No language can express
the power, beauty & heroism
of a mother’s love.

~Edwin Chapin

Remain true to the faith
this is your might,
your shelter from the storm
light will shine way past
these dark clouds
before you even know it!

Source: smstxts

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By Lama Hasan, ABC News
May 16, 2014

Lawyers for a pregnant Sudanese woman plan to appeal an Islamic judge’s decision that she be flogged with 100 lashes and then be hanged for marrying a Christian man and converting.

Amnesty International and Western embassies are expressing alarm over the harsh sentence meted out to Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag, who is eight months pregnant.

So far the only concession granted by the Islamic court is to wait until Ishag gives birth before carrying out the sentence.

Amnesty International called the court’s ruling “truly abhorrent.” The organization’s Sudan researcher Manar Idriss said that “adultery and apostasy are acts which should not be considered crimes at all. It is flagrant breach of international human rights law.”

This Is the Pregnant Woman Sudan Wants to Hang for Marrying a Christian (ABC News)

Western embassies in Sudan including the U.S., Canada, the United
Kingdom and the Netherlands also echoing that sentiment issued a joint
statement expressing “deep concern” about the case and urged Sudan to
respect the right to freedom of religion.
Amal Habany, a
political activist in support of women’s rights, said “The court has no
appearance of justice or respect for freedom of choice in ones beliefs,
personally and individually.”

Despite the outrcy, the Islamic court has been unmoved.

The judge told Ishaq, “We gave you three days to recant, but you insist on not returning to Islam. I sentence you to be hanged to death.” Officially her crime is apostasy.

Ishaq replied, “I am a Christian and I never committed apostasy.”

The judge also ruled that her marriage to a Christian man was invalid and not recognized under Islamic law, which means that she had committed adultery. He ordered her to be flogged for that alleged offense.

After the sentence was decreed, the prosecutor’s spokesman Ahmad Hassan told the Associated Press that “they were given ample time to prove their innocence, but I for one believe in upholding our traditions and customs as Sudanese.”

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Boldride By Zach Doell
May 17, 2014

Don’t be surprised if your city streets start looking like an episode of The Jetsons in 2017. Aerofex, a tech company based in California, has confirmed it will launch the Aero-X personal hovercraft in three years time, barring no hiccups with testing.

Personal flight has been attempted unsuccessfully many times before, but this hoverbike might actually catch on. The Aero-X rides like a motorcycle and features seating for an extra passenger with a combined carrying weight of 310lbs, so you’d better lay off the snacks if you’ve got a friend.

Power comes courtesy of a small naturally aspirated rotary engine, which drives the dual front and rear carbon fiber fan blades to produce lift. The engine runs on regular unleaded gasoline, and provides a maximum of 1.25 hours of flight per tank, which comes as one of the vehicle’s downsides.

On the plus side, riders can cruise around at heights of up to 12 feet off the ground and at speeds of up to 45mph. That might sound a bit adventurous; especially in the event that something goes wrong, which could happen. Luckily, the Aero-X features redundant control systems to land safely and reduce speed in the odd chance that the engine fails or you run out of gas.

The blades are housed in ducts to allow for focused airflow, but also to reduce accidental contact with hands, feet, faces, or really anything that might find its way into a quick-spinning blade.

The Aero-X reportedly won’t require a pilot’s license to operate, though individual states could require occupants to receive similar certification, in the same way that boaters need a boating license.

The price for all this Jetsonian wizardry – $85,000, but if you’re real antsy to get your hands on one, you can reserve an Aero-X for just $5,000 down.

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There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks.
Most of the time we are simply not patient enough,
quiet enough, to pay attention to the story.

~Linda Hogan