Tuesday, September 28, 2004

 

Topless protesters ouside Blair's conference. Guess why?

Protesters Dump Dead Animals, Go Topless- from: Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com:
"Several women dressed in black bathing suits removed their tops and jumped into the chilly English Channel waters as part of the protest. They were joined by members of 'Surfers 4 Hunting' riding surfboards. "
No.. I'm sorry, the attached article has no photos of the event! Only dead animals!!

 

And you thought it was "Win Free!"

Oprah Winfrey's car giveaway entices viewers to Pontiac cars - Sify.com
"According to comScore Networks, which tracks site traffic, visitation to oprah.com jumped 800 percent as over 600,000 people logged on after watching Oprah. Visitation to pontiac.com jumped 600 percent at the same time as over 140,000 people viewed the site, the company noted."
Refer to: Oprah's big surprise: free car for everybody in the audience.

أصدق من قال: "هو الخير ببلاش؟" ـ



Saturday, September 25, 2004

 

Marijuana Smoker Beheads Two Women

from: Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com:

"A Malawian man believed to be high on marijuana beheaded two women with an axe Friday, police in the southern African country said."
Behading? What's the matter?

 

Egypt plans to unify Muslim prayer calls

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Egypt plans to unify prayer calls:
الخبر بالعربيّة من موقع هيئة الإذاعة البريطانيّة:
"Prayer calls are transmitted via loudspeakers of mosques five times a day.

Mosques often announce the prayers two or three minutes apart, causing much confusion.

'Everyday I receive complaints from people about the loudspeakers and when I ask them to make official complaints, they say they were afraid of being accused of being infidels or acting against religion,' Mr Zaqzouq said."
What do you think about this decision, and its causes and consequences?

ما رأيُكم في القرار، وفي ما ورائه من أسباب وما سيترتب عليه من نتائج؟


Friday, September 24, 2004

 

America's richest 400 just get richer

MSN Money - The Forbes 400: America's richest 400 just get richer

The Walmart brothers' combined wealth ($90 billion) is almost double that of the single world richest man (Bill Gates, $48 billion)

Let me make sure I can comprehend this.. 1 billion? Isn't that 1000 million?
With one billion I can buy...
a- A small army?
b- Four billion cans of Pepsi from the supermarket or 8 billion if it's on sale or 1.6 billion cans from the machine!
c- 666,000 laptops of different makes.
d- 400 million pairs of socks so I never need to wash any again!
e- ....
I definitely need to upgrade my wish list!

And.. here is the Forbes full billionaire list for those interested ...

Thursday, September 23, 2004

 

منع عرض فيلم يوسف شاهين في نيويورك

Youssef Chahine's movie did not make it to New York festival

 

"BBC-Arabic" readers comment on the Saudi Religious Freedom report (Arabic only)

انتقادات امريكية للحريات الدينية في السعودية

 

Smeller Robots? "Slicon sensors could save lives"

BBC NEWS | Technology | Silicon sensors could save lives:

"The car might decide that the driver is drunk and, for example, refuse to start the engine "

Or it can tell you to change your deodorant because it doesn't like it, but you can teach it not to tell that to your neighbor!
Can you think of any other applications of this "smeller" robot?

وسوف نسمع عن الجهاز نفسه في سيّارتك يقول لك: من فضلك لا تستعمل مزيل العرق مرّةً أخرى، ولكنّك قد تعلّمه "الذوق" كي لا يخبر جارك بهذا!
هل تستطيع أن تأتي بتطبيقات طريفة لذلك الجهاز "الشمّام"؟


 

A mobile phone to tell your breath odor!!!

Boss, Maybe You Should Use My Phone for a Minute... | Reuters.com:

"BERLIN (Reuters) - A German telecommunications company said on Tuesday it is developing the first mobile phone that will alert users when their breath is bad or if they are giving off offensive smells."

Will toothpaste companies sponsor the mobile phone?

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

 

Frustrated female chimp starts smoking in a Chinese zoo

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Frustrated chimp takes up smoking

"A chimpanzee has taken up smoking and spitting, according to China's Xinhua news agency."
...
"Feili became excited when she saw a visitor light up a cigarette, and grew impatient when they showed no sign of giving it to her."

Humans are good examples indeed!
UPDATE: Now chimps are also painting!
ونِعمَ القُدوة في ما علّمه الإنسان للحيوان!
ـ

 

Iraq's body count?

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Counting the civilian cost in Iraq: (link will open in a new page)
افتح الخبر نفسه باللغة العربيّة في صفحة جديدة
"Human rights groups say the occupying powers have failed in a duty to catalogue the deaths, giving the impression that ordinary Iraqis' lives are worth less than those of soldiers.

Unofficial estimates of the civilian toll vary wildly, from at least 10,000 to more than 37,000.

But the view famously expressed by US General Tommy Franks that 'we don't do body counts' still resonates in government circles."
...

"Prof Sloboda said: "No country could hold its head up high without looking back to investigate the deaths of thousands of its people.

'Imagine the United States not investigating exactly who died on September 11, it is unthinkable.'"


Dialogue:
- What is heavier? A kilogram of hay or a kilogram of sand?
- Stupid question! The density is different!
- What is more worthy? the life of a young American soldier or the life of a retired Iraqi man?
- Oh. Stop it! There is no analogy here! Still, the 'density' is different!


Tuesday, September 21, 2004

 

Men Do Cry- All Over the World

Men Do Cry- from: Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com:

"Thirty percent of all British males have cried in the last month. That is a very high figure,' said Peter Marsh, director of the Social Issues Research Center which took the emotional temperature of Britain."
Reuters

Monday, September 20, 2004

 

News Views Cluster 1: Religious Freedom

Africano has commented asking why my linked news seem to be mainly religious. Indeed, a big chunk of the news that I have posted were talking about the so-called 'religious freedom.'

News agencies and journalists like to use terms like 'religious freedom;' however, it seems that this term does not designate the same thing. Sometimes it means 'freedom to follow any religion', sometimes it means freedom to follow only 'official' religions, and sometimes it means 'freedom from religion.' A particular religious group defines the terms 'religious freedom' and 'religious rights' very differently depending on whether this group's religion is followed by the majority or the minority of the population.

Just look at this variety of news:
- Religious freedom for Chinese Muslims
- Religious freedom for non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia and Saudi's response
- Religious 'persecution' in Eritria

Also, different views of the visit of religious leaders to 'houses of worship':
- Recent history: Roman Pope in Syrian mosque
- Old history: Muslim Khalif in Jerusalem church

Sunday, September 19, 2004

 

ميراكل: فيلم لبناني يحصد الجوائز العالمية

ميراكل: فيلم لبناني يحصد الجوائز العالمية (خبر من جريدة إيلاف)
ـ
الفيلم"
يسلّط الضوء على تناقضات كثيرة يعيشها المجتمع اللبناني، بمختلف طبقاته وانتماءاته وطوائفه... والأهم كيف ان طلب الفيزا والعيش في أمريكا، صار حلماً، وكيفية التعاطي بين موظفي السفارة والمواطنين من منظار أحداث "11 أيلول"، بعد أن يبرز المخرج وجع المواطن في عدم المساواة وتكافؤ الفرص."

ا

 

Thieves Rob Bus Full of Policemen !

Thieves Rob Bus Full of Policemen | Reuters.com:(clicking this link will open a new page)

"RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) - Forty-six Brazilian policemen traveling to a sports competition were caught with their guard down this week when four Brazilian thieves robbed the bus carrying them to the event.
...
The suspects, who escaped, apparently did not know the bus was full of police when they stopped it, he said."


 

Driver humiliated by Texas judge

quoted from: BBC NEWS | Americas | Driver humiliated by Texas judge (This link will open in a new page)
"Texas District Judge Keith Dean jailed Frank Dorsett for a year, and ordered that he must then drive a low-powered car and carry a photo of the wreck he helped to cause outside Dallas in June 2003.

He must also take daily medication that will make him sick if he drinks alcohol, and carry a bumper sticker asking other motorists to call the probation department if he drives recklessly.

Dorsett was racing another driver along a highway when the other man hit and killed a 16-year-old girl in a third car."

Judge Dean was not satisfied with a jury's decision that Dorsett should face only probation.

The parents of Rachel Blasingame, the victim, praised the unusual sentence.

"We feel the terms of his probation will make up for anything the jury had taken away from us," said her father, Guy Blasingame.

Jason T Scott, the other driver involved in the chase, is awaiting trial.
Comment:
The judge was not satisfied by the Jury's decision to put Dorsett under probation (مراقبة) only; as a result, he added this humiliating ruling.

Do you think this ruling is 'fair'?
What would really make Dorsett regret his recklessness (تهوّر) and never repeat such an irresponsible act:
a- The fact that his deeds indirectly caused the death of a 16-year-old girl
b- The humiliation he will face because of the ruling
c- a & b
d- none of the above
e- none of the above and nothing else

What would your ruling be?

Saturday, September 18, 2004

 

Revealed: full scale of euthanasia in Britain

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Revealed: full scale of euthanasia in Britain:

"British doctors help nearly 20,000 people a year to die, according to one of the UK's leading authorities on euthanasia. The claim, the first public attempt by a credible expert to put a figure on 'assisted dying' rates, will reignite the emotive debate over the practice."

 

Old History: Umar ibn al-Khattab and Jerusalem

quoted from: Muslim-Christian Relations, The Good, the Bad: (if clicked, link will open in a new page)

"Omar entered Jerusalem in humility. He walked in with not he, the Caliph, but his servant comfortably riding on a camel. They had been taking turns walking and riding.

At one point in Jerusalem, the Christians asked him to pray in their church but he declined. He refused saying that he is afraid that in the future Muslims could use it as an excuse to take over the Church for building a Masjid.

The Christians gave the key of the Church of Resurrection to Muslims to be responsible for its safety. This key is still with the Muslims today as a sign and symbol of the mutual trust. "
?

 

Recent History: Muslim anger over Pope's first visit to a mosque

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Reaction to Pope's mosque visit:

"Muslim leaders preparing to receive the Pope have demanded that he remove his cross, saying the crucifix is an insult to Islam. They also want him to say sorry for the Crusades, following his dramatic apology in Athens on Friday for the 'sins' committed by the Roman Catholic Church against its Orthodox brethren.

'In a Muslim state, crucifixes should not be brandished in public, all the more so inside the holy place of Islam,' said Sheikh al-Hout, of the nearby Amara mosque. 'The Pope must respect these conditions like anyone else.'"


l

 

Recent History: First Mosque in Rome

quote from: First Regional Midwest Islamic-Catholic Dialogue- islam-usa.com (will open in a new page)

"The following day after breakfast, we heard from Dr. Borelli regarding the status of the Catholic-Muslim dialogue and relationship from both the national and international levels, and he mentioned the resolution passed in a conference in Cairo, as well as in the Vatican, at the opening of the first mosque in Rome. In the subsequent session, we developed plans for the future strategy and cooperation. We wanted to do simple things first, with education being the area of the most important emphasis. We decided to develop a joint booklet informing Muslims and Catholics about our concept of Jesus, Mary, Mohammed, Prophets of God and the Word of God."

Friday, September 17, 2004

 

Religious persecution in Eritrea

open in a new page: BBC NEWS | Africa | Religious persecution in Eritrea :

"If you are Catholic, Muslim, or a member of the Orthodox and Evangelical churches in Eritrea then it seems you can breathe easy.

However, those who believe and practise minority faiths are routinely persecuted, according to human rights groups.

Two years ago the Eritrean government introduced a registration system for religions which forced groups to submit information about themselves in order to be allowed to worship."



Thursday, September 16, 2004

 

الرياض تتجنب التعليق على اتهامات واشنطن بعدم احترام حرية الاديان
Saudis "Non-"Reaction

افتح في صفحة جديدة:
الخبر من ميدل إيست أونلاين
"
الا ان عضو لجنة الشؤون الاسلامية وحقوق الانسان في مجلس الشورى نايف بن هاشم الدعيس اكد ان "حرية الاعتقاد مضمونة في السعودية".
واضاف الدعيس ان "المملكة غير ملزمة بهذا النقد الاميركي لأن مواطني المملكة كلهم يدينون بالاسلام ويعيشون اجواء حرية دينية".
واضاف الدعيس "ان غير المسلمين الذين يعيشون في المملكة لا يوجد لهم مجمعات عبادية من نمط الكنائس لانهم ليسوا مواطنين، بامكانهم ممارسة ديانتهم في منزلهم بحرية*".
ولكن المحلل الليبرالي السعودي منصور النقيدان قال ان هناك تمييزا واضحا يطال غير المسلمين في المملكة موضحا "هناك حوالي سبعة ملايين غير مسلم في السعودية لا يسمح لهم بان يمارسوا طقوسهم في العلن".
واضاف "ان "السعودية تنظر لنفسها باعتبارها حامية للشرع. لذلك يعتقد انه لا بد من ان تكون خالية من الاديان الأخرى*"

*تضخيم الأحرف ليس في الخبر الأصليّ

السؤال: كيف يُمكِن منعهم من ممارسة الديانة في منازلهم؟

An English version of this article from Middle East Online is available here: " RIYADH - The Saudi government remained silent Thursday after fresh US accusations that it violates religious freedom." (in a new page)

The English article doesn't mention the lines quoted above-in arabic- in which a Saudi member of a human rights committee in the Saudi Shura Council mentioned that religious freedom is "granted" to everybody; since all Saudis are muslims, it is only foreign nationals --around 7 millions non-muslim, who are not allowed to build churches, but they are "free to worship at their homes." (!)

My question is: how can anybody prevent them from worshipping at home?


 

Press Reports on U.S. Casualties: About 17,000 Short, UPI Says

A link from "Editor and Publisher"- if you want to open it in a new page click: Press Reports on U.S. Casualties: About 17,000 Short, UPI Says:

"NEW YORK (UPI) Nearly 17,000 service members medically evacuated from Iraq and Afghanistan are absent from public Pentagon casualty reports commonly cited by newspapers, according to military data reviewed by United Press International. Most don't fit the definition of casualties, according to the Pentagon, but a veterans' advocate said they should all be counted."

This is the first time I deal with this site, and I have no idea about it's credibility. Can any body find out?
لم أسمع عن هذا الموقع من قبل، وبالتالي لا أستطيع التحقق من مصداقيّته. هل مِن اقتراحات بشأن هذا التساؤل؟

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

 

Religious Freedom for Non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia?

BBC NEWS | Americas | US blasts Saudi 'religious curbs':

"According to its annual report, freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia does not exist either in practice or in law."
...

"The US report said that "freedom of religion does not exist" in Saudi Arabia, where an austere form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism is the official religion.

Christianity and all its symbols - including crosses and Christmas trees - are strictly banned, as are all places of worship except mosques.*

The report said those groups who did not adhere to the officially sanctioned strain of Islam were facing "severe repercussions" at the hands of the religious police in the desert kingdom."
(*The emphasis in boldface characters is mine)


 

ٌReligious Freedom for Chinese Muslims?ٌ

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Chinese Muslims forge isolated path

"Religious freedom is laid down in the Chinese constitution, but Hong Yang admits there are limits.

"It depends on how you interpret the word freedom. Our religious freedom cannot compare with other countries. We're only free to practice within the boundaries set by Chinese law and policy," he said.

"But we don't want to overstep those limits, as that might create conflict and instability for the whole society."

Spreading the faith is a duty for Muslims, but for the 20 million Muslims in China, it is only allowed within the confines of a mosque.*"

(*The emphasis in boldface characters is mine)


 

Protection of Species on Colorado River

CNN.com - Species on Colorado River get protection - Sep 15, 2004:

"The program is designed to protect habitat between Lake Mead and the U.S.-Mexico border while ensuring enough water is available and power operations using Colorado River water can continue. The river supplies water and power to 20 million people in Arizona, Nevada and California.

'It allows both plants, animals and people to all better coexist,' Norton said."
What would allow people, plants and animals to coexist??


 

المزيد عن الأمازيغ!

بيان مكناس حول حرف كتابة وتدريس اللغة الأمازيغية

 

عن النزوع الأمازيغي وهفواته

Tawiza المقال من
بقلم حميدي علي - خنيفرة!


من هنا فالقول بان الامازيغية اسطورة اي غير موجودة في ارض الواقع ـ هو اقصى درجات نفي واقصاء الامازيغ من الكينونة. ومن الذي سبب لك كل صداع الراس هذا ان لم تكن موجودة. انها العنصرية بامتياز، لانه هو بنفسه حين توضيحه للواضحات لم يتردد في العودة الى الخصائص البيولوجية.
مقطع من المقال

هل يعرف أحد ما هي الأمازيغيّة؟ على من يعرف موافاتنا فوراً بالجديد!!

 

سيمون تقاوم ابتذال الفيديو كليب

الخبر من إيلاف- بقلم ممدوح الصغير

وأوضحت سيمون انه بدلا من إطلاق صرخات الاتهام وارتداء ثوب السلبية في المكافحة فانه من الأفضل أن تكون لدينا معارضة إيجابية تتمثل في توفير البديل الجاد لأنه أن لم نتحرك فى الوقت المناسب، سنلوم أنفسنا فيما بعد عندما نجد أن كل ساعة تنتج أغنية فيديو كليب ليست لها علاقة بالغناء او الطرب ذات مضمون سطحي وافكار ضعيفة تخدش الحياء.


 

BBC NEWS | Americas | Religion and politics in America

BBC NEWS | Americas | Religion and politics in America:

"A poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found that 72% agreed with the statement 'The president should have strong religious beliefs.'"
...
Let's face it, Christ would have had a ball with the people Bush doesn't support
Ann Whitlock,
First Congregational Church


Tuesday, September 14, 2004

 

Oprah's big surprise - a free car for every audience member

BBC NEWS | Americas | Cars galore in Oprah giveaway:

"US television host Oprah Winfrey has kicked off the new season of her celebrated chat show by giving a new car to each member of her audience.

A total of 276 Pontiac G6 sports sedans were given away to the all-female audience - worth $7m in all."
How can I comment on this?? Can you?

أعجز عن التعليق على هذا الخبر. أتستطيع أنت؟

Sunday, September 12, 2004

 

Nine Girls from Egypt
"حكايتي" قصص من واقع حياة فتيات من مصر



قصص من واقع حياة فتيات مصريات، ولكن هذه المرة بطريقتهن الخاصة. نتعرف في هذه القصص على اوضاعهن الحالية، واحلامهن للمستقبل من خلال صور التقطنها بأنفسهن، وحكايات مسجلة بأصواتهن

 

BBC NEWS | Health | 'Dream centre' of the brain found

"Scientists believe they have located the part of the brain where people's dreams are created."

Friday, September 10, 2004

 

BBC NEWS: More killed by suicide than war تعددت الأسباب والموتُ واحد؟

BBC NEWS | In Depth | More killed by suicide than war (Clicking this link will open a new window)
Nearly a million people take their own lives every year, more than those murdered or killed in war.

World Health Organisation figures show a suicide takes place somewhere in the world every 40 seconds.

The numbers are highest in Europe's Baltic states, where around 40 people per 100,000 commit suicide each year.

With World Suicide Prevention Day approaching on Friday, the WHO says the toll could be reduced with greater public awareness and political will.

"Suicide is a major public health problem and accounts for 1.5% of the total cost of disease to world society," said Jose Bertolote, mental health specialist at the WHO.



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