Pregnancy becomes latest job outsourced to India - USATODAY.com

Every night in this quiet western Indian city, 15 pregnant women prepare for sleep in the spacious house they share, ascending the stairs in a procession of ballooned bellies, to bedrooms that become a landscape of soft hills.

A team of maids, cooks and doctors looks after the women, whose pregnancies would be unusual anywhere else but are common here. The young mothers of Anand, a place famous for its milk, are pregnant with the children of infertile couples from around the world.

WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future: Greening Shrimp

Good news for consumers of these delicious but often unsustainable
crustaceans: Oregon’s pink shrimp fishery has become the first
large-scale commercial shrimp fishery in the world to be certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council,
the most respected and strictest certification group in the world–a
major step that could create a market for more certified-sustainable
shrimp farms and fisheries in the future.

Since commercial shrimp farming began in the 1970s, shrimping has
evolved into a vast international industry, with much of the world’s
market produced on large commercial farms in China, Thailand, and other
Asian countries. Shrimp farms, which can stretch over many acres,
consist largely of rows of vast ponds; each produces a single variety
of shrimp. These massive monocultures, unsurprisingly, have huge
ecological impacts. In many areas, shrimp farmers cleared out native
trees and grasses, particularly coastal mangroves, to make room for the
massive farms, with predictable consequences: Reductions in
biodiversity and an increase of erosion in areas that were already
prone to flooding. Wastewater from shrimp farms typically contains
shrimp waste, fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics that end up
contaminating wastewater and polluting coastal areas. And while you
might think wild shrimp fisheries would have a smaller impact than vast
monocultural farms, they’re actually not that much better, with impacts
including by-catch (unwanted fish and animals that are caught as the
nets drag along the ocean floor and tossed back into the water dead)
and damage done by nets to the ocean floor itself. So finding better,
smarter ways to farm and fish for shrimp is critical for this large and
growing industry.

The Fight Against Terror: US Officials See Waste in Billions Sent to Pakistan - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

The US has poured billions into Pakistan’s struggle against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. But some American officials are now saying that Washington got too little for its money. And that much of the funding may have been misappropriated.

TheStar.com | News | Canadian immigration model a success: PM

Prime Minister Stephen Harper heaped praise on Canada’s record of both accommodating and integrating immigrants, rejecting the notion that the country is facing a crisis involving newcomers who won’t embrace Canadian values.

“Notwithstanding the debate in Quebec and some of the debate during the Ontario election campaign, I first of all think immigrants come to this country to belong to this country,” Harper said in a lengthy answer. “I also think that the Canadian approach to this, which is a mixture of integration and accommodation, for lack of a better term, is the right approach.”

Salat al-Fatih | red-sulphur.org

O Allah, grant blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad, the
opening of what had been closed, and the Seal of what had gone before,
and the helper of the Truth by the Truth, and the guide to Your
Straight Path, Allah’s blessings be upon him and upon his Family and
his Companions; may (this prayer be) equal to his immense position and
grandeur.

The Prophet | red-sulphur.org

spiritual benefits of hajj

Perhaps the most comprehensive statement ever made concerning this inward dimension of hajj was made by Junayd al-Baghdadi, the great 3rd century faqih and sufi.

A man came to visit Junayd and Junayd asked him where he had come from. He replied that he had just returned from hajj. Junayd said to him, “From the time you left your home did you also leave behind all wrong action?” “No,” replied the man. “Then you never really left at all. At every stop you made on the way, did you also advance another stage on the path to Allah?” “No,” came the reply. “Then you did not really make the journey. When you put on your ihram at the miqat, did you discard the attributes of selfhood as you took off your ordinary clothes?” “No.” “Then you did not really take on ihram. When you did tawaf of the Ka’ba, did you witness the beauty of Allah in the abode of purification?” “No, I did not,” said the man. “Then you did not really do tawaf. When you did sa’y between Safa and Marwa did you reach the rank of safa (purity) and muruwwa (virtue)?” “No.” “Then you did not really do sa’y. When you went out to Mina did your muna (desires) cease?” No, they did not.” “Then you never really went to Mina. When you stood on ‘Arafa did you experience even a single moment of ma’rifa (direct knowledge) of Allah?” “No.” “Then you did not really stand on ‘Arafa. When you stayed the night at Muzdalifa did you renounce your love of this world?” No, I did not.” “Then you did not really stay at Muzdalifa. When you stoned the Jamra, did you cast away from yourself everything that stands between you and your Lord.” “No.” “Then you did not really do the stoning. When you made your sacrifice, did you offer up your lower self to Allah?” “Then you did not really make a sacrifice and the truth is that you have not properly performed hajj at all. Return and do the hajj again in the manner I have described so that you may finally truly attain to the Maqam of Ibrahim.”

Universities with the Best Free Online Courses — Education-Portal.com

here are many top universities that offer free courses online. This list ranks some of the best free university courses for people who want to enhance personal knowledge or advance in their current field.

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)

• Free MIT Courses Online

If you are looking for a wide range of free courses
online, MIT is your best option. There are more than 1,800 free courses
offered through the school’s OpenCourseWare project. Courses are in
audio, video and text format and can be translated into a number of
different languages. People from all over the world use OpenCourseWare
and 96 percent of visitors say they would recommend the site to someone
else.

2. Open University (open.ac.uk)

• Free Open University Courses Online

The Open University is the UK’s largest academic
institution. The school’s OpenLearn website gives everyone free access
to undergraduate and graduate level course materials from The Open
University. Courses cover a broad range of topics, such as arts and
history, business, education, IT and computing, mathematics and
statistics, science, health and technology.

3. Carnegie Mellon University (cmu.edu)

• Free Carnegie Mellon Courses Online

Carnegie Mellon University offers a huge collection
of free online courses and course materials through a program known as
the Open Learning Initiative. OLI courses are set up to allow anyone at
the introductory college level to learn about a particular subject
without the help of a formal instructor. Course options include, but
are not limited to, statistics, biology, chemistry, economics, French
and physics.

4. Tufts University (tufts.edu)

• Free Tufts University Courses Online

Like MIT, Tufts University has OpenCourseWare that
is free to everyone. Courses are sorted by school (School of Medicine,
School of Arts and Sciences, etc.) and include lecture notes,
assignments and other supplementary materials.

5. Stanford (stanford.edu)

• Stanford Courses on iTunes U

Stanford University, one of the world’s leading
academic institutions, has joined forces with iTunes U to provide
access to Stanford courses, lectures, interviews and more. Courses can
be downloaded and played on your iPod, PC, or Mac and can also be
burned to a CD. If you don’t have iTunes, you can download it here for free.

Lamppost Productions

Ustadh Abdullah Bin Hamid

Friday January 11, 2008
Topic: Impact of Sins on the Heart
Time: 8 PM
Venue: Islamic Circle of Mercer County, 336 Lawrence Station Road,
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

Saturday January 12, 2008
Topic: The Prophetic model of learning and teaching Islam
Time: 10:30 AM - 1 PM (Followed by Book Signing after Dhur Salaah)
Venue: Why-Islam Center, 1320 Hamilton St., Somerset, NJ 08873

Saturday January 12, 2008
Topic: Pursuit of Spiritual Excellence
Time: 7 PM
Venue: Zubaida Foundation, 855 Big Oak Road, Yardley, PA 19067

Sunday January 13, 2008
Topic: Understanding the Shi’ah
Time: 1 PM
Venue: Masjid As-Saffat, 25 Oxford Street, Trenton NJ 08618

A day’s trek to a village near Besham, Kohistan - Travels - 4×4 Offroaders Club Karachi

When Hamid Omar [Mamoo] of 4×4 Offroaders Club, Karachi recently completed the rebuilding of the 1948 Ford F1 Pickup, the family decided to take it on a long test drive from Karachi all the way to Besham on the Karakorum Highway (a part of the ‘Silk Route’). The trip was, in part, influenced by the invitation of one of their domestics of long standing, Shah Aalam, to visit his ancestral home situated at a mountaintop a few kilometers off Besham in Kohistan.

Hamid and his wife Sabiha [Khala] drove to Lahore on the newly rebuilt Ford F1, followed by Mahera and Khalid Omar in the Toyota Prado.

BPS RESEARCH DIGEST: Philosophy for kids

Teaching children the art of collaborative philosophical inquiry brings them persistent, long-term cognitive benefits, according to psychologists in Scotland.

Keith Topping and Steve Trickey first reported the short-term benefits of using “Thinking through Philosophy” with children in an earlier study.

Letter from Barack Obama on His Muslim Heritage « Umar Lee

New Book Examines Disability In Islamic Law

This book, written by Dr. Vardit Rispler-Chaim of the Department of Arabic language and literature of the University of Haifa, analyzes attitudes to people with various disabilities based on Muslim jurists’ works (fiqh) in the Middle Ages and the modern era.

In the Islamic legal literature people with disabilities are mentioned sporadically, and often within broad topics such as religious duties, jihad, marriage, etc., but seldom as a subject in its own right. Very little has been written so far on people with disabilities in a general Islamic context, much less in reference to Islamic law. That is the innovation of this book.

The main contribution of Disability in Islamic Law is that it focuses on people with disabilities and depicts the place and status that Islamic law has assigned to them, as well as how the law envisions their participation in religious, social and communal life.

All in all, the laws concerning people with disabilities demonstrate a very advanced social outlook, judging by the considerations and arguments of the Muslim jurists. Scholars of Islamic law, medicine and ethics, Islamic studies, sociology, social work and law, and anyone interested in comparative research of people with disabilities in various cultures and religions, will find an abundance of helpful information in this book.

ReflectOnThis: Madina Center Friday Night Halaqah - December 14, 2007

the importance of and the secrets to be found in the night prayer (Qiyam al-Layl, or Tahajjud), taken from both the Riyadh al-Saliheen of Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him), and the Book of Assistance of Imam al-Haddad (may Allah have mercy on him).

Download madinah_center_december_14_2007.mp3

5 Time-Management Tricks - Shifting Careers - Small Business - New York Times Blog

1. Tame the e-mail beast. For a long time, I managed e-mail haphazardly, with days when I felt on top of it, and days when it became my to do list. But that’s no way to have a relationship with e-mail. You never hear anyone say they spent the whole day taking care of voice mail, and e-mail shouldn’t control you in that way either. So finally, I adopted a system. Mine is a combination of lessons from David Allen (touch each piece only once and dispose of it) and Tim Ferriss (check at designated times of the day). But the thing that really trained me was watching the video below of a talk given by Merlin Mann, the founder of the 43 Folders blog, at Google’s headquarters. In this one-hour presentation, Mr. Mann covers all the big ideas — from his system for quickly handling messages to the desperate measure of declaring e-mail bankruptcy. If you don’t have time for the video, check in the InboxZero series on 43Folders… [read more]

Inbox Zero [video]:

[Read More]

A History of Histories by John Burrow review | Non-fiction book reviews - Times Online

The writers who moulded our world are celebrated in this impressive monument, says Michael Binyon

Mas’ud Ahmed Khan’s Home Page

Forgiveness and Justice: meditations on some hadiths [pdf]
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad

(1) The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) prayed for pardon
for his people, and received the reply: “I have forgiven them all but
acts of oppression, for I shall exact recompense for the one who is
wronged, from his oppressor.”
In the Qur’an, God is just, and requires justice; but he is also forgiving, and requires
forgiveness; in fact, its references to the latter property outnumber those on justice by
a ratio of approximately ten to one. Islamic theology has not always been clear how
the ensuing tension is to be resolved. “My Mercy outstrips My wrath” is a well-known
divine saying, but one which nonetheless is far from abolishing God’s wrath. Indeed,
a righteous indignation about injustice is integral to the prophetic representation of
God’s qualities, and from the earliest moments of its revelation the Qur’an links God’s
expectations of His creatures to justice towards the weak. [more] 

More articles by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (at www.masud.co.uk)

Some other excellent content from Sidi Mas’ud Khan’s Site:

THE PROPHET
Allah bless him and grant him peace

9/11

BPS RESEARCH DIGEST: Philosophy for kids

Teaching children the art of collaborative philosophical inquiry brings them persistent, long-term cognitive benefits, according to psychologists in Scotland.

Keith Topping and Steve Trickey first reported the short-term benefits of using “Thinking through Philosophy” with children in an earlier study.

The resurgence of the neo-Taliban | openDemocracy

A potent mix of ideology, ethnicity, strategy and social discontent fuels intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan, says Antonio Giustozzi.

Eco-Oasis in Abu Dhabi: Guess Who’s Building a Green City - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News

In a delicious irony, Abu Dhabi is pouring oil billions into a zero-emissions metropolis in the desert.

Surviving Salafism: An American Muslim Recovers from Extremism and Makes a Difference | Religion Writer.com

As they say: Don’t shoot the messenger. I didn’t write this. I’m not affirming agreement with this. (Posts here assume that a human being is a “rational animal”–that is, one given to thinking… not just one who can or might think.)

When ReligionWriter reviewed Daveed Gartenstein-Ross’ Feb. 2007 memoir, My Year inside Radical Islam, she
was excited to see an American go public with a story about getting
sucked into Islam’s radical fringes. Yet Gartenstein-Ross’
reflections were limited by the fact that when he extricated himself
from Islam’s dark side, he also decided to leave the religion all
together — the reader was not able to hear how he rehabilitated
his faith.

Earlier this year, however, RW was lucky to make the virtual acquaintance of fellow blogger and fellow Northern Virginia resident, Tariq Nelson. Tariq’s popular blog
covers both local Muslim news — seminars on homelessness,
condolences for the deceased — but also takes a hard look at controversial topics like domestic violence and racism in the American Muslim community. He speaks frankly about how he joined the Muslim Salafi
movement and learned the hard way that extreme piety can lead to moral
emptiness. [Note: Tariq never condoned violence and never involved with
any group that did.]

[Read on]

..

TheStar.com | living | Aqsa Parvez’s death lays bare flipside of immigration

Parents want change, but are fearful their children will heed `siren call’ of the West

Islamic Finance - Chase Cooper - Regulatory News

The global banking industry must start providing Sharia-compliant finance products to meet growing demand and to gain new customers, legislators must ensure a level playing field for Islamic finance, and European banking supervisors working with Basel II-derived rulings must ensure that the risk weights of Islam-compliant finance products are fair and correct.

Last week, Rudolf Böhmler, Executive Board member at Deutsche Bundesbank, told an audience at the 2nd Islamic Financial Services Forum, that Europe must accept the challenge of Islamic banking. Demand had skyrocketed – 25% of the world is now Muslim – and the banks had to accept that this demand was not only in the traditional high net-worth market but was being fuelled by the growth of the Muslim middle-classes in Europe and other Western financial areas.

Böhmler used the UK as an example to show how a market for Sharia finance products can also function in non-Muslim countries….

Sacrifice? - December 22nd @ Lote Tree Centre « Halaqah Series - Sunday Circle with Shaykh Zahir Bacchus

Sacrifice? Prophet Ibrahim and Son

On Saturday December 22nd, 2007 there will be a presentation by Shaykh Talal Ahdab and Faraz Rabbani from 1:00-3:30 pm.

They will be discussing the lessons from the quranic story of Prophet Ibrahim and his son.

This program will be taking place at the Lote Tree Centre and light refreshments will be served.

For Directions: http://www.lotetree.ca/contact.php

Why Pregnant Women Don’t Tip Over

Pregnant women can thank their aching backs for keeping them upright, a new study shows.

The study, published tomorrow in Nature, explains that women’s spines are built differently from men’s spines.

The study shows that the lower part of a woman’s spine is built to curve more during pregnancy. That adjustment helps women hold their center of gravity while pregnancy pushes their waistline way beyond their hips.

“Pregnancy presents an enormous challenge for the female body,” researcher Katherine Whitcome, PhD, says in a news release.

“The body must change in dramatic ways to accommodate the baby, and these changes affect a woman’s stability and posture. It turns out that enhanced curvature and reinforcement of the lower spine are key to maintaining normal activities during pregnancy,” says Whitcome, who is a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University’s anthropology department.