-5. Dhoni took his time to ignite, taking 40 deliveries to reach 12 runs as Suresh Raina was stumped by Baugh off right-arm off-spinner Samuels for 19. But Harbhajan came in and played the perfect foil as Dhoni began to unleash his fireworks. Harbhajan eventually fell to Taylor in the penultimate over for 15 before Dhoni and Agarkar were run out by wicket-keeper Baugh with the final two balls of the innings. ______________________ california home owner insurance colorado defective product term life quote

Seems like the 'old' joke thread is full, I'll just post in this new one: A plane is on its way to Montreal when a blonde in Economy Class gets up and moves to the First Class section and sits down. The flight attendant watches her do this and asks to see her ticket. She then tells the blonde that she paid for economy and that she will have go sit in the back. The blonde replies "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Montreal and I'm staying right here!" The flight attendant goes into the cockpit and tells the pilot and co-pilot that there is some blonde bimbo sitting in First Class that belongs in Economy and won't move back to her seat. The co-pilot goes back to the blonde and tries to explain that because she only paid for Economy she will have to leave and return to her seat. The blonde replies, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm going to Montreal and I'm staying right here!" The co-pilot tells the pilot that he probably should have the police waiting when they land to arrest this blonde woman that won't listen to reason. The pilot says "I'll handle this. I'm married to a blonde and I have learned to speak 'blonde'!" He goes back to the blonde, whispers in her ear, and without question she gets up and moves back to her seat in the Economy section. The flight attendant and co-pilot are amazed and ask him what he said to make her move without any fuss. "I told her First Class isn't going to Montreal."

I think he does have a point, but the issue here is the way he made his statement. It is very offensive and insensitive. Women should be respected and when they are harassed, raped or abused is not thier fault even when they wear seductive clothing. ______________________ tesco books florida home owners insurance defective product attorney pennsylvania

The class assignment in composition was to write about something unusual that happened during the past week. Little Irving got up to read his. "Papa fell in the well last week - " he began. "Good heavens," shrieked Mrs. Kroop, the teacher. "Is he all right now?" "He must be," said little Irving. "He stopped yelling for help yesterday." __________________________

That's such a solemn occasion for you guys while we here are going to celebrate halloween with a house party. No more trick-or-treats for us just some music, food and drinks with our friends. I hope you enjoy your halloween. See ya.

Here's a new article: Kiwis beat Pakistan to make semis Shane Bond took three wickets as New Zealand eased to victory Bond (l) finished with three wickets as New Zealand eased to victory New Zealand saw off Pakistan by 51 runs in Mohali to reach the Champions Trophy semi-finals and eliminate Sri Lanka from the tournament at the same time. Scott Styris hit 86 for the Black Caps and skipper Stephen Fleming made 80 as they compiled a formidable 274-7. Pakistan were struggling at 83-4 before Mohammad Yousuf (71) and Shoaib Malik (52) added 96 for the fifth wicket. But once Yousuf fell, their innings quickly unravelled, with paceman Shane Bond taking 3-45 from his 10 overs. The result leaves Pakistan needing to beat South Africa in their final group game to qualify for the last four. But they were on top when the Kiwis slipped to 60-3 as Umar Gul, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Abdul Razzaq found plenty of bounce. It would have been even worse for the Kiwis had keeper Kamran Akmal's shy at the stumps been on target to run out Styris after a rare moment of indecision with Fleming, and the duo eventually put on 108. After that scare, left-hander Fleming - setting a new one-day international record by leading the Black Caps for the 194th time - steered his side towards a respectable score with his 45th ODI fifty before he was caught and bowled by Malik. Styris, clearly in pain from a back problem which later prevented him from fielding, soon called for Lou Vincent as a runner as Younis Khan tried to stifle the recovery with spin from both ends. Jacob Oram lifted Malik for a huge straight six and added 52 for the fifth wicket with Styris before Oram skied a slower Razzaq delivery to Gul at third man for a rapid 31 off 26 balls. Brendon McCullum then joined in the fun, clubbing 27 off only 13 balls to leave Pakistan needing the best score of the main group stage. That looked unlikely when Imran Farhat skied Bond to third man and Younis was caught at gully. Mohammad Hafeez and Yousuf led a brief rally before the former fell to a good diving catch by keeper McCullum off Oram, and dangerman Shahid Afridi was pouched by Bond to leave Pakistan in trouble. But Yousuf and Malik settled in well as the evening dew began to affect the ball until Fleming returned to Bond with 99 needed off 14 overs. The third ball of his third spell saw Yousuf drive to the skipper at cover and Bond grabbed his third wicket when Razzaq holed out to James Franklin. When Malik lofted the ball to Nathan Astle off the last ball of Daniel Vettori's spell the writing was on the wall and Naved, Gul and Akmal soon followed.

Conflict 'wipes out' global aid The cost of just one conflict almost equals the value of global annual development aid, the International Development Select Committee says. The committee of MPs said one civil war in a low-income country could cost $54bn (£29bn), while the worldwide aid budget in 2004 was $78.6bn (£42bn). The MPs called on the government to make conflict a policy priority. They also criticised the government for not taking action to deter UK companies from benefiting in conflict zones. In its report, Conflict and Development: Peacebuilding and Post-Conflict Reconstruction, the committee said trade could "intensify and prolong conflicts". 'Wiped out' The report comes after an inquiry into the effectiveness of the UK's peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction policies, particularly in Africa. MPs visited Sierra Leone, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Aid pledged in 2005 could be "wiped out" by an increase in conflict in developing countries, they said. They called on the Department for International Development to "direct sufficient resources towards conflict-prone and conflict-affected states in order to forestall the high cost of conflicts and their long-term impact". Describing poor states as often weak states, the committee chairman Malcolm Bruce said "some conflict-prone states are rich in resources which can sustain warlords, encourage foreign adventurism and lead to the failure of the state and increased poverty for the many as the few get rich. "If the government prioritised the link between conflict and development it would do more to create a climate for poverty reduction in these countries than any amount of costly aid programmes." Mr Bruce said the Department for Trade and Industry needed to work harder to ensure UK companies working in Africa were following international guidelines.

Anne Bradstreet: If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.

A spying row has erupted between Pakistan and India after a Pakistani diplomatic driver was detained in Delhi for allegedly receiving secret files. Indian security officials say Mohammed Farooq, who is employed by Pakistan's High Commission, was caught being given classified military documents. Anil Kumar Dubey, the Indian soldier who passed the files was also arrested. Pakistan's foreign office has protested against the arrest saying in violates international conventions. Pakistan has also accused the Indian authorities of fabricating the spying story to cover up the fact that Mr Farooq was "manhandled". "Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with the Indian government over the illegal detention and manhandling of Farooq, a driver of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi by the Indian security personnel," it said in a statement. "The harassment of the Pakistani driver is a violation of international conventions as well as diplomatic norms," it added. The incident follows a round of expulsions of Indian and Pakistani diplomats in August in which Pakistan expelled an Indian official for "undesirable activities", and India removed a Pakistani diplomat in return over the course of a weekend. India and Pakistan recently announced that that they would resume peace talks in November, which are expected to focus on trying to find a solution to the Kashmir dispute. The troubled region is divided between India and Pakistan, but both sides lay claim to Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two wars over the region since 1947.

Etienne Gilson: History is the only laboratory we have in which to test the consequences of thought.

Religious leaders from across Iraq's sectarian divide have called for a halt to violence in the country. During a gathering in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, they signed a document drawing on Islamic texts which say shedding Muslim blood is forbidden. It urges the preservation of Iraq's unity, the protection of holy sites and the release of "innocent detainees". Scores of Iraqis are killed on a daily basis in <admin-profanity filter activated>-for-tat violence between the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities. The meeting was held by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The 10-point text forbids kidnappings, incitement of hatred, attacks on religious sites and the forcing of members of the other sect from their homes. It also called for the release from detention of Iraqis not charged with specific crimes. The most important point in it is that the shedding of Sunni and Shia blood is forbidden, The conference organisers hope that once the document is adopted, it will be put on display in mosques throughout Iraq and published in the Iraqi media. Representatives of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki and Iraq's largest Shia party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, backed the document, as did the former leader of Iraq's largest Sunni party, the Associated Press reported. A spokesman told the news agency the text had also been approved by the country's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and the radical Shia leader Moqtada Sadr, whose Mehdi army militia has been widely blamed for involvement in sectarian attacks. Sheikh Ahmad Abd al-Ghafour al-Samerrai, the head of the Sunni Waqf Department in Iraq, told the BBC Arabic service that the Mecca conference was a culmination of previous meetings. "The most important point in it is that the shedding of Sunni and Shia blood is forbidden, forbidden, forbidden," he said. BBC Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says the plan would be a good one if it worked, but similar appeals by Sunni and Shia clerics have fallen on deaf ears in the past. _____________________________

Tom Mullen: Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry.

Not really. Most couples today still believe in the sanctity and symbolism of marriage. One thing probably that makes couples think twice about getting married is the expense.

Hey thanks for posting the article here. I was kind of guessing what the story was and now that I know at least I'm a little bit enlightened.

" He who lives by the sword dies by the sword " - Jesus Christ ]