http://www.digitaljournal.com/life/health/op-ed-fox-news-bill-o-reilly-mocks-berkeley-s-free-medical-marijuana/article/389239
Op-Ed: Fox News' Bill O'Reilly mocks Berkeley's free medical marijuana
Posted Jul 11, 2014	by Brett Wilkins
Displaying characteristically staggering (wilfull?) ignorance, Fox News blowhard Bill O'Reilly hosted a panel mocking a California city's compassionate decision to provide free medical marijuana to low and no-income residents.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates and members of the City Council address a May, 2013 rally in support of local medical marijuana dispensary Berkeley Patients Group (BPG).
Brett Wilkins
On Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council unanimously approved a landmark measure requiring the city's medical marijuana dispensaries to give at least two percent of their cannabis to local residents who earn less than $32,000 per year, and families of four who earn no more than $46,000. The median income in the affluent Bay Area city is more than $62,000; for families, more than $102,000.
Berkeley's move has been praised by just about everyone who can empathize with sick, poor people finally getting access to what is sometimes life-saving medicine they could once ill afford (a gram of medical marijuana costs around $15), in a land without universal health care that lets 45,000 of its own citizens die each year for lack of medical coverage.
In other words, this ordinance is a bold, humane step forward, an example that will surely inspire countless other progressive cities and towns around the nation and the world.
But for the folks at Fox, Berkeley's compassion was just another opportunity to take some cheap shots at one of the most progressive — and successful — places in America. Appearing on The O'Reilly Factor on Thursday, Fox host Greg Gutfeld, Fox contributor Bernard McGuirk and host Bill O'Reilly entered into a fierce competition to determine who could appear the most ignorant about medical marijuana,
"It's discrimination," Gutfeld said of the Berkeley law. "What about drunks? Why can't I get free booze in Berkeley?"
Let's see: because you're not a Berkeley resident, your net worth is $2 million and, since you seem so clueless, marijuana is life-saving medicine (in more ways than are immediately obvious) while alcohol is poison that kills 88,000 Americans every year.
"You don't give pot to homeless, jobless people," added Gutfeld. "That's not going to get them to go to Kinko's to put their resumé."
Ah, but for many people suffering from debilitating ailments for which medical marijuana provides relief — and all that entails — that medicine provides the precious gift of mobility that allows them to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
But for O'Reilly and his ilk, it's far easier to mock "Berzerkeley" and "San Francisco values."
Gutfeld suggested giving homeless people "some meth, maybe Adderall" instead of medical marijuana, and then predicted that "people who are living on the streets and who are high are inevitably going to get the munchies, and then your pets are going to go missing."
"This is so insane," said O'Reilly — not the idea of homeless people devouring maltipoos, but rather the idea of putting people first by providing for their essential health care needs.
"They're forcing the businessman to pay up," said Gutfeld of the law's requirement that medical marijuana dispensaries give away at least two percent of their medicine each year.
But nobody had to "force" Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), arguably the most prominent dispensary in the Bay Area, to donate their medicine. As part of their Helping Hands program, they've been giving the stuff out for free since opening their doors back in 1999.
This all proved too much for O'Reilly and company to grasp.
"Why would you want to live there?" O'Reilly asked about Berkeley.
No particular reason, I suppose, except that the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most vibrant, creative, diverse, intelligent, successful and naturally beautiful places on earth. Many of us would never dream of living anywhere else. And frankly, we're glad the likes of Bill O'Reilly shun us. Regressives live in the shadows here, and we're all much better off for that.


Title: Albert W. Hicks
Subject: List of pirates, 1820s births, American pirates, 1860 deaths, List of people associated with the California Gold Rush
Collection: 1820S Births, 1860 Crimes, 1860 Deaths, 19Th-Century Executions by the United States, 19Th-Century Executions of American People by Hanging, American Murderers, American Pirates, People Executed by the United States Federal Government by Hanging, People Executed for Piracy, People of the California Gold Rush
July 13, 1860(1860-07-13) (age 39-40)
Criminal penalty
Death by hanging
Conviction(s)
Albert W. Hicks (c. 1820 – July 13, 1860), also known as William Johnson, John Hicks and 'Pirate Hicks', was a triple murderer, and the last person executed for piracy in the United States (though the execution of the slaver Nathaniel Gordon in 1862 was under the terms of the Piracy Law of 1820).
Confession 2
References in Modern Culture 4
Discrepancies 5
In March 1860, Hicks, a long-time sailor, was drugged and schooner J. R. Mather.
Hicks then took all the money on board (about $500) and abandoned ship in a yawl, landing on Staten Island. When the wrecked A.E. Johnson was brought ashore, with the murder victims' blood still very much in evidence, Hicks’s day of reckoning neared. After being pursued by authorities through several states, he was captured in Providence, Rhode Island and found to be in possession of the watch of Captain Burr, several money bags, and a coat of Watts's containing a daguerreotype belonging to Oliver Watts.
Hicks confessed to the three murders, and also claimed to have killed 97 others in California gold camps, as well as having committed a similar piracy in South America. He gave his reason as "...the devil took possession of me."
"The affair occurred," said Hicks, "about half past nine or ten o'clock at night, while Captain Burr and one of the Watts boys were asleep in the cabin. I was steering at the time, and the other Watts was on the lookout at the bow. Suddenly the devil took possession of me, and I determined to murder the captain and crew that very night. Creeping forward softly I stole upon the boy at the bow, and with one blow knocked him senseless. I believe he died in a few minutes after I struck him. The noise attracted the attention of the other Watts, who jumped out of bed, and came up the companion way to see what was the matter. Just at that moment I struck him a heavy blow on the head with the axe and soon he was dead. Then I went down in search of the captain, and upon going into the cabin we immediately came in contact. Captain Burr, who was a strong, able bodied man fought hard with me for several minutes; but at last I brought him down, and he, too, was soon dead. After rifling the captain's money bags, I commenced to throw, the bodies over board. They had been dead about an hour at this time, and sank into the sea the minute I threw them over the rail.
The knife marks found on the gunwale of the sloop were not made by me. I had no occasion to make them, as the men had all been dead an hour, and could not have clung to the rail, as was supposed. I should think we were about fifty miles at sea at the time, so that it was improbable that any of the bodies will ever be recovered. While I was on board the sloop the devil was always by my side and sustained me, but while I have been locked up here he has deserted me, and I feel bad."[1]
He was executed by hanging, on Bedloe's Island, now known as Liberty Island. An estimated ten thousand people viewed the event from boats anchored in New York Bay. His last wish was to see the steamship Great Eastern, the world's largest passenger ship at the time, which was docked in New York.[2] Soon after his burial, grave robbers stole his body. Some thought that he had survived, but his body was actually sold to medical students.
References in Modern Culture
A ballad was written about him by Henry Sherman Backus, titled Hicks the Pirate in March 1860. P. T. Barnum’s American Museum featured a wax image of Hicks. Barnum also arranged for Hicks to be hanged in a silk pirate costume, which he later charged admission to view.[3]
His name became a slang gambling phrase, meaning "Six on a pair of dice."[4]
He was portrayed as a wax figure who apparently comes to life and commits a murder, in an episode of The Twilight Zone, The New Exhibit.
Discrepancies
There are several discrepancies between this account and that found in Herbert Asbury's classic crime history The Gangs of New York - an Informal History of the Underworld (1928, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.)
Most notably, Ashbury gives Hicks's name as "Albert E. Hicks" (not "Albert W. Hicks") and says that he commonly went by the nickname of "Hicksey".
Furthermore, Ashbury say that the name of the sloop was the "E.A. Johnson" (and not the "A.E. Johnson").
He also says that "four human fingers and a thumb" were found on the deck of the sloop. And that in his confession Hicks said that after "decapitating" the second Watts brother and driving his axe "deep into the side of the captain's head", that he "went on the deck were he found the Watts boy he had first assaulted struggling to his knees. The gangster [i.e., Hicks] knocked him down and then carried his body to the rail, where he hoisted the lad over the side of the sloop. But young Watts clutched the rail, whereupon Hicks raised his axe and calmly cut off his thumb and fingers, and Watts fell into the sea. Hicks then threw the other bodies overboard..."
And regarding P.T. Barnum's role, Ashbury writes that "Among the first [visitors to Hicks while he was held in "the Tombs"] was... Barnum, [who] asked for a private conference with the prisoner, which Hicks granted ... Barnum informed the pirate that he wished to obtain a plaster cast of his head and bust for exhibition in [Barnum's] Museum ... and after an entire day of haggling an argement [sic] was reached whereby Hicks agreed to pose in return for $25 in cash and two boxes of five-cent cigars. Early next morning the cast was made, and that afternoon Barnum returned to the Tombs with a new set of clothes, which he traded to Hicks for the one the pirate was then wearing. Later Hicks complained to the Warden that Barnum had cheated him, for the new garments were shoddy and not nearly so good a his old ones."
^ "The Pirate Hicks." "New York Herald," July 14, 1860.
^ Dugan, James. The Great Iron Ship, 1953 (regularly reprinted) ISBN 0-7509-3447-6 , pp. 70-71
^ magazine. December 1954. PDFVelda
^ Monteleone, Vincent (2004). Criminal Slang. New York: Lawbook Exchange.
Fowler, Lorenzo Niles. The Life, Trial, Confession and Execution of Albert W. Hicks, The Pirate and Murderer, Executed on Bedloe’s Island, New York Bay. (New York: Robert M. De Witt, Publisher, 1860?) Illustrations from the book
Hicks, Albert W. Story Of My Life
Steelwater, Eliza (2003). The Hangman's Knot. Boulder: Westview Press.
Edmund Pearson. Instigation of the Devil, (New York, London: Charles Scribners' Sons, 1930), Chapter XVII: The Hanging of Hicks the Pirate, p. 207-216, 352.
Thorn, John. "Murder and Mayhem, Tra-La! The Saugerties Bard." VOICES: The Journal of New York Folklore, Vol. 31, Fall-Winter, 2005.
Vincent, Francis. Vincent's Semi-annual United States Register, 1860
July 14, 1860 edition of the New York Tribune
Photo drawing of the scene of the execution
1860 crimes
American pirates
19th-century executions of American people by hanging
People executed for piracy
People executed by the United States federal government by hanging
19th-century executions by the United States
People of the California Gold Rush
American murderers
California, Gold, California Trail, San Francisco, Mexico
Iceland, Morocco, Sardinia, Miguel de Cervantes, Napoleonic Wars
List of pirates
Germany, Venezuela, England, France, Piracy
1820s, Juh, Absalom Greeley, Albert W. Hicks, Anselme Bellegarrigue
United States, Pirate, Albert W. Hicks, Ben Pease, Bill Johnston (pirate)
Arthur Schopenhauer, 1860, Aaron Dwight Stevens, Abijah Bigelow, Abraham Kirkpatrick Lewis
List of people associated with the California Gold Rush
Mexico, Mark Twain, United States, Northern California, Grass Valley, California


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Blog Categories all music news Tobias Forge On Taking Ghost's Live Show Into U.S. Arenas, Achieving Mystery In The Social Media Age
Tobias Forge On Taking Ghost's Live Show Into U.S. Arenas, Achieving Mystery In The Social Media Age Sunday November 18 2018, 11:26 AM
Since forming in 2006, Swedish metal act Ghost has toured opening for metal and rock stalwarts like Iron Maiden, Slayer, Mastodon, Alice in Chains and more, gradually bringing their music to more and more people in America.
The group has never had a lack of famous cheerleaders, like Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl who produced the 2013 covers EP If You Have Ghost (and is rumored to have performed in costume, unbeknownst to fans, in the group's backing band as a "Nameless Ghoul").
Their third album Meliora marked a major leap forward in the United States, giving Ghost its first #1 album, topping the top rock albums chart and leading to slots in front of larger crowds at places like Lollapalooza in 2016.
But it's their most recent studio effort Prequelle (June, Loma Vista) which signaled a breakthrough for Ghost in the United States.
While Meliora hit #1 on a rock chart, Prequelle managed to debut at #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, just underneath Kanye West and Post Malone, in front of Luke Combs and Cardi B, no easy feat in America today for a group holding guitars.
As expected, the group's current "A Pale Tour Named Death" road trip sees them playing larger venues in America than ever before, making the jump to arenas on some dates (The Forum in Los Angeles this Friday, November 16 and Barclays Center in New York on December 15) for their first time as a headliner.
It belies the necessity of a strong live show for any rock act in a changing music industry landscape.
"I think that it’s crucial. I think that playing live, if you want to be an artist - that’s what artists do," said Ghost frontman Tobias Forge. "I mean, if you’re a carpenter, you need to build sh-t. For us, if you’re a
rock band, there’s no way around it. You have to tour. You have to tour a whole lot."
On a recent November stop at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom (capacity 5,000), Ghost performed from a massive three-tiered stage, amidst the religious imagery fans have come to expect, under an arena-ready light show, that comfortably housed Forge and his seven piece backing band (Ghost's Nameless Ghouls).
(Left to right) Cardinal Copia and Ghost's Nameless Ghouls, on stage Thursday, November 1, 2018 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago(c) Philamonjaro Studio
The key logistically during a tour that jumps from larger mid-size venues to arenas and back, is how to present that show in the larger setting without losing what makes it a virtually unparalleled staging somewhere like Chicago's Aragon.
"I think that one of our biggest hurdles right now - not in terms of imagination and planning but just economically and practically - is how to make those arena shows not look like we just put our theatre show into The Forum or Barclays. It needs to look like we look like this every night on the tour," observed Forge astutely. "There’s usually a makeshift stage - a very generic square stage. A PA company has come in and put up a big PA, usually with a lot of speakers and stuff in front of the stage. So you end up in a situation that in a way sort of increases the distance between you and the crowd," observed Forge of what bands can often expect if they choose to rely upon the staging provided to them in the typical arena. "Whereas if you go see Bon Jovi, he will have built a stage that is meant to be in some sort of proximity to the crowd," he said, noting the need for hands-on customization prior to Ghost's L.A. and New York shows.
Forge pointed out the need to hire a video team to properly utilize arena video screens or jumbotrons for these larger shows, singling out the need for additional lighting and followspots. It's the type of attention to detail that has defined the group's costumes, staging, messaging and music for over ten years and primes Ghost for success in larger U.S. venues.
"I like that," said Forge of the challenge involved in properly pulling off Ghost's first American arena concerts. "This is my job. This is my dream. This is what I have been wanting ever since I was a kid. I sat in front of my TV in our living room. I had a VCR looking at tapes I’d freeze frame and draw the stage. I loved that stuff. It takes a lot of planning and you definitely have to grind your teeth a lot knowing [maybe] it won’t really turn out the way I wanted… but f--k it," said Forge of the risk.
LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 29: Cardinal Copia and the Nameless Ghouls of the band Ghost performs at The Louisville Palace on October 29, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)Getty
With each album, Forge has built for Ghost fascinating, character-driven narrative that plays out both on album and on stage, as one of the most interesting, thought-provoking acts in rock and roll.
Each album sees Forge take on a new persona, moving from the fourth and final incarnation of his Papa Emeritus character to Cardinal Copia on Prequelle.
Anonymity was at the root of that and thoughtful fans, for the most part, played along with a wink and a nod, agreeing to Forge's no photo policy as band members, for most of the band's existence, went to great lengths to try and hide their identities, regardless of the level of difficulty that involves following the rise of social media.
In the past, Forge was wont to give interviews in character and/or in costume in an effort to drive the story forward and keep up that air of anonymity. But a 2017 lawsuit by former band members over royalties changed the identity of Papa Emeritus from occasional online whisper to brisk confirmation virtually overnight.
"That was of course... uncomfortable. The last couple of years have, in between spawning a new record that has been successful and tours that have been very pleasant, also been quite grueling," noted Forge of dealing with the lawsuit and the forced change it brought (one of the only elements of Ghost over which he was able to exercise no control). "I had to take into consideration that as much as I wanted the images that people have been fed to be strong enough to sort of survive whatever images would appear of me and however I would be presented, you never know if it changes the perception of the general crowd," he said of the potential consequences in being forced to pull back the curtain a bit so to speak.
Some of the best rock music has been driven by narrative storytelling. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and more used the idea to great effect on the concept albums of the 70s. Prince and David Bowie certainly built the idea of mystery into the characters they portrayed publicly. And general unpredictability has always made for the best rock and roll moments.
In the internet age, where the answer to any question about any celebrity is only a click away, it's become kind of a lost art. But Ghost continues to make that mystery a crucial part of everything they do regardless of the challenge involved.
"I don’t find it too difficult. With Ghost, I never really foresaw that it was going to take off the way it did. I knew that the songs were good. I knew that it had the ability to turn people’s heads. I knew that we were going to have a crowd. [But] I never thought it would propel into the Grammy world or arenas and all that," said Forge. "So it was easy to make that decision from an aesthetic point of view. Because I want it to be highly theatrical."
Forge notes that while his idea of fame has changed over the years, he believes that it’s possible to maintain some sense of anonymity despite the times.
"I like the fact that my work in Ghost is famous and people know it and we have our crowd. But I am not as antsy about getting recognized on the street as I might have once been," said Forge of his rock ambitions. "As long as I don’t get an Instagram account and start tweeting all over the place about what I think about this, that or the other, I think I should be able to maintain that level of mystery. There’s definitely a middle way to have both: you can be a celebrity but you can still be kind of mysterious. Look at Nick Cave... I know a lot about him. But he’s still as mysterious to me as ever."
Ghost's ability to hone its act and develop an audience organically over the course of twelve years, four studio albums and a series of EPs is also the product of a bygone era.
As it's become more difficult to monetize recorded music, acts tend to be discarded fast as major labels go for the quickest, easiest, most profitable hit. Rock acts in particular have suffered, with little time to develop a sound, let alone a unique persona. That fact isn't lost on Forge as Ghost continues to experience some of its greatest North American success.
"I am very fortunate that I was signed to a label where I was given an old school treatment where I was signed for several records and given the opportunity to evolve and develop - which, unfortunately, is something that most labels would not allow now. Maybe that changes in the future. I think you also have to have a lot of faith in the future," he said. "I think the dark ages of the entertainment industry were definitely between 2000 and 2010 basically - ten years. As soon as streaming sort of caught up, there’s been sort of an incentive for the big powers to keep investing. There’s definitely a need for entertainment," said Forge of changing online consumption methods.
With a #1 record under their belt, and a top 5 debut on the pop chart, the key to Ghost's success has been in the way Forge has consistently managed not just to challenge his audience but engage them by making them an integral part of one of music's most unique success stories.
"One thing that I hadn’t predicted at all upon Ghost’s inception, was the unbelievable surge of creativity that it spawned amongst our fans. I’d say as much as I am the initiator of this and the creator of most of the narrative, I think that the cult, the lifestyle that seems to be Ghost, is definitely something that has been carried forth and developed by our thousands of fans who are building it. They sort of take it and run with it," noted Forge. "For a brand like ours, if I did not have that fan engagement, I would not be sitting here in Tulsa doing an interview with Forbes."
I am a Chicago-based writer and broadcaster who's tracked the changing music industry since the mid-90s with frequent contributions to WGN Radio and the Daily Herald.
Jim Ryan is a Chicago based writer/broadcaster who's interviewed a Ramone and a Rolling Stone. Follow him on Twitter @RadioJimRyan or visit online at radiojimryan.com. radiojimryan@gmail.com
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About Dr. Semer
Nadine Semer MD, MPH, FACS
I am a board certified general surgeon and plastic surgeon practicing in Los Angeles, California who has actively incorporated overseas volunteer medical work into my practice. For almost a decade I had the opportunity to volunteer my skills in rural South Africa (Ammsa.org) for month long missions at an orthopedics hospital where I was the only plastic surgeon for a population of over five million people.
Now I want to broaden my work and join efforts towards building surgical capacity in low income countries. To this end I have worked with an NGO who trains community workers living along the Thailand/Burma border, emergency trauma skills (ghap.org). Last year, a few months after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I spent a few weeks at a field hospital outside of Port au Prince (http://hhi.harvard.edu/programs-and-research/previous-programs/earthquake-in-haiti). At the behest of a donor organization, I had the opportunity to spend a month in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo- doing an assessment of their obstetric fistula repair capabilities. My hope is to return to the eastern DRC to work at the provincial hospital to help train surgery residents in plastic surgery techniques.
I also serve as a moderator of the Global Health Delivery Project’s Global Surgery and Anesthesia Community and have recently self-published a children’s book about South Africa.
My experiences prompted the writing and publishing of the book Practical Plastic Surgery for Non-surgeons to help explain plastic surgical concepts and procedures to providers with limited surgical expertise. This companion website aims to reach a larger global health audience. I’d like this site to be a collaborative effort between myself and visitors to the site. So please provide me with feedback on topics you’d like to see covered, as well as suggestions on how to improve the site to meet your needs.
Download Dr. Semer’s Resume
Contact Dr. Semer
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Home/History and Mystery/China Wall: Truckee’s memorial to the Chinese laborers who transformed America
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China Wall: Truckee’s memorial to the Chinese laborers who transformed America
Rick Follow on Twitter Send an email May 18, 2016
Located at Donner Summit, in Truckee, CA, is a memorial dedicated to the Chinese laborers known as “China Wall.” This historical marker, and 150 year old wall, symbolize the death defying work that the Chinese performed through the harshest of conditions in the Sierras, often losing many of their own during the process. The bravery of these men can’t be summed up into just one article or just one memorial. However, if you are lucky enough to get out to Donner Summit to see this historical work, then you can become a small part of keeping their historical efforts and bravery alive.
The Central Pacific Railroad
By the mid-1800’s, America was clamoring for a Transcontinental Railroad that would unite the west coast and its riches with the “civilized” east coast. In 1862, this American dream finally became a reality as Congress and President Abraham Lincoln authorized the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) to start laying tracks in California and build eastwards until eventually meeting with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) somewhere in the “middle” of California and Nebraska where the UPR started building westwards from.
The CPRR was financed by “the Big Four”: Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, Collis Huntington and Mark Hopkins. The CPRR’s route was planned by Theodore Judah (who was the architect behind this transcontinental railroad idea) and the first rail was laid in Sacramento on Oct 26, 1863. At the rate they were going, and because of the costs, Crocker, who was in charge of construction and the workforce, was urged by his brother E.B. Crocker to hire Chinese laborers due to their hard work, lower wages and the fact that they were getting nowhere with their current workforce.
Crocker’s older brother E.B. (who was a lawyer, founder of the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento and later CPRR Director) made the following comments about the Chinese workforce:
“Without them it would be impossible to go on with the work. I can assure you the Chinese are moving the earth and rock rapidly. They prove nearly equal to white men in the amount of labor they perform, and are far more reliable.”
Chinese Laborers
In Feb. 1865, the CPRR experimented by hiring 50 Chinese laborers. When they proved to be hard working and dependable, the CPRR began mass hiring Chinese emigrants and soon had 3,000 of them in the fall, according to CPRR.org. By early 1866, the Chinese workforce grew to over 12,000 laborers, forming arguably the most significant workforce in the history of America. These Chinese laborers worked around the clock, every day, all year long, for roughly 4 years until the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in May, 1869, at Promontory, Utah.
Ceremony at “Wedding of the Rails,” May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah – credit Library of Congress
According to one source, Leland Stanford was quoted as saying the following about the importance of the Chinese laborers:
“The greater portion of the laborers employed by us are Chinese…. Without them it would be impossible to complete the western portion of this great national enterprise, within the time required by the Acts of Congress.”
The Chinese were paid at rates of $28 to $35 per month and were tasked with the most dangerous jobs such as drilling, blasting and laying track through deadly terrains like the Sierras. Additionally, their camps were unfavorable, unhealthy and compared to dog-kennels.
In the September, 1869 edition of Overland Monthly, Brett Hart made the following comments about the Chinese camps:
“Here is a “camp;” but, alas! none of the old style of snow white canvas, with its memories of refreshing sleep upon fragrant pine boughs; no, it is a Chinese camp, resembling a collection of dog-kennels, which, in fact, it is—each hut hastily made of “shakes,” about four feet high by six feet broad, and eight feet long.”
Looking from East to West
China Wall
China Wall was built between tunnels #7 and #8 to support the railroad tracks by filling in the ravine. The lower wall (larger one) stands at roughly 75 feet high and was built with stones most likely removed by hand from tunnel #7. An up-close inspection of the wall will show that these rocks and the wall itself display an incredible mastership that continues to withstand some of the region’s harshest conditions roughly 150 years later.
Above the lower wall, is the upper portion of the wall which supports the embankment leading into tunnel #8.
To the west (right) of China Wall was where the old Lincoln Highway passed underneath the train tracks.
A Newfound Appreciation
Growing up in Sacramento, my childhood was filled with history lessons on the railroad and the Gold Rush. As a kid, I visited many of the major museums and historical points of interest that were taught in our grade school classes. As an adult, I’ve explored many of the Gold Rush towns and Railroad towns that sprung up during the 1850’s and 1860’s. I’ve had the amazing experience of seeing a great deal of this region’s history that still remains. And, to further make my upcoming point, I’m also a loyal fan of the hit TV show Hell on Wheels which has done a visually incredible job bringing this historical plight to life.
With all of that being said, I never truly realized or fully appreciated the history and efforts of the Chinese laborers until seeing Donner Summit in person. China Wall and the abandoned train tunnels are remarkable symbols of the Chinese craftsmanship that helped to revolutionize America.
China Wall was part of an overall Donner Summit adventure that I had planned for the last two years. I was enticed by the abandoned train tunnels and captivated by the history of this region. In addition to China Wall and the train tunnels, is the nearby Donner Summit Bridge (Rainbow Bridge) and Native American petroglyphs.
I’ve divided up each of these points of interest into individual articles to better showcase their history, important details and photos.
It’s not hard to find China Wall, the tunnels and the petroglyphs. They are all located in the same general location, with the bridge a few hundred yards west.
Directions and Parking to China Wall
All of these points of interest are located on Donner Pass Road (DPR), also known as Old Highway 40. There are two points where DPR can be accessed: the first is off I-80 at the Soda Springs exit and the second is off Donner Lake Road by Donner Lake in Truckee. If you head up during the dry, warm months then I suggest getting off at the Soda Springs exit and driving through some of the old, tiny mountain “towns” like Soda Springs, Donner and Norden.
Once you pass through Donner and Norden, you will see the Donner Summit Bridge. A few hundred yards east of the bridge (further down DPR) is a small parking area on your right side. The China Wall historical marker (which was erected in 1984) is here and you can clearly see China Wall and the tunnels a few hundred feet above.
A view of the parking area from up near China Wall
Depending on the season, the easiest way to get up to China Wall and the tunnels is by scurrying up the side of mountain directly toward the wall. If this seems too difficult, walk west about 100 yards from the parking area and take the little dirt path down toward the petroglyphs. From here, the trail crosses a more manageable and “flatter” terrain up to the train tracks and China Wall. The good thing is, you can always see these points of interest from your starting point at Donner Pass Road. And, unless you are in the winter time, the path up to these points of interest is not too difficult.
China Wall is a wonderful monument to the incredible work of the Chinese laborers during the building of the railroad. It’s located in the Sierras where so much history is packed into one little area – Donner Summit. Make this historical marker and wall part of a Donner Summit adventure that should also include the train tunnels, petroglyphs and the bridge. If you feel more adventurous, there are trails to hike beyond the train tracks and this is also a popular place for rock climbing. Don’t forget to soak up the views of Donner Lake from a distance.
This article is one installment in a series of articles detailing the historic points of interest at Donner Summit. The following is a list of articles in my Donner Summit Series:
Donner Summit Train Tunnels: a historical journey through abandoned train tunnels
Donner Pass Petroglyphs: remnants of the mysterious Martis people
Donner Summit Bridge: California’s historical Rainbow Bridge
Donner Lake from Donner Summit
California has another historical marker dedicated to the Chinese laborers. The following plaque is located on Highway 174 just outside of Colfax.
Historical marker outside of Colfax
China Wall CPRR Donner Summit Leland Stanford Old Highway 40 train tunnels transcontinental railroad truckee
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Lamborghini Veneno
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Posted by top expensive car on Wed, 03/20/2013 - 08:39
Automobili Lamborghini is presenting an super exclusive car at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The Lamborghini Veneno's design is systematically focused on best aerodynamics and cornering stability.
The Lamborghini Veneno accelerates from 0-100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds and the top speed stands at 355 km/h. The engine is a development of the Aventador's 6.5 L V12 and produces 552 kW / 750 hp. The sports car chassis is produced as a CFRP monocoque.
The Lamborghini Veneno takes the aerodynamic skillfulness of a racing prototype to the open-roads. The unique alloy wheels measure 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear. The Lamborghini Veneno is painted in grey metallic-look color.
Only three incomparable units of the Lamborghini Veneno will be assembled and sold.
In the year of its 50th anniversary Automobili Lamborghini is presenting an extremely exclusive model at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Only three unique units of the Lamborghini Veneno will be built and sold. Its design is consistently focused on optimum aerodynamics and cornering stability, giving the Veneno the real dynamic experience of a racing prototype, yet it is fully homologated for the road. With a maximum output of 552 kW / 750 hp, the Lamborghini Veneno accelerates from 0-100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds and the top speed for this street-legal racing car stands at 355 km/h. It is priced at three million Euros plus tax - and all three units have already been sold to customers.
The Lamborghini Veneno features a twelve-cylinder power unit with a displacement of 6.5 liters, an extremely fast-shifting 7-speed ISR transmission with 5 driving modes and permanent all-wheel drive, as well as a racing chassis with pushrod suspension and horizontal spring/damper units. Above all, however, the Veneno benefits from the very special expertise that Automobili Lamborghini possesses in the development and execution of carbon-fiber materials - the complete chassis is produced as a CFRP monocoque, as is the outer skin of this extreme sports car. The inside, too, features innovative, Lamborghini-patented materials such as Forged Composite and CarbonSkin.
Fully in keeping with the tradition of the brand, the name of the Veneno originates from a legendary fighting bull. Veneno is the name of one of the strongest and most aggressive fighting bulls ever. He is also famous for being one of the fastest bulls in the history of bullfighting. His name became popular in 1914, when he fatally wounded the famous torero José Sánchez Rodríguez during the bullfight in the arena Sanlúcar de Barrameda's, Andalusia, Spain.
The Lamborghini Veneno brings the aerodynamic efficiency of a racing prototype to the road. Every detail of its form pursues a clear function - exceptional dynamics, optimum downforce with minimal drag and perfect cooling of the high-performance engine. Yet the Veneno is unmistakably a Lamborghini; it sticks firmly to the consistent design philosophy of all the super sports cars from Sant'Agata Bolognese. That includes the extreme proportions, as well as the powerfully arrow-shaped front end and the interplay between razor-sharp lines and precise surfaces.
The entire front end of the Lamborghini Veneno has been laid out for perfect airflow and downforce. The front end works as a large aerodynamic wing. Large channels guide the air to the outlets in the front hood and in front of the windshield, as well as to the front wheels. Characteristic for Lamborghini is the Y shape of the angular headlamps that reach well into the fenders as well as the scissor doors.
The division of the fenders from the car body is a reference to the world of sport prototypes and optimizes at the same time the aerodynamic flow. The side line of the Veneno is therefore dominated by enormous sills and the mighty wheel arches front and rear. Here, too, sophisticated aerodynamics ensure perfect airflow to the large openings for engine cooling and intake air.
Just like the front end, the rear of the Lamborghini Veneno has also been optimized for underbody aerodynamics and high speed cornering stability. The smooth underbody transitions into a substantial diffuser framing the four sizable exhaust pipes divided by a splitter to increase the level of downforce peak. Large openings serve to ventilate the engine bay and manage the airflow to the rear wing, with the only sealed area at the rear being reserved for the license plate. The rear lights, including brake lights, indicator lights and fog lights, pick up the Y theme as well. The engine cover sports six wedge-shaped openings, with the focus here, too, on optimum dissipation of heat from the engine. The engine cover extends into a large central "shark" fin, which improves efficiency during braking and rear-end stability, by delivering additional downforce at high yaw angles and thus increasing the high-speed cornering performance.
The adjustable rear wing's design is the product of Motorsport experience and extensive aerodynamic simulation to ensure the best performance of rear wing interaction with rear diffuser air flow.
The exclusive alloy wheels measure 20 inches at the front and 21 inches at the rear and are equipped with center mountings. Their design is also determined by aerodynamic functionality - a carbon-fiber ring around the wheel rim works like a turbine to deliver additional cooling air to the carbon-ceramic brake discs.
The Lamborghini Veneno is painted in an all-new, grey metallic-look color with individual parts gleaming in the black of the visible carbon-fiber structure. The only car to display all three colors of the Italian flag as an accent is the car shown at Geneva, the unit which will remain property of Lamborghini. The three cars sold to customers each feature a single color of the Italian national flag, together a triology in green, white and red accents and thus representing each a unique piece.
The Veneno is further proof of Automobili Lamborghini's unique competence in CFRP-based lightweight design. A monocoque made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer forms the basis of the Veneno. It is largely similar to the Aventador monocoque - as are the aluminum sub-frames front and rear - although its form has been adapted to the new design. All exterior parts are made from CFRP. The Lamborghini Veneno meets all safety and registration requirements worldwide, and naturally also incorporates a full complement of safety systems from airbags through to the adapted ESP handling system.
Carbon fiber dominates the interior of the Lamborghini Veneno, too. The carbon fiber monocoque becomes visible inside the car in the area of the central tunnel and the sills. The two lightweight bucket seats are made from Lamborghini's patented Forged Composite. The woven carbon-fiber CarbonSkin® is used to clad the entire cockpit, part of the seats and the headliner. This unique material is soaked in a very special kind of resin that stabilizes the fiber structure, while allowing the material to remain supple. Like a hi-tech fabric, this extremely fine-looking carbon-fiber matting fits perfectly to any form, and it reduces weight.
The racing personality has been transferred also to the instrument panel. It has been completely redesigned and now, thanks to an aggressive graphics and to the introduction of some additional features like the G-meter, provides all necessary information to the driver for control of the car.
The systematic, carbon-fiber, lightweight design of the Lamborghini Veneno is not only visible, it is also evident on the scales: With a dry weight of just 1,450 kilograms (3,190 pounds), the Veneno is even 125 kilos (275 pounds) lighter than the already extremely lean Aventador. The highly beneficial power-to-weight ratio of 1.93 kg/hp (4,25 lbs/hp) guarantees a performance that is nothing short of mind-blowing. Even the stunning acceleration figure of 2,8 seconds cannot adequately describe it. Despite an aerodynamic setup configured for extreme downforce, the Veneno possesses exceptionally low wind resistance which allows it to reach a top speed of 355 km/h (221 mph).
The twelve-cylinder with a displacement of 6.5 liters is a thrilling combination of absolute high-revving frenzy and phenomenal pulling power. Its output has been raised to 552 kW / 750 hp, facilitated through enlarged intake paths, optimized thermodynamics, a slightly higher rated rpm and an exhaust system with even lower back pressure. The ISR manual gearbox, permanent all-wheel drive and pushrod suspension have all been specifically adjusted to meet the demands of the Lamborghini Veneno.
The Lamborghini Veneno celebrates its first public appearance at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. The vehicle on show is the number 0, the Lamborghini test vehicle. Its future has not been determined yet, but it will allow Lamborghini to continue its activity of testing and innovation, both on the road and on the race track. The trilogy made of three unique vehicles will be produced in the course of the year 2013 and handed over to their future owners.
Lamborghini Veneno Video
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Dr. John A. Gilbert
Chief Research and Development Officer / Behr Process Corporation
Monday Oct. 21 at 8:00am in Champagne 3/4.
People, Place, Process and Products: The inner workings of development today.
What are some of the key enablers for doing product development in today’s environment? This presentation is divided into four key topics: people, place, process and products. A successful development program requires that each of these areas receive some attention from your company’s management team. John will highlight some learnings from having spent over 30 years in product development and formulation.
John Gilbert was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He attended the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, receiving BA degree in chemistry in 1980. He continued his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving the Ph. D. degree in 1984. After a one-year postdoctoral assignment at the University of Michigan, John joined BASF Corporation in Southfield, Michigan in 1985. John spent 22 years in the automotive coatings area at BASF, working in various product development roles in electrodeposition coatings, primers, basecoats and clearcoats. From 1990 to 1992, John was assigned to BASF’s European automotive coatings group in Muenster, Germany.
In 2007, John joined Behr Process Corporation in Santa Ana, CA. His current position is Chief Research and Development Officer. Under John’s direction, the Behr team released the Premium Plus Ultra Interior and the Marquee Interior, and Marquee Exterior lines. Other recent product releases from his group include several pro contractor paint lines, a stain-blocking ceiling paint, a deck restoration product and an all-acrylic exterior stain line.
Dr. Richard D. Jenkins
Global Group President / Arkema Coating Resins
Tuesday Oct. 22 at 8:30am in Champagne 3/4.
Innovation in Relationships Between Coatings Companies, Suppliers and Co-Suppliers
Recent trends in the chemical industry have been towards consolidation, less upstream flexibility, more frequent and unexpected raw material shortages, more constrained carrier capacity, and increased demand volatility. The consequences of such forces on planning and operating a reliable supply chain can no longer be affordably mitigated through an inventory–only approach.
Rather, coping with such pressures has led to innovation in relationships between suppliers, co-suppliers, and downstream customers. Such innovation can take many forms: not only in better product technology and resultant formulations, but also increased intimacy between companies via relationships across multiple functions and hierarchical levels. Operationally this means evolving from a classical buy-sell relationship across a firewall towards collaborative problem-solving by knowledgeable experts in real time in the right operational roles when life does not materialize as anticipated.
A case study illustrating the improved reliability and mutual value creation of such innovation will be presented.
Dr. Richard D. Jenkins is Global Group President for Arkema Coating Resins.
Arkema Coating Resins is a global business unit of Arkema, and manufactures and markets an extensive line of resins and additives for use in architectural and industrial coatings, powder coatings, traffic paints, coatings for textiles, leather and non-wovens, pressure-sensitive adhesives, and construction products.
Dr. Jenkins has over 30 years of industry experience covering a range of technology, marketing, and business leadership positions both in North America and abroad.
An active leader in the coatings industry, Dr. Jenkins serves on the Board of Directors of the American Coatings Association, and is a member of the Tau Beta Pi and the Omega Chi Epsilon engineering societies. He has been awarded 29 patents and published over 70 scientific papers. He received UCC’s Corporate Fellows Technology Award in 1994 and UCC’s Chairman’s Award for Technology Leadership in 1995.
Jenkins earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M in 1986 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University in 1990.


CEMB → Forum → Life, The Universe & Everything → Religions and Gods → Qur'anic studies today
by Altara
Topic: Qur'anic studies today
(Read 435878 times)
Previous page 1 ... 212 213 214215 216 ... 295 Next page « Previous thread | Next thread »
Altara
Reply #6390 - March 31, 2019, 08:36 PM
by saying that /
why is that necessary that they believe the history about the origin of the Quran as given in a determined place and time?
Simple. If they did not believe to it (the history about the origin of the Quran as given in a determined place and time), they would not have an explication of the existence of the Quran. This belief is therefore mandatory.
Islam at its core is the Quran. Nothing else.
Are you not tightly coupling ALL MUSLIMS IN TO ONE MONOLITHIC BLOCK and those who differ what you are saying can not be Muslims and can not live as Muslim
Of course, as they'd logically realize that the book is a forgery; then, it has no value to be followed. It'd not come from God, nor a "prophet", nor nor nor... and: nor. Then what remains of this text to be followed, apart their nostalgia of their childhood when they believed all what was said about it, which made them believed that it was the Increate Word of God given to the Prophet Muhammad in Mecca/Medina/Zem Zem/Kaba?
Mahgraye
Altara - Do you have a paper in English detailing the arguments for your position that the Arabic script developed from the Syriac and not the Nabatean one? I am aware of Briquel-Chatonnet's paper but I can't translate it into English. And how do you deal with consensus now that the Syriac-hypothesis is false? This consensus is not based on assuming the truth of the tradition but one modern research so it can't simply be dismissed.
Altara - Do you have a paper in English detailing the arguments for your position that the Arabic script developed from the Syriac and not the Nabatean one?And how do you deal with consensus now that the Syriac-hypothesis is false?
1/Nope, only what I said here (at length) some months ago.
2/ You can search my posts all is there.
3/ I did not "simply" dismissed the "consensus", read these posts in this thread.
curious-lurker
Hello. A few months ago someone linked a Facebook post(?) here by a revisionist scholar summarising the linguistic, historical, contextual etc case against the traditional framework. I would appreciate it if it can be linked again, as I’ve been unable to find it. Thanks
Perhaps this is what you are looking for:
Dear Lamsiah,
It was, as always, very nice to hear your voice this morning. In the meantime, I have had a chance to look at everything again. You mentioned that there was criticism about the map in my article « The Language of the Koran ». As I mentioned, the map originates from a Durch Newspaper article by our friend Eildert Mulder (attached here), which was intended for a GENERAL Audience, this was later translated into French by Père Gallez, thence into English by Anouar Majid, into German by Markus Groß, and into Arabic by yourself. It seems to have taken on a life of its own. The map, was intended to give general geographical information for non-specialists. It was never intended to be used in a scientific context. It is unfortunate that my article upon which the interview and its translations are based, « Von der arabischen Lesekultur zur arabischen Schreibkultur » is not cited in academic works. One must make a distinction between non-specialist and specialised articles. In the long German article (attached here), I go into more detail.
I used the term Arabia Petraea in a general, descriptive sense. Not as a designation of Roman provincial borders. These borders changed with administrative reforms. Indeed you will see that the ‹ classical › Roman Province named Arabia Petraea, encompasses roughly the modern State of Israel + the Sinai Peninsula, to its North lay Syria (<صور, I.e. the hinterland of Tyre; NOT from Assyria!!). Arabia Deserta and Arabia Felix were never Roman Provinces, just general descriptors. This is how Arabia Petraea was intended here.
My argument is quite simple: a) to the South of Arabia Petraea we find but few Nabataean Inscriptions, excepting graffiti on the incense route and some oases. One must distinguish between formal epigrapy and informal epigraphy (such as graffiti) b) Ancient South Arabic and Ancient North Arabic inscriptions in pre-islamic times, use derivations of the Sabaic script (خط المسند); Ancient North Arabian is attested in Northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Southern Syria — If the Qur’an had been written in الحجاز, we would expect it to have been written in this script. For the inscriptions from this region see Khālid ibn Muḥammad ʿAbbās Askūbī ,ثموديييية من منطقة رم بين ثليثوات وقيعان الصنيع جنوبغرب تيماء Riyadh, 2007/1428 with numerous examples. c) The language (or Semitic dialect) which very closely resembles what became classical Arabic is Safaitic which seems concentrated in Southern Syria, Eastern Jordan and NW Saudi Arabia. Dialect geography makes clear that this was not the language of the Hedjaz.
We now have two independent criteria: script and language (or dialect) distribution, both of which point to Syria and Jordan (the Roman provinces of Syria and Arabia Petraea) and not to Arabia Deserta or Felix.
Another argument is that if the Qurʾān had emerged in the Hedjaz, the we would find traces of Christianity there. Outside of the Roman Empire there was no heresy (cf. the Nestorians in Asia). But in the Hedjaz, there are no traces of Christianity. Furthermore, the Christological debates, to which the Qur’an bears witness seem to be concentrated in groups which were concentrated in Syria (i.e. the human nature of Jesus, avoiding alcohol as a rejection of the Eucharist [Council of Gangra]; emphasis on Martyrdom (ܣܗܕܐ into Arabic as شهيد etc.). But we would also need to explain all of the allusions to and from Jewish literature (such as the Talmud — if there were Jewish tribes in Arabia in the 7th century, which I very much doubt, then they would hardly have transported the Talmud on their camels —) which also points to Syria/Iraq (Babylonian Talmud). The decisive area is الجزيرة العربية in the old sense of the word.
Here we can conclude that script, language and theology of the Qur’an, three independent strains of evidence, point to Syria/Iraq/Jordan as the place of origin of the Qur’an.
This in turn explains why we find Syro-Aramaic influence (Fehllesungen) in the Qurʾān and why the theological vocabulary of the Qurʾān is largely borrowed from Eastern Aramaic (both Syriac and Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, the language of the Babylonian Talmud) are Eastern Aramaic dialects as Luxenberg (Syro-Aramaic Reading) and myself (Aramaisms in the Qurʾān and their significance, in Ibn Warraq ed., Christmas in the Qur’an) have shown (i.e. just as in Western European languages, such as French or German the Christian theological vocabulary is borrowed from Latin, the language of the missionaries whilst in Russian the borrowing is from Greek, the language of the missionaries to the Slavic peoples). This we also find in Ancient Ethiopic (Ge`ez) since Ethiopia was converted to Christianity by Syriac missionaries. Since there is no evidence of either Christianity (see above) or (Syriac) Christian missions to the Hedjaz, a Qurʾān originating in the Hedjaz is even more of an anomaly.
Now we have four independent witnesses: script, language, theology and vocabulary. All point to the Syro-Mesopotamian region.
As we discussed on the telephone, inscriptions must be viewed in the context in which they were written. So, for example, we find Palmyrene (a dialect of Aramaic) text on an inscription for a deceased Germanic lady in Britain: https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/1065
Now nobody will ever claim that Palmyrene was a widely spoken language in Roman Britain! And Germanic Palmyrene speakers … But when we look closely at the text we see that a Palmyrene Aramaic speaker in the Roman Army married a Germanic woman who died whilst he was stationed in Britain. So the two Latin (!) inscriptions from the Yemen (http://db.edcs.eu/epigr/epimap.php…) or Farasan Kabir (http://db.edcs.eu/epigr/epimap.php…) do not indicate that Latin was widely spoken in the Red Sea or Southern Arabia (=Felix).
This applies equally to inscriptions written in a (Ancient North) Arabic predecessor to the language of the Qurʾān. The biggest concentration of such in an official context (i.e. formal epigraphy, i.e. written by rulers such as the Namarah inscription (100 km SE of Damascus; https://www.islamic-awareness.org/…/inscriptio…/namarah.html) point to Syria, not the Hedjaz. Inscriptions, i.e. graffiti along the frankincense road through Arabia are manifold, and in various languages from various times. Such cannot be used to draw a map of the linguistic landscape of a given region at a given time.
The concentration of inscriptions in a script relevant to the Qurʾān in a closely related earlier form of the language point to Syria, not to the Hedjaz.
I add maps for your convenience. One could take the map you already have and recue the size of Arabia Petraea and add « Syria » to the North. I hope that this helps. If not, let me know.
Godbless,
Thank you, Mahgraye
My pleasure. You are indeed a lurker, haha. Please participate more in the discussions.
Marc S
Reply #6397 - April 01, 2019, 12:10 AM
Nothing really new here but a nice summary though there are a lot of open questions.
https://www.academia.edu/12666359/The_Early_Religious_Beliefs_of_the_Arabs_of_Palestine_Seminar_Paper_
Thanks, Marc S. Great paper. A lot of new insights.
What Kerr says is important:
three independent strains of evidence, point to Syria/Iraq/Jordan as the place of origin of the Qur’an.
Of course (yawn...)
Inscriptions, i.e. graffiti along the frankincense road through Arabia are manifold, and in various languages from various times. Such cannot be used to draw a map of the linguistic landscape of a given region at a given time.
It is, yet, what desperately search to do a guy like Jallad because he is a Muslim, believing in the history of Ibn Ishaq which explains the origin of the Quranic text in the peninsula. And nowhere else. Because if it is not from the peninsula all is collapsing around him. The believing in Ibn Ishaq is mandatory to be Muslim. There's no escape possible.
There is none. He is an ordinary scholar. Bright guy.
It isn't. It's a descriptive word. Al-Jallad is a scholar.
Doesn't mean anything nor does it have anything to do with Al-Jallad. Still a scholar. That is evident. If you have proof to the contrary, provide it, or share with us why he is not a scholar, descriptively, at least.
Scholar of Arabic. That also extends to the study of the Quran, especially its language.
And...? And of course its is relevant to the study of the Quran.
Quote from: Mahgraye on April 01, 2019, 11:42 AM
that was a mistake on my part to write those responses dear Mahgraye .. indeed it is relevant to the study of the THE BOOK Quran
Do not let silence become your legacy
I renounced my faith to become a kafir,
the beloved betrayed me and turned in to a Muslim
Reply #6407 - April 01, 2019, 03:32 PM
Smart student! I think archeological evidence is often underrated in the Islamic origin debates.
Myers or Al-Jallad?
It is, yet, what desperately search to do a guy like Jallad because he is a Muslim, believing in the history of Ibn Ishaq which explains the origin of the Quranic text in the peninsula.
I wouldn't underestimate Jallad. Who says he is a believer in the tradition and if he is a believer in the religious way, that it would lead him astray in the scientific way? I think he has done wonderful work unto now, but he is careful. All I read from his work points to the North. He will connect the dots at some time. Maybe he has, but since I am not amongst his confidentes, I really dont know what he thinks. Do you Altara?
I was commenting on Myers, he has a student id, so I imagine he is a young guy with a fresh view. (I dont think an established scholar would dare to use Gibson so extensively).
I wouldnt dare call Jalad a student. He is of course a smart scholar.
Quote from: mundi on April 01, 2019, 03:41 PM
I wouldn't underestimate Jallad.
I do not underestimate him. I just say that one is always victim of an ideology, one way or another, when one does not remember to never have had it. Or to be able to take distance from it. Jallad is not alone in this case. It is the main danger for all scholars (including myself of course...). It is the Gallez's case, Gibson's case, etc. Jallad said he was hoping to find inscription of "Muhammad" and that he was sure that he will find them in the peninsula. It was in an interview on the web, I did not keep the stuff.
Who says he is a believer in the tradition and if he is a believer in the religious way, that it would lead him astray in the scientific way?
He says he's a Muslim. A Muslim cannot question Ibn Ishaq as this one gives to him the explication of the existence of the Quranic text from the peninsula. Like a Christian cannot question the resurrection of Jesus. The only difference, is that what Ibn Ishaq recounts is falsifiable and the resurrection of Jesus is not. And this falsifiable stuff from Ibn Ishaq et al. it turns out to be historically non validated.
I think he has done wonderful work unto now, but he is careful. All I read from his work points to the North. He will connect the dots at some time.
He won't. Because, there are no dots. It is worst to believe Ibn Ishaq for a mind than to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. What Ibn Ishaq recounts is falsifiable therefore you can hope connect the dots. The resurrection of Jesus, there are not dots to connect.
I really dont know what he thinks. Do you Altara?
Only what I read on the web, and that I did not keep.
Quote from: Altara on April 01, 2019, 10:29 PM
.....He says he's a Muslim...... A Muslim cannot question Ibn Ishaq as this one gives to him the explication of the existence of the Quranic text from the peninsula. Like a Christian cannot question the resurrection of Jesus. The only difference, is that what Ibn Ishaq recounts is falsifiable and the resurrection of Jesus is not. And this falsifiable stuff from Ibn Ishaq et al. it turns out to be historically non validated.
sorry I disagree with you on that ., in fact I would consider other way around.,
A Muslim who can not question Ibn Ishaq stories is NOT a Muslim
He .. Mr. He ........ being a scholar(((IF HE THINKS HE IS})) it is time for him to move away from his father's ideology and move away from his own bias that was built in to him when he grew up in Kuwait...
Nevo Crossroads to Islam Azaiez's Review (https://www.deepl.com/) yawn...
Prometheus Books, New York publishing house known for the publication of critical studies
on the genesis of Islam, in particular through Ibn's impulse Warrāq, proposes with Crossroads
to Islam a non-conformist work based on the work of Israeli archaeologist Yehuda D. Nevo.
Written by his assistant Judith Koren after the death premature, this book develops a thesis
radical: the one that the birth of Islam as it was appears in Arab and Islamic sources is not
than pure fiction. As part of a process of historical revisionism, the authors put back into
causes the existence of Muḥammad and the historical reality of the Arab conquest. According to them, Islam as religion only appeared under the impetus of the late arrival of the first Arab leaders at the end of the the sixth century of the Christian era. The demonstration is organized in three parts. A first chapter is devoted to the situation of the Byzantine Empire within its borders from the 5th to the 6th century. The following section describes the seizure of power and the birth of an Arab State in Following the collapse and withdrawal of the Byzantines from their eastern regions. Finally, a final analysis is dedicated to the birth of the Islamic religion which follows the creation of an Arab state.
Entitled "The Background", Chapter I endeavours to present the political and military strategies that to the decisions of the Byzantine authorities.
These companies are demonstrating a willingness to change their relations with the indigenous people of the eastern part of the Empire (currently Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Palestinian Territories and Western Syria). Their objective is thus to let these foreign populations to govern themselves. This decision results in two major difficulties: in its disengagement,
how to control the wealth produced and the wealth produced that pass through these territories? And how do you do that? conduct a political and administrative withdrawal without create possible areas that could in the future threaten the Byzantine Empire? Faced with these problems three strategies were considered:
1. Divide these regions into multiple small kingdoms
who would be under the supervision of tribal chiefs
mutually hostile to each other;
2. Entrust these political entities to a tribal elite
who became a client of the Byzantine Empire;
3. Administratively abandon these regions
without proclaiming it. It is this last option that was
chosen by the Byzantine authorities.
Between the fifteenth and twelfth centuries, faithful to this strategy
of voluntary disengagement, Byzantium goes on the
field :
1. Replace your regular armies with
Local Arabs who defend borders and become
as well as federated (foederati). Thereafter, their
jurisdiction expands with the levying of a tax
annual; thus, from the beginning of the century, the populations are
regularly taxed by Arabs;
2. Continue its withdrawal from these regions with the
dismantling of the ghassanid kingdom divided into
fifteen tribes and with the Persian invasions that reveal
the inability of the Byzantines to defend their provinces
despite Heraclius' counter-offensive;
3. Promote the autonomy of political elites
and local clergy. Byzantium facilitates conflict
and religious persecutions to disengage from
these regions ;
4. Moving Arab tribes from the periphery
from the Byzantine Eastern kingdoms to the heart of the regions of Šām.
Chapter II, entitled "The Takeover and the the
Rise of the Arab State", is based on a reading
criticism of internal and external (Islamic) sources
and non-Islamic) in order to demonstrate that no
proof of a planned Arab invasion is not
proven. According to the authors, around 630, in the regions previously indicated at Šām, two coexist types of populations: one sedentary, Christian and Arabic, assimilated to Byzantine culture, and the other, nomadic and semi-nomadic, made up of federated soldiers in Byzantium and monitoring the files. The latter will gradually levy taxes no longer for the Empire but for their own benefit. The period following, until the beginning of the eighth century, did not provides no evidence of Arab invasions. There is no great battle proven in Syriac literature and Greek. It is evidence, according to the authors, that there has been no Arab invasion, the event on oldest related being the war between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiya in 657. Another proof is the development of of a currency, first of all of the type Arab-Byzantine, then only Arabic. This evolution marks the consolidation of Arab power first registering in a limited area, from Baysān in Homs, then over a vast region including Muʿāwiya became the leader after the battle of Ṣiffīn, asserting himself then as the first Arab leader. At the end of the In the sixth century, the withdrawal of the Byzantine presence is total. This departure leaves a huge territory struggling with upheavals that result in:
1. Internal struggles maintained by the vacuum left by the Byzantines. The cities of Syria and the North of Palestine issue their own currency. The elders Arab federated states continue to collect tributes, but this time in their own name. This levy is accompanied by war between tribal leaders;
2. The consolidation of the power of Muʿāwiya which takes control of the regions around Damascus;
3. This period ended with the triumph of Muʿāwiya on his opponents at the battle of Ṣiffīn in
657 and the establishment of its leadership in the region, then Egypt and Iraq. This established pre-eminence of sovereignty Arabic on the Šām region does not imply a break with the Byzantine entity. If Muʿāwiya governs on a tribal-type organization where it would be in a way a feudal lord, there remains none no less than this geographical area trades with Byzantium and is subject to its cultural influence as as evidenced by the Byzantine architecture of the Dome of the Rock.
These few considerations lead the authors to say that the new Arab State is in fact a client State
who pays tribute to Byzantium despite the reforms of the currency of ʿAbd al Mālik abolishing
the Byzantine influence.
Chapter III, entitled "The Arab Religion",
infers that Islam as a religion succeeds birth
of an Arab state, but does not precede it. This
belief stems from the unusual encounter of three
influences that will come together:
1. An indeterminate monotheism that rests on
only on the belief in a higher God: Allāh. The first mention of a prophet named Muḥammad dates back to 730 under the reign of Hišām ; 2. An abrahamism from Christian sources
(Sozomenus and Sebéos) inform us that this is of an ismaili monotheism. The disciples of this
belief seem to prefer a life at the borders eastern (southwestern Negev, northern Gaza);
3. A Judeo-Christianity that recognizes Jesus as a prophet and whose message would have been betrayed by Paul and his disciples. The knowledge of this current religious is known by the homilies of the pseudo-Clement in the 15th century. Similarities with Islam are many: prayer towards Jerusalem, negation of the crucifixion, high esteem of the language (original: Hebrew), belief in the corruption of the previous message (Pauline Christianity), emphasis in accordance with the law (circumcision and Sabbath), recognition of the prophets of the Tanakh. These three currents will meet in a political and administrative context framed by three protagonists: a Christian urban elite, a Christian urban elite Arab urban leaders who have embraced this form
basic monotheism and an Arab population newly arrived pagan. At the end of the 17th century,
the official religion with an Arab national prophet
is proclaimed. The late appearance of the mention
of "Muḥammad" is explained by the authors as follows
the need to compensate for the absence of genealogy
prestigious on the Arab side. ʿAbd al Mālik would thus have
decided to create a national prophet. The authors
justify their assertion by an analysis of the name
of "Muḥammad". It would be ʿAbd al Mālik that would have
passes this epithet designating an attribute of the
a messenger with a name for the prophet of Islam.
After 691 and through the Marwanid dynasty, politics
is to integrate religious formulas who name the prophet of Islam. The State also decides to dissociate itself from the Christian religion.
The Dome of the Rock is a privileged witness of this divorce.
The work is strongly influenced - without reality critical distance - through a "hypercritical" school of thought "carried by some of the great names in Islamology contemporary such as John Wansbrough, Patricia Crone and Fred Donner. The latter have in common a reading that challenges historiography classic of the beginnings of Islam and proposes through
literary analyses or external references to Islamic tradition (Syriac and Greek sources)
to reconstruct the first centuries of the Muslim religion. Like them, Nevo and Koren argue that
the cradle of Islam is to be located outside Arabia and question the very existence of Mohammed.
The Koran and the religion that will be called Islam are the products of a long history that is born of the influence of exogenous elements: Jewish Christian sects in particular (see John Wansbrough's book, The Sectarian Environment). Although an important annex provides
reproductions of epigraphic texts from the desert of the Negev, this type of document does not occupy the task of significant place in the authors' demonstration. Indeed, they only speak of epigraphy at pp. 69, 197-200, 273-274. In this case, the considerations of a numismatic nature are much more present.
This reduced place of epigraphy is all the more important more embarrassing than it actually underlies the vision that Nevo of the birth of the Islamic religion. That's the one distinction between three types of epigraphic texts in the Neguev - pre-muḥammadiens texts where
does not show the name of Muḥammad but only the divinity Allāh, texts muḥammadiens,
Islamic texts - which allows him to build his whole speech on the history of the genesis of Islam.
This religion is said to have been born of a confused belief of monotheistic nature around a divinity "Allāh" that would have evolved. Following a political decision and religious authorities, a figure of the Arab authorities prophetic - Muḥammad - would have been created in the image
of the Old Testament prophets. Finally, at the following contacts with Jewish-Christian sects,
institutional Islam has emerged. These three phases precisely match the classification
of the registrations. We then perceive the weakness, even the inanity, of such an approach that does not avoid, between others, three methodological pitfalls:
1. It extrapolates results that are derived from a limited geographical area (the Negev);
2. It eliminates Arab and Islamic sources, considering them not very credible, but accepting other sources exogenous substances that could be the subject of the same discredit. Critical analysis is sorely lacking in scientific justification; 3. It neglects the epigraphic discoveries made
in other geographical areas, in particular in the Arabian Peninsula. We will report to to the work of Saʿd b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Rašīd, Kitabāt islāmiyya min Makka al-mukarrama, Riyadh 1995. The
Islamic Awareness website reproduces some pages suggestive of this research http://www.islamicawareness. org/History/Islam/Islam/Inscriptions/). Despite the somewhat outrageous nature of his main thesis, this revisionist approach to question, at new cost, some of the historical facts established too often on a reading servile from Arab and Islamic sources. It allows you to also to draw attention to the need to take into account external sources (Syriacs
in particular) to try to write the history of the first centuries of Islam. But, we can't follow the
authors in their reasoning for the reasons given higher up. In the future, we may wish to
an exhaustive study of Koranic inscriptions (datable) engraved on the stone throughout the
Near East. We might end up with a very suggestive mapping of the spread of Islam in the early centuries.
On the Hijra calendar:
I am reading this interesting Hansen article (German astronomer). He claims that the date 9.4.631 (date of introduction of new Arab calendar according to tradition- 10 AH) corresponds with "new light" of moon above last showing of pleiades witch normally should be in spring equinox month (was intercalation method) but clearly WRONG (month for spring would start too late). That would be the event setting in motion the new lunar calendar (before arabs had the luni-solar calendar) referred to in 9:36 (the nasi verses) and would also be the situation described in 54:1 (the split moon or month). https://www.academia.edu/34865188/%C3%84ren_und_Astronomie_im_7._Jhd._In_Astronomie_im_Ostseeraum_Astronomy_in_the_Baltic._Nuncius_Hamburgensis_Band_38_Hg._Gudrun_Wolfschmidt._Hamburg_tradition_2018_S._124-129._Digital_version_see_web-link_in_the_print_edition_and_link_here
From the Gadara inscription (bathhouse Greek) and the Egyptian papyrus 22, Hansen calculates that indeed, from 9.4.631, the lunar calendar was used. Showing thus that from very early date the Arabs had their own system. He sees this as proof of (part) veracity of religious tradition. I personally think this deduction goes too far. I think his finding (link pleiades-moon- 9.4.631), shows indeed that a closed group of "illuminati" had been active on the Quranic front and had a very specific ideology worked out in the Quran and also outside. The "illuminati" were powerful enough to push through this new totally inadequate calendar for ideological crazy reasons.
Altara, am I starting to sound more like you?
Quote from: Altara on April 03, 2019, 07:20 AM
..............a Christian urban elite, a Christian urban elite Arab urban leaders who have embraced this form basic monotheism and an Arab population newly arrived pagan. At the end of the 17th century, the official religion with an Arab national prophet is proclaimed. The late appearance of the mention of "Muḥammad" is explained by the authors as follows the need to compensate for the absence of genealogy prestigious on the Arab side. ʿAbd al Mālik would thus have decided to create a national prophet. .........
i guess that should be................ At the end of the 7th century..................
http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/2004/2004-02-33.html Colin Wells on that book "Yehuda D. Nevo, Judith Koren, Crossroads to Islam: The Origins of the Arab Religion and the Arab State"
....................Radical revisionism can be helpful even when it's unsound, if it induces scholars to reassess their comfortable assumptions about the evidence and arguments of a traditional interpretation. To the same degree as the subject matter itself, this sort of benefit extends to society and posterity beyond the academic world. As with Holocaust revisionism, for example, when the events at issue are of great importance, everyone gains from having the evidence, and arguments emerge strengthened and sharpened. (Or overturned, but then we're talking of woolly, not cogent, revisionism.) In reading Crossroads to Islam, however, I began to suspect that there must be a usefulness threshold somewhere. If so, then surely this book fails to cross it. Crossroads to Islam is so unsound -- so uninformed in its welter of detail, so specious in the contrivance of its arguments, and so tendentious in its barely hidden agenda -- that it's hard to imagine anyone taking it seriously enough to reassess anything, except possibly his or her decision to pick it up in the first place.
But then I would likely have thought the same thing of any single work of Holocaust revisionism, so perhaps Crossroads to Islam is worth at least our brief attention. There are some parallels, since like Holocaust deniers the authors don't merely question some aspects of the consensus view, they reject it wholesale. To wit, Crossroads to Islam argues that the rise of Islam as we currently understand it never happened: Muhammad did not exist as a historical person, there were no early Arab conquests, and Islam itself did not begin to take shape until Arab rulers essentially invented it starting in the 690s -- some seven decades after the traditional account has Muhammad unifying Arabia under Islam's banner...............[/quote[
Quote from: mundi on April 03, 2019, 07:44 AM
I haven't read this article but I will, thanks Mundi.
The real question however is to see if, when you have dates using the "hijra" calendar and other calendars, the 2 do tie up with what we expect the hijra dating to be. In other words, does this calendar really start on july 19th, 622 ?
That is a topic on my list but I didn't find the time.
What Hansen says is that the dates tie up with 9.4.631. From there on its a lunar calendar. What happens before is not clear.. The tradition itself says that before luni-solar was used or is at best not clear. But this 9.4.631 corresponds with an astronomical phenomenon that we are SURE occured. So no speculation on that. Was this phenomenon important to the arab "illuminati"? Hansen thinks it was since according to him it derives from Babylonian calendar and was also important to Jews before they changed.
All that Hansen portrays around this astronomical given of 9.4.631 is not accurate imo. He sees links with the tradition where there are none. But having an objective start of the calendar, based on an astronomical phenomenon seems very interesting and important to me.
It neglects the epigraphic discoveries made in other geographical areas, in particular in the Arabian Peninsula. We will report to the work of Saʿd b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Rašīd, Kitabāt islāmiyya min Makka al-mukarrama, Riyadh 1995.
Finally, someone refers to this work and ones similar to it. I mention this particular (I think) some time ago or another along the lines of it documenting the epigraphic findings in the region of Makkah. And yet, assuming these findings are indeed early, it is surprising that Makkah did not exist at the time of the conquests. No one has referred to this work and its findings. An epigraphist recommended me this work and others as well.
My understanding is that the hijri calendar is early and consistent with what we know from the later sources.


Cops make horrific discovery near beach
by Ben Graham
12th Jul 2019 11:20 AM
COPS are using drones to comb a beach for clues in a major operation this morning after officers found a husband and wife, one inside a house and the other on a beach nearby, just north of Newcastle.
A NSW Police spokesman told news.com.au that at about 6am this morning emergency services were called to a home in Stockton, after concerns were raised for the occupants.
Two bodies have been found at Stockton. Picture: Twitter
"Once inside, police found the body of a woman aged in her mid-70s. Attempts are being made to recover what is believed to be a body from the surf at Stockton Beach," he said.
Police have now confirmed the body recovered from the beach is a 76 - year-old man's.
"Initial inquiries suggest no third party are being sought," NSW Police said in a statement.
"Detectives will await the outcome of post mortem examinations to determine the direction of further inquiries."
Crime scenes have been set up at both locations and police will be reviewing the medical histories of the husband and wife.
Crime scenes have been set up at both locations. AAP Image/Joel Carrett
It comes just a day after a catamaran overturned 13 nautical miles off Stockton Beach - killing three elderly people and leaving a 16-year-old girl and her father with hypothermia.
The 16-year-old and 50-year-old man were found clinging for their lives when authorities reached the boat on Thursday morning.
They were winched from the water and taken to John Hunter Hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
The girl's 78-year-old grandmother and grandfather, from Glenhaven in Sydney's north west, did not survive.
Their male friend, who was living on the Central Coast, also died.
- more to come
Woman's broken bones not enough to jail alleged rapist
beach crime dead bodies nsw


Tag: Hottest new talent
Oh! This is a soul record by Allen Stone!
January 31, 2013 May 29, 2015 Posted in New releaseTagged 2013, Allen Stone, Blue eyed soul, Debut, Donny Hathaway, Hottest new talent, James Morrison, Jamie Lidell, Jamiroquai, jason tang, Jay K, music, New Release, one of years best, R&B, Robin Ticke, singer song writer, Singer-Songwriter, Soul, Stacie Orrico, Stevie WonderLeave a comment
2011/2012 was the year James Morrison got his big breakthrough – and he is now having a well-earned break. Therefore it´s time to look and listen to a brand new talent!
His name is Allen Stone, and this is going the year he and his music reaches out to the big masses. Allen Stone is one of these white american soul singers – that stick to the classic formula with great success. Through his sound and voice I feel I can draw a line from classic artists like Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and to “new” white soul men like Jay K from Jamiroquai, Jamie Lidell, Robin Ticke and James Morrison.
Photo by Jason Tang http://www.jktang.com
PHOTOS BY JASON TANG http://www.jktang.com
Allen Stone is a 25-year-old soul singer/song-writer from Washington, US. According to his Wikipedia profile – he has sung almost since he was born, and sung in church at the age of three. Church has been like his second home – and the place he developed his love for music. Soul music was discovered later on, when he became a teenager, and started collecting soul albums from the 60s and 70s. At 15 he discovered Stevie Wonders fantastic “Innervisions”. A classic soul album and a reference to his musical landscape.
But he decided to make music his living – after hearing his teenage friend, artists Stacie Orrico – and this is so good that I quote as is the Wikipedia article “She was traveling, singing everywhere, and recording,” Stone says, “She was just a year older than me and I was like, “Man that would be so much fun to do, sing and actually have people listen” (This quote is taken from an Erica Thompson interview with Allen Stone in Rolling Stone magazine October 2012)
You can even find Allen Stone on Facebook (This picture is from his FB profile)
If you´d like to twitter, you´ll find him at twitter/allen_stone
It´s tempting to do another quote, from the Rolling Stone article (link here) about what Allen Stones fans can expect from his second album “Allen Stone”; “Sonically, it’s a soul record” and continues “But it’s the music that I really love making. It’s not my attempt to cover all this soul music, it’s just really to fit in there and play the music that I love” and he ends it like this “People will listen to it and be like; Oh, this is a soul record”.
According to the Rolling Stone interview Allen Stone is working with Raphael Saadiqs backing band and one of the late jazz legend Miles Davis keyboard players. The album is being recorder with producer Lior Goldenberg from L.A who has also worked with big name artist like Macy Gray, Sheryl Crow, and son of late reggae legend Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley!It must be so cool to work with big names like that – and that is only on the second album.
It makes me wonder; Whats next for Allen Stone?
Back in 2009 he self-released his debut “Last To Speak” on his own label StickyStones records. His first album is a really soulful offering – containing 11 soulful singer/songwriter songs performed with mostly acoustic instruments and his fantastic voice – and he´s handling the guitar himself. I feel the album is representative with his self-confessed hippie with soul (link to Wikipedia) image and sound.
Allen Stones, new and second album – the self titled album “Allen Stone” – is ready for release at the end of february – and is already possible to pre-order in iTunes (which i off course have done). The original release of the album was back in 2011 – but it´s not available on iTunes until now in February. He has already released the “Allen Stone EP” – a mini-album containing 4 tracks.
You can hear Allen Stones second and self titled album here on Spotify – when it´s released
Since the only thing I have heard from Allen Stones upcoming album is his “Allen Stone EP” – I can’t tell too much about how his second album is going to sound, but if the EP is representative for that – it seems like the upcoming album is a bit more produced this time, more groovy – more classic sounding – and without taking off the loose feeling of his debut album.
The title of his debut album and last song on the same album is called “Last To Speak”. It´s tempting to use this as the final sentence of this blog post about the talented Allen Stone and answer it with “Ok, so you may be the last to speak – but make sure you’re not this is the last you sing” Because this is only the start of the amazing career of Allen Stone.
We need artist like Allen Stone!
I need artists like Allen Stone!


The first trailer for Lindsay Lohan's new TV show is both mesmerising and troubling.
Laura Brodnik
Lindsay Lohan is making a comeback. It’s just not via a Disney movie, or a rom-com and no one is wearing pink.
Instead, the former singer and actress is turning to the world of documentaries, with MTV today announcing that her brand new Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club will premiere on Wednesday, January 9, if you’d like to pop that in your diary for future reference.
The only real clue we have about the show so far is the trailer, which provides a sneak peek into Lindsay’s new world, and to be honest it’s both mesmerising and a little bit troubling.
Take a look at the trailer for Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club.
Video by MTV
“I’ve gone through so much in my past,” says Lindsay Lohan, “People have always given me trouble for going to clubs, so why don’t I just open my own? I want to build an empire here.”
According to MTV, in Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club viewers will get to see a new side of Lindsay as she calls the shots with her handpicked team of young and ambitious VIP hosts.
These hosts will have to do whatever it takes to secure the Lohan name as the definition of vacation luxury. But when the lines between romance, friendship, and work get blurred, the staff will quickly learn they’ll have to prove themselves to their toughest boss yet.
While Lindsay has spoken publicly in the past about her desire to continue building a career, she has also been very candid about her addiction and drug abuse.
“I’m an addict,” Lindsay said on Oprah’s Next Chapter, the award-winning prime time series featuring Oprah Winfrey. During the series, Lindsay spoke about her commitment to recovery from drug and alcohol abuse – after six visits to rehab, a stint in jail, two drunk driving arrests, and seven car accidents.
While it’s a positive step that Lindsay is embarking on a new career project, the hope is also that she has the right people around to support her through the execution of and press tour for her new show.
In the lead-up to the premiere, fans will get an exclusive sneak peek of the series and meet the cast during MTV’s Lindsay Lohan: Welcome to the Beach Club special airing on Wednesday, January 2.
Lindsay Lohan’s Beach Club will premiere on Wednesday, January 9 on MTV.
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