I have a super beef casserole dish i want to make, now it says stout to be used, what kind of stout should i use?? Are theyd different kinds of stout - as i would not know.. or does a normal ale work just as good.....is the stout used to thicken the stew or what - besides adding flavour??

What is the cheapest way to get from Edinburgh to London?

Zoroastrianism Declines

Future not looking so bright for Iran's "fire worshippers"

YAZD, Iran (AFP) - In the burning desert north of this ancient Iranian city, the the Islamic republic's last followers of the Zoroastrian religion are making their annual pilgrimage to the temple of Chak-Chak. "We are a species on the road to extinction," laments Babak, a man in his sixties who came from Tehran with his wife for the annual pilgrimage to one of the Zoroastrians' holiest sites -- the rocky peak of Chak-Chak.

The site is a 70-kilometer (50-mile) drive from the central Iranian city of Yazd, the historical capital of what many consider to be the world's first monotheistic religion. From the foot of towering rocks, pilgrims make their way up hundreds of steps to a cave to pray and drink clear water from a spring. "This grotto is a historic site for us. After the invasion of the Arabs 1,400 years ago, King Yazdgerd III escaped to this desert," recounts Ghoshtasb Belivani, head of the Zoroastrian association at Sharifabad, the nearest town.

Yazdgerd III was the last Sassanian king, and last leader of the nation before Islam was imposed as its official religion. "He was arrested at the same time as his first daughter. They were taken to Arabia. Nikbanou, his second daughter, took refuge in the grotto to escape the invaders," Belivani explained.

"After she cried and prayed, the mountain opened up and Nikbanou entered, and the mountain closed behind her. Since then, pure water has been pouring, drop by drop, from these rocks." Legend also has it that a petrified colourful cloth from Nikbanou was also visible in the rocks, although pilgrims eventually took this.

"It may just be folklore, but it is undeniable that somebody important or a group of Zoroastrians took refuge here," added Kasra Vafadari, a respected member of the community and a teacher of history at the University of Nanterre, France. Furthermore, scholars point out that the route was used in following centuries for Zoroastrians fleeing Iran -- or Persia as it was formerly known -- to escape religious persecution.

Once inside the grotto, women shrouded in white cast off their veils -- obligatory in Islamic Iran -- and drink tea and wine, which is permitted for religious use by non-Muslims in the Islamic republic. They also read the Avesta, their sacred book, and light candles and incense. The annual pilgrimage, one of the highlights of the Zoroastrian calendar, lasts just 10 days.

Along with Judaism and Christianity, Zoroastrianism is a recognized -- and therefore permitted -- religion in Iran, where officially 99 percent of the 66 million-strong population are Muslims. The religion was founded by Zarathustra -- known to the Greeks as Zoroaster -- a Persian prophet who believed he had seen visions of a God he called Ahura Mazda. Historians believe he lived at least 600 years BC.

Zoroastrianism was also dualistic -- with God having an opponent, Aura Mainyu. Zarathustra taught that humans are free to choose between right and wrong, truth and lie, and light and dark, and that their acts, words, and thoughts would affect their lives after death. Their keeping of a sacred fire in their temples, symbolising light, led many to refer to them as "fire worshippers".

Many believe such precepts had a profound influence on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Zoroastrianism also referred to an opposition between body and soul, a concept that is also central to the Islamic faith. In a concession to their Persian roots and in contrast to many Sunni Muslim scholars, the Shiite regime here recognizes them as Kittabiyah -- or people of the book and fellow monotheists as opposed to Kufr, or infidels.

But their numbers are declining sharply. Centuries of persecution have forced many to flee to India, where they are known as the Parsi and number between 80,000 and 100,000. Discrimination in Iran continues today, for example in seeking employment in the state sector where Muslims are preferred.

Certain practices have also been outlawed. They no longer leave their dead on "towers of silence" to be devoured by vultures and not pollute the earth. And ironically, the faith has also fallen victims to its own laws, notably the strict laws limiting their prospects of marriage to within their own community.

"Before the (1979 Islamic) revolution, there were more than 48,000 Zoroastrians. But today there are maybe 22,000, even though the population of Iran has doubled," Vafadari said.

"People are leaving because they have no future here."

Copied from http://www.forteantimes.com - original link not available.

OK, moenie julleself dood lag nie, maar ek benodig dringende hulp met die vertaling van n Afrikaanse regsdokument in Engels in. Dit behels n Notaris van Ede en in spesifiek n Notariele Akte van Vruggebruik op Suid Afrikaanse eiendom.

Die probleem is dat ons Suid-Afrikaanse regsterme gegrond is op Romeins-Hollandse reg, terwyl Britse wetgewing maar sy eie paadjie geloop het. Hiermee die woorde/sinne waarmee ek hulp nodig het:

1) "...behoorlik daatoe gemagtig kragtens n Volmag wat aan my verleen is." -> wat is 'volmag' in Engels?
2) "....welke Volmagte hede aan my getoon is en in my Protokol berus." -> Hoe kan ek verduidelik wat die Protokol van n Notaris is in terme van Britse reg?
3) " Komparant"
4) "...sessies van voormelde Serwituut" - Wat is Serwituut in Engels?
5) "Aldus gedoen en verly deur die Komparant" - jinne, maar dit klink lekker!

Ek sal met graagte die volledige dokument epos aan iemand wat kan help.

Byvoorbaat baie dankie!

From what age does puberty really start??

Do the boys also develop earlier as well, okay they have fathered kids at young ages, but talking of facial hair etc...like girls developing their menstruation cycles earlier and earlier and having babies at earlier ages.....??

I have noticed alot of boys in my son's yr, who are clashing alot as well, wondering if this is not perhaps the age of hormones raging and climbing into each other.....

As kids normally fight from babies - but i have never really taken notice of it happening at 11 -

Although i can imagine competitiveness playing a role in it, is it like the dogs marking their territory??

Kids are a strange lot...

Dani....i shall posting a pic of my pot i am making soon.

One of those huge roman urns i am making, to stand in a corner of my lounge or dining room or maybe my entrance hall with dried twigs etc in....:cheer:

It is nearly 1 1/2 feet tall already and should be 2 feet tall when finished...then when i am finished glazing and baking it, i want to take the measurements then go down the local smithy and get a stand made for it so i can stand the pot in it.....i am so excited already, it is huge and i have to put it on a stool lower on the floor so i can bend down to work on it.....:eek: :eek:

I have some other pics of my recent work i have done, will send u the pics later this week....

I am interested in purchasing an Apple Mac but the thing is would it run on my network at home if we have a Pentium acting as the server. I am not to clued up about Apple Mac's but will need them for my work in the future so interested in getting one...or should I stick to the Pentium anyway.

Well, the time has come this week for my son to have sex and drugs education at school....

This week he has so far learnt about drugs, and yesterday was about the anatomy of both sexes....he was quite adamant to not discuss it at all but he did look at me in a certain way

This morning he informs he is going thru puberty and really should only start when he is 13 but because he has a few spots and a few hairs under his arms he is not happy...poor love...:haha:

Well, when i wanted to chat to him about it, he did not want to and refused to listen, so in a way i am glad i did not have to tell him to avoid embarrassment on my side and his, but i feel sad to not educated him that way, but i am also glad that this task has been taken over and explained to them in a good clean manner...

I guess from now on, things are going to be quite different around here :innocent:

I read this today....

Proverbs 22:4...."Humility and fear of the Lord bring wealth, and honor and life."

This will keep me busy for the next week to let it sink in.

We always think that if we humble ourselves and confess something we have done wrong, others will like us less or not being our friends anymore. We humble ourselves because we love the Lord, and what does it brings us.... wealth - I don't think it is material posessions as such; honor and LIFE!!! Amazing.

:hartlik:

Dog's

Molly, Max, Charlie, Holyy, Jack, Ben, Jake, Rosie, Buster, Meg, Oscar, Lucy, Sam, Jess, Alfie, Millie, Sophie, Harry, and Oliver....

:woof:

Cat's

Tigger, Oscar, Charlie, Max, Harry, Chloe, Sophie, Molly, Alfie, Simba, George, Billy, jack, Ellie, Tom, Jess, Sam, katie, Mia and Holly.

:woof: (pretend it is a cat) :haha:

Hope this helps when you naming your pets....