title: Blue Star Ferries

text: Blue Star Ferries is the biggest ferry company in Greece, serving more than 20 destinations. Their fleet is composed of 12 modern ferries whose course speeds range from 23 to 30 knots.


title: Blue Star Ferries

text: Blue Star Ferries was founded in 1965 as Strintzis Lines by the Strintzis family from Lixouri, Kefalonia. The company was rebranded as Blue Ferries in 2000 following Attica Enterprises' acquisition of a 48% stake in the company. Blue Star Ferries is a sister company of Superfast Ferries, as both are part of the Attica Group and have had partnership in some routes, such as Rosyth to Zeebrugge and presently Piraeus-Heraklion.


title: Blue Star Ferries

text: In 2000 the company took delivery of two Ro-Ro (roll on/roll off) ferries built at the Dutch shipyard Van der Giessen de Noord.


title: Blue Star Ferries

text: Blue Star Ferries ordered two ferry-type ships at Daewoo Shipyards in Korea. The first ferry, named "Blue Star Delos", was delivered in the first 10 days of October 2011, and the second, "Blue Star Patmos", in July 2012. "Blue Star Delos" is currently on the route Piraeus–Paros–Naxos–Ios–Thira, and "Blue Star Patmos" on the route Piraeus–Chios–Mytilini (Lesvos).


title: Blue Star Ferries

text: One of Blue Star Ferries' boats took the role of "Princess Myrto" on the Greek TV show "Θα Σε Δω Στο Πλοίο" (literally translated: "I'll See You on the Ferry") broadcast by Alpha TV, a Greek channel, from 2000 to 2002. The majority of the filming for this series was on the boat itself except for on-location filming of the characters on holiday or on leave. This is still being broadcast in certain Greek-speaking countries, including Cyprus.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Space Force's 21st Space Wing, elements of the Space Force's Space Systems Command, and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) headquarters. Developed as a World War II air support base for Camp Carson, the facility conducted Army Air Forces training and supported Cold War air defense centers at the nearby Ent Air Force Base, Chidlaw Building, and Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The base was the location of the Air Force Space Command headquarters from 1987 to 20 December 2019 and has had NORAD/NORTHCOM command center operations since the 2006 Cheyenne Mountain Realignment placed the nearby Cheyenne Mountain Complex centers on standby. On 26 July 2021, the installation was renamed Peterson Space Force Base to reflect its prominent role in the new space service.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Colorado military construction during the buildup of US training installations prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor included the 1940 Lowry bombardier school at Denver and Camp Carson south of Colorado Springs (HQ completed on 31 January 1942). Sites "in the vicinity of Colorado Springs" were assessed in the summer of 1941 for a USAAF airfield, and during April 1942 the Photographic Reconnaissance Operational Training Unit (PROTU) was activated in a leased facility at Colorado Springs. On 6 May 1942, the site adjacent to the airfield of the 1926 Colorado Springs Municipal Airport was selected, and the airport's airfield was subsequently leased as an "air support field"* for Camp Carson under the "air support base development program". In May 1942, units such as the 5th Mapping Squadron (from Bradley Field) arrived and used city facilities. The "Second Photographic Group Reconnaissance" (activated 7 May 1942 at Will Rogers Field) transferred to Colorado Springs, and the "2nd Group ... headquarters was situated in a former garage across the street from the Post Office, barracks were in the city auditorium ... and the mess hall was located at the busy horseshoe counter of the Santa Fe railway station." Land at the Broadmoor was used for maneuvers, and the 2nd Group initially operated without aircraft. Personnel were also "housed temporarily at Colorado College" and a youth camp near the Woodmen sanitorium. (the 14th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was located at the Kaufman Building on Tejon St.)


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: "Army Air Base, Colorado Springs",* construction began after 10 May 1942, on "nothing more than a large patch of Colorado plain", and the installation was placed under the Headquarters, United States "AAF [on] 11 June 1942". The 373d Base HQ and Air Base Sq was activated as the base operating unit on 20 June 1942 (replaced by the 214th AAF Base Unit in 1944), and the base was assigned to the 2nd Air Force on 22 June 1942. On 7 July 1942, "HQ PROTU" was on the "Army Air Base, Colorado Springs" and was ordered to provide "four to five months of training to each individual". During air base construction, the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron was activated on 23 July 1942, and used the Alamo Garage on Tejon Street. Runways were completed in August 1942, and eponym 1st Lt Edward J. Peterson crashed 8 August 1942 on take off (1st Coloradoan killed at the airfield.)


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Peterson Field was the airfield named on 13 December 1942, and included the runway used by both the municipal airport and the military installation: "Army Air Base, Peterson Field", which had begun publishing the "Wingspread" base newspaper by 11 July 1942. The "18 Dep Rpr Sq" was assigned to the military installation from 19 January – 29 April 1943, and the installation was assigned to the Third Air Force (5 March – 1 October 1943) and by the end of the 1943 summer had tar paper barracks, an officer's club, and a theater in a Quonset. After the base transferred to Second Air Force on 1 October 1943, in June 1944 Peterson Field began fighter pilot training with P-40N Warhawks. "In March 1943 the Third Air Force took over the photographic reconnaissance Operational Training Unit which had been operating at Peterson Field ... under the direct control of the Director of Photography since April 1942".


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: The 4th Heavy Bombardment Processing Headquarters ("4 H Bomb Processing HQ") was activated on 10 June 1943 (the 1st B-29 landed at Peterson Field in the summer of 1943), and bomber training by the 214th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Heavy) B-24 Liberator) began after the 383rd Bombardment Group relocated from Geiger Field, Washington on 26 October 1943. In 1944 (11 June – 20 October), the XXI Bomber Command was assigned to Peterson; and the "HQ and HQ Sq" of XXII Bomber Command was assigned 14 October 1944 – 13 February 1945, and by 17 August 1944, 4 bomb wings (313th through 316th) were assigned to the base — the last left on 7 June 1945. The 263rd AAF Base Unit became the Peterson "base operating unit" on 8 March 1945 (transferred to Andrews Field on 17 March 1946). The Army Air Forces Instructor School opened at Peterson Field in April 1945, and the base was one of several that transferred to Continental Air Forces on 16 April 1945. (VIII Bomber Command arrived 17 August 1945).


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: The base was inactivated 31 December 1945 after the 13th Bombardment Wing (17 October) and VIII Bomber Command () departed, and site management by the base operating unit ended on 17 December 1945. In 1946, Peterson's last AAF Base Units were discontinued: 260th AAF Base Unit (Fighter Wing) in January, the 202nd AAF Base Unit (Special) in February, and the 268th AAF Base Unit (Instrument Instructor Unit) in March and the 201st (Headquarters Base Unit) in April (the 72nd Fighter Wing was at the base from "4 January 1946 - 9 April 1946"). The 703rd AAF Base Unit (Hq, 53d AACS Group) moved to Kelly Field in February. Designated surplus on 29 July 1946, "the U.S. Government returned control of the [air]field to the City of Colorado Springs". Many of the base buildings were torn down. In 1946, Tonopah AAF (Nevada, on 1 October), Clovis AAF (New Mexico, 16 October), and Casper AAF (Wyoming, on 15 December) became detached installations of the inactive base for a short period.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: During planning for the new United States Air Force, Colorado's Arlington Auxiliary Army Airfield became a detached installation of the surplus base (1 January – 1947), and the "468th Construction Co (15th AF)" became the inactive base's operating unit in February 1947. The base with new construction was activated 29 September 1947 – 15 January 1948, then was "surplus" until after the notice in November 1950 to reactivate Air Defense Command. The "23 Photo Sq 19 May 1943-9 August 1948" remained throughout both inactive/surplus periods, and the "4600 Maint & Sup Sq" was established at the surplus base on 1 December 1950).


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: The military base at the municipal field reactivated as an off-base installation of Ent Air Force Base on 1 January 1951 and was operated by Ent's 4600 Air Base Group. After being assigned to Peterson on 1 March 1952, the 4602d Air Intelligence Service Squadron had subordinate organizations at the "Defense Force Headquarters [on] Hamilton Air Force Base, California, at Kansas City, Missouri, and at Stewart Air Force Base" New York. The 4600th Group became the 4600th Air Base Wing on 8 April 1958 (moved to Peterson on 18 October 1972). The 4600th was replaced by the 46th Aerospace Defense Wing on 1 April 1975. In January 1968, Air Training Command's 3253d Pilot Training Squadron at Peterson Field began light aircraft indoctrination for cadets. These operations moved to the United States Air Force Academy on 21 March 1974. The military base at Peterson Field gained its own base commander on 28 February 1975.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Designated Peterson Air Force Base on 1 March 1975, when Ent AFB was being closed, Peterson was the last of the April 1945 Continental Air Forces airbases to be named an air force base. Also on 1 March, Peterson assumed several functions from Ent AFB, which became the "Ent Annex" of Peterson, 18 July 1975 – 7 February 1978 (Peterson's off-base "Temporary Military Facility" was opened for space training by 1986). During the first part of the reorganization that broke up ADCOM, the base "transferred to the Strategic Air Command" on 1 October 1979 (units transferred included the 47th Comm Sq to AFCS and the 46th Wing and 4602nd Computer Services Sq to SAC). ADCOM HQ offices at the Chidlaw Building became the Aerospace Defense Center at Peterson on 1 December 1979.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Peterson's NORAD COC Backup Facility achieved Full Operational Capability on 16 November 1982 from the Cheyenne Mountain Complex which was placed on warm standby.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: The 1st Space Wing replaced the 46th Aerospace Defense Wing on 1 April 1983. Thereafter the 1st Space Wing transferred host unit responsibility to the 3d Space Support Wing activated on 15 October 1986. Army and other units transferred from the former Ent AFB Federal Building to Peterson Building 2 (renamed the Eberhart-Findley Building in October 2012). On 15 May 1992, the personnel and equipment of both the 1st SW and 3d SSW merged to become the 21st Space Wing. Peterson's Space Analysis Center was at the corner of Academy & Fountain Blvds by 2004 before moving on base to bldg 1470, and in 2004 the Space Operations School used a building along I-25 at Woodmen Drive.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: The Cheyenne Mountain Realignment moved NORAD/USNORTHCOM operations to Peterson AFB in 2006. In 2006, the 76th Space Control Facility was constructed at Peterson (the squadron activated 22 January 2008). The MAFFS aircraft that fought the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire and 2013 Black Forest fire at Colorado Springs flew from Peterson AFB.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Some buildings from the Second World War have survived. Buildings remaining in 1996 were "the terminal, now the Peterson Air and Space Museum, the Broadmoor hangar, and the Spanish House" next to the museum, along with Building 391, Building 365, supply warehouses and office buildings, and aircraft hangars and maintenance shops.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: The base's Retiree Activities Office has the representative for the Air Force Retiree Council Area IV (Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming).


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: On 20 December 2019, Air Force Space Command was redesignated as the U.S. Space Force and elevated to become an independent military branch. With the new military branch, the Fourteenth Air Force and its units became Space Force Space Operations Command and Air Force Space Command's headquarters was redesignated as the Pentagon.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Units marked GSU are Geographically Separate Units, which although based at Peterson, are subordinate to a parent unit based at another location.


title: Peterson Space Force Base

text: Despite the number of vintage records with "Army Air Base, Colorado Springs", Mueller in 1989 (p. 471) claims the military installation next to the municipal airfield was initially named "Air Support Command Base" in May 1942, but does not identify an Air Support Command headquarters ever being at the air base, nor that base was even assigned to one of the support commands.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American professional baseball shortstop for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB).


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford played college baseball for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was selected in the fourth round of the 2008 MLB draft by the Giants.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: He made his MLB debut in 2011. He was the sixth player in MLB history to hit a grand slam in his first MLB game, and the first shortstop to hit a grand slam in an MLB postseason game. He is a three-time All-Star (2015, 2018, and 2021), four-time Gold Glove Award winner (2015–2017, and 2021), two-time Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award winner (2012 and 2016), and won the Silver Slugger Award at shortstop in 2015. Crawford has played the most games at shortstop for the Giants in franchise history, and at the end of the 2022 season was 2nd of all active players in games played at shortstop.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. He was born in Mountain View, and his family lived in Menlo Park before they moved to Pleasanton when he was in elementary school, which is where he grew up. He grew up a San Francisco Giants fan, and his family purchased season tickets and a commemorative brick in Willie Mays Plaza outside AT&T Park when the ballpark opened in 2000.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford attended Foothill High School in Pleasanton, where he was a three-sport athlete playing football, basketball, and baseball. He was the starting quarterback for the Foothill Falcons, and graduated in the class of 2005.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was a physiological sciences major. He played baseball for the UCLA Bruins from 2006 to 2008, and helped lead the team to the NCAA Regionals in three consecutive seasons, the first time in school history. Crawford was named the team's MVP in 2006 and 2007, and was named to the All-Pac-10 Conference team in 2007. In the summer of 2007, he played for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He also played in the Northwoods League for the Mankato MoonDogs in 2005 before he attended UCLA.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: He helped lead the United States national team to the title in the 2006 International University Sports Federation (FISU) World Championship.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: The San Francisco Giants selected Crawford in the fourth round, with the 117th overall selection, of the 2008 MLB draft by the Giants, and signed for a $375,000 signing bonus. Crawford started his first full season as a professional with the Class-A Advanced San Jose Giants in 2009. In 25 games, he hit .371 with six home runs and 17 RBIs, good enough for a slugging percentage of .600 and 1.045 OPS. In May, Crawford was promoted to the Double-A Connecticut Defenders, where he spent the rest of the season, batting .258/.294/.365 with four home runs in 108 games.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 2010, Crawford opened the season in Double-A (now with the Richmond Flying Squirrels) and earned an Eastern League mid-season All-Star nod, batting .241/.337/.375 in 79 games before suffering a broken hand in early July, which sidelined Crawford for nearly two months. When he recovered, he was assigned back to San Jose for the remainder of the season. He was ranked the sixth-best prospect in the Giants' organization by "Baseball America" heading into 2011.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 2011, Crawford was invited to spring training but was set back by a broken finger suffered in the final week, and started the season in San Jose while he recovered. There he batted .322/.412/.593 in 59 at bats. Then in AAA he batted .234/.291/.327 in 107 at bats. In the AFL, he was named to the AFL All-Prospect Team.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: He was called up to the MLB for the first time on May 26, 2011, following injuries to Buster Posey, Mike Fontenot, and Darren Ford. Crawford made his MLB debut on May 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers. His first MLB hit came in his third at bat of the game, and was a grand slam off the Brewers' Shaun Marcum. He joined Bobby Bonds and Brian Dallimore as the only Giants whose first career MLB hit was a grand slam; he also became the sixth player in MLB history and the second player in Giants history along with Bobby Bonds to hit a grand slam in his first game.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: On July 31, he was optioned to the Giants' Triple-A affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, after the Giants acquired shortstop Orlando Cabrera. The Giants were 23–18 with Crawford as a starter, but he was only hitting .190. Crawford was recalled in September when MLB rosters expanded to 40 players.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 2012, Crawford was named the team's opening day shortstop, in which he batted 8th in the lineup. He batted .248 with four home runs, 26 doubles, and 45 RBI in 143 games. On July 20, Crawford hit his second career grand slam and drove in 5 runs as the Giants defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7–2. Crawford was praised for his defense during the 2012 postseason, which culminated in a 4–0 sweep of the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 World Series. Crawford ranked third among NL shortstops in Defensive Runs Saved at +12, and was recognized with the Wilson Defensive Player of the Year Award at shortstop.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford was the Giants' starting shortstop for 2013, with Joaquín Árias as his backup. In 149 games on the year, he hit .248/.311/.363 with 9 home runs and 43 RBI.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 153 games, Crawford batted .246 and set career highs with ten home runs and 69 RBIs. On April 13, Crawford hit a tenth inning, walk-off home run against Rex Brothers of the Colorado Rockies. In the 2014 postseason, Crawford led all Giants with 9 RBIs. In the 4th inning of the NL Wild Card Game between the Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates, Crawford hit a grand slam off of Edinson Vólquez, becoming the first shortstop to hit a grand slam in Major League Baseball postseason history. Crawford batted .304 (7-for-23) with 4 RBIs in the 2014 World Series, en route to his second championship with the Giants. In Game 7, Crawford drove in the second run for the Giants with a sacrifice fly and, along with second baseman Joe Panik, turned a critical double-play in the third inning.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: On January 27, 2015, the Giants and Crawford avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.175 million deal. On May 16, Crawford hit his third career grand slam (fourth including the postseason) and drove in a career-high six runs against Mike Leake of the Cincinnati Reds. In May, Crawford led the team in RBIs, and on July 1, Crawford set a new career-high with his 11th home run of the season. On July 6, Crawford was voted by his fellow Major League players as a reserve for the 2015 MLB All-Star Game. On August 14 at AT&T Park, in an 8–5 win over the Washington Nationals, Crawford hit his 100th career double. On September 24 at Petco Park, Crawford hit his twentieth home run of the season off of Ian Kennedy, making him the fourth Giants shortstop in franchise history to reach the milestone, after Rich Aurilia, Alvin Dark, and Travis Jackson.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford set career highs in several offensive categories, batting .256 with 21 home runs, 84 RBIs, 33 doubles, and 130 hits. Crawford was the first Giants' shortstop to lead the team in home runs since Bill Dahlen in 1905. He won his first Rawlings Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award, the first Giant to win both awards in the same year since Barry Bonds in 1997.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: After the 2015 season, Crawford and the Giants agreed to a six-year, $75 million contract through the 2021 season. The deal covered Crawford's final two years of salary arbitration and first four years of free agency. The contract includes a no-trade clause, meaning that Crawford has to give consent if he were to be traded.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: April 8, 2016, Crawford hit a tenth inning, walk-off home run off Joe Blanton of the Los Angeles Dodgers in a game in which the Giants had been no-hit through 7 innings and recorded only two hits. On August 8 at Marlins Park, in an 8–7 win over the Miami Marlins that went into extra-innings, Crawford hit a career-high in base hits and singles with seven and five respectively. His seven hits tied the NL record for most total hits in a single game, and was the first time this feat had been done since Rennie Stennett in 1975. The seven hits were also a Giants all-time franchise record. Two days later, Crawford met with Stennett at Marlins Park.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: For the 2016 season, Crawford increased his batting average to a career-best .275 in 155 games played. Along with teammate Javier López, Crawford won the Willie Mac Award, which honors the Giants' most inspirational player. He was awarded his second consecutive Gold Glove Award after the season.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: On April 29, 2017, Crawford was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a right groin strain. In 2017, he batted .253/.305/.403 with 14 home runs and 77 RBI, and after the season he was awarded his third consecutive Gold Glove Award. He was the first shortstop to win three straight since Jimmy Rollins (2007–09), and the first Giant since J. T. Snow who won four in a row (1997–2000).


title: Brandon Crawford

text: On June 27, 2018, Crawford hit a walk-off home run against the Colorado Rockies to win the game 1–0 for the Giants. Crawford became the first Giants player since Steve Decker in April 1991 to hit a walk-off solo homer to win a 1–0 game. Batting .300 with ten home runs and 39 RBIs, Crawford was named the starting shortstop for the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. Crawford hit .193 in the second half, battling injuries throughout the second half. A left-handed hitter, Crawford had a higher batting average against left-hand pitching than right-hand pitching at .274. His average against right-hand pitching was .243.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: For the season, he hit a .254/.325/.394 batting line. He had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league shortstops, at 25.9 feet/second.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 2018, Crawford was the Giants team winner of the Heart & Hustle Award. Crawford lost out on his 4th straight gold glove to Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Against the Rockies on July 15, 2019, he had five hits in six at bats including two home runs and a career-high eight runs batted in during the Giants' 19-2 victory. The eight RBIs tied the San Francisco team record held by Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda. Crawford became the first shortstop in history to record five hits and eight RBIs in one game, and the first Giant to have at least 2 home runs and 8 RBIs in a game since Willie Mays did it in 1961.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 2020 he batted .256/.326/.465 (the highest slugging percentage of his career) with 8 home runs and 23 RBIs. He had the slowest sprint speed of all major league shortstops, at 25.7 feet per second.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: On June 8, 2021, Crawford started in what was his 1,326th game playing shortstop for the Giants, passing Travis Jackson for the most games played at the position in franchise history. On August 13, Crawford agreed to a 2-year extension worth $32 million through 2023.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In the 2021 regular season, Crawford batted .298(9th in the NL)/.373(10th)/.522 with 79 runs, 24 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 90 RBIs (all career highs). In 138 games he had 549 at bats. On defense, he had a .983 fielding percentage (3rd in the NL), and a 3.76 range factor/game (3rd). At the end of the season he was 3rd of all active players in games played at shortstop, at 1,409.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In Game 3 of the 2021 NLDS, Crawford made a leaping catch to preserve a crucial 1-0 lead for the Giants, which held to give the Giants a 2-1 series lead.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: He won the 2021 National League Gold Glove Award at shortstop. With four Gold Glove Awards he became tied with former first baseman J.T. Snow for third-most in Giants history.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: In 2022 with the Giants he batted .231/.308/.344 in 407 at bats, with 9 home runs and 52 RBIs, as on defense he led the NL in range factor per game at shortstop (3.88). He was second of all active players in career games at shortstop (1,525).


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford married former UCLA gymnast Jalynne Dantzscher in Kona, Hawaii, on November 26, 2011. They have two daughters and two sons. They reside in Scottsdale, Arizona.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: Crawford is the brother-in-law of Olympic gymnast Jamie Dantzscher. Crawford's sister Amy is married to pitcher Gerrit Cole. His sister-in-law, Jennifer Pippin, died in 2017 due to an asthma attack.


title: Brandon Crawford

text: During the MLB players weekend promotion, Crawford uses the nickname "DJ BC Raw" and sports it on his jersey. His nickname refers to his constant use of a speaker in the team clubhouse.


title: Corinne Drewery

text: Corinne Drewery (born 21 September 1959) is an English singer-songwriter and fashion designer, best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Swing Out Sister.


title: Corinne Drewery

text: Drewery was born and grew up in Nottingham. She later moved to the Lincolnshire village of Authorpe and went to South Reston Primary School, then Monks' Dyke High School and King Edward VI Grammar School in nearby Louth, then Lincoln College. She grew up on the classic pop standards, since her father played in a band which was regular support to big stars like Tom Jones and Sandie Shaw. She was strongly influenced by Northern soul, visiting performances at the Winter Gardens in Cleethorpes, and referred to Northern soul tracks during an extensive interview on BBC Radio Nottingham. Her mother Elaine Drewery, also a former singer, is the founder of Hedgehog Care in Authorpe. Her brother Anton was also a singer and musician. His debut studio album "With a Little Help" was released posthumously in August 2022, six months after his untimely death.


title: Corinne Drewery

text: Drewery moved to London after leaving school in 1976 to study fashion at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and eventually became a fashion designer. But she also sang for short periods with bands such as Working Week.


title: Corinne Drewery

text: She first met Andy Connell and Martin Jackson in 1984 and together they formed Swing Out Sister. In 1986–87 the group achieved chart success on both sides of the Atlantic with "Breakout". This became the band's signature song and was by far their most successful hit.


title: Corinne Drewery

text: Apart from singing the lead vocals in the band, Drewery is the band's lyricist, and participates in the composing of the songs with her musical partner Connell.


title: Corinne Drewery

text: In 1986, she provided additional vocals on the track "Bootsy" by Connell's former band A Certain Ratio; the song was released exclusively as a single in Australia and featured on their fifth studio album "Force".


title: Corinne Drewery

text: In 2022, she provided guest co-lead vocals with Ryan Bland of Ache, for the 24-7 Spyz track "Angels & Demons."


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), or the Postal Inspectors, is the law enforcement arm of the United States Postal Service. It supports and protects the U.S. Postal Service, its employees, infrastructure, and customers by enforcing the laws that defend the nation's mail system from illegal or dangerous use. Its jurisdiction covers any "crimes that may adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail, the postal system or postal employees." With roots going back to the late 18th century, the USPIS is the oldest continually operating federal law enforcement agency.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: There are roughly 200 federal crimes that can be committed which involve the mail. Thus, the Postal Inspectors' activities are markedly broad and ever-changing. In 2019, it made 5,759 arrests leading to nearly 5,000 convictions, mostly involving mail theft, mail fraud or contraband mailings. The growth in narcotics trading has resulted in 19,000 arrests and the seizure of $18 million in drug proceeds since 2010.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: In 2008, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service had 2,288 full-time personnel with the authority to make arrests and carry firearms on duty. This represented a 23.1% drop over the previous five years. In fiscal year 2014, USPIS had 2,376 field employees, a decline of 44.7% from fiscal year 1995. As of 2019, there are about 1,200 postal inspectors, who are authorized to carry weapons, make arrests, execute federal search warrants, and serve subpoenas.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The Postal Inspection Service has the oldest origins of any federal law enforcement agency in the United States. It traces its roots back to 1772 when colonial Postmaster General Benjamin Franklin first appointed a "surveyor" to regulate and audit the mail. Thus, the Service's origins—in part—predate the Declaration of Independence, and therefore the United States itself.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: As Franklin was appointed Postmaster General under the Second Continental Congress, his system continued.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: One of Franklin's first acts as Postmaster General was to appoint William Goddard as the first Postal Surveyor of the newly founded American postal system, in charge of inspecting the integrity and security of postal routes, regulating post offices, and auditing their accounts. A letter from Franklin to Goddard, dated August 7, 1775, authorized a total of $170.00 for Goddard to carry out these duties, and so August 7 is recognized as the "birthday" of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: In 1801, the title of "surveyor" was changed to "special agent". In 1830, the special agents were organized into the "Office of Instructions and Mail Depredations". The Postal Inspection Service was the first federal law enforcement agency to use the title special agent for its officers. Congress changed this title to "post office inspector" in 1880 to differentiate the federal postal agents from the multitude of "special agents" employed by railway and stagecoach companies. In 1954 the title is changed once again to "postal inspector" to reflect their relationship to all phases of the postal services and the U.S. Mail, instead of only the Post Offices.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: For some time, one of their primary duties was the enforcement of obscenity prohibitions under the Comstock Act, named after Postal Inspector Anthony Comstock.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: As fact-finding and investigative agents, postal inspectors are sworn federal law enforcement officers who carry firearms, make arrests, and serve federal search warrants and subpoenas. Inspectors work closely with U.S. attorneys, other law enforcement agencies, and local prosecutors to investigate postal cases and prepare them for court. For example, on all international mail, postal inspectors work closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); while on domestic mail, postal inspectors work closely with state and local law enforcement agencies. There are approximately 1,200 postal inspectors stationed throughout the United States and abroad who enforce more than 200 federal laws covering investigations of crimes that adversely affect or fraudulently use the U.S. Mail and postal system.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The USPIS has responsibility to safeguard over 600,000 Postal Service employees and billions of pieces of mail transported worldwide yearly by air, land, rail, and sea.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: USPIS was at one time the only investigative agency of the Postal Service; however, with the creation of the USPS Office of Inspector General in 1996, they assumed many duties previously carried out by the USPIS. The USPS OIG conducts independent audits and investigations. Audits of postal programs and operations help to determine whether the programs and operations are efficient and cost-effective. Investigations help prevent and detect fraud, waste, and misconduct and have a deterrent effect on postal crimes.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The OIG primarily took over the Postal Inspection Service's audit function, as well as investigations of fraud (against the USPS), waste, and abuse.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: Since the September 11, 2001, attacks, the USPIS has also investigated several cases where ricin, anthrax, and other toxic substances were sent through the mail. Although the USPIS has a wide jurisdiction, USPIS investigations can be categorized into these seven types of investigative teams and functions:


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The Postal Inspection Service's Technical Services Unit (TSU) provides investigative support through the use of new technology and the operations of two national communication centers known as the National Law Enforcement Control Centers (NLECC). In 2003, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement renamed their national communication center, previously known as "Sector" to the "National Law Enforcement Communications Center" (also known as NLECC). USPIS NLECC and ICE NLECC are two independent federal law enforcement radio communications centers that coincidentally share the same acronym and an almost identical name.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The U.S. Postal Inspection Service first established a crime lab in 1940. Today, the main USPS Forensic Laboratory is located in Dulles, Virginia in a two-story, 44,000-square-foot facility. The lab is staffed by forensic scientists and technical experts and consists of four units: the Questioned Documents Unit, the Fingerprint Unit, the Physical Sciences Unit, and the Digital Evidence Unit. The laboratory is overseen by a laboratory director, and each of the four units is overseen by an assistant laboratory director. There are also four satellite offices, located in New York, Chicago, Memphis, and San Francisco. In 2012, the entire U.S. Postal Inspection Service laboratory system had 65 employees (58 scientific staff and seven administrative staff), mostly based in the main Dulles lab.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: In addition to maintaining a staff of postal inspectors, the Postal Inspection Service has a uniformed force of Postal Police Officers who provide security service at major postal facilities throughout the United States, conduct perimeter security, escort high-value mail shipments, and perform other essential security functions. As of 2018 there were approximately 500 postal police officers. As of 2022 that number has been reduced to less than 400 nationwide.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The Postal Inspection Service maintains a law enforcement academy (the Career Development Unit) based in Potomac, Maryland. It is a federally accredited law enforcement academy by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: Their names have been etched on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall and to a Postal Inspection Service plaque at the agency's national headquarters, both located in Washington, D.C.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The list below details the officer's name and rank, date of death (known as "end of watch") and the cause of death.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: In 2006 the Postal Inspection Service created the "2 SMRT 4U" campaign aimed at teenage girls, the group most targeted by online sexual predators. It established the website to educate teens about how to chat and post wisely online. The website has been rebranded NSTeens.org but still provides educational information for teens. For its dedication to protecting children and fighting child exploitation, the United States Department of Justice honored the Postal Inspection Service with its Internet Safety Award.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: The Postal Inspection Service's Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) is a surveillance program that monitors social media, cryptocurrency transactions, and USPS internal systems to facilitate "the identification, disruption, and dismantling of individuals and organizations that use the mail or USPS online tools to facilitate black market Internet trade or other illegal activities". The initiative also claims to assess "threats to Postal Service employees and its infrastructure by monitoring publicly available open source information". It is one of seven functional groups falling under the Postal Inspection Service's wider cybercrime program.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: In 2019, iCOP produced over 200 intelligence reports for dissemination among USPIS officers. iCOP intelligence products have led to the seizure of at least $300,000 in cryptocurrency assets.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: In April 2021, a leaked bulletin labeled "law enforcement sensitive" was distributed through DHS fusion centers and detailed planned protests on March 20 for the World Wide Rally for Freedom and Democracy. Public exposure of this bulletin raised questions about whether the monitoring of protests and protestors fell under USPIS's area of law enforcement jurisdiction.


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: According to a 2021 USPIS presentation, obtained by Vice Media Motherboard the iCOP Analytics Team's mission is to, "identify and develop intelligence on targets operating on the clear and dark webs for all Inspection Service investigations. Analytics Team specializes in providing actionable intelligence through cryptocurrency tracking, open source intelligence and social media analysis, geospatial mapping and data visualization, and USPS backend and network data exploitation."


title: United States Postal Inspection Service

text: Badges were first issued to all Postal Inspectors in 1922 but they were prohibited from displaying them in public and to only display them in private if all other means of identification have failed. By 1945 the use of badges had become even more stringent and the badge had to be requested on a case-by-case basis. Starting in 1973, badges are once again issued to all Postal Inspectors.


title: Anna Biller

text: Anna Biller is an independent American filmmaker who has directed two feature films. Biller considers herself a feminist filmmaker and consciously explores feminist themes throughout her work, including exploring the female gaze in cinema. She is vocal on both her website and in interviews about gender inequalities in the film industry.


title: Anna Biller

text: Biller was born in Los Angeles to a Japanese-American mother who is a fashion designer and a white father who is a visual artist. She grew up watching her mother design clothes, watching her father paint with a bright color palette, and watching classic cinema, all of which has had a big influence on her filmmaking practice. She has a B.A. in art from UCLA and an MFA in art and film from the California Institute of the Arts, where she studied under Morgan Fisher and Paul McCarthy. She started making 8 mm films while she was living in New York, and at CalArts she studied both art and film and began making 16 mm films.


title: Anna Biller

text: At the beginning of her career, Biller was known for her short films and staged musicals, which played with old Hollywood genres and tropes from the 1930s to the 1950s. She made her first short film, "Three Examples of Myself as Queen", while studying at CalArts. In the film, Biller plays Pointsettia, a teenager who turns into a princess and has the power to transform men into dogs. The film screened at small venues and film festivals. Lane Relyea of "Artforum International" wrote "the film's humor and graceful perplexity may not have caused any sudden shifts in the local fault lines but did crack a glorious smile on this audience member's face." John Hartl of "The Seattle Times" called it a "bizarre, Warholian musical fantasy."


title: Anna Biller

text: In 2001, she directed two short films: "The Hypnotist", a melodrama written by her frequent collaborator Jared Sanford, and "A Visit from the Incubus", a Western horror musical. "A Visit from the Incubus" tells the story of a woman who is raped by an incubus, and decides to get back at him by challenging him to a singing competition. Robert Nott of "The Santa Fe New Mexican" called it a "must-see".


title: Anna Biller

text: Her 2007 debut feature film, "Viva", tells the story of a bored housewife who goes out in search of sexual adventure in the 1970s. It premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and won the Best of Fest Award at the Boston Underground Film Festival. The film was also entered into the main competition at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival. "Reason" magazine called "Viva" an "uncannily precise rendition of the look, sound, mood, and arch dialogue" of seventies sexploitation films, with "high-key, pseudo-Technicolor lighting and spare, colorful set design." "Viva" had a very limited theatrical release.


title: Anna Biller

text: Biller's second feature film, "The Love Witch," premiered in 2016 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film is a twist on classic serial killer films, featuring a woman who kills through calculated sexuality and "love magic," causing her male victims to fall too much in love. It evokes the sexploitation of women in Hammer horror films, and was shot entirely on film in order to recreate the old Hollywod style. The film took Biller seven years to complete because of her attention to detail in directing, writing, costume and set design, and work with her cinematographer.


title: Anna Biller

text: Richard Brody of "The New Yorker" said of "The Love Witch", "Biller puts genre to the test of do-it-yourself artistry, and puts feminist ideology itself to the test of style. The film pulsates with furious creative energy throughout, sparking excitement and giddy amazement that it even exists." In May 2016, "The Love Witch" was acquired for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories. "The Love Witch" was included in many lists for the best films of 2016, including those of "The New Yorker" and IndieWire. It won in a tie for the Trailblazer Award and Best Costume Design at the Chicago Indie Critics Awards, and also won the Michael Cimino Best Film Award at the American Independent Film Awards.


title: Anna Biller

text: Biller has said that her next film will be a Bluebeard story. Biller states "I want to make this film because I have a yearning to see more quality films for women, like the ones that were made in Hollywood’s golden age."


title: Anna Biller

text: On December 5, 2021, Biller announced she had completed her first novel, "Bluebeard's Castle." The book is set for publication in fall 2023 by Verso Books.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is a set of standard terminology and guidelines (a body of knowledge) for project management. The body of knowledge evolves over time and is presented in "A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge" ("PMBOK Guide"), a book whose seventh edition was released in 2021. This document results from work overseen by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which offers the CAPM and PMP certifications.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: Much of the "PMBOK Guide" is unique to project management such as critical path method and work breakdown structure (WBS). The "PMBOK Guide" also overlaps with general management regarding planning, organising, staffing, executing and controlling the operations of an organisation. Other management disciplines which overlap with the "PMBOK Guide" include financial forecasting, organisational behaviour, management science, budgeting and other planning methods.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: Earlier versions of the "PMBOK Guide" were recognized as standards by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) which assigns standards in the United States (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2008) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE 1490-2011).


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: "The PMBOK Guide" is intended to be a "subset of the project management body of knowledge that is generally recognized as a good practice. 'Generally recognized' means the knowledge and practices described are applicable to most projects most of the time and there is a consensus about their value and usefulness. 'Good practice' means there is a general agreement that the application of the knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques can enhance the chance of success over many projects." This means that sometimes the "latest" project management trends, often promoted by consultants, may not be part of the latest version of "The PMBOK Guide".


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: "The PMBOK Guide" is process-based, meaning it describes work as being accomplished by processes. This approach is consistent with other management standards such as ISO 9000 and the Software Engineering Institute's CMMI. Processes overlap and interact throughout a project or its various phases.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge — Sixth Edition provides guidelines for managing individual projects and defines project management related concepts. It also describes the project management life cycle and its related processes, as well as the project life cycle. and for the first time it includes an "Agile Practice Guide".


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: The PMBOK as described in the Guide recognizes 49 processes that fall into five basic process groups and ten knowledge areas that are typical of most projects, most of the time.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: The ten "knowledge areas", each of which contains some or all of the project management processes, are:


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: Each of the ten knowledge areas contains the processes that need to be accomplished within its discipline in order to achieve effective project management. Each of these processes also falls into one of the five process groups, creating a matrix structure such that every process can be related to one knowledge area and one process group.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: While the "PMBOK Guide" is meant to offer a general guide to manage most projects most of the time, there are currently three official extensions:


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: The PMBOK is a widely accepted standard in project management, however there are alternatives to the PMBOK standard, and PMBOK does have its critics. One thrust of critique has come from the critical chain developers and followers (e.g. Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Lawrence P. Leach), as opposed to critical path method adherents. The PMBOK Guide section on Project Time Management does indicate Critical Chain as an alternative method to Critical Path.


title: Project Management Body of Knowledge

text: A second strand of criticism originates in Lean Construction. This approach emphasises the lack of two way communication in the PMBOK model and offers an alternative which emphasises a language/action perspective and continual improvement in the planning process.


title: Monarchy of Cambodia

text: The monarchy of Cambodia is the head of state of the Kingdom of Cambodia. In the contemporary period, the King's power has been limited to that of a symbolic figurehead. The monarchy had been in existence since at least 68 AD except during its abolition from 1970 to 1993. Since 1993, the King of Cambodia has been an elected monarch, making Cambodia one of the few elective monarchies of the world. The king is elected for life by the Royal Council of the Throne, which consists of several senior political and religious figures. Candidates are chosen from among male descendants of King Ang Duong who are at least 30 years old, from the two royal houses of Cambodia (the House of Norodom and the House of Sisowath).


title: Monarchy of Cambodia

text: Cambodia's constitution, promulgated in 1993 stipulated the king's role as a mainly ceremonial one. It declared that the king "shall reign, but not govern" as well as being the "symbol of national unity and continuity".


title: Monarchy of Cambodia

text: The king performs important functions of state as required by the constitution. This includes but is not limited to:


title: Monarchy of Cambodia

text: The king also fulfils other roles not explicitly mentioned in the constitution in his capacity as head of state, for example, presiding over events of national significance including religious ceremonies and traditions integral to the Khmer nation, supporting humanitarian and philanthropic causes, and representing Cambodia abroad when undertaking official visits overseas. Although there have been female rulers in the past, the 1993 constitution currently forbids women from succeeding to the throne.


title: Monarchy of Cambodia

text: The Ministry of the Royal Palace, currently overseen by Minister Kong Sam Ol in conjunction with the Supreme Privy Advisory Council, formerly headed by the King's half-brother Prince Norodom Ranariddh assists and advises the king accordingly in carrying out his duties as monarch.


title: Snooker world ranking points 2021/2022

text: The official 2021/2022 snooker world ranking points for the professional snooker players on the World Snooker Main Tour in the 2021–22 season are based on performances in ranking tournaments over a two-year rolling period. The rankings at the start of 2021/2022 season are determined by prize money earned in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons and are updated after every tournament carrying ranking status; the players are re-ranked at the beginning of the current season after removing players relegated at the end of the previous season from the ranking list. As points are accrued from tournaments throughout the current season, the points from the corresponding tournaments from two seasons earlier are dropped. The rankings are used to set the official tournament seedings at various points throughout the season; even though the rankings are officially updated after every tournament carrying ranking status not all the rankings are used as seedings, and only the rankings officially used as seedings are documented below. The total points accumulated by the cut-off dates for the revised seedings are based on all the points up to that date in the 2021/2022 season, all of the points from the 2020/2021 season, and the points from the 2019/2020 season that have not yet been dropped.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: ʿAmr ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmī (), (570 – 13 March 624), also known as Abu Jahl (lit. 'Father of Ignorance'), was one of the Meccan polytheist pagan leaders from the Quraysh known for his opposition towards the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early Muslims in Mecca.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: He was brother of Umar Ibn Abi Rabi'ah and one of the arch-enemies of Muhammad and the flag-bearer of opposition towards Islam and the early Muslims. Islam views him as having malevolence and enmity to such an extent that Muhammad gave him the title of "The Pharaoh of this Ummah". Muhammad said, “He who calls Abu Jahl 'Abu Hakam' has made a serious mistake. He should seek forgiveness from Allah for this.”


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Contrary to general misconception, ibn Hisham was not an uncle (as was Abu Lahab) or another blood relative of Muhammad. Muhammad belonged to the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe, and ibn Hisham belonged to the Banu Makhzum clan of the Quraysh. Rather Ibn Hisham was a maternal uncle of Umar. Amr ibn Hisham was also known as Asad al-ahlaf, as he was the lion of the opposing groups that had sworn to fight against Islam and Muhammad.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl was fatally and badly wounded by Mu‘awwidh ibn ‘Afrā’ and Mu'ādh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamūḥ and eventually killed by Abdullah ibn Masud on March 13, 624, when he died fighting the Muslims in the Battle of Badr.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: His epithet was "Abū l-Ḥakam" (أبو الحكم) (literally "father of wise judgments") as he was considered a man of deep wisdom by the pagans, cunning and understanding by the elders of Quraysh for which they trusted his opinion and relied on him as an elite member of their assembly. Even at the age of thirty, he used to attend the special assemblies held at Dār’ an-Nadwa, the residence owned by Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām, although the rule of age of entry to these private assemblies was at least forty.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: ‘Amr ibn Hishām showed relentless animosity to Muhammad and rejected his message. Therefore, Muhammad referred him as "Abū Jahl" (أبو جهل) (literally "father of ignorance"). ‘Amr ibn Hishām was also called Ibn al-Ḥanẓalīya from his mother's side.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: His father was Hisham ibn al-Mughirah and his mother was Asma bint Makhrabah ibn Jandal al-Tamimiya, who early to converted being Muslim. He had eight full-siblings, they were:


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: 4. Harith ibn Hisham, husband of Fatima bint al-Walid ibn Mugira and father of Umm Hakim (Zara), Abu Sa'd (Sa'id), Abdul Rahman, Mugira and Abd-Allah.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Amr ibn Hisham had a trace of a scar on his knee which helped 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd to identify him among the slain and wounded soldiers of Quraysh in the battlefield of Badr.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: 'Amr ibn Hishām was almost the same age of Muhammad. Once in their youth, they had been pressed together at the table of 'Abdullah ibn Jud'ān at-Taymī. Muhammad was thinner than ibn Hisham and gave him a push which sent him to his knees and one of them was scratched so deeply that it left a permanent scar.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: 'Amr was among the chieftains that in varying degree kept a relentless hostility towards the Muslims.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl showed fierce opposition against Muhammad when he began preaching publicly. The people of Mecca were mostly devout and were already familiar with the Abrahamic faith as descendants of Is°ma‘īl. They stuck to the social and religious traditions of the community prevalent since the time of his forefathers. However, the following causes of dissension created hostility towards Muhammad:


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl once secretly went out by night to listen to Muhammad as he was praying in his house while Abu Sufyan and Al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq also did the same thing. Every one of them chose a place to sit where he could listen, and none knew where his fellow was sitting. So they passed the night listening to him, until as the dawn rose, they dispersed. On their way home they met and reproached one another, and one said to the other, 'Don't do it again, for if one of the light-minded fools sees you, you will arouse suspicion in his mind.' Yet they continued doing this for the next two days.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl later told al-Akhnas ibn Sharīq, “We competed with Banū ‘Abd Manāf in everything to attain status and nobility. They fed people, so we also fed people. They gave charity, so we also gave charity. They looked after people; so did we. We did these until we became equal. And now they say, ‘A prophet has come from us who receives revelations from the sky’ How can we possibly be able to compete with this? By Allah, we will never believe in him and we will never accept his message!”


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu‘bah, a man from aṭ-Ṭā’if, once visited Makkah. He was walking with Abū Jahl ibn Hishām in the streets when they came across Muhammad. Muhammad invited ‘Amr ibn Hishām to Islam by saying, “Why don't you accept Islam and believe me as the Messenger of Allah?” ‘Amr ibn Hishām said, “O Muhammad, when are you going to stop cursing our gods? If you want us to testify that you have fulfilled your mission, we will testify for you. And if I knew that you are telling the truth, I would have already followed you.” Muhammad then left. ‘Amr ibn Hishām looked at al-Mughīrah and said, “I know that he is telling the truth, but there is something holding me back. The descendants of Quṣayy ibn Kilāb ibn Murrah [whereas Banū Makhzūm was the descendant of Yaqaẓah ibn Murrah] wanted al-Ḥijābah (Guardianship of al-Ka‘bah & preservation of its key), as-Siqāyah (Custody of Zamzam & catering the pilgrims during the Ḥajj), al-Ifādah (Authority of trade & commerce), al-Liwā’ (Authority of the banner of battles), the authority of armed forces and an-Nadwah (Assembly of the Quraysh). We sacrificed all in favor of them [Banū Makhzūm was only in charge of the cavalry, Khālid ibn Walīd being its commander] and started picking up & competing with them. When we are running neck to neck, they say ‘We have a prophet among us’; How can we compete with that? By Allah, we are never going to accept this.”


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl stirred up the Meccans against the Muslims. When he heard that a man had become a Muslim, if he was a man of social importance and had relations to defend him, he reprimanded him and poured scorn on him, saying, 'You have forsaken the religion of your father who was better than you. We will declare you a blockhead and brand you as a fool, and destroy your reputation.' If he was a merchant he said, 'we will boycott your goods and reduce you to beggary.' If he was a person of no social importance, he beat him and incited people against him. Therefore, many converted slaves had to suffer the extreme savagery of Abu Jahl.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: It has been told that Amr ibn Hisham often put heavy stones on the backs of his slaves if they made a mistake. Convert slaves belonging to the polytheist Quraysh received the harshest punishment. Abu Jahl beat Ḥarīthah bint al-Mu‘ammil, one such slave, for her conversion to such an extent that she lost her eyesight. He also attacked Sumayyah bint Khayyat, the mother of ‘Ammār ibn Yasir, and inflicted on her mortal wounds by stabbing her with a spear in her private parts. She was the first Muslim to meet martyrdom in the cause of Islam. Abu Jahl also persecuted Ammar's father Yasir ibn Amir and his brother Abdullah and tortured them to death right in front of his eyes.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: The harassment of Abu Jahl was not only directed to his own people, but his misdemeanor extended to the people outside of Mecca also.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Once a man from the tribe of Irāsh came to Mecca complaining that Abu Jahl had bought some camels from him without paying him back. When the Irāshi man asked people to help him, they referred him to Muhammad with the intention of stirring up an argument. Muhammad brought him to Abu Jahl's house and asked him to give the Irāshi man's money that he owed him. Abu Jahl immediately came back with the money with his face looking extremely pale and timid. The disappointed Quraysh blamed Abu Jahl with sarcasm later on. He said, “Woe unto you all! As soon as I heard the knock on my door, I heard a terrifying sound which filled me with awe. When I looked to see what it was, it was the most colossal and vicious camel I had ever seen towering over my head. By Allah, if I had delayed or refused it would have devoured me alive!”


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: While Muhammad was in Mecca some twenty Christians came to him from Abyssinia (or Najrān) when they heard news of him. Muhammad answered all their questions and read the Quran to them. Their eyes flowed with tears and they accepted Islam. Abu Jahl intercepted them as they were leaving, saying, 'God, what a wretched band you are! Your people at home sent you to bring them information about the fellow, and as soon as you sat with him you renounced your religion and believed what he said. We don't know a more asinine band than you'. They answered: 'Peace be on you. We will not engage in foolish controversy with you. We have our religion and you have yours. We have not been remiss in seeking what is best.'


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: One day Abu Jahl declared, "I call God to witness that I will wait for him tomorrow with a stone which I can hardly lift and when he prostrates himself in prayer I will split his skull with it. Betray me or defend me, let the Banū 'Abdu Manāf do what they like after that." The Qurayshi people said that they would never betray him on any account, and he could carry on with his project. When morning came Abu Jahl took a stone and sat in wait for Muhammad. The apostle rose to pray while Quraysh sat in their meeting, waiting for what Abu Jahl was to do. When the apostle prostrated himself, Abu Jahl took up the stone and went towards him, until when he got near him, he turned back in flight, pale with terror, and his hand had withered upon the stone, so that he cast the stone from his hand. The Quraysh asked him what had happened, and he replied that when he got near him a camel's stallion got in his way. "By God", he said, "I have never seen anything like his head, shoulders, and teeth on any stallion before, and he made as though he would eat me."


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Narrated ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas: Abu Jahl said, "If I see Muhammad praying at the Ka'ba, I will tread on his neck." When the Prophet heard of that, he said, "If he does so, the Angels will snatch him away."


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud: Once the Prophet was offering prayers at the Ka'ba. Abu Jahl was sitting with some of his companions. One of them said to the others, "Who amongst you will bring the entrails of a camel of Bani so and so and put it on the back of Muhammad, when he prostrates?" The most unfortunate of them got up and brought it. He waited till the Prophet prostrated and then placed it on his back between his shoulders. I was watching but could not do anything. I wish I had some people with me to hold out against them. They started laughing and falling on one another. Allah's Apostle was in prostration and he did not lift his head up till Fatima (Prophet's daughter) came and threw that (camel's abdominal contents) away from his back. He raised his head and said thrice, "O Allah! Punish Quraish." So it was hard for Abu Jahl and his companions when the Prophet invoked Allah against them as they had a conviction that the prayers and invocations were accepted in this city (Mecca). The Prophet said, "O Allah! Punish Abu Jahl, 'Utba bin Rabī'a, Shaiba bin Rabī'a, Al-Walīd bin 'Utba, Umaiya bin Khalaf, and 'Uqba bin Abu Mu'īṭ (and he mentioned the seventh whose name I cannot recall). By Allah in Whose Hands my life is, I saw the dead bodies of those persons who were counted by Allah's Apostle in the Qalib (one of the wells) of Badr.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Muslim legend relates that Quraysh polytheists demanded Muhammad to perform most unlikely things possible to prove his prophethood. Once Abu Jahl, along with other leaders including al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah, al-‘Āṣ ibn Wā’il, al-‘Āṣ ibn Hishām, Aswad ibn ‘Abd Yaghūth, al-Aswad ibn al-Muṭṭalib, Zam‘ah ibn Aswad, an-Naḍr ibn al-Ḥārith asked Muhammad, “If you truly are a prophet, then split the moon in half so that one half will appear over Mount Abu Qubais and the other over Mount Quayqian.” Muhammad asked, “If I do it, will you become Muslims?” They agreed. On the 14th night, when it was full moon, Muhammad prayed to Allah to give him the miracle. When Gabriel informed him that Allah had granted his prayer, he announced it to the Meccans. The polytheists witnessed the splitting of the moon. Muhammad shouted to the Muslims: “O Abu Salama ibn ‘Abdu’l Asad! Arqām ibn Abi’l Arqām! Bear witness!”


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: However, the polytheists said “The son of Abu Kabsha cast a spell on you!” Some of them also said: “If Muhammad had cast a spell on us, then he couldn't have cast a spell on everyone! Let us ask the wayfarers who came from the surrounding areas if they saw what we saw.” So when they asked the people they answered that the moon was indeed split into two. Yet, the polytheists rejected Islam. “This is a prevalent magic”, they said, “Abū Ṭālib's orphan affected the sky with his spell”. (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri 3636, 3638)


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl passed by Muhammad at al-Ṣafā, insulted him and behaved most offensively, speaking spitefully of his religion and trying to bring him into disrepute. Muhammad did not speak to him. Now a freedwoman, belonging to 'Abdullah b. Jud'ān b. 'Amr b. Ka'b b. Sa'd b. Taym b. Murra, was in her house listening to what went on. When he went away he betook himself to the assembly of Quraysh at the Ka'ba and sat there. Within a little while Ḥamza b. 'Abdu'I Muṭṭalib arrived, with his bow hanging from his shoulder, returning from the chase, for he was fond of hunting and used to go out shooting. When he came back from a hunt he never went home until he had circumambulated the Ka'ba, and that done when he passed by an assembly of the Quraysh he stopped and saluted and talked with them. He was the strongest man of Quraysh, and the most unyielding. Hamza had headed back to his house when he passed by this woman, who asked him if he had heard of what ‘Amr b. Hisham had done just recently to his nephew, Muhammad; how he had found him sitting quietly there, and insulted him, and cursed him, and treated him badly, and that Muhammad had answered not a word. Ḥamza was filled with rage, for God purposed to honor him, so he went out at a run and did not stop to greet anyone, meaning to punish Abu Jahl when he met him. When he got to the mosque he saw him sitting among the people, and went up to him until he stood over him, when he lifted up his bow and struck him a violent blow with it, saying, 'Will you insult him when I follow his religion, and say what he says? Hit me back if you can!' Some of Banū Makhzūm got up to go to Abu Jahl's help, but he said, 'Let Abū 'Umāra alone for, by God, I insulted his nephew deeply.'


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: ‘Ayyāsh ibn Abī Rabī‘ah was one of the paternal cousins of ‘Amr ibn Hishām as well as his maternal brother. ‘Ayyāsh was among the early Muslim converts who emigrated to Madīnah before Muhammad. Abu Jahl devised a plan to bring him back to Makkah. Accordingly, he went to Madīnah with his brother Ḥārith and told ‘Ayyāsh a deceptive story about his mother's illness as a decoy only to provoke his emotion. Abu Jahl also lied about his mother's making an oath that she would neither sit in the shade nor comb her hair until she saw ‘Ayyāsh again. ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb tried to warn him by saying "This is nothing but an attempt of the people to seduce you from your religion so beware of them; for, by Allah, if lice were causing your mother trouble she would use her comb, and if the heat of Mecca oppressed her she would take shelter from it." But ‘Ayyāsh said, "I will clear my mother from her oath; also I have some money there which I can get." ‘Umar told him that he was one of the richest of the Quraysh and he could have half his money if he refused to go with the two men. But when ‘Umar saw that he was determined to go he said, "If you must go, then take this camel of mine. She is well bred and easy to ride. Don't dismount, and if you suspect them of treachery you can escape on her."


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: The three went off and while they were on their way Abu Jahl said, "Nephew, I find my beast hard to ride. Won't you mount me behind you?" When he agreed he and they made their camels kneel to make the change over, and when on the ground they fell on him and bound him securely and brought him to Mecca by day and said, 'O men of Mecca, deal with your fools as we have dealt with this fool of ours.'


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: The house of the Banu Jaḥsh was locked up when they left and ‘Utba ibn Rabī‘ah, al-‘Abbās ibn ‘Abdu’l-Muṭṭalib and Abu Jahl passed by it on their way to the upper part of Mecca. ‘Utbah looked at it with its doors blowing to and fro, empty of inhabitants, and sighed heavily and said:


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Then 'Utbah went on to say, ‘The house of the Banu Jaḥsh has become tenantless.’ To which Abu Jahl replied, ‘Nobody will weep over that. This is the work of this man's nephew. He has divided our community, disrupted our affairs, and driven a wedge between us.’


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: As a means of deterring Muhammad from spreading his message, the Quraysh laid a boycott on Banū Hāshim and Banū Muṭṭalib. Abū Jahl, met Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām with whom was a nephew carrying flour intended for his aunt Khadīja who was with him in the mountain gorge. He hung on to him and said, 'Are you taking food to the Banū Hāshim? By Allah, before you and your food move from here I will denounce you in Mecca.' Abū'l-Bakhtarī (al-‘Āṣ) ibn Hishām came to him and said, 'What is going on between you two?' When he said that Ḥakīm was taking food to the Banu Hāshim, he said: 'It is food he has which belongs to his aunt and she has sent to him about it. Are you trying to prevent him taking her own food to her? Let the man go his way'. Abū Jahl refused until they came to blows, and Abū'I-Bakhtarī (al-‘Āṣ) ibn Hishām took a camel's jaw and knocked him down, wounded him, and trod on him violently.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: This situation ultimately created dissension amongst the various Makkan factions, who were tied with the besieged people by blood relations. After three years of blockade and in Muharram, the tenth year of Muhammad's mission, the pact was broken. Hishām ibn ‘Amr, who used to smuggle some food to Banū Hāshim secretly at night, went to see Zuhair ibn Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughirah, one of Abu Jahl's paternal cousins, and reproached him for resigning to that intolerable treatment meted out to his uncles in exile. The latter pleaded impotence, but agreed to work with Hisham and form a pressure group that would secure the extrication of the exiles. On the ground of motivation by uterine relations, there emerged a group of five people who set out to abrogate the pact and declare all relevant clauses null and void. They were Hishām ibn ‘Amr, Zuhair ibn Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughirah, Al-Muṭ‘im ibn ‘Adī, Abū'l-Bakhtarī (al-‘Āṣ) ibn Hishām and Zam‘a ibn al-Aswad. They decided to meet in their assembly place and start their self-charged mission from the very precinct of the Sacred House. Zuhair, after circumambulating seven times, along with his colleagues approached the hosts of people there and rebuked them for indulging in the amenities of life whereas their kith and kin of Banū Hāshim were perishing on account of starvation and economic boycott. They swore they would never relent until the parchment of boycott was torn to pieces and the pact broken at once. Abu Jahl, standing nearby, retorted that it would never be torn. Zam‘a was infuriated and accused Abu Jahl of telling lies, adding that the pact was established and the parchment was written without seeking their approval. Abū'l-Bakhtarī intervened and backed Zam‘a. Al-Muṭ‘im bin ‘Adi and Hisham bin ‘Amr attested to the truthfulness of their two companions. Abu Jahl, with a cunning attempt to liquidate the hot argument that was running counter to his malicious goals, answered that the issue had already been resolved sometime and somewhere before. (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum)


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: In the end, Abu Jahl came up with a plan to assassinate Muhammad. Each clan should provide a young, powerful, well-born, aristocratic warrior; that each of these should be provided with a sharp sword; then that each of them should strike a blow at him and kill him. Thus they would be relieved of him, and responsibility for his blood would lie upon all the clans. The Banu 'Abdu Manāf could not fight them all and would have to accept the blood-money which they would all contribute to.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: At the news of Muhammad's flight with Abu Bakr, Abu Jahl rushed to the house of Abu Bakr. When interrogated, Abu Bakr's daughter Asma refused to tell him their whereabouts. Abu Jahl, in a fit rage, slapped her so hard that a few of her teeth came loose and her earring flew off.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: As soon as the Quraysh realized that Muhammad had fled with Abū Bakr, they sent a cavalry including Umayyah ibn Khalaf, Abu Lahab & Abu Jahl to chase after them. In their frantic attempt to hunt them down, the Quraysh followed their trails up to Mount Thaor where Muhammad was indeed hiding inside a cave. One of the pursuers suggested checking out the cave but Umayyah ibn Khalaf jested at him and showed the intact cobweb and an undisturbed bird's nest at the mouth of the cave. Abū Jahl was the only one yet to be convinced and said, "By Lāt & ‘Uzzā, I'm sure they're holed up somewhere nearby. They must be watching us now as we look for them. Muhammad has cast a spell on our eyes so we can't see them."


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Although Muhammad managed to escape for the time being, Abu Jahl would not give up and declared a bounty of 100 of the finest Arab camels for bringing him dead or alive. Suraqah ibn Malik ibn Ju’shum al-Madlajī raced after Muhammad right away. As he was gaining on them, suddenly the hooves of his stallion sagged in the desert sand and his limbs became paralyzed. So he begged him for mercy. At his entreaty, Muhammad prayed for his relief and let him get away scot-free by making a treaty of maintaining the secrecy of their whereabouts as well as warding off the other pursuers.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: When Suraqah was completely certain that Muhammad had reached Madīnah, he returned to Makkah relating his miraculous incident to everyone. Since Suraqah was the leader of Banu Madlaj, Abu Jahl feared that his tribe would accept Islam influenced by this story.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: So Abu Jahl wrote a letter to the Banu Madlaj tribe warning them of the deviation of Suraqah, despised him for his cowardice and selfishness and advised them to disobey him. Suraqah, however, replied to this letter saying, "O Abu’l Jahal! By Allah, had you witnessed how my horse got pinned into the sand, you also would not doubt the prophethood of Muhammad. I truly see that he will soon dominate all of Arabia and everyone will be his followers!"


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Prior to the Battle of Badr, Sa'd ibn Mu‘ādh had visited Mecca once to perform his Umrah with his non-Muslim friend Umayyah ibn Khalaf, when they came across 'Amr. They had an argument, and as it became heated, Sa’d threatened him with stopping the Meccan trade route to Syria and 'Amr informed Umayyah that his life was threatened by Muhammad.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: The Meccans would not leave Muhammad at peace even in Madinah. So they sent Abu Jahl leading three hundred riders to terrorize the Muslims. Muhammad immediately dispatched a group of thirty Muhajirūn led by Ḥamza ibn ‘Abdu’l-Muṭṭalib (Ibn Sa’d, 2: 9). The two parties confronted each other on the seashore in the neighbourhood of aI-‘Īṣ (in the territory of Juhayna) standing face to face in preparation for battle. In the heat of the moment, Majdi ibn 'Amr al-Juhani intervened and compelled them to lay down their arms. He was at peace with both the parties according to a truce. So the encounter ended up without any fight. At this, Abu Jahl showed much regret in a poem composed by him and hoped for a future victory over the Muslims.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: When Abu Sufyan ibn Ḥarb sent a distress message to Mecca, the Quraysh marshalled about 1,000 men for battle. Abu Jahl, on the point of his journey to Badr, grabbed the hangings (Ghilāf) of Ka’bah and made an earnest supplication to Allah that He would make whichever party was on the right side victorious.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl's obstinate attitude culminated in an actual fight despite several attempts of intimidation by some Quraysh leaders.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Al-Juḥfa Juhaym ibn al-Ṣalt ibn Makhrama ibn al-Muṭṭalib tried to intimidate the Quraysh belligerents from going into battle based on an ominous vision. But Abū Jahl sardonically replied, "Here's another prophet from Banū al-Muṭṭalib! He'll know tomorrow if we meet them who is going to be killed!"


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: When Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb saw that he had saved his caravan he sent word to Quraysh, "Since you came out to save your caravan, your men, and your property, and God has delivered them, go back." But Abū Jahl said, "By Allah, we will not go back until we have been to Badr." Badr is the site of one of the Arab fairs where they used to hold a market every year. "We will spend three days there, slaughter camels and feast and drink, wine, and the girls shall play for us. The Arabs will hear that we have come and gathered together, and will respect us in future. So come on!"


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām tried to restrain ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah from going to battle based on the report gathered by 'Umayr b. Wahb al-Jumaḥī. On ‘Utbah's counsel, Ḥakīm approached Abu Jahl so that he might put him off. But Abu Jahl scorned his advice by saying, "By Allah, his lungs are swollen (with fear) when he saw Muhammad and his companions. No, by Allah, we will not turn back until Allah decides between us and Muhammad. ‘Utba does not believe his own words, but he saw that Muhammad and his companions are (in number as) the eaters of one slaughtered camel, and his son (i.e. Abū Ḥudhayfa ibn ‘Utbah) is among them, so he is afraid lest you slay him."


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl was fatally wounded in the Battle of Badr by Mu'adh ibn ‘Afrā’ and Mu'ādh ibn 'Amr, but was finally killed by Abdullah ibn Masud.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Mu'ādh ibn 'Amr ibn al-Jamūḥ said, "I heard the people saying when Abu Jahl was in a sort of thicket, 'Abu' jahal cannot be got at'. When I heard that I made it my business, and made for him. When I got within striking distance I fell upon him and fetched him a blow which sent his foot and half his shank flying. I can only liken it to a date-stone flying from the pestle when it is beaten. His son ‘Ikrima struck me on the shoulder and severed my arm and it hung by the skin from my side, and the battle compelled me to leave him. I fought the whole of the day dragging my arm behind me and when it became painful to me I put my foot on it and standing on it I tore it off." He lived after that into the reign of 'Uthmān.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Mu‘awwidh ibn ‘Afrā’ passed Abū Jahl as he lay there helpless and smote him until he left him at his last gasp. He himself went on fighting until he was killed. Then 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd passed by Abū Jahl when the Apostle had ordered that he was to be searched for among the slain. 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd said that he found him at his last gasp and put his foot on his neck and said to him: "Has God put you to shame?" He replied, "How has He shamed me? Am I anything more remarkable than a man you have killed? Tell me how the battle went." He told him that it went in favor of Allah and His apostle. Abu Jahl said, "You have climbed high, you little shepherd." Then ['Abdullah ibn Mas'ūd] struck off his head and showed his head to Muhammad. When Muhammad saw his lifeless body on the battlefield he said, "This is the Pharaoh of this Ummah."


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Upon his death, the people of Quraysh mourned for him and composed elegies and requiems depicting him as a noble, generous and glorified man.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Then Abu Jahl came up to him saying, “Should I not stop you from this?!” So the Messenger rebuked him and warned him to stop harassing him. Abu Jahl then told the Prophet, “Do you threaten me when you know very well that I have the most backing and support than anyone in this valley of Makkah?” Allah then revealed:


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: 19. Nay, heed him not: But bow down in adoration, and bring yourself the closer (to Allah)! (Sūrah al-`Alaq, 96: 9-19)


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl then backed off hearing these lines. Ibn ‘Abbās says that if Abu Jahl had called his gang to hurt the Messenger, then Allah would have sent upon him the angels of punishment to deal with him.


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Once Abu Jahl said to the prophet, ‘By Allah, Muhammad, you will either stop cursing our gods, or we will curse the God you serve.’ So Allah revealed concerning that, “Curse not those to whom they pray other than God lest they curse God wrongfully through lack of knowledge.” (Sura 6:108)


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: When Allah mentioned the tree of al-Zaqqūm to strike terror into the Quraysh, Abu Jahl asked them, “O Quraysh, do you know what the tree of al Zaqqūm is with which Muhammad would scare you?” When they said that they did not, he said: “It is Yathrib dates buttered. By Allah, if we get hold of them we will gulp them down in one!” So Allah sent down the following verse:


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: “Verily the tree of al-Zaqqūm is the food of the sinner like molten brass seething in their bellies like boiling water.” (Sūra 44: 43)


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Narrated Anas bin Malik: Abu Jahl said, "O Allah! If this (Quran) is indeed the Truth from You, then rain down on us a shower of stones from the sky or bring on us a painful torment." So Allah revealed: "But Allah would not punish them while you were amongst them, nor He will punish them while they seek (Allah's) forgiveness..." (8.33) And why Allah should not punish them while they turn away (men) from Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque of Mecca)..." (8.33-34)


title: Amr ibn Hisham

text: Abu Jahl was infamous for his ruthless attitude toward orphans as well. 'Amr, who was a custodian of an orphan, refused to return his belongings once he asked for and drove him away. Allah sent down Sūra Mā‘ūn (107:2-3) regarding this act of cruelty.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: The pyramid of Cestius (in Italian, "Piramide di Caio Cestio" or "Piramide Cestia") is a Roman Era pyramid in Rome, Italy, near the Porta San Paolo and the Protestant Cemetery. It was built as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a member of the Epulones religious corporation. It stands at a fork between two ancient roads, the Via Ostiensis and another road that ran west to the Tiber along the approximate line of the modern Via Marmorata. Due to its incorporation into the city's fortifications, it is today one of the best-preserved ancient buildings in Rome.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: The pyramid was built about 18–12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius, a magistrate and member of one of the four great religious corporations in Rome, the "Septemviri Epulonum". It is of brick-faced concrete covered with slabs of white marble standing on a travertine foundation. The pyramid measures 100 Roman feet (29.6 m) square at the base and stands 125 Roman feet (37 m) high.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: In the interior is the burial chamber, a simple barrel-vaulted rectangular cavity measuring 5.95 metres long, 4.10 m wide and 4.80 m high. When opened in 1660, the chamber was found to be decorated with frescoes, which were recorded by Pietro Santo Bartoli. Only scant traces of these frescoes survive, and no trace of any other contents. The tomb had been sealed when it was built, with no exterior entrance, but had been plundered at some time thereafter, probably during antiquity. Until the end of restoration works in 2015, it was not possible for visitors to access the interior, except by special permission typically only granted to scholars. Since the beginning of May 2015, the pyramid is open to the public every second and fourth Saturday each month. Visitors must arrange their visit in advance.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: A dedicatory inscription is carved on both northwestern and southeastern faces, so as to be visible from both sides. It reads:


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: Below the inscription only on the southeastern face is a second inscription recording the circumstances of the tomb's construction. This reads:


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: Another inscription on the east face is of modern origins, having been carved on the orders of Pope Alexander VII in 1663. Reading "", it commemorates excavation and restoration work carried out in and around the tomb between 1660–62.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: At the time of its construction, the pyramid of Cestius would have stood in open countryside (tombs being forbidden within the city walls). Rome grew enormously during the imperial period, and, by the 3rd century AD, the pyramid would have been surrounded by buildings. It originally stood in a low-walled enclosure, flanked by statues, columns and other tombs. Two marble bases were found next to the pyramid during excavations in the 1660s, complete with fragments of the bronze statues that originally had stood on their tops. The bases carried an inscription recorded by Bartoli in an engraving of 1697:


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: This identifies Cestius' heirs as Marcus Valerius Messala Corvinus, a famous general; Publius Rutilius Lupus, an orator whose father of the same name had been consul in 90 BC; and Lucius Junius Silanus, a member of the distinguished "gens" Junia. The heirs had set up the statues and bases using money raised from the sale of valuable cloths ("attalici"). Cestius had stated in his will that the cloths were to be deposited in the tomb, but this practice had been forbidden by a recent edict passed by the aediles.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: The pyramid was built for Gaius Cestius Epulo, the son of Lucius, of the tribe of Pobilia. The inscription on it mentions that Cestius was a "praetor", a tribune of the plebs, and a "septemvir" of the Epulones. The tomb was completed in 330 days and was one of two pyramid shaped tombs in the city of Rome. It is also important to note that its construction was regulated by sumptuary laws, which limit extreme displays of wealth such as in feasts, clothing, funerals, and tombs. While these laws can be traced back to the mid-5th century BC, they were much more strictly passed and enforced around the time of Cestius’ death.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: The sharply pointed shape of the pyramid is strongly reminiscent of the pyramids of Nubia, in particular of the kingdom of Meroë, which had been attacked by Rome in 23 BC. The similarity suggests that Cestius had possibly served in that campaign and perhaps intended the pyramid to serve as a commemoration. His pyramid was not the only one in Rome; a larger one—the "pyramid of Romulus" — of similar form but unknown origins stood between the Vatican and the Mausoleum of Hadrian but was dismantled in the 16th century by Pope Alexander VI and the marble was used for the steps of St. Peter's Basilica.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: Some writers have questioned whether the Roman pyramids were modelled on the much less steeply pointed Egyptian pyramids exemplified by the famous pyramids of Giza. However, the relatively shallow Giza-type pyramids were not exclusively used by the Egyptians; steeper pyramids of the Nubian type were favored by the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt that had been brought to an end in the Roman conquest of 30 BC. The pyramid was, in any case, built during a period when Rome was going through a fad for all things Egyptian. The fusion of Roman and Egyptian styles is further highlighted by the fact that the exterior is distinctly "egyptianizing", while the interior displays classic Roman fresco paintings and a barrel vaulted ceiling. The Circus Maximus was adorned by Augustus with an Egyptian obelisk, and pyramids were built elsewhere in the Roman Empire around this time.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: During the construction of the Aurelian Walls between 271 and 275, the pyramid was incorporated into the walls to form a triangular bastion. It was one of many structures in the city to be reused to form part of the new walls, probably to reduce the cost and enable the structure to be built more quickly. It still forms part of a well-preserved stretch of the walls, a short distance from the Porta San Paolo.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: The origins of the pyramid were forgotten during the Middle Ages. The inhabitants of Rome came to believe that it was the tomb of Remus ("Meta Remi") and that its counterpart near the Vatican was the tomb of Romulus, a belief recorded by Petrarch. Its true provenance was clarified by Pope Alexander VII's excavations in the 1660s, which cleared the vegetation that had overgrown the pyramid, uncovered the inscriptions on its faces, tunnelled into the tomb's burial chamber and found the bases of two bronze statues that had stood alongside the pyramid.


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: The pyramid was an essential sight for many who undertook the Grand Tour in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was much admired by architects, becoming the primary model for pyramids built in the West during this period. Percy Bysshe Shelley described it as "one keen pyramid with wedge sublime" in "Adonaïs", his 1821 elegy for John Keats. In turn the English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy saw the pyramid during a visit to the nearby Protestant Cemetery in 1887 and was inspired to write a poem, "Rome: At the Pyramid of Cestius near the Graves of Shelley and Keats", in which he wondered: "Who, then was Cestius, / and what is he to me?"


title: Pyramid of Cestius

text: In 2001, the pyramid's entrance and interior underwent restoration. In 2011, further work was announced to clean and restore the pyramid's badly damaged marble cladding, through which water seepage has endangered the frescoes within. The restoration is sponsored by Japanese businessman Yuzo Yagi, whose €1-million donation resulted in a call for tenders to carry out the work issued by the "Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma" whose officials drew up the project and are supervising such an intervention along with Italy's Ministry of Cultural Heritage. Restoration work started in March 2013.


title: Altered Images

text: Altered Images are a Scottish new wave/post-punk band who found success in the early 1980s. Fronted by singer Clare Grogan, the group branched into mainstream pop music, having six UK top-40 hit singles and three top-30 albums from 1981 to 1983. Their hits include "Happy Birthday", "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and "Don't Talk to Me About Love".


title: Altered Images

text: Former schoolmates in Glasgow with a shared interest in the UK post-punk scene, Clare Grogan (vocals), Gerard "Caesar" McInulty (guitar), Michael "Tich" Anderson (drums), Tony McDaid (guitar), and Johnny McElhone (bass guitar), were all members of the Siouxsie and the Banshees official fan club. When they learnt the Banshees were going to play in Scotland, they sent a demo tape to Billy Chainsaw, who managed the official Siouxsie fan club, with a note asking "can we support them on tour?". The Banshees gave the band a support slot on their "Kaleidoscope" British tour of 1980. Altered Images's name referred to a sleeve design on the Buzzcocks' single "Promises", and was inspired by Buzzcocks vocalist Pete Shelley's constant interfering with the initial sleeve designs.


title: Altered Images

text: After being championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, for whom they recorded a radio session in October 1980, they garnered enough attention to be offered a recording contract with Epic Records, but mainstream success was not immediate; their debut single, "Dead Pop Stars", reached only number 67 in the UK Singles Chart, while its successor, "A Day's Wait" stalled outside the top 100. "Dead Pop Stars" was particularly controversial at the time, sung from the viewpoint of a "has-been" icon with irony, but badly timed in its release shortly after John Lennon's death, even though the song was written and performed before his death. A dance remix of it with different lyrics was recorded and released as the 1982 single "Disco Pop Stars". (Both were absent from their studio album releases, but made it onto later anthologies.) After these singles and their first two sessions for John Peel, Caesar left and formed The Wake.


title: Altered Images

text: With additional guitarist Jim McKinven (formerly of Berlin Blondes), they recorded their debut album, "Happy Birthday" (1981), largely produced by Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band also worked briefly with producer Martin Rushent for the title track, which became the band's third single and their biggest hit. The song reached number 2 in the UK (for three weeks) in October 1981, catapulting the band to fame. They quickly became established as a major new wave act, and were subsequently voted Best New Group at the "NME" Awards and Most Promising New Act in the 1981 "Smash Hits" readers poll.


title: Altered Images

text: After a successful headlining tour, the band retained Rushent as their producer and released their second album, "Pinky Blue", in May 1982. It reached the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart and provided three more top-40 hit singles with "I Could Be Happy", "See Those Eyes", and the title track, but was perceived as a disappointment by the British press. "I Could Be Happy" was the group's only foray onto the US charts, with the single peaking at number 45 on the "Billboard" Dance Chart.


title: Altered Images

text: Later that year, after McKinven and Anderson left to be replaced by multi-instrumentalist Steve Lironi (formerly of Restricted Code), the band began working on their third album with producer Mike Chapman. The collaboration provided them with another Top 10 hit, "Don't Talk to Me About Love", in spring 1983 and the subsequent album, "Bite", was released in June. Half of the album was produced by Chapman, and half by Tony Visconti. Although it reached the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart, the album sold less than the band's two previous offerings (which had both earned a Silver disc). Before breaking up later that year, Altered Images went on another concert tour that included the band's American debut at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach, California, on Thursday, 11 August 1983.


title: Altered Images

text: Lironi formed Flesh after Altered Images split up. Grogan and Lironi (who eventually married) formed Universal Love School in the mid-1980s, performing together but never releasing any recordings. Grogan then attempted a solo career, signing to London Records in 1987 and releasing a single, "Love Bomb". Grogan was also included on a London Records compilation album titled "Giant", contributing the track "Reason Is the Slave". After "Love Bomb" failed, plans for a follow-up single release, titled "Strawberry", and an album, "Trash Mad", were shelved by London Records. Johnny McElhone went on to perform with Hipsway and eventually Texas, while McKinven became part of the 1990s group One Dove with Dot Allison.


title: Altered Images

text: Grogan sang live under the name Altered Images in 2002 for the Here and Now Tour, showcasing a revival of popular bands of their era alongside the Human League, ABC, and T'Pau, and again for some separate shows in 2004.


title: Altered Images

text: Grogan also became a film and television actress. Prior to finding fame with Altered Images, she had appeared in the 1981 film "Gregory's Girl". Afterwards she appeared in "Red Dwarf" (in which she originated the role of Kristine Kochanski), "EastEnders", "Father Ted", and "Skins". In recent years she has also become a presenter on UK television, as well as a children's novelist. Grogan performed again in 2012 under the name Altered Images at Butlins Holiday Resort in Minehead on 11 May and at The Assembly in Leamington Spa on 12 May 2012. Also in 2012, Grogan put together a new all-female version of Altered Images and performed at the Rebellion Festival. She again fronted Altered Images in Series 5 Episode 5 (December 2019) of "The Quay Sessions" on BBC Scotland.


title: Altered Images

text: In 2021, Grogan duetted with Sharleen Spiteri on the track "Look What You've Done", from "Hi", the tenth album released by Johnny McElhone's band Texas.


title: Altered Images

text: In late 2021, Grogan led a reformed line-up of Altered Images, supporting the Human League during their 'Dare 40' UK Tour 2021.