mentimun's communities: August 2012

Friday, August 24, 2012

A FRENCH-MAN IN ENGLAND

A French-man was once traveling in England. He could speak English very well, but his vocabulary was not large. Once, for example, he was dining in a country hotel and wanted to order some eggs. But he did not remember the word "egg". Just then he saw a cock out of the window.

"What do you call that bird?" he asked the waiter.

"I can it a cock," answered the waiter.

"What do you call the cock's wife?" he asked.

"I call it a hen." The waiter answered.

"What do you call the hen's children?" he asked.

"I call them chickens," the waiter told him.

"What do you call the chickens before they are born?" the French-man asked the waiter again.

"I can them eggs," said the waiter.

"Fine!" said the French-man. "Please bring me two boiled eggs."

THE MOTHER OF THREE SOLDIERS

A mother had three sons who were all brave soldiers. The mother loved them dearly.

It happened that there was war. The three sons were all sent to the battle-field. A year was over. The eldest son was killed. When the news reached the mother, she smiled happily and proudly.

The second year was over. The second son was killed. When the news came to her, she smiled more happily and more proudly.

The third year was over. The youngest son was killed. When she heard the news, she wept bitterly. She said, "I have no more sons to offer to my country."

AN OLD MAN AND HIS SONS

An old man had three sons who could not live at peace among themselves. The old man had tried every way to make them love one another, but all was in vain. At last he thought out a plan.

He showed them a bundle of arrows which were tied together. "Try to break the bundle!" said the old man. All of them tried one after another, but no one could break it.

Then the old man untied the bundle. He gave his sons each an arrow was easily broken one by one.

"My sons," said the old man. "You have learned a good lesson from these arrows. If you can not live at peace, you are very weak like a single arrow. But if you love one another, you are very strong like the bundle of arrows."

A QUARREL BETWEEN TWO WOMEN

There were once two women who lived in the same house. They each had a child. It happened that one of the children died one night. Its mother took the other women's child, and put the dead child in her bed instead.

The next morning they had a quarrel.

"This is my child. The dead child is yours," said one.

"No, the dead child is yours. This living one is mine," said the other.

Each one said the living child was hers, but no one could tell who was its true mother. And they went to see Solomon, the wise king of the Jews.

When King Solomon heard their story, he said, "cut the child into two and give each woman one half."

"That is a good idea," said the dead child's mother.

"Give her the child. Let it be hers. But do not kill it," said the living child's mother.

"Give the child to this woman," said the king. "She is its true mother.

MOLLY'S DREAM

Molly was a young woman who worked for a farmer on his farm. One day the farmer gave her a pail of milk. He told her to sell it and keep the money for herself.

Molly was very much pleased. She put the pail of milk on her hand and went to market.

As she walked along, she said to herself, "I shall get some money for the milk. With the money I will buy a few hens. The hens will lay eggs and from the eggs I shall get more hens. I will sell the hens, and with the money I will buy a new dress.

"how beautiful I shall look in my new dress! The young men will ask me to walk with them, but I will not walk with them. They will ask me to dance with them, but I will not dance with them. They will want to marry me, but I will toss my head, and refuse them all."

So she tossed her head. Down came the pail and milk and all.

Her fine dream was all over.

A CROSS-EYED COLONEL

The colonel of a certain regiment was a cross-eyed man. When he spoke to someone, he looked at the other as if to speak to the latter. So it was very difficult to know whom he was speaking to.

One day three new soldiers joined his regiment. He gave an interview to them at the same time. He told them to stand in a row in his presence, and said to them one by one.

"What is your name?" he asked the first.

"Johnson, sir," replied the second.

"I did not ask you," he shouted angrily to the second, why did you say yourself?"

"I have not said a word, sir," said the third.

"I did not ask you," he shouted more angrily to the third. "Why did you say yourself?"

Saturday, August 18, 2012

A USELESS PISTOL

A traveler was stopped on a dark road by a robber who pointed a pistol at him.

"give me your money", shouted the robber.

"I have not got any money", said the traveler.

"what have you got?" asked the robber.

"I have got a gold watch", said the traveler.

"give me your watch, or I fire", said the robber.

"I shall make a bargain with you", said the traveler.

"I shall give you my gold watch in exchange for your pistol".

"that will do", the robber said, took the traveler's watch and handed him his pistol.

"and now", said the traveler, pointing the pistol at the robber, "give me back my watch, or I fire".

"fire away!" said the robber. "this old thing is out to order. It is of no use".

"my watch is out of order, too", said the traveler.

"it is of no use".

THE SON OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

There was once a king of England who was called William the conqueror. He had three sons. Their names were Robert, William and Henry. They were all strong, brave and intelligent. The king loved them all the same. But he did not know which one of them ought to rule his country after he was dead.

"Let's ask each of them a question," said one of his wise men. "Then we can find out which one of them will be best fitted to rule the country in your place."

The wise men talked with the king for a little while, and then agreed that young princes should be brought in, one at a time, and that the same question should be put on them.

The first who came into the room was Robert.

"This wise man has a question to ask you," the king said to Robert. "Listen to him and answer him."

"What is your question, sir?" Robert asked the wise man.

"If you could change into a bird," said the wise man, "what bird would you like to be?"

"I would like to be a hawk," said Robert.

"Why would you like to be a hawk?" asked the wise man.

"If I changed into a hawk, I would be a bird of war." said Robert. "A hawk is very strong and brave and fights the other birds."

So saying, Robert went out. Then William went in.

"I have a question to ask you, William," asked the wise man. "Would you answer me, please?"

"What is your question, sir?"

"If you could turn to a bird," said the wise man, "what bird would you like to be, William?"

"I would like to be an eagle."

"Why would you like to be an eagle?" asked the wise man.

"If I turned to an eagle, I would be a king of birds," said William. "All the other birds are afraid when an eagle appears.

So saying, William left the room. Then Henry entered.

"I have a question to ask you," said the wise man to Henry. "Would you answer me, please?"

"What is your question, sir?" said Henry.

"If you could change into a bird," said the wise man, "what bird would you like to be, Henry?"

"I would like to be a starling?" answered Henry.

"Why would you like to be a starling?" asked the wise man.

"If I turned to a starling, I would be a weak but kind bird," said Prince Henry. "A starling does no harm to men, and it does not hurt other birds. Indeed, it helps those who work on the land, for it eats insects that do harm to the crops. That is why I would like to be a starling."

After two years the king died. The eldest Prince Robert succeeded to the throne. He was killed in a battle a year later. Then Prince William came to the throne after him. He was killed by his own men. At last Prince Henry was made king. He ruled his country peacefully.

THE WAR BETWEEN THE BIRDS AND THE BEASTS

There was once a war between the birds and the beasts. They fought many battles, but neither the birds nor the beasts could win the war.

At last the birds asked the bats for help. They said, "Can you join us in the war against the beasts, since you are birds, too?"

"No, we are not birds," answered the bats. "Look at us! We have teeth and lips, but you have bills or beaks. We have fur, but you have feather. We have large ears, but your ears are only holes. You lay eggs, but we do not. So you can see that we are not birds and can not fight for you."

Later, the beasts asked the bats for help. They said, "Can you join us in the war against the birds since you are beasts, too?"

"No, we are not beasts," replied the bats. "You see we can fly, but you can not. How can we help you fight against the birds?"

In the long war many birds and beasts were killed. Both sides soon got tired of the killing. Finally they had to make peace, and the war came to an end.

Now the birds and beasts each held great rejoicing to celebrate the peace. The bats flew to the birds and asked to join their party, but the birds did not welcome them. Then they flew to the beasts and asked to join their party, but the beasts did not welcome them, either.

The bats felt unhappy, for they could not call themselves either birds or beasts. So they flew away and hid in mountain caves and dark corners of broken rocks. They have never showed their faces again in the daylight.

THE CONTRARY WIFE

A gentleman had a contrary wife. She was always contrary to his opinion, whatever he said. If he expected her to say "yes", she would say "no". If he expected her to say "no", she would say "yes". If he asked her to do something, she would do nothing. If he told her not to do something, she would do it.

However, the gentleman knew how to make her do what he wished. For example, at Christmas one year he wanted to make a feast for his friends. Did say so to her? No, he did not. He said quite the opposite.

"Do not make a Christmas feast this year," he said to her. "it will cost a lot."

"What a miser!" she cried. "Why not make feast at Christmas?"

But you shall not buy any nice food," said the gentleman who pretended to be very angry.

"How can I make a feast without nice food?" she said. I shall buy all kinds of delicious food that I can."

"But you shall not invite many guests to dinner."

"Why not? I shall invite all he neighbours."

The gentleman was very pleased. When Christmas came, there was all he wished. He ate and drank with his guests. He enjoyed the feast very much. And so did the guests.

Sunday, August 12, 2012

A FOX AND A CROW

A fox was one day walking under a large tree. He looked up and saw a crow sitting on a branch with a piece of cheese in her bill.

"I want to eat that piece of cheese," said the fox to himself. Then he began to praise the crow.

"Oh! Miss crow, how beautiful you are! What a lovely figure you have! People say you are black, but I say you are white. How I like to hear you sing, if you can sing for me now?"

The silly crow was very much pleased, and she began to sing, Caw, Caw!" as soon as she opened her bill, down fell the cheese. The fox picked up the cheese, and ran away to enjoy it.

A CLEVER CROW

One day a crow was very tired and thirsty. He looked every-where for some water to drink, but he could not find any. At last he found an old jar in which there was a little water. The jar was so tall and the jar was so low that he could not reach it with his short bill.

He thought for a while. Then he flew away to pick up some stones. He dropped the stones into the jar one after another, and the water came up higher and higher. At last the crow was able to drink as much as he liked.

A FOX AND A GOAT

Have you ever heard any stories about foxes? A fox is told about as sly animal which likes to cheat others by tricks.

One hot summer day when all the ponds and rivers were dry, a fox walked about to look for water to drink. At last he found an old well in which there was a little water. But the well was very deep. And the water was out of his reach.

He tried again and again to reach it, and at last he fell in, but he could not get out. He was just like a prey in a trap.

By and by a goat came to the well and saw the fox in it. He asked the fox, "What is the water like down there?"

"The water is very nice, and I can not stop drinking it" said the fox. "Why not come down and try it?"

Down jumped the goat at once. As soon as he jumped down, the fox jumped on his back and got out of the well.

A BLIND MAN AND A LAME MAN

Once upon a time there was a blind man who lived in the same house with a lame man. They were good friends to each other.

One day the blind man said to the lame man, "I can run with my legs, but I can not see with my eyes. What shall I do, if there is a fire?"

The lame man answered, "I can see with my eyes, but I can not run with my legs. If you can carry me on your back, I can see for you and you can run for me."

"That's a good idea," said the blind man.

"Let's help each other."

Not long after this, there was a fire, the blind man carried the lame man on his back. And so they both got out of the house.

A MAN AND HIS TWO WIVES

There was once a man who had two wives. One of them was old, and the other was young. The man himself was not young. His hair was half black and half white.

The wife who was young did not want her husband to look old, because she herself was not old. So she pulled out all his hair which was white.

The wife who was old did not want her husband to look young, because she self was not young. So she pulled out all his hair which was black.

At last the poor man had neither black hair nor white hair on his head. He had no hair at all.

A FOOLISH FARMER

There was once a foolish farmer. He had a good hen. The hen gave him an egg every day. He sold the eggs and got much money.

The farmer thought, "there must be many eggs in one day, and I shall get much money at once."

So he caught the hen, and killed it. But when he cut it open, he did not find any eggs inside.

The hen was dead. The farmer could get no more eggs. He could get no more money either.

A GREED DOG

A dog once stood on a bridge. He had a piece of meat in his mouth. When he looked down, he saw himself in the water. He thought that was another dog, and the dog had a piece of meat too. "I want to get that piece of meat for myself," he said to himself. Then he opened his mouth and tried to get the meat from the dog. Of course when he did so, his own meat fell into the water.

Now the greedy dog had not a piece of meat at all.

NICOTINE

Nicotine is an extremely poisonous, colorless, only liquid alkaloid that turns brown on exposure to air. The most potent ingredient of the TOBACCO plant, nicotiniana tabacum, it is found mainly in the leaves. Both nicotine and the tobacco plant are named for Jean Nicot, a French ambassador who sent tobacco from Portugal to Paris in 1560. nicotine can affect the human nervous system, causing respiratory failure and general paralysis. It may be absorbed through the skin. A typical cigarette contains 15 to 20 mg of nicotine. However, the actual amount that reaches the bloodstream and hence the brain through normal SMOKING is only about 1 mg.

* taken from GROLIER International Encyclopedia

By Grolier incorporated, Danbury, Connecticut, USA, 1991

Saturday, August 11, 2012

SOME BASIC ISLAMIC BELIEFS

There are six basic beliefs in Islam; they are belief in god, belief in the angels, belief in god's revealed books, belief in the prophets, belief in the day of judgment, and belief in al-qadar.

Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable god, who has no son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but him alone. The Arabic word Allah means god. The word Allah is mentioned in the Quran more than 2150 times. He is the god, and every other deity is false. He has he most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares his divinity, nor his attributes. No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but god alone. It is described in the Quran as follows.

Say: he is god, the one. God, to whom the creatures turn for their needs.he begets not, nor was he begotten, and there is none like him (Quran, 112:1-4).

Muslims also believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored creatures. The angels worship god alone, obey him, and act only by his command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down the Quran to Muhammad (p.b.u.h.). Muslims believe that god revealed the holy books to his messengers as proof of their prophethood for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these books is the Quran. It is given to the prophet Muhammad. God has guaranteed the Quran's protection from any corruption or distortion. God says: indeed, we have sent down the Quran, and surely we will guard it (from corruption) (Quran, 15: 9).

In addition, Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of god, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus (peace be upon them). But God's final message to man, a confirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the prophet Muhammad p.b.u.h. it has been in the Quran: Muhammad is not the father of any your men, but he is the messenger of god and the last prophet… (Quran, 33: 40).

Moreover, Muslims believe in the day of judgment (day of resurrection) when all people will be resurrected for God's just judgment according to heir beliefs and deeds. Finally, Muslims believe in al-qadar, which is the divine predestination. However, this belief in divine predestination does not mean that people are not devised with freewill. Rather, it is believed by Muslims that god has given human beings free will. This means that they can choose between right or wrong and, that they are held responsible for their choices.

Source: A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam

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