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Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

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Articles

Editorial (Issue 133): Everything Has a Home

01 January 2020 | The Fountain | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Almost all living creatures have a home of sorts. It is a land that is familiar to us and is a place where we often have fond memories and positive associations. It provides safety, comfort, control, and peace. The absence of a home, or a lack of feeling any sense of belonging, oftentimes comes wit…

Facing Oneself

Facing Oneself

01 January 2020 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

The Example of the First Circle around the Prophet and Those Who Followed Them So much so a source of blessings was the Prophet Muhammad, according to the Islamic tradition, that he always had followers who embodied the same spirit and devotion. Those who had the opportunity to be close to the…

Metabolic Syndrome: A Major Health Problem of Our Civilization

Metabolic Syndrome: A Major Health Problem of Our Civilization

01 January 2020 | Sinem Akbulak | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Life is in the center of existence, and food is in the center of life. All living things are in pursuit of their sustenance to continue their lives. Failing this pursuit means the end of it all. Yet, it is not only the lack or scarcity of food, but also its abuse that is a major cause for disorders…

My White Experience in the Black Community

My White Experience in the Black Community

01 January 2020 | Richard Nelson | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

It never occurred to me that I was prejudiced. In fact, I was inspired to leave the life I knew as a young white man to be a Christian missionary in Africa. Yet, until that time at age 22 in my little town in Colorado, I don’t remember ever meeting a black person or knowing anything about black his…

Trypanosomes: Creatures with One Thousand and One Sheaths

Trypanosomes: Creatures with One Thousand and One Sheaths

01 January 2020 | Didem Firtina | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

If you heard that a very destructive creature was in your village, what would you expect this creature to look like? Perhaps a ferocious cat, or a colossal beast that was capable of leveling whole buildings? Such a creature does exist in Africa, except it is a single celled bacterium by the genus T…

Service in the Face of Disaster: A Memoir of a Visit with Refugees in Greece

Service in the Face of Disaster: A Memoir of a Visit with Refugees in Greece

01 January 2020 | Zain Hussain | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

I didn't know what to expect when we landed in Athens. I knew we were going to be meeting with refugees and hearing their stories, but I did not expect what I saw and heard. For one thing, I may have expected a strong narrative of unbearable suffering that ran through every one of these meetings. A…

The Macro and the Micro: Introducing Two New Organs You Never Knew You Had in Your Body

The Macro and the Micro: Introducing Two New Organs You Never Knew You Had in Your Body

01 January 2020 | Numan Erciyes | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Robots continue to advance and develop every year, and these consistent improvements continue to amaze us with how much they physically resemble humans. Even though these robots lack spiritual qualities and function way below the human brain, we still admire these developments, for they lead to eve…

The Chaplain Cares: Reflections on Hospital Chaplaincy

The Chaplain Cares: Reflections on Hospital Chaplaincy

01 January 2020 | Aisha Kaplan | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Tears and touching are some of the most profound forms of connection among people. They soften hearts and open doors to each other’s hearts that were otherwise closed. Spiritual care in a hospital environment brings people together in the best way possible under the worst of conditions. I regularly…

Subsistence by God (Baqa Bi’llah)

Subsistence by God (Baqa Bi’llah)

01 January 2020 | M. Fethullah Gulen | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Subsistence by God denotes that the servant of God regards all existence, including him or herself, as being non-existent in and of itself, and discovers in his or her consciousness that every being, living and non-living, is a manifestation or shadow of the light of the Divine Knowledge and Existe…

Camera Clicks

Camera Clicks

01 January 2020 | Ibrahima Sacko | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

The slight drizzle hitting the dry ground and dead grass was the highlight of my day. It’s been over three months since the last glimpse of rainfall, the drizzle dropped and filled the cracks and crevices of the tarnished ground. I could see the amazement and feel the excitement of the grass, as…

Cryptochrome: The Compass of Animals

Cryptochrome: The Compass of Animals

01 January 2020 | Numan Erciyes | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Animals such as butterflies, turtles, and birds are given the ability to perceive the Earth’s magnetic field and navigate themselves accordingly. Migratory species also benefit from the sun, stars, and even scents in nature as they from one place to another.Magnetic fields and polesModern studies h…

Itching: The Way Our Skin “Talks” to Us

Itching: The Way Our Skin “Talks” to Us

01 January 2020 | Fatma Gunduz | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Sometimes, your back itches slightly and scratching it at that perfect spot fills you with an odd sense of happiness. Other times, you notice a biting itch on your arm and a chickpea-like redness shows up there. Oh, those mosquitoes! It is rarely likely to catch a mosquito in the act, and sometimes…

Nonstop from Alaska to Hawaii: Pacific Golden Plovers and Their Miraculous Journey across the Ocean

Nonstop from Alaska to Hawaii: Pacific Golden Plovers and Their Miraculous Journey across the Ocean

01 January 2020 | Salih Ergun | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Many animals would tell us fascinating stories about their behaviors and marvelous abilities if only we could understand their language. As a result of years of research, many outstanding features of different animals have been discovered by scientists and these findings have formed the basis for n…

Hizmet Movement: An Exemplary Paradigm of Transnational Civic Engagements

Hizmet Movement: An Exemplary Paradigm of Transnational Civic Engagements

01 January 2020 | A. Mufazzal | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

The origins of a seemingly nameless civic-social movement which later became popularly known as the “Gülen Movement” or “Hizmet Movement” date back to the early 1970s in Turkey. The Movement’s goal is to produce “social good” throughout the world, which are manifested around peaceful activities li…

I Seek Refuge in You…

I Seek Refuge in You…

01 January 2020 | The Fountain | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

Question: Among things Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, sought refuge from were “knowledge, hearts, prayers, and eyes” according to one specific tradition? Why did he do so? Are there types of knowledge and prayers we need to be cautious of? It is related that the noble Messenger of God would…

Science Square (Issue 133)

01 January 2020 | The Fountain | Issue 133 (Jan - Feb 2020)

NASA Mission Sheds New Light On the SunBale SD et al. “Highly structured slow solar wind emerging from an equatorial coronal hole.”Howard RA et al. “Near-Sun observations of an F-corona decrease and K-corona fine structure.”Kasper JC et al. “Alfvénic velocity spikes and rotational flows in the near…

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