Crime Expert BURL BARER. Edgar Award Winner and NYT Bestselling Author

You gotta gooder way to speak English?

One of my mother's favorite conversational pastimes was pointing out errors in common language usage. Such expressions as "I could care less" amused her because the speaker meant to say "I couldn't care less."  Now, there is an excellent website devoted to this topic -- no,not the topic of my mother's conversational interests, but the topic of COMMON ERRORS IN MODERN ENGLISH
It also clears up errors about supposed errors.  One of which I am guilty is making a big deal out of loan/lend.  Loan is a noun/lend is a verb.  I lend you money, I don't loan you money. In fact, I don't lend you money either because I have none to lend.  Bob Dylan didn't sing, "please don't feel so all a lend."  In truth, loan may be used as a verb. It is okay. It is also okay to eat chicken with your fingers, much as it is okay to eat chicken with mayonnaise.

THE F WORD

Several years ago almost everyone in Alaska had their phones tapped in an unprecedented investigation into a mail bombing in Chugiac. I was contracted to write a book about the case and the investigation. In the final outcome, my publisher went to prison for embezzlement, and the book was never published. While writing the book, The United States Postal Service Investigators provided me with the transcripts from the phone conversations of those who were eventually convicted of murder. The "F Word" was used with absurd frequency...so much so, that I felt that I would have to re-write the actual dialog to make it more believeable...no one "really" talks like that! In real life, those with limited vocabulary skills utilize the F word as an adjunct to everything including zip codes and addresses!! I'm not known for utilization of foul language in my personal speech, and have found myself in situations where my lack of profanity was a hindrence to communication -- after all, I interact with a lot of low-lifes and criminals who feel put off by a conspicuous papaucity of the profane. I had to practice reducing my verbosity, streamlining my descriptions etc to fit the minimalist f-packed discourse of my companions. So, sometimes ya just gotta say "f-it, ffs!"

WIFE BEATING IS NOT OK / FUR IS EXCELLENT

FUR, the movie starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey,Jr, is excellent. The Headline up there says so -- and it is true. One of the best films I've seen this year.

Now, for those of you who have heard that Islam preaches wife beating -- WISE UP!

If ever there has been a controversial verse in the Holy Qur'an, it certainly is verse 4:34. Used by opponents of Islam to label this religion woman-unfriendly (to put it mildly), Muslims themselves are struggling with interpreting it.  And in this particular case, an alternative for the troublesome interpretations of this verse may bring us a bit closer to that objective.

If a wife is causing marriage problems, the Qur'an advises: "...admonish them first, then refuse to share their beds, and finally {adriboo} them; but when they {ataa:} to you, then seek not against them means of annoyance: For Allah is Most High, great above you all. "

The Arabic word used here, {adriboo}, has several dozens of meanings, such as: 'to beat', but also: 'to forsake, to avoid, to leave'.

How do we know which interpretation to choose? One way to find out, is to relate this verse to other verses in the Holy Qur'an and to check if the meanings make sense.

Now let us take a look at the consequences of interpreting {adriboo} one way or another. Suppose {adriboo} means: 'to beat'.

In this case, verse 4:34 says that when a wife causes a problem in the marriage, her husband should first talk to her about it, then leave their bed, then beat her and all of this in view of increasing his chances of a reconciliation. On the emotional level, this certainly does not sound like a very promising course of action. So let us check this meaning against the bigger framework and in particular against the principle of 'equal behaviour leads to equal punishment'. This would imply that when a husband causes a problem in the marriage, his wife can beat him. At which he could invoke verse 4:34 to beat her again, so that the result would be a perpetual physical fight between spouses! Surely, this makes no sense at all.

Suppose {adriboo} means: 'to forsake, to avoid', possibly, as Mohammed Abdul Malek suggests: 'to separate, to part' .

Now what do we get? Verse 4:34 now says that when a wife causes a problem in the marriage, her husband should first talk to her about it, then leave their bed (forsaking his sexual satisfaction), then avoid her even more (not talking to her anymore, leaving the room when she enters it, and possibly even leaving the house for a while), in order to prevent things from getting worse, and on the contrary to let things cool down and create enough space in view of increasing chances of a reconciliation.  This sounds like a very logical chain of events.

Also, application of the general rule of verse 24:2 ('equal actions, equal punishment') now means that when a husband causes a marital problem, his wife should forsake a few of her rights, avoid her husband in increasing ways, and try to work towards a reconciliation. And yes, that is precisely what verse 4:128 says:

"If a wife fears cruelty or desertion on her husband's part, there is no blame on them if they arrange an amicable settlement between themselves" (Holy Qur'an 4:128)4

Understanding {adriboo} as 'to forsake, to (gradually) avoid (more and more), possibly eventually leave altogether', clearly makes sense when relating several verses to one another.

And there is more. Beating a wife, would contradict hadiths of the Holy Prophet who repeatedly said: “do not beat believing women!”. It would also contradict the Holy Prophet's instructions about anger – which (unless it is caused by injustice) he explained to originate from Satan and which he described as "a living coal on one's heart". One should not act upon ones anger, lest one would do things one would regret later. When you are angry when you are standing, sit down, the Holy Prophet said. And when you are still angry when you are sitting, then lie down. Interpreting this verse as allowing a husband to beat his wife, surely contradicts these rulings on anger.

Furthermore, Allah says in the Holy Qur'an that one must meet bad behaviour with something that is better, not with something that is worse, in order to turn a hostile situation into a friendly one:

"Nor can goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!" (Holy Qur'an 41:13)4

Therefore the word {adriboo} cannot really have meant “to beat" It must mean something that is better than causing problems, and avoiding the problem certainly is exactly that.

Based on the evidence presented here, it would seem that interpreting {adriboo} as 'to beat', causes several internal conflicts with the meaning of other Qur'anic verses and hadiths, while interpreting it as 'gradually forsaking, more and more and possibly leaving altogether', is a much more logical interpretation that is entirely consistent with the interpretation of other rules in the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

What makes much more sense, is that this verse does not allow a 'superior' husband to 'beat' his 'inferior, disobedient' wife. On the contrary, this verse appears to tell us that a husband must look after his wife (an equal partner who, like he, is obedient to God), and that when his wife is causing problems in their marriage, he should first talk to her about it, if that doesn't help, he should begin avoiding her by leaving the marital bed. If that still doesn't resolve the situation, he should forsake her presence even more, avoid conversations, leave a room when she enters it, avoid her company altogether, and possibly leave the house for a while, so that no problems are added to the conflict, and so that things can cool down a bit to maximise chances for a later reconciliation.

When the problem is solved, when the wife is committed to the marriage again, then the husband is advised not to keep using the incident against her and to consider the incident closed.

The exact Arabic wording is: "when then they (fem.pl.) {aTa:} (with) you (masc.pl.), then seek not against them (fem.pl) means of annoyance". The verb {aTa:} (alif taa alif ayn) has several meanings, such as: 'obey', but also: 'comply, comply with, accommodate, give in to', or in French 'filer doux'. Consequently, the verse can be understood to mean: "when then they are committed to the marriage again", or: "when then they give in to/comply with the efforts of the husband to save the marriage", or "when they no longer cause marriage problems", ... Linguistically there is no compelling necessity to translate {aTa:} as "obedient to the husband" . Other interpretations are possible and indeed preferable. Earlier in the verse, there was no reason at all to translate {qanitat} as women who are "obedient to their husband" so that here there isn't any reason to imply that this verse is about a temporary disobedience and a subsequent return to obedience to their husbands. It is not a matter of obedience to him, it is a matter of {nushuz} (marriage problems). And the Holy Quran advises that when one of the partners causes a marriage problem, the other should gradually avoid the person who causes the problem, in order to save the marriage - irrespective of who started the strife (4:34, 4:128)

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...You are supposed to click on this right now! If you do this, I'll get rich!

Hold the Baked Beans

The heat's been turned off on the Hugh Grant legume litigation.The actor won't be prosecuted for allegedly hurling baked beans at a photographer, "We have advised the police that there is insufficient evidence to charge Hugh Grant with any offense " said a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy."This is because there were clear discrepancies between the accounts of independent witnesses and those of the photographers involved," she said. In relation to a second allegation involving baked beans, the CPS decided that a prosecuting grant for allegedly tossing his lunch would not be in the public interest."

Rainn Wilson: Hollywood’s funny guy talks straight about being a Baha'i

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Rainn Wilson: Hollywood’s funny guy talks straight about being a Baha'i

 

Posted :  May 15, 2007 - 1:25pm  |  Terms :  News | Human Interest

 

You know that studiously goofy guy in "The Office," "Six Feet Under," "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and "Saturday Night Live"? And the lovable scientist in "The Last Mimzy"? He's a Baha'i. And when he talks about the faith in which he was raised, Rainn Wilson is seriously articulate.

Funnyman and Baha'i Rainn WilsonQ: Rainn, what was it like to grow up in the Baha'i Faith?

A: When you grow up with a spiritual foundation that asks you to be conscious of the fact that all races are created equal, that men and women are equal and that all religions worship the same (God,) it helps you see the world as one family and not get lost in the traps of political, social and economic belief systems that can lead you astray. I always think of myself as a world citizen. It's a powerful thing.

Q: You stepped away from the Baha'i Faith in your 20s and returned to it 10 years later. What happened in that decade?

A: I was in New York City, going to acting school, and I was going through a rebellious phase. I didn't want anyone telling me what to do. I was disenchanted with things that were organized. It was a spiritual journey I was on. And this is reflected in and supported by one of the central tenets of the Baha'i Faith, which obliges every spiritual seeker to undertake an individual investigation of truth.

I started at ground zero. I decided I didn't know if there was even a God. I read religious books of the world. I asked myself, "If there is a God, how do we know what He wants us to do and what He wants for us? Do we read books? Do we buy crystals? Do we follow certain gurus? Do we sit under a tree? Because surely this omniscient creator has some kind of plan in store for mankind."

Q: And that line of thinking led you back to the Baha'i Faith?

A: Yes, it brought me back to the Baha'i way of viewing things. I came to realize I did believe in God. I couldn't conceive of a universe without someone overseeing it in a compassionate way. It just made the most sense to me that God gradually is unfolding a plan for humankind. That there is progressive revelation -- the Baha'i belief that God sends Messengers for each day and age. I re-read books about the Baha'i Faith. And I came back to believing that Baha'u'llah was the Promised One and Messenger for this day and age. My quest took me from age 21 to 31. I'm 41 now.

Q: Your wife (author Holiday Reinhorn) recently became a Baha'i. How did that come about?

A: She wasn't a Baha'i when we got married in a Baha'i ceremony almost 12 years ago. I never pressured her to join the faith. But she started attending Ruhi (Baha'i education) classes in the L.A. area and became interested. And the birth of our son, Walter, now 2 ½, was such a miracle that she found herself saying prayers and spiritually connecting to the faith. She became a Baha'i in 2004. We pray with Walter every night before he goes to bed.

Q: What is it like being a Baha'i in Hollywood?

A: There's a predisposition to link corruption and Hollywood. Even Shoghi Effendi (Guardian of the Baha'i Faith) wrote about this. The problem is that everything you hear in the news is about the superficiality, immorality and degradation of Hollywood. But that is just not the case. Only a certain percent of the population is like that. It's probably the same percentage as for doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, any profession. Some of the most morally conscious, kindest, most compassionate people are in the entertainment industry, people who want to affect the world and make it a better place through telling human, heartfelt stories.

Most people in Hollywood haven't heard of the Baha'i Faith, so they ask questions. I've had the opportunity to mention it in several articles and TV interviews, such as on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."

For years Holly and I hosted a belief night - a devotional gathering where we invited people of different religious beliefs to our home. We asked them to bring something to share about their spiritual path. Belief in God was not required. We had atheists, Christian Scientists, Buddhist monks...
Recently I've been asked to speak a lot more about the Baha'i Faith. And I'll be working as a spokesperson with the Mona Foundation, a Baha'i-inspired not-for-profit organization that tries to provide quality education to all children, raise the status of women and girls, and build community.


Rainn Wilson with wife, Holiday Reinhorn, and son, WalterQ: How does the Baha'i Faith figure in your life now?
A: My feeling about the faith is that it provides a practical guideline for living one's life. So much about religion has to do with rigid, sacrosanct preciousness. I don't live my life that way, and I don't feel that's what Baha'u'llah teaches. He wants us to live rich, full, loving lives in service to God's will and the human family.

I like being a Baha'i who has an out-there sense of humor. God gives us talents and faculties, and making people laugh is one of mine. I don't have to be digging latrines in Honduras to serve humanity. Abdu'l-Baha and Baha'u'llah talk a lot about using the arts to uplift people. When Abdu'l-Baha was with the early believers, nine times out of 10 he would make a joke.

Q: Speaking of delicate sensibility: Have you had to turn down roles because they conflicted with what's taught in the Baha'i Faith?

A: I've turned down many roles because they're morally repugnant. I have chosen to play spiritually lost characters, but only because I feel doing so served the greater good. In "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," my character was so preposterous and ludicrous in his sexism that it was clear the message was not about degrading women. In fact, the women characters are the most together, courageous and strong people in the movie.

Q: What is your favorite aspect of the Baha'i Faith?

A: I love how democratic the faith is, that it has no clergy, no people telling us how to interpret the word of God. In this day and age we see how corrupt clergy can lead mankind down so many bad roads.

My favorite quote from the Baha'i Faith is from Abdu'l-Baha: "If religion be the cause of disunity, then irreligion is surely to be preferred." For the disenfranchised to know that Abdu'l-Baha is a proponent of having no religion if there's disunity... And for those who say they don't like "organized religion," don't worry: The Baha'i Faith is one of the most disorganized religions on the planet! NOT.