Anna Baltzer

Last week Anna Baltzer came to my school and gave a presentation. She’s a Jewish-American Activist for Palestinians. It was very interesting and eye opening for those in the crowd who didn’t know much about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. She was also recently on The Daily Show with John Stewart, go to the link by clicking here. [Part I Part II ] The interview is also interesting, it’s interesting to see how she was cut off, what is seen online wasn’t shown on t.v. so take some time out and watch it. Baltzer is criticized by others for providing false information etc… I give her mad props for doing what she does, she’s very well educated and carries herself out very well. When she was speaking at my school, she got tough and harsh questions more from the professors than from the students. I feel that she got through to the students and made a positive impact at our school. Check out her website at: http://www.annainthemiddleeast.com/

Take care inshaAllah and amongst the crazyness keep your cool and your pride in being a muslim(ah).

-radf

Allahumma sali ala sayyidina muhammadin an-Nabbiyil ummiyi Wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salim.

Confused? Didn’t understand something? Click here!

From an Idea by Students, a Million-Dollar Charity

From an Idea by Students, a Million-Dollar Charity

By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

THE titans of Wall Street are famous for star-studded galas that raise millions of dollars for a host of good causes. And for a tiny group of high school students on Long Island, taking a page out of these financiers’ books has made their own charity, A Midwinter Night’s Dream, a million-dollar success.

The charity, which benefits Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, was founded in 2004 by 16 teenagers in Northport. The idea for the organization came after two teachers in the community, Christopher Pendergast and David Deutsch, were found to have A.L.S.

In just five years, the student-run charity has raised $1.067 million. The 2010 gala is scheduled for Jan. 7.

The organization began with a June 2004 charity basketball tournament to benefit those with the disease. The students had hoped to raise $1,000 with the event; they wound up generating $32,000.

First the students were astounded by their results. Then they were emboldened. After donating the money to Johns Hopkins University’s Robert L. Packard Center for A.L.S. Research, the students started looking for even bigger money-raising ideas.

Enter Harold J. Garrecht, president of Eastshore Partners, a brokerage and independent research firm in Hauppauge, N.Y. Mr. Garrecht, who is known as Fritz, had heard about the students’ effort from Don Strasser, a chemistry teacher at Northport High School, who acted as adviser to the charity.

Mr. Garrecht was happy to write the students a check but wanted to do something more. So he offered to show them how big-league fund-raising is done in New York. He bought a table at the 2004 gala sponsored by Wings Over Wall Street, a charity that benefits A.L.S. research, and took along eight students.

Dazzled by the show Wings put on at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, the students were determined to plan their own party. Three months later, in January 2005, the first Midwinter Night’s Dream took place — a sit-down dinner with silent auction and raffle at Oheka Castle, a mansion on Long Island built almost a century ago by the financier Otto Hermann Kahn. Some 375 people attended, and the students raised $85,000.

“We pretty much tried to mimic the Wings Over Wall Street event,” Mr. Strasser said. “We did a student presentation, a raffle room, an auction, and we got over 40 restaurants to donate food. The students wrote the press releases, designed the invitations and compiled the spreadsheets for donor addresses. They cold-called companies to see if they would donate an item or take out a journal ad. They seated the guests and served the food.”

Gary Melius, the owner of Oheka Castle, gave the students a significant discount on the rent for the evening.

Although they were happy with their event, the students said they recognized the need to expand beyond the Northport area. So Mr. Garrecht trained them to raise money using the cold-calling skills familiar to every Wall Street salesman. Sitting at desks in his office during the summer, the students learn how to “ask for the order,” in Wall Street parlance.

“I provided them with names, I showed them my experience and let them learn from it, hoping some of that might stick,” Mr. Garrecht said. “It’s a little bit about marketing, a little about learning how to be comfortable with yourself.”

First the callers pursued good prospects for donations, known in the business as “warm leads.” Then they turned to cold calling.

The students quickly learned how to take rejection. “It was nerve-racking being 17 and trying to talk to corporations,” said Christopher Lynch, 22, one of the founders of A Midwinter Night’s Dream and its co-director. “We got hung up on a lot, but we kept in mind all the time that what we were doing was going to make a difference.”

As the students smiled and dialed, the contributions began to roll in. “There is nothing like the face of a kid who just got a commitment for $25,000 over the phone,” Mr. Strasser said.

This year’s gala, on Jan. 8, generated $345,000 from 1,500 corporate and individual sponsors. The charity had surpassed a milestone, $1 million in donations.

Earlier this year, the group was approached by officials at Stony Brook University, who said that two of its scientists were interested in working on A.L.S., but needed equipment. The students decided to endow a laboratory at the university, committing $125,000 over three years.

Last June, the AMND Cryopreservation Lab opened at Stony Brook University Medical Center; it is used by scientists researching A.L.S., cancer and Parkinson’s Disease who need a place to store frozen samples for future work.

Just 40 students, all age 15 to 17, run the charity. With new students cycling into A Midwinter Night’s Dream when older ones graduate, fresh ideas are a constant, Mr. Strasser said. Some founders, like Mr. Lynch, have graduated from college and sit on the charity’s advisory board.

THOSE who want to join have to pass muster. “There is an application procedure, and we have the alumni as the interview panel,” Mr. Strasser said. “Because it was their vision, the kids from the first year come back and interview the sophomores and juniors.”

The students work year round on the charity, putting on multiple events to benefit A.L.S. research. In 2006, they began an A.L.S. Research Program through which labs at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins and Stony Brook invite Northport High School students to participate in A.L.S. research during the summer.

Then there is the charity’s patient services program, under which students visit five A.L.S. patients a month, giving them a chance to meet some of the people they are working for.

Last summer, one patient they had been visiting for four years died. “It is challenging to take 50 students to a funeral,” Mr. Strasser said. “But the life expectancy for someone with A.L.S. is three to five years, so these students know the clock is ticking.”

Giving so much of their time to the charity produces unexpected benefits, the students said. After working for the group, some find a calling in scientific research, while others pursue communications, marketing or event planning.

Kate Macina, an 18-year-old freshman at New York University, worked for A Midwinter Night’s Dream for three years in high school. She spent the summer of 2008 helping A.L.S. researchers at Columbia University and became interested in a career in the sciences.

The Midwinter Night’s Dream experience has also spread across the country. Some graduates of the high school raise money for A.L.S. at their colleges. And in 2007, the students were asked to address the National Honor Society convention, inspiring other teenagers to start their own groups.

Blair Ingraham, 17, a senior at the high school, has worked for A Midwinter Night’s Dream for two and a half years. “When we visit A.L.S. patients in our area, just to see what they go through every day, it makes me look at my life in a totally different perspective,” she said. “It’s definitely the most amazing thing I have ever been involved in.”

Source: The New York Times

“Make Peace”!

Make peace — mom’s dying wish to rebel leader son

By GODFREY OLUKYA KAMPALA, Uganda -

The mother of one of Africa’s most notorious rebel leaders relayed one last wish for her son before her death Wednesday, according to a nurse at her deathbed: Make peace. Norah Anek, 86, the mother of Ugandan rebel leader Joseph Kony, died after a long illness, said nurse Betty Akello, who was with her when she died. Her son heads the infamous Lord’s Resistance Army, which has waged one of Africa’s longest and most brutal rebellions, in northern Uganda. “Moments before dying she said, ‘Tell Joseph Kony to make peace,’” Anek said, according to Akello. Kony has led the cult-like LRA for two decades. The rebel group that has been blamed for tens of thousands of murders, mutilations and kidnapping children for use as soldiers and sex slaves. The government of Uganda has been looking after Kony’s mother for the last 10 years as a way to induce him to stop fighting. Anek, who sometimes is called Norah Oting, was a religious woman who never wanted her son to fight, said William Okello, a community leader. She believed her son was possessed with evil spirits, he said. Anek told The Associated Press in a 2007 interview that her son was “costing us peace in northern Uganda.” In 2006, the government asked Anek to take part in negotiations at Garamba National Park in Congo to persuade Kony to sign a peace agreement with Uganda. Kony had suggested that a meeting with his mother would persuade him to take part in the talks. She went to the park, but the rebel group did not sign an agreement. Two years later at his remote hideaway on the Congo-Sudan border, Kony stood up a fleet of sweating diplomats who waited for him for three days in the mosquito-infested jungle. Kony’s armed group has waged a rebellion that has drawn in northern Uganda, eastern Congo and southern Sudan. Kony, who says he is fighting to rule Uganda based on the Ten Commandments, is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33858865/ns/world_news/

Yankees Win the World Series!!!!!!

World Champions in the BronXXVII

NEW YORK — The final out nestled softly in Mark Teixeira’s glove, and as his teammates rushed the field in ecstasy, the first baseman had to look down — first to make sure the ball was still there, then to believe this: the Yankees have won the World Series.

It was the dream that the franchise had waited nine years to fulfill, and as the players clustered to celebrate the perfect ending to the inaugural season at Yankee Stadium, they can finally — and forever — claim that the 27th championship is theirs.

“You realize how difficult it is to get here,” Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. “I never lost sight of the fact that it’s very difficult to get to the World Series, let alone to win one. You realize and remember how hard it is.”

With Mariano Rivera inducing Shane Victorino to hit an easy ground ball to second base for the 27th and final out, the Yankees’ mission statement was complete on Wednesday, frozen in the history books with a 7-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series.

“This is what the Steinbrenner family has strived for, year after year — to deliver to the city of New York,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “To be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere around here, it’s very gratifying to all of us.”

In what may have been their final games in pinstripes, Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs and Andy Pettitte stepped up on three days’ rest to green-light what promises to be a raucous celebration parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Friday starting at 11 a.m. ET.

“This is what you set out to do when you go to Spring Training,” Pettitte said. “It’s a great feeling to be able to accomplish with the rest of the team. This is what you play for.”

With old foe Pedro Martinez standing in the way of the end to a nine-year title drought, Matsui starred on the biggest stage of his career, belting a two-run homer and drilling a two-run single off the Phillies right-hander to provide Pettitte, the old workhorse, with a cushy advantage.

“My first and foremost goal when I joined the Yankees was to win the world championship,” Matsui said. “Certainly, it’s been a long road and a very difficult journey. I’m just happy that after all these years, we were able to win and reach the goal that I had come here for.”

Once a fresh face of the dynasty, Pettitte tugged the bill of his cap low over flecks of gray hair and prayed that his left arm could deliver the World Series rings with one more night to remember — this start on short rest, an equation that has given him mixed results over the years.

Pettitte needn’t have worried, attacking the Phillies’ lineup and holding the National League champions to three runs over 5 2/3 innings, earning every decibel of a standing ovation from the crowd of 50,035 as he jogged off the field.

“My command wasn’t real good, but I was able to get through it and make some pitches when I had to,” Pettitte said. “I’m just very thankful for that.”

Descending the dugout steps while acknowledging the roar, Pettitte and those behind him in relief allowed Girardi to make the easiest decision he has had all postseason — put the ball in the right hand of Rivera, the best closer history has ever known, and wait to celebrate.

“Game over,” Jeter said. “He’s human. He’s going to give up some runs here and there. But a four-run lead? C’mon, man. We could have gone and played another nine innings.”

“I can’t be happier than I am right now with this special team that we have,” Rivera said. “We worked hard for this one. It’s a beautiful thing.”

The on-field exultation would not have been possible without Matsui, who played in the 2003 World Series after coming over from Japan and saw the franchise fall into a dry postseason patch, wondering if he would have the opportunity to feel the exhilaration of a New York championship.

Matsui put the Yankees back on top with a hard-fought at-bat against Martinez in the second inning, belting the eighth pitch for a high, arcing drive that landed in the second deck of the right-field grandstands — the third home run of this World Series for the Series MVP.

“Matty has been a clutch player ever since I met him,” Girardi said. “Again, he was just clutch. We missed him dearly last year. It just shows you the determination and heart.”

The homer was a crushing early blow against Martinez, who was loudly serenaded with ringing chants of “Who’s Your Daddy?” — a leftover from 2004, when Martinez eventually got the last laugh. Not this time, as Matsui struck in the fourth with a bullet liner that brought home Jeter and Johnny Damon.

Teixeira touched Chad Durbin for a run-scoring single in the fifth inning, and Matsui blasted the capping blow later in the inning, a two-run double off lefty J.A. Happ. The six RBIs from Matsui tied a Major League record set by Bobby Richardson in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series.

More importantly, it put the champagne on ice in anticipation of the Yankees’ 11th postseason win after 103 in the regular season, leaving them as the last team standing and uncorking a raucous, loud celebration at Yankee Stadium and throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

“This is the top — winning a championship for the New York Yankees, I just feel so blessed,” Teixeira said. “It’s such a blessing to be a part of this group.”

It was a journey that began when the Yankees steamrolled the Twins in the American League Division Series. New York then emerged victorious in a hard-fought AL Championship Series to topple the nemesis Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before meeting the NL’s best in the 105th Fall Classic.

Philadelphia presented a challenge, especially after ace Cliff Lee handcuffed the Bombers’ potent lineup in the first World Series game played at the new Yankee Stadium, but the Yankees won three straight before losing Game 5, providing the opportunity to celebrate the championship at home.

“It takes a lot to be here,” catcher Jorge Posada said. “We were spoiled in the 1990s and 2000, so to be back and win it is really special.”

To hear the Yankees talking about the anticipation driving them, this push was for the “core four,” as Jeter, Pettitte, Posada and Rivera returned to their glorious youth, partying like it was 2000 all over again and acquiring a fifth ring for the thumb — 3,296 days after the last one.

“This is what you dream of as a kid,” Jeter said. “It doesn’t get any bigger than this. You’ve got to enjoy it when the spotlight is on.”

It was the wish of those who have put in their time without having the opportunity to taste the sweetness of that stage, like Matsui and Alex Rodriguez, who played major parts in powering the Yankees here after coming to New York years earlier and being rebuffed time and time again.

“I’ve been humbled — I’ve been through a lot,” Rodriguez said. “And I can’t be happier with the way the Steinbrenner family, the coaches and players and the city of New York has supported me.”

And above all else, it was for principal owner George M. Steinbrenner, whose declining health has been no secret and who watched the first two games of the World Series from his box seats at Yankee Stadium before taking in this victory via television from his Tampa, Fla., home.

“I thank God for this and Mr. George,” Rivera said. “I had hoped he was here, but he’s not. But I’m grateful that I work for him. Definitely, this one was special. I think we have accomplished something great.”

A certain urgency was embedded in the Yankees’ actions during the offseason, as they doled out $423.5 million to acquire the top three free agents on the market, fitting ace CC Sabathia, right-hander A.J. Burnett and Teixeira for pinstripes and incorporating them into a clubhouse that meshed wonderfully.

The biggest statement was the five-word slogan affixed to the franchise postseason run — “Win It For The Boss.”

Those within the Yankees family thirsted to present Steinbrenner with the opportunity to savor one more moment, and with Girardi wearing the uniform No. 27 as a daily reminder of the job expectation, they finally have.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Source: New York Yankees!

Take care inshaAllah!

wooooo Yankeeesssss!!!!

-radf

Allahumma sali ala sayyidina muhammadin an-Nabbiyil ummiyi Wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salim.

Confused? Didn’t understand something? Click here!

Don’t Worry

“Do not say: O Allah, I have worries. Say: O worries, I have Allah.”

Such Beautiful Love

A friend of mine shared this with me today, it’s so beautiful mashaAllah. Take some time out and reflect on it:

♫ “Once the Prophet (saw) was traveling and he had ‘Aisha (r.a.) with him. She happened to loose her necklace, and because of that the Prophet (saw) stopped the entire caravan and sent people to look for it – because he knew how much that necklace meant to his wife.”

SubhanAllah, look at how we interact with each other today. We fight, bicker, snap and have o patience with each other. This was the Prophet of Allah  and subhanAllah look at how he was acting, look at how we act today, ya rubb….

May Allah make us interact with each other nicely and have more compassion towards one another.

-radf

Allahumma sali ala sayyidina muhammadin an-Nabbiyil ummiyi Wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salim.

Confused? Didn’t understand something? Click here!

“My worth is defined by the beauty of my soul, my heart, my moral character”

SubhanAllah! This is such a beautiful article, please take out some time and read it. It’s full of such wisdom and beautifully written:

Growing up, you read me the Ugly Duckling. And for years I believed that was me. For so long you taught me I was nothing more than a bad copy of the standard (men).

I couldn’t run as fast or lift as much. I didn’t make the same money and I cried too often. I grew up in a man’s world where I didn’t belong.

And when I couldn’t be him, I wanted only to please him. I put on your make-up and wore your short skirts. I gave my life, my body, my dignity, for the cause of being pretty. I knew that no matter what I did, I was worthy only to the degree that I could please and be beautiful for my master. And so I spent my life on the cover of Cosmo and gave my body for you to sell.

I was a slave, but you taught me I was free. I was your object, but you swore it was success. You taught me that my purpose in life was to be on display, to attract, and be beautiful for men. You had me believe that my body was created to market your cars. And you raised me to think I was an ugly duckling. But you lied.

Islam tells me, I’m a swan. I’m different – it’s meant to be that way. And my body, my soul, was created for something more.

God says in the Qur’an, “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (49:13)

So I am honored. But it is not by my relationship to men. My value as a woman is not measured by the size of my waist or the number of men who like me. My worth as a human being is measured on a higher scale: a scale of righteousness and piety. And my purpose in life – despite what the fashion magazines say – is something more sublime than just looking good for men.

And so God tells me to cover myself, to hide my beauty and to tell the world that I’m not here to please men with my body; I’m here to please God. God elevates the dignity of a woman’s body by commanding that it be respected and covered, shown only to the deserving – only to the man I marry.

So to those who wish to ‘liberate’ me, I have only one thing to say: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

I’m not here to be on display. And my body is not for public consumption. I will not be reduced to an object, or a pair of legs to sell shoes. I’m a soul, a mind, a servant of God. My worth is defined by the beauty of my soul, my heart, my moral character. So, I won’t worship your beauty standards, and I don’t submit to your fashion sense. My submission is to something higher.

With my veil I put my faith on display – rather than my beauty. My value as a human is defined by my relationship with God, not by my looks. I cover the irrelevant. And when you look at me, you don’t see a body. You view me only for what I am: a servant of my Creator.

You see, as a Muslim woman, I’ve been liberated from a silent kind of bondage. I don’t answer to the slaves of God on earth. I answer to their King.

Source: Suhaib Webb

Sorry for the lack of posts, inshaAllah I will try to keep up, I’ve juss been busy with everything from school to work and life itself. InshaAllah Allah is happy with all of us.

Keep everyone in your du’as!

-radf

Allahumma sali ala sayyidina muhammadin an-Nabbiyil ummiyi Wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salim.

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Eid Mubarak!

Eid Mubarak to you and your family! May Allah accept all our ibadah and grant us all Jannah! Ameen!

Sorry for the delay but school + work + ending of Ramdhaan [ ] and being sick was a bitt too much and I kind of forgot about my blog….

I hope you all enjoyed your Eid and made the best of Ramadhaan!

Keep everyone in your du’as!

-radf

Allahumma sali ala sayyidina muhammadin an-Nabbiyil ummiyi Wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa salim.

Confused? Didn’t understand something? Click here!

Exercise & Hijaab

Exercise Tailored to a Hijab

By ABBY ELLIN

Published: September 9, 2009

THE first time Julia Shearson rode her bike after converting to Islam seven years ago, her headscarf became stuck in the wheel.

She lost her balance, and by the time she got going again she was met with stares as she whizzed along, arms and legs draped in loose clothing, her scarf billowing in the breeze.

“You have to overcome the looks,” said Ms. Shearson, 43, the executive director of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American-Islam Relations. “It’s already hard enough to exercise, and if you look different … it’s even harder.”

As a Muslim woman in the United States, Ms. Shearson has found it difficult to stay fit while adhering to her religious principles about modesty. Islam does not restrict women from exercising — in fact all Muslims are urged to take care of their bodies through healthy eating and exercise — but women face a special set of challenges in a culture of co-ed gyms and skimpy workout wear.

Many pious Muslim women in the United States, like Ms. Shearson, wear hijab in public, loose garments that cover their hair and body, which can hinder movement and add to discomfort during exercise. Women may show their hair, arms and legs up to the knees in front of other women.

Muslim women are often limited in their choice of activity, as well. Some believe that certain yoga chants, for example, are forbidden, as well as certain poses like sun salutations (Muslims are supposed to worship only Allah). For the sake of modesty, working out around men is discouraged.

That modesty can be a benefit and a liability. On the one hand, Muslim women are spared some of the body-image issues that other women face; on the other, that freedom can be a detriment to their physical well-being.

“We don’t have the external motivation that non-Muslim women have,” said Mubarakha Ibrahim, 33, a certified personal trainer and owner of Balance fitness in New Haven, a personal training studio catering to women. “There is no little black dress to fit into, no bathing suit. When you pass through a mirror or glass you’re not looking to see ‘Is my tummy tucked in? Do I look good in these jeans?’ You’re looking to see if you’re covered.”

After gaining 50 pounds while pregnant with her first child, Ms. Ibrahim studied exercise and nutrition, and became certified through the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. In 2006 she opened her studio, which offers a safe environment for women to exercise (she says she has more orthodox Jewish clients, who also adhere to rules of modesty).

Ms. Ibrahim said she would like to see exercise become as natural a part of a Muslim woman’s life as praying.

In July, about 120 women from around the country attended Ms. Ibrahim’s third annual Fit Muslimah Health and Fitness Summit in New Haven. She offered yoga, kickboxing, water aerobics and core conditioning classes alongside workshops on weight loss, nutrition, cancer prevention and diabetes at the two-day, women-only event. She plans to hold another one in Atlanta in February.

“An important part of your spirituality is your health,” said Tayyibah Taylor, publisher of Azizah, a magazine for Muslim women, and co-sponsor of the summit meeting. “You can’t really consider yourself in good health if all parts of your being are not healthy — your body, your mind and your soul. It’s a complete package.”

This is especially true now, during Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting from dawn until sunset. “The Muslim prayer is the most physical prayer — the sitting, bowing, bending,” said Daisy Khan, executive director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement. “The physicality of our prayer forces us to create flexibility in our body.”

But how to mix one’s physical and spiritual needs with practicality? Some Muslim-Americans go to women-only gyms like Curves, which has thousands of branches across the country. And some gyms and Y.M.C.A.’s offer gender-segregated areas, hours or days.

Other women, like Umm Sahir Ameer, a 27-year-old student in Shaker Heights, Ohio, take matters into their own hands. Last year, Ms. Ameer started the Muslimah Strive Running-Walking Group so she and 12 of her friends could exercise together.

“I wanted to establish this group as a way to further unite Muslim women in my community while gaining physical endurance,” she said.

Those who do work out in co-ed gyms have learned to make accommodations in their clothing. Loretta Riggs, 40, an educational coach in Pittsburgh, started exercising two years ago after divorcing her husband. She wears a scarf made of spandex, long-sleeved Under Armour shirts and Adidas or Puma pants.

“Some women don’t think you should be working out in a co-ed gym,” she said, “but I’m around men all the time in my workplace, when I take my kids to the park, when I walk outside.”

She added: “Why would I deprive myself of being healthy because I am a Muslim and I choose to cover? It’s very important to take care of myself.”

Mariam Abdelgawad, 21, a math teacher in San Jose, Calif., said that in high school she played hockey, soccer and ran track and field, all while wearing hijab.

But today she works out at home, since there are no female-only gyms in her neighborhood. Her parents, with whom she lives, have a treadmill, elliptical machine and Pilates equipment, as well as weights. She exercises about three times a week, but said she missed the camaraderie of the gym.

Though working out at home is convenient, she said, it is also very easy to procrastinate and not do it. “I don’t have all the options that a gym would have,” she said.

Swimming also poses problems. Although some Muslim women have been known to hop in the water in their street clothes, this can be cumbersome for a workout. The burqini — a one-piece outfit that resembles a scuba wet suit — has received a lot of attention in recent months (most notably in France, where a young woman was banned from wearing one at a pool), but it tends to be too form-fitting for some women.

“I tried it once, and it sticks to your body,” said Marwa Abdelhaleem, a 26-year-old teacher in Toronto who started a female-only swimming group to avoid the burqini question. “It’s really fitted. I wouldn’t wear it in public.”

Ms. Ibrahim, however, is more focused on the private.

“One of the ideas I promote is that when you are married and you take off your clothing, your husband should not be like, ‘You should put this back on,’ ” Ms. Ibrahim said. “Even if you wear a burqa, you should be bikini-ready. You should feel comfortable and sexy in your own skin.”

Source: The New York Times

President Obama’s Back to School Speech

Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.
I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.
Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, “This is no picnic for me either, buster.”

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.
I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.
I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.
I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.
Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.