Alhamdulillah

Al-ḥamdu lillāh (Arabic: الحمد لله‎) is an Arabic phrase meaning "thanks be to

God". It is commonly used by Arabic speakers (but also Iranians) of all religions, including Christianity and Judaism, and frequently by Muslims due to the centrality of this specific phrase within the texts of the Qur'an and the words of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

The meaning and in-depth explanation of 'Alhamdulillah' have been the subject of much exegesis.

The phrase has three basic parts:

Al - The definite article, "the."
Ḥamdu - Meaning the "feeling of gratitude", as opposed to Shukr, "words of gratitude."
Li-l-lāh - preposition + noun Allah. Li- is a preposition meaning "for," "belonging to," etc.
Note: (1) The word "Allah" is the fusion of the article al (the) and the word ilah (a god, deity). Very much like in English, "The" article is used here to single out the noun as being the only one of its kind, "The god" (the one and only) or "God" with a capital G (the concept of capital letters does not exist in Arabic). Therefore, "Allah" is the Arabic word for "God". (2) "ilāh" is the Arabic cognate of the ancient Semitic name for God, El

It also means that anything in existence to which is ascribed praise, thanks, glorification, or gratitude, is only able to achieve it due to God's infinite mercy and grace.

Alhamdulillah: in theory, it is to be said with a profound sense of love, adoration, and awe of the power, glory, and mercy of God. In practice, however, its use is so widespread in Arabic-speaking countries that it might better be understood as meaning "thankfully," "thank goodness," or "thank God" as used in American English. Which is to say that not all Arabic speakers who use the phrase are consciously praising God when they say it.

It not only praises God in general for the above-mentioned qualities, but also seeks to praise Him specifically for those attributes of God's names in Islam, which God did not necessarily have as omnipotent (such as all-seeing, all-hearing), but rather chose to have out of His mercy (the Loving (Al-Wadud), the Beneficent (Ar-Rahman)) and showering Grace upon His servants.

Istighfar

Istighfar  استغفار‎ istiġfār, also Astaghfirullah or astagfirullah  أستغفر الله‎ ʾastaġfiru l-

lāh) is the act of seeking forgiveness from Allah. This act is generally done by repeating the Arabic words astaghfirullah, meaning "I seek forgiveness from Allah". It is considered one of the essential parts of worship in Islam.

A Muslim will use this phrase often, even in conversation with another person. When a Muslim abstains from doing wrong (such as experiencing envy, jealousy, pride, and haughtiness) or even wishes to prove their innocence in an incident, they will use this expression. After every salat (prayer), a Muslim will typically recite the phrase three or more times. Arabic-speaking non-Muslims such as Arab Christians sometimes also employ the phrase.

Kate Upton

Katherine "Kate" Upton (born June 10, 1992) is an American model and actress, known for her appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Upton was named Rookie of the Year following her first SI appearance in 2011 and was the cover model for the 2012 and 2013 issues.

Upton attended a casting call in Miami for Elite Model Management in 2008 and was signed by them the same day, and she eventually moved to New York City, where she then signed with IMG Models.

Upton first modeled clothing for Garage and Dooney & Bourke. She was the 2010–11 face of Guess. In 2011 Upton appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She was featured in the body paint section and named Rookie of the Year for that issue. She has since modeled for Beach Bunny Swimwear, and has appeared in Complex and Esquire as "The Woman of the Summer".

In April 2011, an internet video of her doing the dougie hip-hop dance at a Los Angeles Clippersgame went viral and served to increase her popularity. In April 2012, Upton appeared in the "Cat Daddy" video of The Rej3ctz which also went viral.

Upton made an appearance in a June 2011 episode of Tosh.0 and participated in the 2011 Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2011.

Upton's acting debut was in the film, Tower Heist, as Mr. Hightower’s Mistress. She also appeared in The Three Stooges as Sister Bernice.[

Upton appeared on the cover of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Upton has appeared on the covers of Vogue Italia, British Vogue, CR Fashion Book, Cosmopolitan, French ELLE, GQ, Italian GQ, German GQ, Jalouse, Sunday Times Style, Esquire, The Daily, and Muse Magazine. 

In 2012 she was ranked the fifth sexiest model by MODELS's. She ranked #3 on the American publication of AskMen's Top 99 Women for 2013. In 2012, she was listed on Maxim's HOT 100 list, citing her photo shoots with Sports Illustrated.

Upton was the cover model for the 2013 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for the second consecutive year.Parts of her 2013 Sports Illustrated pictorial were filmed in Antarctica and Upton suffered from failing hearing and eyesight due to the extreme cold.

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Kate Upton on Her First Sports Illustrated Cover: ‘I Felt Terrible About Myself’

Kate Upton is gorgeous, blond and has an ample chest but that doesn't mean the 21-year-old model is a dumb play thing.

The goofy supermodel, who graces the cover of Elle's September issue, tells the magazine that she felt horrible after her first Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover came out in 2012.

"After my first Sports Illustrated cover, I felt terrible about myself for a solid month," Upton tells Elle in its September issue. "Every single guy I met was either married or about to be married, and I felt like I was their bachelor present or something. I'm not a toy, I'm a human. I'm not here to be used. I am a grown woman, and you need to figure your s**t out."
And while the Michigan-born, Florida-raised beauty didn't confirm (or deny!) the rumors that she's romantically involved with "Dancing With the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, she did divulge a bit a of her current approach to dating.

Photo shoot and I was wearing a cross necklace that my mom bought me, and somebody made a joke like, 'Why are you wearing a cross? Like you would be religious.' And then they took my necklace away. I was really affected by that. The whole thing made me realize that I do want a cross with me, at all times."

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Review: Outside Lands kicks off in fab fashion

Guest list includes some 65,000 fans per day, plus some of the biggest acts in popular music. There's plenty of food and drink, provided by many of the Bay Area's finest vendors, as well as a world-class setting.

It's the sixth annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival -- and it continues through Sunday at San Francisco's picturesque Golden Gate Park.

The event kicked off on Friday in legendary fashion, with a headlining set by none other than Paul McCartney. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer topped a diverse bill that also included such talents as disco/R&B legends Chic (featuring Nile Rodgers), soul sensation Jessie Ware, modern rockers the National and hot synth-pop act Twenty One Pilots.

The offerings grow more eclectic as the weekend progresses, with the classic rock of McCartney giving way to the industrial strength of Nine Inch Nails on Saturday and then the mighty funk of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Sunday. Other top acts on the three-day bill include hip-hop heroes Jurassic 5, local folk-rock champs Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, country legend Willie Nelson, pop-rockers Hall and Oates, indie-music darlings Vampire Weekend and superstar DJ Kaskade.

Outside Lands

Outside Lands, was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District and Sunset District in San Francisco, California. With few roads and no public transportation, the area was covered by sand dunes and was considered inaccessible and uninhabitable. Today, after extensive development, the area is home to Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, and well-developed neighborhoods.

History

Like all of California, the Outside Lands were a Mexican possession until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in February 1848 ceded it to the United States. The area was U.S. government land at the time of the Gold Rush. The City and County of San Francisco, which was growing rapidly, desired the land and petitioned for it in the 1850s. After years of court battles, the U.S. government declared the area part of San Francisco in 1866. 
In 1866, the federal government upheld the city’s title to the Outside Lands against claims of squatters. During the course of lengthy litigation over the Outside Lands, local politicians, led by Frank McCoppin, and residents of San Francisco rallied for the establishment of a public park in the western quarter of the city. A supervisory committee subdivided the Outside Lands and proposed an arrangement whereby squatters could donate a portion of their claims for a public park in return for clear title to the remainder of their lands. The proposal won McCoppin the Mayor’s office, and gained the approval of the state legislature.


Creation of Golden Gate Park

On April 4, 1870, the state legislature passed “An Act to provide for the improvement of Public Parks in the City of San Francisco”Soon after, the newly-formed park commission advertised bonds to fund park improvements. Enough bonds were sold to finance a topographical survey of Golden Gate Park and its approach. Surveyor and engineer William Hammond Hall won the contract to survey park land, completed his report on February 15, 1871, and in August that year was appointed as engineer of the park. Initial work completed in 1871 included grading, fencing, drainage and irrigation work, and development of a park nursery. The following year, 22,000 hardy and quick-growing trees were planted, park roads were built, and visitors began to arrive by the thousands.

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Lavabit privacy row: second email service closes 'to prevent spying'

Lavabit two American companies which provided encrypted email services – one to the NSA fugitive Edward Snowden – have abruptly shut down the service, apparently following US government pressure to let it read users' messages.

Lavabit, which is believed to have been used by Snowden and which claimed to have 350,000 customers, closed after apparently rejecting a US government court order to cooperate in surveillance on its customers by allowing some form of access to the encrypted messages on its servers.

Its founder Ladar Levison wrote on the company's website: "I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit."

Snowden – whose whereabouts are still unclear – told Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald that Lavabit's decision to close rather than provide access to user content was "inspiring" and asked why internet giants such as Google and Facebook "aren't fighting for our interests the same way small businesses are."

Lavabit is an email service founded in 2004 that suspended operations in August 2013. It is owned and operated by Ladar Levison.


Connection to Edward Snowden

Lavabit received media attention in July 2013 when it was revealed that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden was using the Lavabit email address edsnowden@lavabit.com to email human rights lawyers and activists to a press conference during his confinement at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow.


Suspension

On August 8, 2013, Lavabit suspended its operations, and the email service log-in page was replaced by a message from the owner and operator Ladar Levison. The New Yorker suggested that the suspension might be related to the National Security Agency’s "domestic-surveillance practices". Levison wrote on his site that he was legally unable to explain why he ended the service, and instead asked for donations to "fight for the Constitution" in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Wired speculated that Levison was fighting a warrant or national security letter seeking customer information under extraordinary circumstances, as Lavabit had complied with at least one routine warrant in the past. Lavabit is believed to be the first technology firm which chose to suspend/shut down its operation rather than comply with an order from the United States government to reveal information or grant access to information. Silent Circle, an encrypted email, mobile video and voice service provider, followed the example of Lavabit by discontinuing its encrypted email services.

Kourtney Kardashian: The Truth Behind Michael Girgenti Paternity Suit

A few months ago Michael Girgenti went to the press insisting that he is the real biological father of Mason Disick, Kourtney Kardashian’s son, supposedly by Scott Disick. He was originally looking to have a paternity test done to know the truth once and for all and of course, the Kardashian’s legal team came out swinging. They insisted that Girgenti stop talking to the press and attempted to shut him up completely and it worked for maybe a minute.
Girgenti realized he was going to get nowhere with the family and went over their heads filing a paternity suit that requests that DNA be taken from himself, Scott and Mason to prove who actually fathered the three-year old boy. He insists that he met Kourtney on a photo shoot in Aug. of 2008 and that they hooked up, having unprotected sex in March of 2009. Of course 9 months later Mason was born.
Girgenti insists that he has always thought that Mason looks just like him and has spent years questioning whether or not he might be a father. A court date has been set for next month and if DNA testing is approved then all parties will have to submit and there’s nothing that the Kardashian attorneys can do to block it. Girgenti also claims that Mason and Kourtney’s daughter Penelope look nothing alike. While he might carry the same DNA as Mason I think he needs to clean his glasses. Mason and Penelope have very similar eyes at the very least!


After the birth of Mason on December 14, 2009, he saw the resemblance — since she did show the whole world the graphic birth — and tried reaching out to Kourtney. However, he never got any response.

By taking it to court, he is requesting joint custody of Mason, as well as DNA tests for Kourtney, Scott, Mason and him.

Kourtney’s Attorney: Scott Is Mason’s Father
HollywoodLife.com spoke to Todd Wilson, Kourtney’s attorney, who denied all reports — past and present — explaining that it’s all for publicity:

This individual has been selling false and fabricated stories to the tabloids for years about Kourtney Kardashian and her son, Mason.  Scott Disick is Mason’s father.  We have not seen the reported court filing, but we are informed that this individual has been seeking to get paid to publish his ridiculous pleading.  His claims are absurd and this is simply another shameful attempt to gain publicity and profit from fictional stories about my client.

What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Do you believe Michael could be Mason’s father?

Chris Brown (American entertainer)

Christopher Maurice "Chris" Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American recording artist, dancer, and actor. Born in Tappahannock, Virginia, he taught himself to sing and dance at a young age and was involved in his church choir and several local talent shows. Having signed with Jive Records in 2004, Brown released his self-titled debut studio album the following year. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 and was later certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). With his first single "Run It!" peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100, Brown became the first male artist as a lead since Diddy in 1997 to have his debut single top the chart. His second album Exclusive (2007) spawned his second Hot 100 number one "Kiss Kiss", in addition to "With You" and "Forever". The album was also certified double platinum by the RIAA.
In 2009, Brown received much media attention after pleading guilty to felony assault of singer and his then-girlfriend Rihanna; he was sentenced to five years of probation and six months of community service. His third album Graffiti was released later that year, and included the top-twenty single "I Can Transform Ya". Brown's fourth album F.A.M.E. (2011) became his first to top the Billboard 200; it spawned hit singles "Yeah 3x", "Look at Me Now", and "Beautiful People". F.A.M.E. earned Brown his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Album at the 54th Grammy Awards. His fifth album Fortune was released in 2012. However, apart from Exclusive, Brown's albums were not well received by music critics.
Apart from his work in the music industry, Brown has pursued an acting career. In 2007, he made his on-screen feature film debut in Stomp the Yard, and appeared as a guest on the television series The O.C. Other films Brown has appeared in, include This Christmas (2007), Takers (2010) and Think Like a Man (2012). Throughout his career, Brown has won numerous awards, including two NAACP Image Awards, three American Music Awards and nine BET Award


Relationships
Though they became friends in 2005, Brown's romantic relationship with Rihanna reportedly began in 2008, and ended for the first time with the aforementioned domestic violence case in 2009. In 2011, he began dating aspiring model Karrueche Tran. However, throughout 2012 there was persistent media speculation that Brown was rekindling his relationship with Rihanna, though he remained involved with Tran and under probation in the Rihanna domestic violence case. In October 2012, Brown announced that he had ended his relationship with Tran because he didn't "want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna. The day after the announcement, Brown released a video entitled "The Real Chris Brown", which features images of himself, Tran, and Rihanna, as Brown wonders, "Is there such thing as loving two people? I don't know if it's possible, but I feel like that."
In January 2013, Rihanna confirmed that she and Brown had resumed their romantic relationship, stating, "When you add up the pieces from the outside, it's not the cutest puzzle in the world. You see us walking somewhere, driving somewhere, in the studio, in the club, and you think you know. But it's different now. We don't have those types of arguments anymore. We talk about shit. We value each other. We know exactly what we have now, and we don't want to lose that." Speaking of Brown, Rihanna also said, "He's not the monster everybody thinks. He's a good person. He has a fantastic heart. He's giving and loving. And he's fun to be around. That's what I love about him - he always makes me laugh. All I want to do is laugh, really - and I do that with him." However, she also declared that she would walk away if Brown showed a hint of his past violent behavior towards her again. In a May 2013 interview, Brown stated that he and Rihanna had broken up again.


Altercations with Drake and Frank Ocean
On June 14, 2012, Drake and his entourage were involved in a scuffle with Brown at a nightclub called WIP in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City. About eight people were injured during the brawl, including San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker, who had to have surgery to remove a piece of glass from his eye, and a tourist from Australia who suffered injuries to her face and head and received sixteen stitches as a result. Drake wasn't arrested. Brown later made a diss record to Drake a few weeks later. He also posted a picture of himself with a gashed chin on Instagram. Brown's attorney claimed Drake was the instigator.
In January 2013, Brown got into an altercation with Frank Ocean over a parking space, outside a recording studio in West Hollywood. Police officers in Los Angeles said that Brown is under investigation, describing the incident as "battery" due to Brown punching the victim. Ocean said he would not press charges despite the fact that Brown had threatened to shoot him, and one of Brown's entourage had called him a homophobic slur.

Russell Simmons, Kevin Hart & More Tweet For Chris Brown After Seizure

At around 1 a.m. on August 8, the LA City Fire Department received a 911 call claiming that Chris Brown, 24, had suffered a seizure at Record Planet recording studios. The rumor spread like wildfire, causing friends and fans of Chris to tweet their prayers for Chris’ recovery. Thankfully, Chris actually didn’t suffer a seizure and he’s “doing all right and he’s resting now,” a source close to the “Forever” singer EXCLUSIVELY tells – but of course we’re all still concerned.
When the Los Angeles City Fire Department arrived, Brown, who experienced seizures as a child, refused to be taken to the hospital, TMZ reported. Calls to Brown’s publicist and Record Plant were not returned, but the LAFD confirmed to E! News that an emergency call was placed from the studio at 1:09 a.m. After the seizure scare, Brown’s on-and-off girlfriend, Karrueche Tran tweeted "Prayers all day." Seven hours later she tweeted again: "A lot on my mind today… I need a hug." Stay tuned for further information as it develops.