Remembering: Muhammad, The Creation of Islam, and It's Spread

Born a poor boy in Mecca in 570 AD, Muhammad was a forty year old merchant when he claimed to begin hearing the voices of angels.

Following what the voices told him to do, Muhammad took parts of the Jewish and Christian faiths, of his time, and added new traditions and doctrines to it, creating Islam. He also wrote down revelations from the voices, writing them as the book known as the Qur'an.

By 622 AD, he had a substantial following, enough so that the city leaders plotted his assassination. Fleeing to Medina, he was granted a political position, and consolidated all power to himself.

In 629 AD, he led an army against Mecca, capturing the city, and beginning what would start more than a millennium of wars of conquest, in the name of spreading Islam.

At the time of Muhammad's death on June 8, 632 AD, he ruled much of what is now the Middle East, and his missionaries and armies were spreading further every year.

When European forces finally halted the armies of Islam, in 732 AD, the empire stretched from India to West Africa and the Iberian Peninsula.

Islam continued to spread through many means, through out the world. It is now the second largest religion in the world.

1,380 years after his death, Muhammad is still one of the most influential people in the world.

Russia Claims UFO Was an ICBM Test

Over Thursday night people in Israel, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Jordan all reported a UFO.

Various government and military agencies amongst the countries are investigating the sight.

Pictures show the object appearing to zig zag before disappearing in a bright burst.

Russia however states that it was a successful inter continental ballistic missile test, which they carried out.

Such a test had not been previously announced by Russia, and would be slightly surprising, as they would have no need to carry out a secret test.

For Russia to be testing a new weapon, could signify a dramatic change from official standings on international policy.

Colorado Storms and Tornadoes Continue

Yesterday a tornado was seen near Denver International Airport, just one of seven that hit near the Denver metro.

Tonight the National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado did touch down near Simla, Colorado.

Storms have once again been plaguing the Denver metro area, as well as most of the rest of eastern Colorado.

One person was sent to the hospital with minor injuries after golf ball sized hail broke a window and shattered glass.

Several other tornadoes were reported, but have not been confirmed at this time.

A tornado watch continues for most of the area, with warnings continuing for some counties.

Weather on Friday is expected to be hot, but mostly calm, with only a slight chance of showers.

Whilst the eastern part of the state deals with rain, hail, and tornadoes; the western part is still under fire danger.

Rand Paul Endorses Romney

Rand Paul, son of Presidential candidate Ron Paul, has announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney.

The Kentucky Senator made his announcement Thursday evening, shocking some and dismaying many Ron Paul supporters.

Romney has technically already won the nomination from the Republican Party, but Ron Paul has refused to give up.

His son's announcement could very well sound the end of his campaign though.

Ron Paul fans though will likely continue their fight for his candidacy, despite the much greater numbers of support for Romney.

There are talks that the Republican nomination could end up being brokered, meaning that anyone could end up with the nomination, but it is unlikely that anyone could take it from Romney.

It is very possible that Rand's endorsement could be a signal that Ron is willing to concede the point.

St. Louis Walmart Closed After Meth Lab Found

A Walmart in St. Louis has been shut down after police were contacted about a shoplifter.

Upon investigation, police did not find a shoplifter, however the did find something else.

What they found caused them to call the fire department and evacuate the store.

Somewhere in the store they found an active meth lab.

Two people have been arrested. Emergency workers are dismantling the lab and ensuring that there are no harmful substances or fumes left in the store.

An investigation is under way to determine if the store or it's employees were involved.

The store is located at Telegraph Road and I-255.

Review: Foursquare Update

Foursquare launched a major redesign today, and for a wonder it actually seems to make things easier.

Whilst it will take a little bit of time to get used to the changes, they seem more than straight forward enough.

As the app says when you update, the new version is prettier.

There are unfortunately a few things lacking, and or missing in the new app, such as no longer telling you how many mayor ships you have.

But overall, we are impressed with the new look, and the much easier to use, and better tailored explore feature.

The company claims that the explore feature is now a better search tool than Yelp or Google.

For now only the iPhone and Droid versions have been upgraded. Foursquare says the Blackberry version is coming soon.

More changes are promised in the next few weeks.

Hickenlooper Approves Block on Voting Record Transparency

Governor Hickenlooper signed a bill today that limits when the public can view voting records.

Many had hoped that Colorado's Democrat Governor would veto the bill.

House Bill 1036 puts a block on requests for voting records for forty-five days before an election, and afterwards until the election has been verified.

Opponents are already preparing a law suit against the state, over the bill, citing it as a violation of voting transparency.

The Colorado County Clerks Association asked for and heavily supported the bill, stating that they were worried their offices would be overwhelmed with requests during the 2012 elections.

An exception in the bill does allow for "candidates whose race is subject to recount, the candidate's political party, a petition representative for or a governing body that referred a ballot question that is subject to recount, or an agent of an issue committee that financially supported or opposed such a ballot issue". Such people will be able to submit requests.


Some have said the exception, is yet another way that an oligarchy is being set up, within the US.

Taco Bell Expanding Menu to Aim at Chipotle

Taco Bell has announced a menu expansion to take place July 5.

Whole black beans, cilantro rice, citrus marinated chicken, Haas avocado guacamole, and corn salsa are but a few of the items which will be present on the new menu.

With more than 5,600 locations, Taco Bell is aiming the new menu to compete with Chipotle.

Taco Bell says the new menu will offer the same quality and sizes as Chipotle, but at a cheaper price.

UN Observers Blocked by Civilians From Viewing Rumored Massacre

UN Observers are being blocked from investigating the site of yet another massacre in Syria.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the observers came under small arms fire, from civilians, when they tried to approach Qubair.

Reports came out Wednesday that seventy-eight had been killed in the town, by forces loyal to the government.

The Syrian Arab News Agency said that government troops only moved into the area after a family was killed by terrorists.

Bashar al-Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the UN, blamed the attack, and previous ones, on armed bandits.

International pressure on Syria has not amounted to any actual results towards peace.

Most of the world's governments have supported sanctions against the country, whilst Russia and China have been adamantly against them.

The original hope for the observer's mission was that their presence would bring peace, but that has been a complete failure.

Rebel groups, and some other Arab nations, have called for UN Peacekeepers to be sent into the strife torn country.

Nebraska Upset About EPA Using Drones to Spy on Farmers

The EPA has recently admitted that it is using drones to enforce the Clean Water Act over Nebraska and Iowa.

Nebraska's Congress sent the EPA a rather unhappy letter, demanding that such actions cease immediately.


State Representatives and Senators praise their constituents on taking great care of Nebraska's natural resources.

The bipartisan group argues that the use of drones gravely exceeds the EPA's authority.

They also argue that it is a clear violation of the privacy of US citizens, especially as the drones are flying over homes.

Drones are becoming an increasingly controversial topic, throughout the world.

Pakistan has repeatedly decried the use of them, by the US, over their territory.

Police departments are currently banned, by the federal government, from using drones, but manufacturers are beginning to market them to the more than 18,000 police jurisdictions.

Federal departments are not required to get a warrant before using drones. If their use spreads to police, that may have to change. Many argue it should anyways.