Hopefully I can get back into proper exercising from next week when the fast is over. Meanwhile, all of you ladies are doing wonderfully. I stretched and did several yoga moves. You are absolutely hilarious! :lol: :grouphug: I keep laughing at the pancake hole :D.

Thank you both. :grouphug: Slache, not sure if I'll be able to workout for 90 minutes a day. I'll take it one day at a time, since things so often come up. That'll be my goal for a while until I see how I feel. I have found that when I exercise, I tend to sleep better. Regardless however, my sleep is generally awful. Makes no difference either way. I figure if I''m going to be awake, it's more productive to workout than to complain about it or whatever. Obviously, that only works when I'm not excessively tired. When I'm "that" tired, nothing works. For the most part, I seldom stress about sleep anymore. As my dh's aunt once reminded me: when you're really and truly tired, you will sleep.

I love threads like these, since I love books & adding suggestions to my wish list. :D I'm like you in that I seem to have great difficulty focusing on classics these days. That didn't used to be the case. Not sure if my Good Reads Favorites page will work, but here's the link. Since you want to avoid swearing, out of those, you should ignore: Confessions of a Prairie B*tch (fabulous biography, but there is swearing) Middlesex (I think there might be swearing, not sure) Funny in Farsi (some mild swearing) Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? (I think there might be swearing, not sure) Maus (I think there might be swearing, not sure) The Man Who Left (I think there might be swearing, again, not sure) I love the travelogues by Bill Bryson (but there is some mild swearing now and again) Favorites all-in-all, that I think you may like: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea (written in such an engaging style, it doesn't even feel like non-fiction) The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt (I have a feeling that you would like this - an easy read & so sweet) The Book Thief (but it takes some getting used to) Thousand Splendid Suns The Pillars of the Earth The Invisible Wall - followed by The Dream Books by Maeve Binchy Can't Wait to Get to Heaven Tuesdays with Morrie

Nothing. I chose sleep rather than waking up too early, not that I got enough sleep, but at least I got a tiny bit more than I would have if I'd chosen to do a short workout.

1 Mile of Leslie.

Joyce Vedral: Dynamic Tension Upper Body Workout - short, effective, & great for these crazy early morning hours.

Managed to do one Classical Stretch before making breakfast.

No, not a hijab or niqab, but, "women are advised to wear the abaya, a loose black dress covering the whole body. Wearing a veil is not required for non-Saudi, non-Muslim women, but you might want to carry a head scarf with you in case you are asked to cover your hair." And that's just Saudi. Different countries, different laws. I would hate to have to wear all that and love the Shah for banning all that. This doesn't surprise me one bit. I've had lots of Lebanese and Syrian Christian friends for most of my life. They tend to identify themselves as Arabs first and Christians second. They also tend to be anti-Ziionists. But Muslims can hold public office, and as you may recall in the previous thread, atheists are far less likely to be able to. We all know that. Discrimination against atheists is heavily on the rise. How do you know if someone's a Muslim if they're not dressed as one or don't tell you? I may look like a Muslim, but I'm not one. Just because a person looks like they're from that part of the world, doesn't mean that they are. Personally, I'm not in favor of anyone being made to dress a certain way. I could write pages as to the dirty looks I've received from Muslims who think that I am one and probably question why I'm not covered up. One is obviously going to be treated differently when one chooses to wear a hijab or not, just as one would be treated differently if one wears one or not in a Muslim country (if they make it out alive in some parts). If someone wears a swastika, they'd be treated differently. If I go to the bank here dressed in a bikini, you better believe that I'd be treated differently. This would apply to everyone. Who are we to judge the trend that each person posts? I remember someone booing and moaning a year or so ago (maybe it was more) as to why I so often post about exercise/health/diets. I kindly reminded her that she is not obligated to read my posts. Most of us have a recurring theme in our posts. Some defend Islam, some mistrust religion altogether, who cares? My thing is: don't read it if you don't like it; put the posts on Ignore/Hide; or just scroll down. Calling someone a bigot is quite harsh and not kind at all. :grouphug: :iagree: and couldn't agree anymore. Yes, I personally think that religion & politics are a bad mix. Always. Neither extreme is good. Nonetheless, last I checked, the right-wing Christian movement has not (quoting the above poster): "lopping off heads, burning people in cages, and killing children."

I felt the exact same way about this book.

No time or energy to reply to your other post or the rest of this one. Hope to do so later. Sorry for misunderstanding your sister's intent.

The link you gave may be rather biased. It looks that way to me. Personally, I prefer this list of attacks by Muslims and this one by Christians - to me, they're more thorough and less biased. As Jasperstone already mentioned, I don't think she's exactly cowering under her covers. Many of us voice our concerns here. Few of us are consumed by any kind of fear 24/7. We should all support one another when voicing our concerns. Not referring to you at all - but concerns should not be called pot-stirring and they should also not be mocked. Just my humble opinion. No one should be treated rudely or called a bigot either.

Jasperstone, you might find this infographic interesting. Some of it is quite disturbing, other parts are not surprising at all. For example, of those who support Sharia law, the global median who favor executing those who leave the Faith is 28%. I also liked this (few months old).

That's awful. I cannot stand that sort of guilt-trip mentality. This. Same here. Fully agreeing once again. This is not going to go away. Not anytime soon. True.

Robin, thank you, as always, for starting this thread every week. :grouphug: My reading has been slow. I finished The Best of James Herriot - 4 Stars - reading this makes me want to return to Yorkshire for a visit. I’m also eager to read more books by James Herriot. This edition is beautifully illustrated with drawings and photos. I may even try some of the recipes. MY RATING SYSTEM 5 Stars Fantastic, couldn't put it down 4 Stars Really Good 3 Stars Enjoyable 2 Stars Just Okay – nothing to write home about 1 Star Rubbish – waste of my money and time. Few books make it to this level, since I usually give up on them if they’re that bad. My Good Reads Page - if anyone wishes to join and friend me.

Just looked at this and I'm impressed.

Nothing today. The fast is making me very slow, hence why we often call it the slow :lol:.

Link to new thread.

New thread. Please post your workouts here. Everyone welcome. :)

I appreciate you taking the time to clarify. I thought that you were being rude and am sorry to have misunderstood. Yes, I had posts removed, but again not for any personal attacks. I don't do personal attacks, unless if I'm unaware of them - regardless, that is never my intent. The posts that were removed were not, for the most part between Umsami and I. They were between someone else and me. No, I'm not upset at you. I disagree with you with regards to Hornblower and I being incorrect in thinking that this subject is a polarizing one. I think it is a polarizing topic - here and everywhere. Obviously, not all of the responses here are of those two types (nutbars and those who discount/minimize/jest about it all), but a great deal of them were. I have yet to see a civilized and courteous conversation about radicalization here.

Hornblower, thinking of you all. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: Please keep us updated.

Rude. Chronologically incorrect. Attacks were directed at me first. I have every right to speak up and defend myself. Oh, and by the way, I never once got personal with anyone. That's not my style. I don't bully, attack, or get personal. Once again, rude.

Thank you for these links. I agree that it is a problem, a growing one. Three things come to mind: political correctness, fear, & an increasing sense of apathy. :iagree: Nope, a normal conversation does not seem likely. I still remember a recent attempt at one.

Nothing today. I planned to do a Classical Stretch, but had no time. Hope to do something later, but with fasting, it's not easy. Mom-ninja, I cannot begin to tell you the number of times that your posts have made me giggle :lol:. I really wish that I knew you IRL :grouphug:.

Did I say that I was concerned? I'm sorry, but I honestly can't recall.

It also featured the Australian dude, the British guys, etc. It was quite balanced, I thought. You mentioned that it did a great job scaring you. The topic is scary whether we like it or not. Most of the articles in The Atlantic do a fabulous job of drawing traffic to their site. That's the way they are - whether it's about vaccines or whatever.