Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Dd: Djins

Jinn (Arabic: جن jinn, singular جني jinnī; variant spelling djinn) or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings which occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. According to the Qur’ān, there are two creations that have free will: humans and jinn. Religious sources say little about them; however, the Qur’an mentions that jinn are made of smokeless flame or "the fire of a scorching wind"[1]. They have the ability to change their shape. Like human beings, the jinn can also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent.[2]
The jinn are mentioned frequently in the Qur’an, and there is a surah entitled Sūrat al-Jinn in the Quran. Islamic scholars have ruled that it is apostasy to disbelieve in one of Allah's creations. Some research by the American Jewish Committee has shown that the belief in jinn has fallen compared to the belief in angels in other Abrahamic traditions.[3]

In Context:
Delhi to me was a city of stories, and so if I tell the story of the djinn's wife in the manner of a Sufi legend or a tale from the Mahabharata, or even a ti vi soap opera, that is how it seems to me: City of Djinns.  McDonald Ian Cyberbad Days "Djinn's Wife" pg 158

Monday, October 18, 2010

Godwin's law (singular only)

Godwin's law (singular only)
  1. (usually humorous) The adage that any Usenet discussion will eventually mention the Nazis or Adolf Hitler.

[edit] Usage notes

Mentioning Godwin's law as having been fulfilled in a particular discussion is often deemed sufficient grounds for ending that discussion

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Catatonia:

n.
An abnormal condition variously characterized by stupor, stereotypy, mania, and either rigidity or extreme flexibility of the limbs. It is most often associated with schizophrenia.

[New Latin, from German Katatonie, from Greek katatonosstretching tight, fromkatateineinto stretch tight : kata-intensive pref.; see cata- + teineinto stretch; seeten- in Indo-European roots.]

cata·tonic (-tnk) adj. & n.
cata·toni·cal·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Ff: Fault Lines

Ff: Fault Lines:
Boundaries of any sort that can flare up into conflict, they can exist within a clan, a village, a region, a country, or between continents of civilization.
Fuller, Graham  A World Without Islam Little (New York: Brown and Company,  2010),  141.





In Context the Idea is Well Expressed by the Following Quote: 
Me against my cousin, me, my brother, and my cousin against the other clan."  (Fuller 141)





Thursday, October 7, 2010

Rr: Righteous

 (Working Definition in the Book The Gospel According to Jesus by Chris Seay)
V. Restorative Justice