Your Interview With Prime Minister Harper On YouTube's Talk Canada Channel:
The Prime Minister answered 12 broad-based questions from more than 1800 questions posed by Canadians on the burning issues of the day. The interview lasted 40 minutes 31 seconds. It was an excellent interview and a clear and concise preview perhaps of the Conservative Government's platform in the next Canadian election. I have noted the titles and times of each discussed topic below and mixed it up with music from a well-known Beatles song performed by......the Prime Minister himself:
The Discussion:
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
The Music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
1)THE RECESSION AND THE BUDGET: 0 min to 5.33 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
2)FOREIGN AID: 5.33 min to 8.02 min:
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
3)SENATE REFORM: 8.02 min to 10.33 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
4)AFGHAN DETAINEES: 10.33 min to 13.47 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
5)THE ENVIRONMENT: 13.47 min to 18.28 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
6)THE SEAL HUNT: 18.28 min to 21.31 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
7)PENSION FUND PROTECTION FOR EMPLOYEES: 21.31 min to 25.02 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
8)THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: 25.02 min to 28.10 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
9)CHILD CARE: 28.10 min to 31.30 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
10)STUDENT ASSISTANCE: 31.30 min to 33.19 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
11)QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTY AND SEPERATION: 33.19 min to 35.43 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
12)MARIJUANA AND THE ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE: 35.43 min to 40.31 min
http://www.youtube.com/talkcanada
I get by with a little help from my friends:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOt2Qp0H9G8
Easy Nash
Orestes Brownson's noble hope: "that we have reached the term of our downward tendency; that radicalism has had its day; that a reaction has commenced, and that the mass of our people will recover from their folly, and henceforth not fear to be conservative."
http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm?frm=4846&sec_id=4846
Friday, March 19, 2010
581)National Geographic's Health And Human Body Series: The Brain, Command Central; Quotes From Blogpost Four Hundred
"The God of the Quran is the One whose Ayats(Signs) are the Universe in which we live, move and have our being"(Aga Khan III, April 4th 1952, Karachi, Pakistan)
"......The Quran tells us that signs of Allah’s Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation - in the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the clouds and the seas, the winds and the waters...."(Aga Khan IV, Kampala, Uganda, August 22 2007)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/brain-article.html
Making sense of the brain's mind-boggling complexity isn't easy. What we do know is that it's the organ that makes us human, giving people the capacity for art, language, moral judgments, and rational thought. It's also responsible for each individual's personality, memories, movements, and how we sense the world.
All this comes from a jellylike mass of fat and protein weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). It is, nevertheless, one of the body's biggest organs, consisting of some 100 billion nerve cells that not only put together thoughts and highly coordinated physical actions but regulate our unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing.
The brain's nerve cells are known as neurons, which make up the organ's so-called "gray matter." The neurons transmit and gather electrochemical signals that are communicated via a network of millions of nerve fibers called dendrites and axons. These are the brain's "white matter."
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, accounting for 85 percent of the organ's weight. The distinctive, deeply wrinkled outer surface is the cerebral cortex, which consists of gray matter. Beneath this lies the white matter. It's the cerebrum that makes the human brain—and therefore humans—so formidable. Whereas animals such as elephants, dolphins, and whales have larger brains, humans have the most developed cerebrum. It's packed to capacity inside our skulls, enveloping the rest of the brain, with the deep folds cleverly maximizing the cortex area.
The cerebrum has two halves, or hemispheres. It is further divided into four regions, or lobes, in each hemisphere. The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are involved with speech, thought, learning, emotion, and movement. Behind them are the parietal lobes, which process sensory information such as touch, temperature, and pain. At the rear of the brain are the occipital lobes, dealing with vision. Lastly, there are the temporal lobes, near the temples, which are involved with hearing and memory.
Movement and Balance
The second largest part of the brain is the cerebellum, which sits beneath the back of the cerebrum. It is responsible for coordinating muscle movement and controlling our balance. Consisting of both grey and white matter, the cerebellum transmits information to the spinal cord and other parts of the brain.
The diencephalon is located in the core of the brain. A complex of structures roughly the size of an apricot, the two major sections are the thalamus and hypothalamus. The thalamus acts as a relay station for incoming nerve impulses from around the body that are then forwarded to the appropriate brain region for processing. The hypothalamus controls hormone secretions from the nearby pituitary gland. These hormones govern growth and instinctual behavior such as eating, drinking, sex, anger, and reproduction. The hypothalamus, for instance, controls when a new mother starts to lactate.
The brain stem, at the organ's base, controls reflexes and crucial, basic life functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. It also regulates when you feel sleepy or awake.
The brain is extremely sensitive and delicate, and so requires maximum protection. This is provided by the surrounding skull and three tough membranes called meninges. The spaces between these membranes are filled with fluid that cushions the brain and keeps it from being damaged by contact with the inside of the skull.
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/brain-article.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
"......The Quran tells us that signs of Allah’s Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation - in the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the clouds and the seas, the winds and the waters...."(Aga Khan IV, Kampala, Uganda, August 22 2007)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/brain-article.html
Making sense of the brain's mind-boggling complexity isn't easy. What we do know is that it's the organ that makes us human, giving people the capacity for art, language, moral judgments, and rational thought. It's also responsible for each individual's personality, memories, movements, and how we sense the world.
All this comes from a jellylike mass of fat and protein weighing about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). It is, nevertheless, one of the body's biggest organs, consisting of some 100 billion nerve cells that not only put together thoughts and highly coordinated physical actions but regulate our unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing.
The brain's nerve cells are known as neurons, which make up the organ's so-called "gray matter." The neurons transmit and gather electrochemical signals that are communicated via a network of millions of nerve fibers called dendrites and axons. These are the brain's "white matter."
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, accounting for 85 percent of the organ's weight. The distinctive, deeply wrinkled outer surface is the cerebral cortex, which consists of gray matter. Beneath this lies the white matter. It's the cerebrum that makes the human brain—and therefore humans—so formidable. Whereas animals such as elephants, dolphins, and whales have larger brains, humans have the most developed cerebrum. It's packed to capacity inside our skulls, enveloping the rest of the brain, with the deep folds cleverly maximizing the cortex area.
The cerebrum has two halves, or hemispheres. It is further divided into four regions, or lobes, in each hemisphere. The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are involved with speech, thought, learning, emotion, and movement. Behind them are the parietal lobes, which process sensory information such as touch, temperature, and pain. At the rear of the brain are the occipital lobes, dealing with vision. Lastly, there are the temporal lobes, near the temples, which are involved with hearing and memory.
Movement and Balance
The second largest part of the brain is the cerebellum, which sits beneath the back of the cerebrum. It is responsible for coordinating muscle movement and controlling our balance. Consisting of both grey and white matter, the cerebellum transmits information to the spinal cord and other parts of the brain.
The diencephalon is located in the core of the brain. A complex of structures roughly the size of an apricot, the two major sections are the thalamus and hypothalamus. The thalamus acts as a relay station for incoming nerve impulses from around the body that are then forwarded to the appropriate brain region for processing. The hypothalamus controls hormone secretions from the nearby pituitary gland. These hormones govern growth and instinctual behavior such as eating, drinking, sex, anger, and reproduction. The hypothalamus, for instance, controls when a new mother starts to lactate.
The brain stem, at the organ's base, controls reflexes and crucial, basic life functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. It also regulates when you feel sleepy or awake.
The brain is extremely sensitive and delicate, and so requires maximum protection. This is provided by the surrounding skull and three tough membranes called meninges. The spaces between these membranes are filled with fluid that cushions the brain and keeps it from being damaged by contact with the inside of the skull.
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/health-and-human-body/human-body/brain-article.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
581)Opiates For The Masses May Not be That Far Off: Chemists Pin Down Poppy's Tricks For Making Morphine;A Feat Of Cellular Workhorses(Enzymes)+Genes
"Nature is the great daily book of God whose secrets must be found and used for the well-being of humanity"(Aga Khan III, Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan, February 19th 1950)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Chemists pin down poppy's tricks for making morphine
Identifying enzymes involved in opiate synthesis could mean better ways to make painkillers
By Rachel Ehrenberg
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
EnlargeFlower powerResearchers have unraveled the critical final steps in the opium poppy’s biochemical pathway for producing morphine. The discovery could help overcome economic and social barriers to making painkillers in many parts of the world.
Opiates for the masses may not be far off. Scientists have figured out two of the final steps in the chain of chemical reactions that synthesize morphine in the opium poppy.
Pinpointing the cellular workhorses and the genes involved in making morphine may lead to new production methods for the drug and its chemical cousins such as codeine, oxycodone and buprenorphine, scientists report in a paper published online March 14 in Nature Chemical Biology.
Morphine and its relatives, widely used as painkillers in developed countries, are fairly expensive and are often taken for extended periods of time. The new research may lead to better ways of engineering yeast or other microbes to make these painkillers — perhaps skirting the social and political morass of agricultural poppy production, the source of heroin.
“Moving production of morphine and its metabolites such as codeine into a microbial system — if you could get yields up — could help lower costs,” says bioengineer Christina Smolke of Stanford University, who was not involved in the research. Instead of having to purchase these opiates from other nations, “maybe countries could even do local synthesis,” she says.
The new work identifies two enzymes — the proteins that cells use to build molecules and make reactions go — involved in turning the chemical precursors thebaine and codeine into morphine. Study coauthors Jillian Hagel and Peter Facchini of the University of Calgary in Canada also pinpointed the genes encoding each enzyme and verified this genetic role with poppy plant experiments.
“This is really terrific work,” says Philip Larkin, head of the plant product metabolic engineering program at Australia's national science agency CSIRO in Canberra. “Having these genes in the hand gives you much greater versatility.” For example, scientists could engineer high-yield plants by cranking up the activity of the morphine synthesis genes, Larkin says.
Scientists could also block morphine production with engineered viruses that shut down the genes. In theory, such viruses might be used to eradicate opium poppy crops in places such as Afghanistan. But narcotic control experts question the wisdom of such a maneuver.
“There are formidable tactical obstacles that would have to be addressed,” says Charles S. Helling, former senior scientific advisor to the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “But the even bigger problems are political,” he adds. “It’s a very difficult situation that is further complicated by the military situation.”
Morphine is an alkaloid, a class of compounds characterized by a ringed molecular structure incorporating a bit of nitrogen. “Among all the natural products, alkaloids tend to display the most potent pharmacological effects,” Facchini says. Plants produce roughly 12,000 kinds of alkaloids, including nicotine, strychnine, caffeine, mescaline, quinine and atropine.
A handful of very old plant groups, including the poppy and buttercup families, produce the class of alkaloids that morphine belongs to, called benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. The main building block for the roughly 2,500 alkaloids in this class is the amino acid tyrosine. A 15- to 20-step reaction pathway turns tyrosine into morphine. While questions remain about some of the very early reactions, pinning down the final morphine production steps is the key to unlocking a host of practical applications.
Years of research, gift plants, a bit of luck and the “Herculean effort” of then graduate student Hagel led to the discovery, says Facchini.
The researchers began with three high-morphine varieties of opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, and a mutant plant that makes the morphine precursors thebaine and oripavine but can’t make morphine itself. Hagel constructed an enormous DNA library from these plants, which the team used to determine which genes were turned on in the morphine-making poppies. She then compared this activity to that of the mutant plant that couldn’t put morphine together.
After determining the genetic blueprints of the genes that differed, Hagel and Facchini checked those DNA sequences against a database to reveal the enzymes’ identities. To verify the enzymes’ role in making morphine, Hagel stuck one of the genes into the bacterium E.coli, put the critter in a flask with some thebaine, and left it overnight.
“When she came back the next morning, the thebaine was all gone,” says Facchini. “That’s when her eyes got big…. Finding it all had been turned into morphine — that gives a grad student a great sense of power, when they can make morphine.” The scientists dubbed the enzymes thebaine 6-O-demethylase and codeine O-demethylase.
Both of the newly identified enzymes are in charge of the same structural task — removing a methyl group, a common chemical ornament comprising a carbon and three hydrogen atoms. But in the hunt for these morphine-synthesis enzymes, many scientists were led astray. There was an assumption that poppies used a methyl-removing enzyme similar to the one that the human liver uses to remove methyl groups. But poppies use enzymes from an entirely different class, the researchers report.
“These are enzymes that have eluded discovery for a long time,” says MIT biochemist Sarah O'Connor. And they turned out to be enzymes that weren’t really on the radar. “In plants, it’s very hard to figure out the enzymatic steps of a pathway,” she notes. “This is a beautiful example of how you can use modern molecular biology tools to solve this problem.”
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/57257/title/Chemists_pin_down_poppys_tricks_for_making_morphine
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Chemists pin down poppy's tricks for making morphine
Identifying enzymes involved in opiate synthesis could mean better ways to make painkillers
By Rachel Ehrenberg
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
EnlargeFlower powerResearchers have unraveled the critical final steps in the opium poppy’s biochemical pathway for producing morphine. The discovery could help overcome economic and social barriers to making painkillers in many parts of the world.
Opiates for the masses may not be far off. Scientists have figured out two of the final steps in the chain of chemical reactions that synthesize morphine in the opium poppy.
Pinpointing the cellular workhorses and the genes involved in making morphine may lead to new production methods for the drug and its chemical cousins such as codeine, oxycodone and buprenorphine, scientists report in a paper published online March 14 in Nature Chemical Biology.
Morphine and its relatives, widely used as painkillers in developed countries, are fairly expensive and are often taken for extended periods of time. The new research may lead to better ways of engineering yeast or other microbes to make these painkillers — perhaps skirting the social and political morass of agricultural poppy production, the source of heroin.
“Moving production of morphine and its metabolites such as codeine into a microbial system — if you could get yields up — could help lower costs,” says bioengineer Christina Smolke of Stanford University, who was not involved in the research. Instead of having to purchase these opiates from other nations, “maybe countries could even do local synthesis,” she says.
The new work identifies two enzymes — the proteins that cells use to build molecules and make reactions go — involved in turning the chemical precursors thebaine and codeine into morphine. Study coauthors Jillian Hagel and Peter Facchini of the University of Calgary in Canada also pinpointed the genes encoding each enzyme and verified this genetic role with poppy plant experiments.
“This is really terrific work,” says Philip Larkin, head of the plant product metabolic engineering program at Australia's national science agency CSIRO in Canberra. “Having these genes in the hand gives you much greater versatility.” For example, scientists could engineer high-yield plants by cranking up the activity of the morphine synthesis genes, Larkin says.
Scientists could also block morphine production with engineered viruses that shut down the genes. In theory, such viruses might be used to eradicate opium poppy crops in places such as Afghanistan. But narcotic control experts question the wisdom of such a maneuver.
“There are formidable tactical obstacles that would have to be addressed,” says Charles S. Helling, former senior scientific advisor to the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. “But the even bigger problems are political,” he adds. “It’s a very difficult situation that is further complicated by the military situation.”
Morphine is an alkaloid, a class of compounds characterized by a ringed molecular structure incorporating a bit of nitrogen. “Among all the natural products, alkaloids tend to display the most potent pharmacological effects,” Facchini says. Plants produce roughly 12,000 kinds of alkaloids, including nicotine, strychnine, caffeine, mescaline, quinine and atropine.
A handful of very old plant groups, including the poppy and buttercup families, produce the class of alkaloids that morphine belongs to, called benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. The main building block for the roughly 2,500 alkaloids in this class is the amino acid tyrosine. A 15- to 20-step reaction pathway turns tyrosine into morphine. While questions remain about some of the very early reactions, pinning down the final morphine production steps is the key to unlocking a host of practical applications.
Years of research, gift plants, a bit of luck and the “Herculean effort” of then graduate student Hagel led to the discovery, says Facchini.
The researchers began with three high-morphine varieties of opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, and a mutant plant that makes the morphine precursors thebaine and oripavine but can’t make morphine itself. Hagel constructed an enormous DNA library from these plants, which the team used to determine which genes were turned on in the morphine-making poppies. She then compared this activity to that of the mutant plant that couldn’t put morphine together.
After determining the genetic blueprints of the genes that differed, Hagel and Facchini checked those DNA sequences against a database to reveal the enzymes’ identities. To verify the enzymes’ role in making morphine, Hagel stuck one of the genes into the bacterium E.coli, put the critter in a flask with some thebaine, and left it overnight.
“When she came back the next morning, the thebaine was all gone,” says Facchini. “That’s when her eyes got big…. Finding it all had been turned into morphine — that gives a grad student a great sense of power, when they can make morphine.” The scientists dubbed the enzymes thebaine 6-O-demethylase and codeine O-demethylase.
Both of the newly identified enzymes are in charge of the same structural task — removing a methyl group, a common chemical ornament comprising a carbon and three hydrogen atoms. But in the hunt for these morphine-synthesis enzymes, many scientists were led astray. There was an assumption that poppies used a methyl-removing enzyme similar to the one that the human liver uses to remove methyl groups. But poppies use enzymes from an entirely different class, the researchers report.
“These are enzymes that have eluded discovery for a long time,” says MIT biochemist Sarah O'Connor. And they turned out to be enzymes that weren’t really on the radar. “In plants, it’s very hard to figure out the enzymatic steps of a pathway,” she notes. “This is a beautiful example of how you can use modern molecular biology tools to solve this problem.”
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/57257/title/Chemists_pin_down_poppys_tricks_for_making_morphine
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
580)Salim Mansur Gives Us The Straight Goods On Eyeraq; Hint Hint: It's Not Good News For Pinko Lefty Commie Islamist Apologists
"Yet if Iraqis continue advancing democracy without demeaning their freedom, they will then show in the most practical sense gratitude to George W. Bush, Tony Blair and American and British soldiers who won for them their freedom and stood beside them until democracy took hold in their land.
And supporters of regime change might rightly feel vindicated seeing the making of a democratic Iraq."
Iraq stumbles toward democracy
By SALIM MANSUR
March 13, 2010
Iraqis again showed how keenly they have taken possession of democracy when they voted on March 7 for their 325-member parliament.
In January 2005, Iraqis had voted with an insurgency raging and with Sunni Arabs, constituting nearly 20% of the population — Iraqi Kurds are Sunni and amount to another 20%, the rest make up the Shiite majority — staging a boycott of the election.
It was nevertheless a remarkable feat of defiance and courage by a people groping forward to take hold of freedom with dignity.
Five years later, for the second time more than 60% of the electorate, defying bombs and missiles, turned out to elect a government of their own.
Only hard-hearted cynics, and those lacking any historical perspective of Iraq and the region, will deride the significance of Iraqis voting together despite sectarian and ethnic differences.
This time around, the Sunni Arabs voted in large number as if to compensate for their folly in staging the 2005 boycott. They watched democracy slowly and painfully take root in the soil of their blood-soaked country for real, and learned they needed to be engaged in the process if they were to demand their share in government.
Horse-trading
There will be all sorts of horse-trading in the newly elected parliament to form a government since no one party will likely hold a majority of seats. This means politicians and people will have to learn together the art of compromise to ensure a functioning democracy.
Iraq’s democracy may appear messy to others in the Middle East, and the rulers of the Arab world with their sycophants may ridicule Iraqis as they stumble in making progress.
It is, however, this labour of Iraqis as a free people building a democratic society of their own that starkly exposes the rottenness of politics in the region.
Freedom and democracy tend to be contagious and therefore monarchs, theocrats and dictators in the Middle East are fearful of the Iraqi people setting an example that might not be contained.
They tried to extinguish this example overtly by questioning the legitimacy of Iraqi freedom and covertly by funding the insurgents.
Freedom has opened for Iraqis a new history without any connection to their past. This is the cause for envy and unrest in Iran and across the Arab world.
The theocrats in Iran robbed the people of their choice in the June 2009 election and, fearing their earnest wish for freedom, rule over them repressively. In most Arab countries, elections are made to order by dictators as it was in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
In politics as in life, it is rare seeing gratitude offered by those who have received favour or gift, especially a gift such as freedom paid with blood and treasure by another people.
Practical sense
Yet if Iraqis continue advancing democracy without demeaning their freedom, they will then show in the most practical sense gratitude to George W. Bush, Tony Blair and American and British soldiers who won for them their freedom and stood beside them until democracy took hold in their land.
And supporters of regime change might rightly feel vindicated seeing the making of a democratic Iraq.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/salim_mansur/2010/03/12/13210001.html
Related Posts:
A Collection Of Posts On My Blog Relating To The Stephen Harper Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Kenney Et Al
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/03/576a-collection-of-posts-on-my-blog.html
Political Science Professor Salim Mansur Reminds Muslims They Face Future Of Nightmarish Totalitarianism Unless They Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/571political-science-professor-salim.html
Various Quotes Of The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister Of Canada(2010):
1)Prime Minister Stephen Harper said of Mr. Babcock and his compatriots: “They paid dearly for the freedom that we and our children enjoy every day. Now they are all gone. However, their voices and stories live on. They live on in our commitment to never forget, to cherish their values they fought for and to remember their sacrifices.”
2)Prime Minister Stephen Harper saluted Babcock Thursday, paying tribute to “Canada’s last living link to the Great War, which in so many ways marked our coming of age as a nation". He said 650,000 men and women served in the Canadian forces during WWI
3)"The passing of Mr. Babcock marks the end of an era," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. "His family mourns the passing of a great man. Canada mourns the passing of the generation that asserted our independence on the world stage and established our international reputation as an unwavering champion of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."
Quote Of Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, head of the Canadian Forces(2010):
“You know how dear the members of the Canadian Forces and our veterans are to my heart,” she said. “And while I am deeply moved and saddened, I am also very honoured to be the Commander-in-Chief and Governor General to pay final tribute to Mr. Babcock.
Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):
1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.
Easy Nash
And supporters of regime change might rightly feel vindicated seeing the making of a democratic Iraq."
Iraq stumbles toward democracy
By SALIM MANSUR
March 13, 2010
Iraqis again showed how keenly they have taken possession of democracy when they voted on March 7 for their 325-member parliament.
In January 2005, Iraqis had voted with an insurgency raging and with Sunni Arabs, constituting nearly 20% of the population — Iraqi Kurds are Sunni and amount to another 20%, the rest make up the Shiite majority — staging a boycott of the election.
It was nevertheless a remarkable feat of defiance and courage by a people groping forward to take hold of freedom with dignity.
Five years later, for the second time more than 60% of the electorate, defying bombs and missiles, turned out to elect a government of their own.
Only hard-hearted cynics, and those lacking any historical perspective of Iraq and the region, will deride the significance of Iraqis voting together despite sectarian and ethnic differences.
This time around, the Sunni Arabs voted in large number as if to compensate for their folly in staging the 2005 boycott. They watched democracy slowly and painfully take root in the soil of their blood-soaked country for real, and learned they needed to be engaged in the process if they were to demand their share in government.
Horse-trading
There will be all sorts of horse-trading in the newly elected parliament to form a government since no one party will likely hold a majority of seats. This means politicians and people will have to learn together the art of compromise to ensure a functioning democracy.
Iraq’s democracy may appear messy to others in the Middle East, and the rulers of the Arab world with their sycophants may ridicule Iraqis as they stumble in making progress.
It is, however, this labour of Iraqis as a free people building a democratic society of their own that starkly exposes the rottenness of politics in the region.
Freedom and democracy tend to be contagious and therefore monarchs, theocrats and dictators in the Middle East are fearful of the Iraqi people setting an example that might not be contained.
They tried to extinguish this example overtly by questioning the legitimacy of Iraqi freedom and covertly by funding the insurgents.
Freedom has opened for Iraqis a new history without any connection to their past. This is the cause for envy and unrest in Iran and across the Arab world.
The theocrats in Iran robbed the people of their choice in the June 2009 election and, fearing their earnest wish for freedom, rule over them repressively. In most Arab countries, elections are made to order by dictators as it was in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.
In politics as in life, it is rare seeing gratitude offered by those who have received favour or gift, especially a gift such as freedom paid with blood and treasure by another people.
Practical sense
Yet if Iraqis continue advancing democracy without demeaning their freedom, they will then show in the most practical sense gratitude to George W. Bush, Tony Blair and American and British soldiers who won for them their freedom and stood beside them until democracy took hold in their land.
And supporters of regime change might rightly feel vindicated seeing the making of a democratic Iraq.
http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/salim_mansur/2010/03/12/13210001.html
Related Posts:
A Collection Of Posts On My Blog Relating To The Stephen Harper Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Kenney Et Al
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/03/576a-collection-of-posts-on-my-blog.html
Political Science Professor Salim Mansur Reminds Muslims They Face Future Of Nightmarish Totalitarianism Unless They Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/571political-science-professor-salim.html
Various Quotes Of The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, 22nd Prime Minister Of Canada(2010):
1)Prime Minister Stephen Harper said of Mr. Babcock and his compatriots: “They paid dearly for the freedom that we and our children enjoy every day. Now they are all gone. However, their voices and stories live on. They live on in our commitment to never forget, to cherish their values they fought for and to remember their sacrifices.”
2)Prime Minister Stephen Harper saluted Babcock Thursday, paying tribute to “Canada’s last living link to the Great War, which in so many ways marked our coming of age as a nation". He said 650,000 men and women served in the Canadian forces during WWI
3)"The passing of Mr. Babcock marks the end of an era," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement. "His family mourns the passing of a great man. Canada mourns the passing of the generation that asserted our independence on the world stage and established our international reputation as an unwavering champion of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."
Quote Of Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, head of the Canadian Forces(2010):
“You know how dear the members of the Canadian Forces and our veterans are to my heart,” she said. “And while I am deeply moved and saddened, I am also very honoured to be the Commander-in-Chief and Governor General to pay final tribute to Mr. Babcock.
Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):
1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.
Easy Nash
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
579)Original Manuscripts:Rewrite Of Physics By Einstein On Display;A Powerfully Fresh Outlook On The Universe In Which We Live,Move And Have Our Being
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God. "(Albert Einstein, circa 1950)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
March 10, 2010
Rewrite of Physics by Einstein on Display
By ETHAN BRONNER
JERUSALEM — There are pasted-on half pages, numerous cross-outs and insertions in meticulous penmanship and an open acknowledgment that some of the mathematics was beyond even him. Albert Einstein personally rewrote the laws of physics in a sparsely furnished central Berlin apartment nearly a century ago and the resulting manuscript, profoundly human and surprisingly moving to examine, has been put on display here for the first time.
Each of the 46 pages, labored over between November 1915 and their publication in May 1916, has its own case, each lighted dimly in a room that has been darkened to protect the paper. There on Page 1 is the now familiar title in German: “The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity.”
The display of the work, which forced a redefinition of gravity, predicted the existence of black holes and illuminated how galaxies are formed, is at the center of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Out of concern for the life of the documents, it will be up only for the next three weeks.
“We have set it up like the Dead Sea Scrolls, to protect them but also to give the feeling of entering a kind of holy of holies, which is how we view it,” said Hanoch Guttfreund, a physics professor, former president of the Hebrew University and curator of the exhibition. “And you can actually see Einstein work as you look at the pages.”
Einstein’s wife Elsa donated the manuscript to the Hebrew University on the occasion of its opening in 1925 and in a letter he thanked her for doing so. A founder of the university and a member of its board, he donated all his papers to it upon his death.
And there, outside the room where the theory of general relativity is on display, are a few more of his papers, including a postcard he sent to his mother in 1919 after a British astronomer confirmed during an eclipse one of Einstein’s key predictions. It too offers a poignant mix of the celestial and personal.
“Dear Mother!” it begins, “Today some happy news. Lorentz telegraphed me that the British expeditions have verified the deflection of light by the sun.” So sorry, he adds, to hear that you are not feeling well.
Einstein’s relationship to Israel was complex. A self-described universalist, he became a Zionist when he witnessed anti-Semitism in Europe. Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, was a key influence on him. Walter Isaacson, who wrote a 2007 biography of Einstein, said by telephone that Einstein wanted Jews to move here but did not back a separate Jewish nation-state until after it was declared in 1948.
Menahem Yaari, president of the Israel Academy, said that the institute was officially opened in 1960 by David Ben-Gurion, the country’s founding prime minister, with Martin Buber, the philosopher, as its first president. Buber had famously resigned his professorship in Frankfurt when Hitler rose to power. He settled in Jerusalem, setting an example for a generation of European Jewish scholars who followed him here, establishing the foundation of Israeli intellectual life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/world/middleeast/11einstein.html?ref=science
Related posts:
20 things you need to know about Albert Einstein, the smartest scientist of the 20th century; Quotes of Aga Khan III.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/31220-things-you-need-to-know-about.html
Albert Einstein and Faith; Quote of Aga Khan III.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/311albert-einstein-and-faith-quote-of.html
Einstein=Genius squared: the man who taught us key insights about the Universal "Soul that sustains, embraces and is the Universe".
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/05/178einsteingenius-squared-man-who.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
March 10, 2010
Rewrite of Physics by Einstein on Display
By ETHAN BRONNER
JERUSALEM — There are pasted-on half pages, numerous cross-outs and insertions in meticulous penmanship and an open acknowledgment that some of the mathematics was beyond even him. Albert Einstein personally rewrote the laws of physics in a sparsely furnished central Berlin apartment nearly a century ago and the resulting manuscript, profoundly human and surprisingly moving to examine, has been put on display here for the first time.
Each of the 46 pages, labored over between November 1915 and their publication in May 1916, has its own case, each lighted dimly in a room that has been darkened to protect the paper. There on Page 1 is the now familiar title in German: “The Foundation of the General Theory of Relativity.”
The display of the work, which forced a redefinition of gravity, predicted the existence of black holes and illuminated how galaxies are formed, is at the center of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Out of concern for the life of the documents, it will be up only for the next three weeks.
“We have set it up like the Dead Sea Scrolls, to protect them but also to give the feeling of entering a kind of holy of holies, which is how we view it,” said Hanoch Guttfreund, a physics professor, former president of the Hebrew University and curator of the exhibition. “And you can actually see Einstein work as you look at the pages.”
Einstein’s wife Elsa donated the manuscript to the Hebrew University on the occasion of its opening in 1925 and in a letter he thanked her for doing so. A founder of the university and a member of its board, he donated all his papers to it upon his death.
And there, outside the room where the theory of general relativity is on display, are a few more of his papers, including a postcard he sent to his mother in 1919 after a British astronomer confirmed during an eclipse one of Einstein’s key predictions. It too offers a poignant mix of the celestial and personal.
“Dear Mother!” it begins, “Today some happy news. Lorentz telegraphed me that the British expeditions have verified the deflection of light by the sun.” So sorry, he adds, to hear that you are not feeling well.
Einstein’s relationship to Israel was complex. A self-described universalist, he became a Zionist when he witnessed anti-Semitism in Europe. Chaim Weizmann, Israel’s first president, was a key influence on him. Walter Isaacson, who wrote a 2007 biography of Einstein, said by telephone that Einstein wanted Jews to move here but did not back a separate Jewish nation-state until after it was declared in 1948.
Menahem Yaari, president of the Israel Academy, said that the institute was officially opened in 1960 by David Ben-Gurion, the country’s founding prime minister, with Martin Buber, the philosopher, as its first president. Buber had famously resigned his professorship in Frankfurt when Hitler rose to power. He settled in Jerusalem, setting an example for a generation of European Jewish scholars who followed him here, establishing the foundation of Israeli intellectual life.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/world/middleeast/11einstein.html?ref=science
Related posts:
20 things you need to know about Albert Einstein, the smartest scientist of the 20th century; Quotes of Aga Khan III.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/31220-things-you-need-to-know-about.html
Albert Einstein and Faith; Quote of Aga Khan III.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/01/311albert-einstein-and-faith-quote-of.html
Einstein=Genius squared: the man who taught us key insights about the Universal "Soul that sustains, embraces and is the Universe".
http://easynash.blogspot.com/2007/05/178einsteingenius-squared-man-who.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
Monday, March 15, 2010
578)'Ismaili Philosophy' From The Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, By Professor Azim Nanji; Quotes Of Aga Khans IV And Others
"According to a famous hadith of the Prophet Muhammad: The first(and only) thing created by God was the Intellect ('aql)(circa 632CE)
"The beginning of all things, their origin, their force and their prosperity, is that intellect ('aql), without which one can profit from nothing. God created it to adorn His creatures, and as a light for them. It is through intellect ('aql) that the servants recognize God is their Creator and that they themselves are created beings …It is thanks to intellect ('aql) that they can distinguish what is beautiful from what is ugly, that they realize that darkness is in ignorance and that light is in Knowledge"( Imam Jafar as-Sadiq, (al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 1, pp. 34), circa 765CE)
"God – may He be Glorified and Exalted – created Intellect ('aql) first among the spiritual entities; He drew it forth from the right of His Throne, making it proceed from His own Light. Then he commanded it to retreat, and it retreated, to advance, and it advanced; then God proclaimed: 'I created you glorious, and I gave you pre-eminence over all my creatures.'"(Imam Jafar as-Sadiq, Circa 765CE)
"The Intellect is the substance of (God's) unity and it is the one (al-wahid), both cause and caused, the act of origination (al-ibda) and the first originated being (al-mubda al-awwal); it is perfection and perfect, eternity and eternal, existence and that which exists all in a single substance"( Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, 11th centuryFatimid Ismaili cosmologist (Kitab al-Riyad, pp. 221-222))
"Thus Islam's basic principle can only be defined as mono-realism and not as monotheism. Consider, for example, the opening declaration of every Islamic prayer: "Allah-o-Akbar". What does that mean? There can be no doubt that the second word of the declaration likens the character of Allah to a matrix which contains all and gives existence to the infinite, to space, to time, to the Universe, to all active and passive forces imaginable, to life and to the soul. Imam Hassan has explained the Islamic doctrine of God and the Universe by analogy with the sun and its reflection in the pool of a fountain; there is certainly a reflection or image of the sun, but with what poverty and with what little reality; how small and pale is the likeness between this impalpable image and the immense, blazing, white-hot glory of the celestial sphere itself. Allah is the sun; and the Universe, as we know it in all its magnitude, and time, with its power, are nothing more than the reflection of the Absolute in the mirror of the fountain"(Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)
"Islamic doctrine goes further than the other great religions, for it proclaims the presence of the soul, perhaps minute but nevertheless existing in an embryonic state, in all existence in matter, in animals, trees, and space itself. Every individual, every molecule, every atom has its own spiritual relationship with the All-Powerful Soul of God"(Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)
"The Divine Intellect, Aql-i Kull, both transcends and informs the human intellect. It is this Intellect which enables man to strive towards two aims dictated by the faith: that he should reflect upon the environment Allah has given him and that he should know himself. It is the Light of the Intellect which distinguishes the complete human being from the human animal, and developing that intellect requires free inquiry. The man of faith, who fails to pursue intellectual search is likely to have only a limited comprehension of Allah's creation. Indeed, it is man's intellect that enables him to expand his vision of that creation"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University Inauguration Speech, Karachi, Pakistan, November 11, 1985)
"In sum the process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda represents the initial level - one transcends history, the other creates it. The spiritual and material realms are not dichotomous, since in the Ismaili formulation, matter and spirit are united under a higher genus and each realm possesses its own hierarchy. Though they require linguistic and rational categories for definition, they represent elements of a whole, and a true understanding of God must also take account of His creation. Such a synthesis is crucial to how the human intellect eventually relates to creation and how it ultimately becomes the instrument for penetrating through history the mystery of the unknowable God implied in the formulation of tawhid."(Azim Nanji, Director, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, U.K., 1998)
"In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God"(Aga Khan IV, July 23rd 2008, Lisbon, Portugal)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Ismaili Philosophy
Ismailism belongs to the Shi‘a main stream of Islam. Recent scholarship, based on a more judicious analysis of primary sources, has shown how Ismaili thought was in constant interaction with and to a certain extent influenced well-known currents of Islamic philosophy, theology, and mysticism.
Shi‘i and Ismaili philosophy use ta’wil as a tool of interpretation of scripture. This Qur’anic term connotes going back to the original meaning of the Qur’an. The objective of Ismaili thought is to create a bridge between Hellenic philosophy and religion. The human intellect is engaged to retrieve and disclose that which is interior or hidden (batin).
Ismailism presents a cosmology within an adapted Neoplatonic framework but tries to create an alternative synthesis. The starting point of such a synthesis is the doctrine of ibda‘ (derived from Qur’an 2:117). In its verbal form it is taken to mean ‘eternal existentiation’ to explain the notion in the Qur’an of God’s timeless command (Kun: ‘Be!’). The process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda‘ represents the initial level. The human intellect eventually relates to creation and tries to penetrate the mystery of the unknowable God.
Human history operates cyclically. The function of the Prophet is to reveal the religious law (shari‘a) while the Imam unveils gradually to his disciples the inner meaning (batin) of the revelation through the ta’wil.
Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2.Language and Meaning: The Stance of Ismaili Philosophy
3.Manifesting Transcendence: Knowledge of the Cosmos
1.Introduction
Ismailism belongs to the Shi‘a branch of Islam, and, in common with various Muslim interpretive communities, has been concerned with developing a philosophical discourse to elucidate foundational Qur ’anic and Islamic beliefs and principles. It would, however, be misleading to label Ismaili and other Muslim philosophical stances, as has been done by some scholars in the past, simplistically as manifestations of “Ismaili/Muslim Neoplatonism,” and “Ismaili/Muslim gnosticism,” and so forth. While elements of these philosophical and spiritual schools were certainly appropriated, and common features may be evident in the expression and development of Ismaili as well as other ideas, it must be noted that they were applied within very different historical and intellectual contexts and that such ideas came to be quite dramatically transformed in their meaning, purpose and significance in Islamic philosophy.
By those who were hostile to it or opposed its philosophical and intellectual stance, the Ismailis were regarded as heretical; legends were fabricated about them and their teachings. Early Western scholarship on Islamic philosophy inherited some of the biases of some medieval Muslim anti-philosophical stances, which tended to project a negative image of Ismailism, perceiving its philosophical contribution as having been derived from sources and tendencies ‘alien’ to Islam. Recent scholarship, based on a more judicious analysis of primary sources, provides a balanced perspective, and has shown how Ismaili thought was in constant interaction with and to a certain extent influenced well-known currents of Islamic philosophy and theology. Their views represent a consensus that it is inappropriate to treat Ismailism as a marginal school of Islamic thought; rather it constitutes a significant philosophical branch, among others, in Islamic philosophy.
Early Ismaili philosophy works dating back to the Fatimid period (fourth/tenth to sixth/twelfth century) are in Arabic; Nasir Khusraw (d. 471/1078) was the only Ismaili writer of the period to write in Persian. The Arabic tradition was continued in Yemen and India by the Musta‘li branch and in Syria by the Nizaris. In Persia and in Central Asia, the tradition was preserved and elaborated in Persian. Elsewhere among the Ismailis, local oral languages and literatures played an important part, though no strictly philosophical writings were developed in these languages.
2. Language and Meaning: The Stance of Ismaili Philosophy
Among the tools of interpretation of scripture that are associated particularly with Shi‘i and Ismaili philosophy is that of ta’wil. The application of this Qur’anic term, which connotes “going back to the first/the beginning,” marks the effort in Ismaili thought of creating a philosophical and hermeneutical discourse that establishes the intellectual discipline for approaching revelation and creates a bridge between philosophy and religion.
Philosophy as conceived in Ismaili thought thus seeks to extend the meaning of religion and revelation to identify the visible and the apparent (zahir) and also to penetrate to the roots, to retrieve and disclose that which is interior or hidden (batin). Ultimately, this discovery engages both the intellect (‘aql) and the spirit (ruh), functioning in an integral manner to illuminate and disclose truths (haqa’iq).
The appropriate mode of language which serves us best in this task is, according to Ismaili philosophers, symbolic language. Such language, which employs analogy, metaphor and symbols, allows one to make distinctions and to establish differences in ways that a literal reading of language does not permit. Such language employs a special system of signs, the ultimate meaning of which can be ‘unveiled’ by the proper application of hermeneutics (ta’wil).
3. Manifesting Transcendence: Knowledge of the Cosmos
It has been argued that Ismaili cosmology, integrates a manifestational cosmology (analogous to some aspects of Stoic thought) within an adapted Neoplatonic framework to create an alternative synthesis. The starting point of such a synthesis is the doctrine of ibda (derived from Qur’an 2:117). In its verbal form it is taken to mean ‘eternal existentiation’ to explain the notion in the Qur’an of God’s timeless command (Kun: Be!). Ibda therefore connotes not a specific act of creation but the dialogical mode through which a relationship between God and His creation can be affirmed – it articulates the process of beginning and sets the stage for developing a philosophy of the manifestation of transcendence in creation.
In sum the process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda represents the initial level – one transcends history, the other creates it. The spiritual and material realms are not dichotomous, since in the Ismaili formulation, matter and spirit are united under a higher genus and each realm possesses its own hierarchy. Though they require linguistic and rational categories for definition, they represent elements of a whole, and a true understanding of God must also take account of His creation. Such a synthesis is crucial to how the human intellect eventually relates to creation and how it ultimately becomes the instrument for penetrating through history the mystery of the unknowable God implied in the formulation of tawhid.
Human history, as conceived in Ismailism, operates cyclically. According to this typological view, the epoch of the great prophets mirrors the cosmological paradigm, unfolding to recover the equilibrium and harmony inherent in the divine pattern of creation. Prophets and, after them, their appointed successors, the imams, have as their collective goal the establishment of a just society. The function of the Prophet is to initiate the cycle for human society and of the Imam to complement and interpret the teaching to sustain the just order at the social and individual levels.
As Nasir Khusraw, the best known of the Ismaili writers in Persian, states in a passage paraphrased by Corbin:
Time is eternity measured by the movements of the heavens,
whose name is day, night, month, year. Eternity is Time not
measured, having neither beginning nor end…The cause of Time
is the Soul of the World….; it is not in time, for time is
in the horizon of the soul as its instrument, as the duration
of the living mortal who is “the shadow of the soul”, while
eternity is the duration of the living immortal – that is to
say of the Intelligence and of the Soul.
This synthesis of time as cycle and time as arrow lies at the heart of an Ismaili philosophy of active engagement in the world.
Author Information
Azim Nanji
Email: info@iis.ac.uk
The Institute of Ismaili Studies, United Kingdom
http://www.iep.utm.edu/ismaili/
Related posts:
Dr Paul Walker: Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary; Publication of the Institute of Ismaili Studies
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/12/528dr-paul-walker-abu-yaqub-al.html
A Blog Constructed Within a Scaffolding of the Al Sijistani-Khusraw Cosmological Doctrine and, Everywhere I Turn, There is Blogpost Four Hundred..
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
Transcendence and Distinction: Metaphoric Process in Isma‘ili Muslim Thought, by Dr Azim Nanji, Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/397transcendence-and-distinction.html
Nasir Khusraw, another Fatimid Cosmologist-Philosopher-Poet of enormous intellect from the mid-Fatimid era
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/390nasir-khusraw-another-fatimid.html
Abu Yakub al-Sijistani: Fatimid Ismaili Cosmologist, Philosopher, Theologian par excellence
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/388abu-yakub-al-sijistani-fatimid.html
Muslim Philosophy and the Sciences(IIS Review Article); Quotes of Aga Khan IV.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/02/331muslim-philosophy-and-sciencesiis.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
"The beginning of all things, their origin, their force and their prosperity, is that intellect ('aql), without which one can profit from nothing. God created it to adorn His creatures, and as a light for them. It is through intellect ('aql) that the servants recognize God is their Creator and that they themselves are created beings …It is thanks to intellect ('aql) that they can distinguish what is beautiful from what is ugly, that they realize that darkness is in ignorance and that light is in Knowledge"( Imam Jafar as-Sadiq, (al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 1, pp. 34), circa 765CE)
"God – may He be Glorified and Exalted – created Intellect ('aql) first among the spiritual entities; He drew it forth from the right of His Throne, making it proceed from His own Light. Then he commanded it to retreat, and it retreated, to advance, and it advanced; then God proclaimed: 'I created you glorious, and I gave you pre-eminence over all my creatures.'"(Imam Jafar as-Sadiq, Circa 765CE)
"The Intellect is the substance of (God's) unity and it is the one (al-wahid), both cause and caused, the act of origination (al-ibda) and the first originated being (al-mubda al-awwal); it is perfection and perfect, eternity and eternal, existence and that which exists all in a single substance"( Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, 11th centuryFatimid Ismaili cosmologist (Kitab al-Riyad, pp. 221-222))
"Thus Islam's basic principle can only be defined as mono-realism and not as monotheism. Consider, for example, the opening declaration of every Islamic prayer: "Allah-o-Akbar". What does that mean? There can be no doubt that the second word of the declaration likens the character of Allah to a matrix which contains all and gives existence to the infinite, to space, to time, to the Universe, to all active and passive forces imaginable, to life and to the soul. Imam Hassan has explained the Islamic doctrine of God and the Universe by analogy with the sun and its reflection in the pool of a fountain; there is certainly a reflection or image of the sun, but with what poverty and with what little reality; how small and pale is the likeness between this impalpable image and the immense, blazing, white-hot glory of the celestial sphere itself. Allah is the sun; and the Universe, as we know it in all its magnitude, and time, with its power, are nothing more than the reflection of the Absolute in the mirror of the fountain"(Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)
"Islamic doctrine goes further than the other great religions, for it proclaims the presence of the soul, perhaps minute but nevertheless existing in an embryonic state, in all existence in matter, in animals, trees, and space itself. Every individual, every molecule, every atom has its own spiritual relationship with the All-Powerful Soul of God"(Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)
"The Divine Intellect, Aql-i Kull, both transcends and informs the human intellect. It is this Intellect which enables man to strive towards two aims dictated by the faith: that he should reflect upon the environment Allah has given him and that he should know himself. It is the Light of the Intellect which distinguishes the complete human being from the human animal, and developing that intellect requires free inquiry. The man of faith, who fails to pursue intellectual search is likely to have only a limited comprehension of Allah's creation. Indeed, it is man's intellect that enables him to expand his vision of that creation"(Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan University Inauguration Speech, Karachi, Pakistan, November 11, 1985)
"In sum the process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda represents the initial level - one transcends history, the other creates it. The spiritual and material realms are not dichotomous, since in the Ismaili formulation, matter and spirit are united under a higher genus and each realm possesses its own hierarchy. Though they require linguistic and rational categories for definition, they represent elements of a whole, and a true understanding of God must also take account of His creation. Such a synthesis is crucial to how the human intellect eventually relates to creation and how it ultimately becomes the instrument for penetrating through history the mystery of the unknowable God implied in the formulation of tawhid."(Azim Nanji, Director, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, U.K., 1998)
"In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God"(Aga Khan IV, July 23rd 2008, Lisbon, Portugal)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Ismaili Philosophy
Ismailism belongs to the Shi‘a main stream of Islam. Recent scholarship, based on a more judicious analysis of primary sources, has shown how Ismaili thought was in constant interaction with and to a certain extent influenced well-known currents of Islamic philosophy, theology, and mysticism.
Shi‘i and Ismaili philosophy use ta’wil as a tool of interpretation of scripture. This Qur’anic term connotes going back to the original meaning of the Qur’an. The objective of Ismaili thought is to create a bridge between Hellenic philosophy and religion. The human intellect is engaged to retrieve and disclose that which is interior or hidden (batin).
Ismailism presents a cosmology within an adapted Neoplatonic framework but tries to create an alternative synthesis. The starting point of such a synthesis is the doctrine of ibda‘ (derived from Qur’an 2:117). In its verbal form it is taken to mean ‘eternal existentiation’ to explain the notion in the Qur’an of God’s timeless command (Kun: ‘Be!’). The process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda‘ represents the initial level. The human intellect eventually relates to creation and tries to penetrate the mystery of the unknowable God.
Human history operates cyclically. The function of the Prophet is to reveal the religious law (shari‘a) while the Imam unveils gradually to his disciples the inner meaning (batin) of the revelation through the ta’wil.
Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2.Language and Meaning: The Stance of Ismaili Philosophy
3.Manifesting Transcendence: Knowledge of the Cosmos
1.Introduction
Ismailism belongs to the Shi‘a branch of Islam, and, in common with various Muslim interpretive communities, has been concerned with developing a philosophical discourse to elucidate foundational Qur ’anic and Islamic beliefs and principles. It would, however, be misleading to label Ismaili and other Muslim philosophical stances, as has been done by some scholars in the past, simplistically as manifestations of “Ismaili/Muslim Neoplatonism,” and “Ismaili/Muslim gnosticism,” and so forth. While elements of these philosophical and spiritual schools were certainly appropriated, and common features may be evident in the expression and development of Ismaili as well as other ideas, it must be noted that they were applied within very different historical and intellectual contexts and that such ideas came to be quite dramatically transformed in their meaning, purpose and significance in Islamic philosophy.
By those who were hostile to it or opposed its philosophical and intellectual stance, the Ismailis were regarded as heretical; legends were fabricated about them and their teachings. Early Western scholarship on Islamic philosophy inherited some of the biases of some medieval Muslim anti-philosophical stances, which tended to project a negative image of Ismailism, perceiving its philosophical contribution as having been derived from sources and tendencies ‘alien’ to Islam. Recent scholarship, based on a more judicious analysis of primary sources, provides a balanced perspective, and has shown how Ismaili thought was in constant interaction with and to a certain extent influenced well-known currents of Islamic philosophy and theology. Their views represent a consensus that it is inappropriate to treat Ismailism as a marginal school of Islamic thought; rather it constitutes a significant philosophical branch, among others, in Islamic philosophy.
Early Ismaili philosophy works dating back to the Fatimid period (fourth/tenth to sixth/twelfth century) are in Arabic; Nasir Khusraw (d. 471/1078) was the only Ismaili writer of the period to write in Persian. The Arabic tradition was continued in Yemen and India by the Musta‘li branch and in Syria by the Nizaris. In Persia and in Central Asia, the tradition was preserved and elaborated in Persian. Elsewhere among the Ismailis, local oral languages and literatures played an important part, though no strictly philosophical writings were developed in these languages.
2. Language and Meaning: The Stance of Ismaili Philosophy
Among the tools of interpretation of scripture that are associated particularly with Shi‘i and Ismaili philosophy is that of ta’wil. The application of this Qur’anic term, which connotes “going back to the first/the beginning,” marks the effort in Ismaili thought of creating a philosophical and hermeneutical discourse that establishes the intellectual discipline for approaching revelation and creates a bridge between philosophy and religion.
Philosophy as conceived in Ismaili thought thus seeks to extend the meaning of religion and revelation to identify the visible and the apparent (zahir) and also to penetrate to the roots, to retrieve and disclose that which is interior or hidden (batin). Ultimately, this discovery engages both the intellect (‘aql) and the spirit (ruh), functioning in an integral manner to illuminate and disclose truths (haqa’iq).
The appropriate mode of language which serves us best in this task is, according to Ismaili philosophers, symbolic language. Such language, which employs analogy, metaphor and symbols, allows one to make distinctions and to establish differences in ways that a literal reading of language does not permit. Such language employs a special system of signs, the ultimate meaning of which can be ‘unveiled’ by the proper application of hermeneutics (ta’wil).
3. Manifesting Transcendence: Knowledge of the Cosmos
It has been argued that Ismaili cosmology, integrates a manifestational cosmology (analogous to some aspects of Stoic thought) within an adapted Neoplatonic framework to create an alternative synthesis. The starting point of such a synthesis is the doctrine of ibda (derived from Qur’an 2:117). In its verbal form it is taken to mean ‘eternal existentiation’ to explain the notion in the Qur’an of God’s timeless command (Kun: Be!). Ibda therefore connotes not a specific act of creation but the dialogical mode through which a relationship between God and His creation can be affirmed – it articulates the process of beginning and sets the stage for developing a philosophy of the manifestation of transcendence in creation.
In sum the process of creation can be said to take place at several levels. Ibda represents the initial level – one transcends history, the other creates it. The spiritual and material realms are not dichotomous, since in the Ismaili formulation, matter and spirit are united under a higher genus and each realm possesses its own hierarchy. Though they require linguistic and rational categories for definition, they represent elements of a whole, and a true understanding of God must also take account of His creation. Such a synthesis is crucial to how the human intellect eventually relates to creation and how it ultimately becomes the instrument for penetrating through history the mystery of the unknowable God implied in the formulation of tawhid.
Human history, as conceived in Ismailism, operates cyclically. According to this typological view, the epoch of the great prophets mirrors the cosmological paradigm, unfolding to recover the equilibrium and harmony inherent in the divine pattern of creation. Prophets and, after them, their appointed successors, the imams, have as their collective goal the establishment of a just society. The function of the Prophet is to initiate the cycle for human society and of the Imam to complement and interpret the teaching to sustain the just order at the social and individual levels.
As Nasir Khusraw, the best known of the Ismaili writers in Persian, states in a passage paraphrased by Corbin:
Time is eternity measured by the movements of the heavens,
whose name is day, night, month, year. Eternity is Time not
measured, having neither beginning nor end…The cause of Time
is the Soul of the World….; it is not in time, for time is
in the horizon of the soul as its instrument, as the duration
of the living mortal who is “the shadow of the soul”, while
eternity is the duration of the living immortal – that is to
say of the Intelligence and of the Soul.
This synthesis of time as cycle and time as arrow lies at the heart of an Ismaili philosophy of active engagement in the world.
Author Information
Azim Nanji
Email: info@iis.ac.uk
The Institute of Ismaili Studies, United Kingdom
http://www.iep.utm.edu/ismaili/
Related posts:
Dr Paul Walker: Abu Ya‘qub al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary; Publication of the Institute of Ismaili Studies
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/12/528dr-paul-walker-abu-yaqub-al.html
A Blog Constructed Within a Scaffolding of the Al Sijistani-Khusraw Cosmological Doctrine and, Everywhere I Turn, There is Blogpost Four Hundred..
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
Transcendence and Distinction: Metaphoric Process in Isma‘ili Muslim Thought, by Dr Azim Nanji, Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/397transcendence-and-distinction.html
Nasir Khusraw, another Fatimid Cosmologist-Philosopher-Poet of enormous intellect from the mid-Fatimid era
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/390nasir-khusraw-another-fatimid.html
Abu Yakub al-Sijistani: Fatimid Ismaili Cosmologist, Philosopher, Theologian par excellence
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/08/388abu-yakub-al-sijistani-fatimid.html
Muslim Philosophy and the Sciences(IIS Review Article); Quotes of Aga Khan IV.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/02/331muslim-philosophy-and-sciencesiis.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
577)Algae Use Quantum Trick To Harvest Light: Study Detects Predicted Wavelike Properties During Photosynthesis; Marvel Of God's Creation
"...As we use our intellect to gain new knowledge about Creation, we come to see even more profoundly the depth and breadth of its mysteries. We explore unknown regions beneath the seas – and in outer space. We reach back over hundreds of millions of years in time. Extra-ordinary fossilised geological specimens seize our imagination – palm leaves, amethyst flowers, hedgehog quartz, sea lilies, chrysanthemum and a rich panoply of shells. Indeed, these wonders are found beneath the very soil on which we tread – in every corner of the world – and they connect us with far distant epochs and environments.And the more we discover, the more we know, the more we penetrate just below the surface of our normal lives – the more our imagination staggers. Just think for example what might lie below the surfaces of celestial bodies all across the far flung reaches of our universe. What we feel, even as we learn, is an ever-renewed sense of wonder, indeed, a powerful sense of awe – and of Divine inspiration"(Aga Khan IV, Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa, Canada, December 6th 2008)For the full version of this quote see:http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/easy-nashs-blogpost-four-hundred-updated-with-quotes-from-the-opening-of-the-delegation-of-the-ismaili-imamat/
"......The Quran tells us that signs of Allah’s Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation - in the heavens and the earth, the night and the day, the clouds and the seas, the winds and the waters...."(Aga Khan IV, Kampala, Uganda, August 22 2007)
"The God of the Quran is the One whose Ayats(Signs) are the Universe in which we live, move and have our being"(Aga Khan III, April 4th 1952, Karachi, Pakistan)
"Nature is the great daily book of God whose secrets must be found and used for the well-being of humanity"(Aga Khan III, Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan, February 19th 1950)
"O brother! You asked: What is the [meaning of] `alam [world] and what is that entity to which this name applies? How should we describe the world in its entirety? And how many worlds are there? Explain so that we may recognize. Know, O brother, that the name `alam is derived from [the word] `ilm(knowledge), because the traces of knowledge are evident in [all] parts of the physical world. Thus, we say that the very constitution (nihad) of the world is based on a profound wisdom"(Nasir Khusraw, 11th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist-philosopher-poet, from his book "Knowledge and Liberation")
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Algae use quantum trick to harvest light
Study detects predicted wavelike properties during photosynthesis
By Laura Sanders
February 27th, 2010; Vol.177 #5 (p. 10)
A dash of sunlight, a sprinkle of light-harvesting proteins and a healthy dollop of carbon dioxide is about all it takes to whip up a batch of tasty plant food — but you might want some quantum physics to stir the pot. Scientists have caught photosynthetic lake-dwelling algae performing long-lasting quantum tricks at room temperature. The results, published February 4 in Nature, suggest that quantum mechanics may be at the heart of sunlight-to-energy conversion in living organisms.
“This is quantum mechanics in a biological system,” says study coauthor Gregory Scholes, a physical chemist at the University of Toronto.
Photosynthesis relies on special proteins that absorb incoming photons, or particles of light. These photons excite electrons in the protein, touching off a series of electron transfers that ultimately ferry the energy-laden electrons to centralized collection stations (called photosystems) where the conversion of energy to carbohydrates begins.
Under normal, everyday rules, electrons would make their way to their destinations with quick random hops. But recent studies of photosynthetic bacteria and plants suggest that the electrons might act more like correlated waves instead of hopping particles, a behavior predicted by quantum mechanics (SN: 5/9/09, p. 26). These studies have mainly seen such quantum effects at very low temperatures, where the system is held very still. Scholes and colleagues devised an experiment to see whether these quantum-mechanical wavelike properties were also present at normal temperatures. The researchers purified the light-catching proteins from two types of photosynthetic algae called cryptophytes. At room temperature, the team shone a laser onto the proteins to excite them and used a second laser pulse to see where the excited electrons traveled. Patterns of long-lasting electron waves — a property called quantum coherence — indicated that quantum weirdness was at work.
“This study shows that quantum coherence is present at room temperature,” says Graham Fleming, a chemist at the University of California, Berkeley — a result predicted from his lab’s previous studies. “It is very likely a general feature of photosynthetic light harvesting complexes,” says Fleming, who pioneered some of the early studies on quantum effects in photosynthesis.
Just as jiggling water disrupts the wave pattern created by a pebble tossed into a pond, random motion from thermal energy of atoms destroys electrons’ coherent wave patterns. The researchers expected to see the coherence last for about 20 femtoseconds, Scholes says. Instead, it lasted for about 400 femtoseconds. This longevity, especially at room temperature, “is a really fantastic feature of these experiments,” Scholes says.
These long-lasting quantum effects may help explain the mystery of why the initial electron-moving reactions in photosynthesis are so efficient. In an extreme version of the algae’s quantum-mechanical trick, electrons could simultaneously take all the possible paths to a photosystem and decide after they arrived which route was best. “That vibrating electron could put some feelers out and see which path to take,” Scholes says.
The researchers don’t yet know for sure whether quantum effects are making the reaction chain more efficient. Scholes believes that they do, but more studies and modeling experiments will be required to say exactly how much of a boost quantum coherence provides.
“In my view, this long-lasting coherence may have a meaning for natural photosynthesis, in the sense that it may contribute to the effective harvesting of light energy, but this remains to be proven,” comments Rienk van Grondelle of VU University Amsterdam, who coauthored an accompanying article published in the same issue of Nature.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56002/title/Algae_use_quantum_trick_to_harvest_light
Related Posts:
No 10, Ayats(Signs) In The Universe Series:Marine Animal Steals Marine Plant's Photosynthetic Genes Then Kicks Back With No Need To Feed;Chor Salo
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/554no-10-ayatssigns-in-universe.html
A collection of posts about life: tiniest matter, supernovae, living cells, water, proteins, blood, photosynthesis, etc;Quotes of Aga Khans+others
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/01/435a-collection-of-posts-about-life.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
576)A Collection Of Posts On My Blog Relating To The Stephen Harper Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Kenney Et Al
Quote of Minister Jason Kenney that has pinkos pissing with fear:
"New Canadians are naturally conservative in the way they live their lives: they are entrepreneurial; they have a remarkable work ethic;they are an aspirational class; they want stability; they are intolerant of crime and disorder; they have a profound devotion to family and tradition, including institutions of faith. That whole spectrum of values is conservative."
Section 7 of Canada's new Citizenship Guide, entitled 'Modern Canada', has a picture of Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist Mark Tewksbury with the following caption: "Mark Tewksbury, Olympic gold medallist and prominent activist for gay and lesbian Canadians".
A picture is worth a thousand words and a picture with a caption is worth even more than a thousand words:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-07.asp
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/518section-7-modern-canada-stephen.html
Ken Kabab places whining Liberals squarely in the crosshairs of his frigid golden shower:
“The Liberals need to stop trying to politicize the guide; Brison shouldn’t ask for a guide on Canadian citizenship to really be a guide about the Liberal Party’s role in Canadian history, because then we’d have to make mention of MacKenzie King’s rejection of Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution or endorsement of Japanese internment, or Pierre Trudeau’s adoption of martial law, or the Liberal sponsorship scandal from the government of which he was a part.”(Ken Kabab, March 3rd 2010)
Ken Kabab is a pseudonym for Minister Jason Kenney's Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs.
Nationalistic Fervour Generated By Canadian Olympic Medals Perfect Time For Canadians to Refresh Knowledge Of Country:Read New Citizenship Guide:)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/03/573nationalistic-fervour-generated-by.html
PM Harper Describes With Aplomb The Ethos That Last WW1 Veteran John Babcock Represented; Canada's New Citizenship Guide Embodies That Very Ethos.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/562pm-harper-describes-with-aplomb.html
A Collection Of Posts Describing The Stephen Harper Conservative Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/12/526a-collection-of-posts-describing.html
Canadian Conservative Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney makes Courageous and Necessary Immigration Reforms
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/04/475canadian-conservative-minister-of.html
Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):
1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.
Easy Nash
"New Canadians are naturally conservative in the way they live their lives: they are entrepreneurial; they have a remarkable work ethic;they are an aspirational class; they want stability; they are intolerant of crime and disorder; they have a profound devotion to family and tradition, including institutions of faith. That whole spectrum of values is conservative."
Section 7 of Canada's new Citizenship Guide, entitled 'Modern Canada', has a picture of Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist Mark Tewksbury with the following caption: "Mark Tewksbury, Olympic gold medallist and prominent activist for gay and lesbian Canadians".
A picture is worth a thousand words and a picture with a caption is worth even more than a thousand words:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-07.asp
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/518section-7-modern-canada-stephen.html
Ken Kabab places whining Liberals squarely in the crosshairs of his frigid golden shower:
“The Liberals need to stop trying to politicize the guide; Brison shouldn’t ask for a guide on Canadian citizenship to really be a guide about the Liberal Party’s role in Canadian history, because then we’d have to make mention of MacKenzie King’s rejection of Jewish refugees escaping Nazi persecution or endorsement of Japanese internment, or Pierre Trudeau’s adoption of martial law, or the Liberal sponsorship scandal from the government of which he was a part.”(Ken Kabab, March 3rd 2010)
Ken Kabab is a pseudonym for Minister Jason Kenney's Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs.
Nationalistic Fervour Generated By Canadian Olympic Medals Perfect Time For Canadians to Refresh Knowledge Of Country:Read New Citizenship Guide:)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/03/573nationalistic-fervour-generated-by.html
PM Harper Describes With Aplomb The Ethos That Last WW1 Veteran John Babcock Represented; Canada's New Citizenship Guide Embodies That Very Ethos.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/562pm-harper-describes-with-aplomb.html
A Collection Of Posts Describing The Stephen Harper Conservative Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/12/526a-collection-of-posts-describing.html
Canadian Conservative Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney makes Courageous and Necessary Immigration Reforms
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/04/475canadian-conservative-minister-of.html
Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):
1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.
Easy Nash
575)Higg's And His Particle, The One Postulated To Bestow The Property Of Mass On All Other Elementary Particles In Nature, Prove Elusive
"One hour of contemplation on the works of the Creator is better than a thousand hours of prayer"(Prophet Muhammad, circa 632CE)
"Science is a wonderful, powerful tool and research budgets are essential. But Science is only the beginning in the new age we are entering. Islam does not perceive the world as two seperate domains of mind and spirit, science and belief. Science and the search for knowledge are an expression of man's designated role in the universe, but they do not define that role totally....."(Aga Khan IV, McMaster University Convocation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, May 15th 1987)
"An institution dedicated to proceeding beyond known limits must be committed to independent thinking. In a university scholars engage both orthodox and unorthodox ideas, seeking truth and understanding wherever they may be found. That process is often facilitated by an independent governance structure, which serves to ensure that the university adheres to its fundamental mission and is not pressured to compromise its work for short-term advantage. For a Muslim university it is appropriate to see learning and knowledge as a continuing acknowledgement of Allah's magnificence"(Aga Khan IV, Speech, 1993, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)
"In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God"(Aga Khan IV, July 23rd 2008, Lisbon, Portugal)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Higgs and his particle prove elusive
By Ron Cowen
Monday, February 15th, 2010
It somehow seemed fitting that the eminent physicist Peter Higgs was a no-show at a meeting of the American Physical Society, proving just as elusive as the long-sought elementary particle that bears his name.
Quite understandably, Higgs, now 80 and one of six winners of this year's J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, declined to venture from England to snowy Washington to give a talk on his work.
Higgs first proposed in 1964 the existence of a subatomic particle, later dubbed the Higgs, that could explain why the known elementary particles have mass. Theorists believe that all particles were massless when the universe was born but acquired mass a fraction of a second later after interacting with a theoretical field known as the Higgs field.
Ever since, physicists have been looking for the particle that generates the Higgs field. Most scientists have pinned their hopes on the Large Hadron Collider, the giant atom smasher in Geneva that is scheduled to resume regular collisions after more than a year's delay due to faulty electrical connections. That's the good news. But to avoid the risk of further electrical problems, researchers at CERN, the consortium that operates the collider, recently announced the accelerator would operate at only half its maximum power until 2013. That could seriously delay exploration of some of the highest energy particles the Large Hadron Collider can produce, including the proposed Higgs.
Although studies at Fermilab's Tevatron have narrowed the range of masses that the Higgs can have — two new Tevatron papers on the Higgs were posted here and here at the Physical Review Letters website on February 12 — the final word is still most likely to come from the Large Hadron Collider. And for that, scientists will have to wait awhile.
If the Higgs particle is found, Peter Higgs and his collaborators will likely garner another award—the Nobel Prize—in addition to the Sakurai.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56385/title/Higgs_and_his_particle_prove_elusive
Related:
Powerful Large Hadron Collider Set To Smash Protons To Uncover The Tiniest Particles Of Matter And Creation;Quotes Of Aga Khan IV And Aga Khan III
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/563powerful-large-hadron-collider-set.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
"Science is a wonderful, powerful tool and research budgets are essential. But Science is only the beginning in the new age we are entering. Islam does not perceive the world as two seperate domains of mind and spirit, science and belief. Science and the search for knowledge are an expression of man's designated role in the universe, but they do not define that role totally....."(Aga Khan IV, McMaster University Convocation, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, May 15th 1987)
"An institution dedicated to proceeding beyond known limits must be committed to independent thinking. In a university scholars engage both orthodox and unorthodox ideas, seeking truth and understanding wherever they may be found. That process is often facilitated by an independent governance structure, which serves to ensure that the university adheres to its fundamental mission and is not pressured to compromise its work for short-term advantage. For a Muslim university it is appropriate to see learning and knowledge as a continuing acknowledgement of Allah's magnificence"(Aga Khan IV, Speech, 1993, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan)
"In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God"(Aga Khan IV, July 23rd 2008, Lisbon, Portugal)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Higgs and his particle prove elusive
By Ron Cowen
Monday, February 15th, 2010
It somehow seemed fitting that the eminent physicist Peter Higgs was a no-show at a meeting of the American Physical Society, proving just as elusive as the long-sought elementary particle that bears his name.
Quite understandably, Higgs, now 80 and one of six winners of this year's J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, declined to venture from England to snowy Washington to give a talk on his work.
Higgs first proposed in 1964 the existence of a subatomic particle, later dubbed the Higgs, that could explain why the known elementary particles have mass. Theorists believe that all particles were massless when the universe was born but acquired mass a fraction of a second later after interacting with a theoretical field known as the Higgs field.
Ever since, physicists have been looking for the particle that generates the Higgs field. Most scientists have pinned their hopes on the Large Hadron Collider, the giant atom smasher in Geneva that is scheduled to resume regular collisions after more than a year's delay due to faulty electrical connections. That's the good news. But to avoid the risk of further electrical problems, researchers at CERN, the consortium that operates the collider, recently announced the accelerator would operate at only half its maximum power until 2013. That could seriously delay exploration of some of the highest energy particles the Large Hadron Collider can produce, including the proposed Higgs.
Although studies at Fermilab's Tevatron have narrowed the range of masses that the Higgs can have — two new Tevatron papers on the Higgs were posted here and here at the Physical Review Letters website on February 12 — the final word is still most likely to come from the Large Hadron Collider. And for that, scientists will have to wait awhile.
If the Higgs particle is found, Peter Higgs and his collaborators will likely garner another award—the Nobel Prize—in addition to the Sakurai.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56385/title/Higgs_and_his_particle_prove_elusive
Related:
Powerful Large Hadron Collider Set To Smash Protons To Uncover The Tiniest Particles Of Matter And Creation;Quotes Of Aga Khan IV And Aga Khan III
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2010/02/563powerful-large-hadron-collider-set.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
574)Institute Of Ismaili Studies Scholar Dr Nader El-Bizri Advises On Science Museum Exhibition In London, United Kingdom; Quotes Of Aga Khan IV
"....AND SHOULD'NT IB SCIENCE STUDENTS not learn about Ibn al-Haytham, the Muslim scholar who developed modern optics, as well as his predecessors Euclid and Ptolemy, whose ideas he challenged.....The legacy which I am describing actually goes back more than a thousand years, to the time when our forefathers, the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs of Egypt, founded Al-Azhar University and the Academy of Knowledge in Cairo. For many centuries, a commitment to learning was a central element in far-flung Islamic cultures. That commitment has continued in my own Imamat through the founding of the Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia and through the recent establishment of a new Aga Khan Academies Program."(Aga Khan IV, "The Peterson Lecture" on the International Baccalaureate, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 18 April 2008)
"The second great historical lesson to be learnt is that the Muslim world has always been wide open to every aspect of human existence. The sciences, society, art, the oceans, the environment and the cosmos have all contributed to the great moments in the history of Muslim civilisations. The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation"(Closing Address by His Highness Aga Khan IV at the "Musée-Musées" Round Table Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007)
"From the seventh century to the thirteenth century, the Muslim civilizations dominated world culture, accepting, adopting, using and preserving all preceding study of mathematics, philosophy, medicine and astronomy, among other areas of learning. The Islamic field of thought and knowledge included and added to much of the information on which all civilisations are founded. And yet this fact is seldom acknowledged today, be it in the West or in the Muslim world, and this amnesia has left a six hundred year gap in the history of human thought"(Aga Khan IV, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 1996)
"God has given us the miracle of life with all its attributes: the extraordinary manifestations of sunrise and sunset, of sickness and recovery, of birth and death, but surely if He has given us the means with which to remove ourselves from this world so as to go to other parts of the Universe, we can but accept as further manifestations the creation and destructions of stars, the birth and death of atomic particles, the flighting new sound and light waves. I am afraid that the torch of intellectual discovery, the attraction of the unknown, the desire for intellectual self-perfection have left us"(Aga Khan IV,Speech, 1963, Mindanao, Phillipines)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
IIS scholar Advises on Science Museum Exhibition
February 2010
Dr Nader El-Bizri acted as an external academic consultant for London’s Science Museum to support the launch of the temporary exhibition, 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World. The free exhibition runs from 21 January to 25 April 2010, (temporary closure between 25 February and 12 March). This ‘blockbuster’ exhibition attracted over 15,000 visitors in its first week of opening.
The exhibition launch ceremony and press preview took place on 21 January 2010; Dr El-Bizri attended the event. The preview included presentations by Professor Chris Rapley, Director of the Science Museum, and Professor Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, Chair of the ‘1001 Inventions’ initiative and President of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC). The launch ceremony was covered by national and international media.
Dr. Susan Mossman was the Project Director at the Science Museum for the '1001 Inventions' project, and Ms. Yasmin Khan curated the Science Museum display of related objects. The exhibition was produced by the FSTC, in association with the Al-Jameel Foundation.
The exhibition stems from a global educational project, managed by the FSTC, in association with the Al-Jameel Foundation. The project is also supported by the UK Home Office and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Working with international leading academics, this project engages with the public through educational media and interactive global exhibitions, in order to highlight the collective scientific and technological inheritance of humanity.
The Science Museum exhibition 1001 Inventions traces the story of a thousand years of science from the Muslim world; from the 7th century CE onwards, as well as celebrating the shared and universal scientific heritage of other cultures. The exhibition looks at the social, scientific and technical achievements that are credited to the Muslim world; showing how many modern inventions, spanning fields such as engineering, medicine and design, can trace their roots back to Muslim civilisations and their material cultures.
The exhibition space is designed in seven thematic zones: home, school, market, hospital, town, world and universe. These feature a diverse range of more than sixty displays, electronic interactive pods and dramatisation. Also included in the exhibition are valuable historical artefacts from the Science Museum collection, many of which have never been on public display.
The reproduction of a 9th century flying device is also shown, together with a six-metre high replica of the iconic and visually striking ‘Elephant Clock’, designed by the celebrated mechanics scholar and polymath, Ibn al-Razaz al-Jazari (1136 - 1206 CE). A short film, starring Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley as al-Jazari, educates visitors through means of historical drama about science in Muslim civilisations.
After leaving the Science Museum, the exhibition will tour some of the world’s most respected museums and centres of learning over a period of four years, bringing the exhibition to a worldwide audience.
Further information is available via the following websites:Science Museum, London
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/1001_inventions.aspx
Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation
http://www.1001inventions.com/
http://www.1001inventions.com/node/99
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8472111.stm
Please note that the images of the exhibition objects are copyright of 1001 Inventions.
http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111233
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/institute-of-ismaili-studies-scholar-advises-on-science-museum-exhibition/
Related Posts On This Blog:
"1001 Inventions:Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World";Quotes of Noble Quran, Prophet Muhammad, Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan III and Nasir Khusraw.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/3851001-inventions-discover-muslim.html
Book Recommendation: "1001 Inventions Book: Muslim Heritage in Our World"
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/06/370book-recommendation-1001-inventions.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
he Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
"The second great historical lesson to be learnt is that the Muslim world has always been wide open to every aspect of human existence. The sciences, society, art, the oceans, the environment and the cosmos have all contributed to the great moments in the history of Muslim civilisations. The Qur’an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God’s creation"(Closing Address by His Highness Aga Khan IV at the "Musée-Musées" Round Table Louvre Museum, Paris, France, October 17th 2007)
"From the seventh century to the thirteenth century, the Muslim civilizations dominated world culture, accepting, adopting, using and preserving all preceding study of mathematics, philosophy, medicine and astronomy, among other areas of learning. The Islamic field of thought and knowledge included and added to much of the information on which all civilisations are founded. And yet this fact is seldom acknowledged today, be it in the West or in the Muslim world, and this amnesia has left a six hundred year gap in the history of human thought"(Aga Khan IV, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA, 1996)
"God has given us the miracle of life with all its attributes: the extraordinary manifestations of sunrise and sunset, of sickness and recovery, of birth and death, but surely if He has given us the means with which to remove ourselves from this world so as to go to other parts of the Universe, we can but accept as further manifestations the creation and destructions of stars, the birth and death of atomic particles, the flighting new sound and light waves. I am afraid that the torch of intellectual discovery, the attraction of the unknown, the desire for intellectual self-perfection have left us"(Aga Khan IV,Speech, 1963, Mindanao, Phillipines)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
IIS scholar Advises on Science Museum Exhibition
February 2010
Dr Nader El-Bizri acted as an external academic consultant for London’s Science Museum to support the launch of the temporary exhibition, 1001 Inventions: Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World. The free exhibition runs from 21 January to 25 April 2010, (temporary closure between 25 February and 12 March). This ‘blockbuster’ exhibition attracted over 15,000 visitors in its first week of opening.
The exhibition launch ceremony and press preview took place on 21 January 2010; Dr El-Bizri attended the event. The preview included presentations by Professor Chris Rapley, Director of the Science Museum, and Professor Salim T. S. Al-Hassani, Chair of the ‘1001 Inventions’ initiative and President of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC). The launch ceremony was covered by national and international media.
Dr. Susan Mossman was the Project Director at the Science Museum for the '1001 Inventions' project, and Ms. Yasmin Khan curated the Science Museum display of related objects. The exhibition was produced by the FSTC, in association with the Al-Jameel Foundation.
The exhibition stems from a global educational project, managed by the FSTC, in association with the Al-Jameel Foundation. The project is also supported by the UK Home Office and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Working with international leading academics, this project engages with the public through educational media and interactive global exhibitions, in order to highlight the collective scientific and technological inheritance of humanity.
The Science Museum exhibition 1001 Inventions traces the story of a thousand years of science from the Muslim world; from the 7th century CE onwards, as well as celebrating the shared and universal scientific heritage of other cultures. The exhibition looks at the social, scientific and technical achievements that are credited to the Muslim world; showing how many modern inventions, spanning fields such as engineering, medicine and design, can trace their roots back to Muslim civilisations and their material cultures.
The exhibition space is designed in seven thematic zones: home, school, market, hospital, town, world and universe. These feature a diverse range of more than sixty displays, electronic interactive pods and dramatisation. Also included in the exhibition are valuable historical artefacts from the Science Museum collection, many of which have never been on public display.
The reproduction of a 9th century flying device is also shown, together with a six-metre high replica of the iconic and visually striking ‘Elephant Clock’, designed by the celebrated mechanics scholar and polymath, Ibn al-Razaz al-Jazari (1136 - 1206 CE). A short film, starring Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley as al-Jazari, educates visitors through means of historical drama about science in Muslim civilisations.
After leaving the Science Museum, the exhibition will tour some of the world’s most respected museums and centres of learning over a period of four years, bringing the exhibition to a worldwide audience.
Further information is available via the following websites:Science Museum, London
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/1001_inventions.aspx
Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation
http://www.1001inventions.com/
http://www.1001inventions.com/node/99
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8472111.stm
Please note that the images of the exhibition objects are copyright of 1001 Inventions.
http://iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=111233
http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2010/02/27/institute-of-ismaili-studies-scholar-advises-on-science-museum-exhibition/
Related Posts On This Blog:
"1001 Inventions:Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World";Quotes of Noble Quran, Prophet Muhammad, Aga Khan IV, Aga Khan III and Nasir Khusraw.
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/07/3851001-inventions-discover-muslim.html
Book Recommendation: "1001 Inventions Book: Muslim Heritage in Our World"
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/06/370book-recommendation-1001-inventions.html
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
he Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
573)Nationalistic Fervour Generated By Canadian Olympic Medals Perfect Time For Canadians to Refresh Knowledge Of Country:Read New Citizenship Guide:)
Related Articles:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper interviewed at the Olympics
http://www.stephentaylor.ca/2010/03/prime-minister-stephen-harper-interviewed-at-the-olympics/
Games just the start of 'Canada's year,' in spotlight, Harper says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/games-just-the-start-of-canadas-year-in-spotlight-harper-says/article1486347/
Peak Diplomacy: Canada’s Prime Minister Harper meets athletes and world leaders in Whistler
http://www.examiner.com/x-34827-Cultural-Olympiad-Examiner~y2010m2d26-Peak-Diplomacy-Canadas-Prime-Minister-Harper-meets-athletes-and-world-leaders-in-Whistler
Harper has some advice for Team Canada heading into gold medal match
http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/772861--harper-has-some-advice-for-team-canada-heading-into-gold-medal-match
Stephen Harper interviews Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe
http://www.stephentaylor.ca/2010/02/stephen-harper-interviews-wayne-gretzky-and-gordie-howe/
A Collection Of Posts Describing In Detail The Stephen Harper Conservative Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Canadian Federal Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney.
Among the tens of thousands of people from six continents who visit my Blog there must be a significant number who may show an interest in becoming Canadian citizens now or in the future. Consequently I am showcasing on my Blog the Stephen Harper Conservative Government's magnificent new Citizenship Guide for prospective Canadian citizens unveiled on November 12th 2009, the day after Rememberance Day. When I read the online version of this booklet I came away feeling a deep sense of awe and admiration for the country I have lived in for the past 36 years, 5 as a landed immigrant and 31 as a citizen. Indeed this booklet should not just be required reading for prospective Canadians but also for established Canadian citizens of all ages. It's always refreshing to remind ourselves about our secular democracy-its evolution, history, system of government, regions, rights and responsibilities, justice system, economy, symbols, achievements and much, much more. The text of the booklet has been carefully researched and well written and the many photographs wisely chosen. While I have reproduced all the text from the Guide in the following Blogposts one cannot fully appreciate the material without also looking at the photographs and their captions. For that reason each Blogpost has two links to the original page on the Citizenship And Immigration Canada(CIC) website, one at the beginning and one at the end of the post.
On another forum I made the following comment to commemorate Rememberance Day on November 11th 2009: Canada is a stable secular democratic state with a solid, longstanding and admirable history. It is not a disparate bunch of autonomous multicultural fiefdoms as some political parties would have you beleive. Canada is the Magna Carta(1215), War of 1812, British North America Act(1867), Boer War(1899-1902), Vimy Ridge, Ypres and Paschendale(1914-1918), Dieppe, Monte Cassino, D-Day, Juno Beach, Belgium and Holland(1939-1945), Korean War(1950-1953), Cold War(1917-1989), Vietnam War(1960's) and Afghanistan(post 2001).
THE STEPHEN HARPER Government's New Citizenship Study Guide To Help Newcomers And Canadians Better Understand Canada; Quotes Of Hon. Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/510the-stephen-harper-governments-new.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-11-12.asp
OVERVIEW, The Harper Government's Citizenship Guide:Discover Canada,The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship;Quotes of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/511overview-harper-governments.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp
SECTION 1: THE OATH OF CITIZENSHIP/LE SERMENT DE CITOYENNETE; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/512section-1-oath-of-citizenshiple.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-01.asp
SECTION 2: MESSAGE TO OUR READERS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/513section-2-message-to-our-readers.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-02.asp
SECTION 3: APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/514section-3-applying-for-citizenship.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-03.asp
SECTION 4: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENSHIP; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/515section-4-rights-and.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-04.asp
SECTION 5: WHO WE ARE; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/516section-5-who-we-are-stephen-harper.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-05.asp
SECTION 6: CANADA'S HISTORY; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/517section-6-canadas-history-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-06.asp
SECTION 7: MODERN CANADA; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/518section-7-modern-canada-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-07.asp
SECTION 8: HOW CANADIANS GOVERN THEMSELVES; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/519section-8-how-canadians-govern.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-08.asp
SECTION 9: FEDERAL ELECTIONS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/520section-9-federal-elections-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-09.asp
SECTION 10: THE JUSTICE SYSTEM; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/521section-10-justice-system-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-10.asp
SECTION 11: CANADIAN SYMBOLS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/522section-11-canadian-symbols-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-11.asp
SECTION 12: CANADA'S ECONOMY; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/522section-12-canadas-economy-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-12.asp
SECTION 13: CANADA'S REGIONS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/523section-13-canadas-regions-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-13.asp
SECTION 14: FOR MORE INFORMATION; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/524section-14-for-more-information.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-14.asp
SECTION 15: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND PHOTO CREDITS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/525section-15-acknowledgements-and.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-15.asp
Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):
1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.
Easy Nash
Prime Minister Stephen Harper interviewed at the Olympics
http://www.stephentaylor.ca/2010/03/prime-minister-stephen-harper-interviewed-at-the-olympics/
Games just the start of 'Canada's year,' in spotlight, Harper says
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/games-just-the-start-of-canadas-year-in-spotlight-harper-says/article1486347/
Peak Diplomacy: Canada’s Prime Minister Harper meets athletes and world leaders in Whistler
http://www.examiner.com/x-34827-Cultural-Olympiad-Examiner~y2010m2d26-Peak-Diplomacy-Canadas-Prime-Minister-Harper-meets-athletes-and-world-leaders-in-Whistler
Harper has some advice for Team Canada heading into gold medal match
http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/772861--harper-has-some-advice-for-team-canada-heading-into-gold-medal-match
Stephen Harper interviews Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe
http://www.stephentaylor.ca/2010/02/stephen-harper-interviews-wayne-gretzky-and-gordie-howe/
A Collection Of Posts Describing In Detail The Stephen Harper Conservative Government's Magnificent New Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Canadian Federal Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney.
Among the tens of thousands of people from six continents who visit my Blog there must be a significant number who may show an interest in becoming Canadian citizens now or in the future. Consequently I am showcasing on my Blog the Stephen Harper Conservative Government's magnificent new Citizenship Guide for prospective Canadian citizens unveiled on November 12th 2009, the day after Rememberance Day. When I read the online version of this booklet I came away feeling a deep sense of awe and admiration for the country I have lived in for the past 36 years, 5 as a landed immigrant and 31 as a citizen. Indeed this booklet should not just be required reading for prospective Canadians but also for established Canadian citizens of all ages. It's always refreshing to remind ourselves about our secular democracy-its evolution, history, system of government, regions, rights and responsibilities, justice system, economy, symbols, achievements and much, much more. The text of the booklet has been carefully researched and well written and the many photographs wisely chosen. While I have reproduced all the text from the Guide in the following Blogposts one cannot fully appreciate the material without also looking at the photographs and their captions. For that reason each Blogpost has two links to the original page on the Citizenship And Immigration Canada(CIC) website, one at the beginning and one at the end of the post.
On another forum I made the following comment to commemorate Rememberance Day on November 11th 2009: Canada is a stable secular democratic state with a solid, longstanding and admirable history. It is not a disparate bunch of autonomous multicultural fiefdoms as some political parties would have you beleive. Canada is the Magna Carta(1215), War of 1812, British North America Act(1867), Boer War(1899-1902), Vimy Ridge, Ypres and Paschendale(1914-1918), Dieppe, Monte Cassino, D-Day, Juno Beach, Belgium and Holland(1939-1945), Korean War(1950-1953), Cold War(1917-1989), Vietnam War(1960's) and Afghanistan(post 2001).
THE STEPHEN HARPER Government's New Citizenship Study Guide To Help Newcomers And Canadians Better Understand Canada; Quotes Of Hon. Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/510the-stephen-harper-governments-new.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-11-12.asp
OVERVIEW, The Harper Government's Citizenship Guide:Discover Canada,The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship;Quotes of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/511overview-harper-governments.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp
SECTION 1: THE OATH OF CITIZENSHIP/LE SERMENT DE CITOYENNETE; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/512section-1-oath-of-citizenshiple.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-01.asp
SECTION 2: MESSAGE TO OUR READERS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/513section-2-message-to-our-readers.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-02.asp
SECTION 3: APPLYING FOR CITIZENSHIP; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/514section-3-applying-for-citizenship.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-03.asp
SECTION 4: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENSHIP; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/515section-4-rights-and.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-04.asp
SECTION 5: WHO WE ARE; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/516section-5-who-we-are-stephen-harper.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-05.asp
SECTION 6: CANADA'S HISTORY; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/517section-6-canadas-history-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-06.asp
SECTION 7: MODERN CANADA; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/518section-7-modern-canada-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-07.asp
SECTION 8: HOW CANADIANS GOVERN THEMSELVES; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/519section-8-how-canadians-govern.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-08.asp
SECTION 9: FEDERAL ELECTIONS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/520section-9-federal-elections-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-09.asp
SECTION 10: THE JUSTICE SYSTEM; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/521section-10-justice-system-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-10.asp
SECTION 11: CANADIAN SYMBOLS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/522section-11-canadian-symbols-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-11.asp
SECTION 12: CANADA'S ECONOMY; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/522section-12-canadas-economy-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-12.asp
SECTION 13: CANADA'S REGIONS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/523section-13-canadas-regions-stephen.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-13.asp
SECTION 14: FOR MORE INFORMATION; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/524section-14-for-more-information.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-14.asp
SECTION 15: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND PHOTO CREDITS; The Stephen Harper Government's Citizenship Guide; Quotes Of Minister Jason Kenney
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/11/525section-15-acknowledgements-and.html
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-15.asp
Quotes Of Canadian Minister Of Citizenship, Immigration And Multiculturalism Hon. Jason Kenney(2009):
1)When you become a citizen, you're not just getting a travel document into Hotel Canada.
2)I think it's scandalous that someone could become a Canadian not knowing what the poppy represents, or never having heard of Vimy Ridge, Passchendaele, Dieppe or Juno Beach.
3)We mention freedom of conscience and freedom of religion as important rights but we also make it very clear that our laws prohibit barbaric cultural practices, they will not be tolerated, whether or not someone claims that such practices are protected by reference to religion.
4)I think we need to reclaim a deeper sense of citizenship, a sense of shared obligations to one another, to our past, as well as to the future, a kind of civic nationalism where people understand the institutions, values and symbols that are rooted in our history.
Easy Nash
Monday, March 1, 2010
572)Recently Discovered New Element #112 On Periodic Table Named Copernicum After European Renaissance Polish Physicist-Astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus
"Islamic doctrine goes further than the other great religions, for it proclaims the presence of the soul, perhaps minute but nevertheless existing in an embryonic state, in all existence in matter, in animals, trees, and space itself. Every individual, every molecule, every atom has its own spiritual relationship with the All-Powerful Soul of God"(Memoirs of Aga Khan III, 1954)
"Tarkib' is composition as in the compounding of elements in the process of making more complex things, that is, of adding together two things to form a synthesis, a compound. Soul composes in the sense of 'tarkib'; it is the animating force that combines the physical elements of the natural universe into beings that move and act. Incorporating is an especially apt word in this instance. It means to turn something into a body, as in 'composing'. But it is actually the conversion of an intellectual object, a thought, into a physical thing. Soul acts by incorporating reason into physical objects, the natural matter of the universe and all the things composed of it"(Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani,10th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist, d971CE, from the book, 'Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary', by Paul Walker)
"Every particle of the Creation has a share of the Command of God, because every creature shares a part of the Command of God through which it has come to be there and by virtue of which it remains in being and the light of the Command of God shines in it. Understand this!"(Abu Yakub Al Sijistani, 10th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist, d971, Kashf al-Mahjub("Unveiling of the Hidden"))
"O brother! You asked: What is the [meaning of] `alam [world] and what is that entity to which this name applies? How should we describe the world in its entirety? And how many worlds are there? Explain so that we may recognize. Know, O brother, that the name `alam is derived from [the word] `ilm(knowledge), because the traces of knowledge are evident in [all] parts of the physical world. Thus, we say that the very constitution (nihad) of the world is based on a profound wisdom"(Nasir Khusraw, 11th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist-philosopher-poet, from his book "Knowledge and Liberation")
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Naming an atomic heavyweight
International body approves the name "copernicium" for element 112
By Rachel Ehrenberg
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Enlarge
Namesake
Element 112 in the periodic table has been officially named copernicium after scholar Nicolaus Copernicus (above), whose theory of a sun-centered universe kicked off the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries.
There’s a new heavy in town. Element 112, a “superheavy” element with an atomic mass of 278, has been officially named copernicium, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced February 19. It is the heaviest named element to date.
Scientists hope the new element is a stepping stone toward the predicted “island of stability,” a region of the periodic table where researchers expect to find new superheavy elements. These new elements may last longer than a few seconds—most heavy elements are unstable—and might be exploited for purposes still unknown.
“One of the exciting things is, how far can we keep going?” says nuclear chemist Paul Karol of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “We might find something that is stable and has unusual applications.”
A team led by Sigurd Hofmann of the Center for Heavy Ion Research, or GSI, in Darmstadt, Germany, created copernicium, symbol Cn, in 1996 by bombarding a lead target (each lead atom has 82 protons) with zinc isotopes (with 30 protons). It took a week to create one atom of the stuff, Hofmann notes in a commentary in the February Nature Chemistry. And it took 14 years of follow-up research for Hofmann’s team and other researchers to validate the feat to the satisfaction of the IUPAC.
Forcing two nuclei together is no small task, says John W. Jost, former director of IUPAC, which is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C. It requires breaking through the barrier of electrostatic repulsive forces that act at larger scales in the atom to get to the attractive forces binding the nucleus, and using those forces to lasso two nuclei together. Even once such fusion has occurred, the product decays almost instantaneously. Researchers then must piece together this “decay chain” to figure out what element they created. The whole process is akin to “shooting a piston from outside a barn at an engine inside,” says Jost. “Once in a while it goes in the right spot and you’ve got a piston inside a cylinder, but then the engine falls apart.”
Uranium, with 92 protons, is the heaviest element that appears naturally in significant quantities. Scientists have synthesized all of the heavier, or “transuranic,” elements in the lab. Hofmann and his colleagues, who had previously made elements 107 to 111, used the Universal Linear Accelerator in Darmstadt to make copernicium. The 120-meter-long accelerator shoots ions at about 10 percent the speed of light.
Sitting below zinc, cadmium and mercury in the periodic table, copernicium may behave similarly to these transition metals, which are known for being comfortable with more than one configuration of electrons. Copernicium might be more volatile than mercury but still be liquid at room temperature, Hofmann speculates.
Copernicium is named for the Renaissance astronomer Copernicus, who is best known for turning the earth-centered view of the universe inside out by presenting the first fully conceived theory of a planetary system centered on the sun rather than the Earth. The beauty of the name, Hofmann notes, is that Copernicus’ concept of an attractive central object holding smaller ones in orbit around it is much like an atom writ large.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56651/title/Naming_an_atomic_heavyweight
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
"Tarkib' is composition as in the compounding of elements in the process of making more complex things, that is, of adding together two things to form a synthesis, a compound. Soul composes in the sense of 'tarkib'; it is the animating force that combines the physical elements of the natural universe into beings that move and act. Incorporating is an especially apt word in this instance. It means to turn something into a body, as in 'composing'. But it is actually the conversion of an intellectual object, a thought, into a physical thing. Soul acts by incorporating reason into physical objects, the natural matter of the universe and all the things composed of it"(Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani,10th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist, d971CE, from the book, 'Abu Yakub Al-Sijistani: Intellectual Missionary', by Paul Walker)
"Every particle of the Creation has a share of the Command of God, because every creature shares a part of the Command of God through which it has come to be there and by virtue of which it remains in being and the light of the Command of God shines in it. Understand this!"(Abu Yakub Al Sijistani, 10th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist, d971, Kashf al-Mahjub("Unveiling of the Hidden"))
"O brother! You asked: What is the [meaning of] `alam [world] and what is that entity to which this name applies? How should we describe the world in its entirety? And how many worlds are there? Explain so that we may recognize. Know, O brother, that the name `alam is derived from [the word] `ilm(knowledge), because the traces of knowledge are evident in [all] parts of the physical world. Thus, we say that the very constitution (nihad) of the world is based on a profound wisdom"(Nasir Khusraw, 11th century Fatimid Ismaili cosmologist-philosopher-poet, from his book "Knowledge and Liberation")
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/09/400blogpost-four-hundred-knowledge.html
Naming an atomic heavyweight
International body approves the name "copernicium" for element 112
By Rachel Ehrenberg
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Enlarge
Namesake
Element 112 in the periodic table has been officially named copernicium after scholar Nicolaus Copernicus (above), whose theory of a sun-centered universe kicked off the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries.
There’s a new heavy in town. Element 112, a “superheavy” element with an atomic mass of 278, has been officially named copernicium, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced February 19. It is the heaviest named element to date.
Scientists hope the new element is a stepping stone toward the predicted “island of stability,” a region of the periodic table where researchers expect to find new superheavy elements. These new elements may last longer than a few seconds—most heavy elements are unstable—and might be exploited for purposes still unknown.
“One of the exciting things is, how far can we keep going?” says nuclear chemist Paul Karol of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. “We might find something that is stable and has unusual applications.”
A team led by Sigurd Hofmann of the Center for Heavy Ion Research, or GSI, in Darmstadt, Germany, created copernicium, symbol Cn, in 1996 by bombarding a lead target (each lead atom has 82 protons) with zinc isotopes (with 30 protons). It took a week to create one atom of the stuff, Hofmann notes in a commentary in the February Nature Chemistry. And it took 14 years of follow-up research for Hofmann’s team and other researchers to validate the feat to the satisfaction of the IUPAC.
Forcing two nuclei together is no small task, says John W. Jost, former director of IUPAC, which is headquartered in Research Triangle Park, N.C. It requires breaking through the barrier of electrostatic repulsive forces that act at larger scales in the atom to get to the attractive forces binding the nucleus, and using those forces to lasso two nuclei together. Even once such fusion has occurred, the product decays almost instantaneously. Researchers then must piece together this “decay chain” to figure out what element they created. The whole process is akin to “shooting a piston from outside a barn at an engine inside,” says Jost. “Once in a while it goes in the right spot and you’ve got a piston inside a cylinder, but then the engine falls apart.”
Uranium, with 92 protons, is the heaviest element that appears naturally in significant quantities. Scientists have synthesized all of the heavier, or “transuranic,” elements in the lab. Hofmann and his colleagues, who had previously made elements 107 to 111, used the Universal Linear Accelerator in Darmstadt to make copernicium. The 120-meter-long accelerator shoots ions at about 10 percent the speed of light.
Sitting below zinc, cadmium and mercury in the periodic table, copernicium may behave similarly to these transition metals, which are known for being comfortable with more than one configuration of electrons. Copernicium might be more volatile than mercury but still be liquid at room temperature, Hofmann speculates.
Copernicium is named for the Renaissance astronomer Copernicus, who is best known for turning the earth-centered view of the universe inside out by presenting the first fully conceived theory of a planetary system centered on the sun rather than the Earth. The beauty of the name, Hofmann notes, is that Copernicus’ concept of an attractive central object holding smaller ones in orbit around it is much like an atom writ large.
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/56651/title/Naming_an_atomic_heavyweight
Easy Nash
http://apps.facebook.com/blognetworks/blog/science_and_religion_in_islam_the_link/
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/08/500blogpost-five-hundred-is-blogpost.html
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2009/03/453a-blog-constructed-within.html
In Shia Islam, intellect is a key component of faith. Intellect allows us to understand the creation of God: Aga Khan IV(2008)
The Qur'an itself repeatedly recommends Muslims to become better educated in order better to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
The Quran tells us that signs of Allah's Sovereignty are found in the contemplation of His Creation: Aga Khan IV(2007)
This notion of the capacity of the human intellect to understand and to admire the creation of Allah will bring you happiness in your everyday lives: Aga Khan IV(2007)
Islam, eminently logical, placing the greatest emphasis on knowledge, purports to understand God's creation: Aga Khan IV(2006)
The Holy Qu'ran's encouragement to study nature and the physical world around us gave the original impetus to scientific enquiry among Muslims: Aga Khan IV(1985)
The first and only thing created by God was the Intellect(Aql): Prophet Muhammad(circa 632CE)
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