Abu, Ibn, and Bin, Oh My!
Last week, the Explainer went over the meaning of "al-" in Arabic names. Many readers wrote in to ask about the words that appear in names like Hind ibn Sheik, Osama Bin Laden, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. What's the deal with ibn, bin, and abu ( Read more... )

The True Confessions of a Conspiracy Theorist
Because I have a tendency to turn a normal conversation into a tempestuous discourse about world politics, trade agreements, and/or the sinister connotations of the plentiful number of shampoo choices at the drugstore, I have provoked the ire of many. I frolic merrily in the meadows of verbal trouble- ( Read more... )

Wine, Worship and Sacrafice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani | Treasures from Georgia


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Book: King of the Castle by Charles Le Gai Eaton ( Read more... )

Black Death Selective In Its Wrath: Plague Targeted The Weak, Frail
Despite the long-held assumption by historians that Europe's Black Death of 1347 to 1351 killed indiscriminately, a new report by University at Albany anthropologist Sharon DeWitte and Pennsylvania State University researcher James Wood finds that the deadly plaque targeted the ( Read more... )

The Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations
In 2005 it was drafted that, with presidential approval, America could launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes against states or terror groups, and that nuclear weapons can be used to destroy chemical and biological weapon stockpiles. After public exposure, the draft was canceled.

Studies conclude that ( Read more... )

Saving Timbuktu's Islamic heritage
Thanks to a South African initiative, the rich history of the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu will be preserved.

Canterbury Archbishop Supports Shari`ah
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams expressed on Thursday, February 7, support for the adoption of some Shari`ah aspects in Britain

Point/Counterpoint
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Documentary: And Along Came a SpiderBetween July 2000 and July 2001, 16 women were murdered in the holy Iranian city Mashhad, all but one of them with a prior incarceration for prostitution or drug-related charges. When 39-year-old Saeed Hanaei was arrested and then confessed to the killings, he proudly claimed his actions were in accordance with ( Read more... )

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Movie: The Other Conquest (La Otra Conquista)The movie spans the years 1520 to 1531 in Mexico - from the death of Montezuma to the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe. If the first conquest was the military conquest of the Aztec Empire by Hernando Cortés, the " ( Read more... )

Since people are adding and removing this journal, let me explain ( Read more... )