Propaganda????

You make up your own mind on this. No comment from me!

For the love of Islam, fight the terrorists

(Originally Posted here) Different reasons are given for the Bali terrorist attacks. Australian Prime Minister John Howard describes it as an attack on democratic Indonesia, an attempt to destabilise the country and punish it for adopting a more democratic model. South Australian magistrate Brian Deegan, who lost his 22-year-old son Josh in the 2002 Bali bombing, says it was an attack on Australian foreign policy. I have my own theory which does involve a short history lesson. I believe the Bali bombing was an attack on Indonesian Islam. Some 700 years ago, Yemeni traders brought Islam to this part of the world, the centre of Southeast Asian trade. The various indigenous merchants had no system of accounting and the Yemenis introduced the systems still in use today including resolving commercial disputes based upon sharia law. In Indonesia, when people think of sharia, they don't think of chopping hands and stoning adulterers. They think of banking and finance and trade law. Most Yemeni traders came from a tribe known as the Bani Alawi, direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. In the towns and villages around Penang and Aceh, you will find more direct descendants of the Prophet than in Saudi Arabia. And the People of the House (as Muslims refer to the Prophet's descendants) are known for certain qualities. They are scholarly. They are soft-hearted and compassionate. They are calm. They are spiritual. They inspire love, not hatred. The Yemeni traders were Sufis who brought a kind of Islam that focuses on spiritual purification and social reform. Sufis work with people of all faiths in an effort to bring peace and prosperity to the world. In New York, a Sufi imam named Feisal Abdul Rauf regularly hosts dinners with Jewish and Christian New Yorkers. In India, the poor and depressed of all faiths and no faith find refuge at the tombs of Sufi saints. Sufism is a grassroots religion in just about every Islamic country, including Afghanistan and Iraq. The terrorists' version of Islam has no room for Sufis. The terrorist religion is about war, not peace. It is about hatred, not love. Sufis teach that you bring people closer to you and your faith through love and service to others. Terrorists teach that you convert people by killing them, by bringing tears to the eyes of their families and loved ones, by driving fear into their communities. The terrorist vision of Islam is winning no friends in the world's largest Islamic community. The latest bombing has taken place in the final week of the sacred Islamic month of Sha'ban. Orthodox Sunni Indonesians see this month as a time to prepare for the beginning of the sacred month of Ramadan. Traditionally, the shedding of blood during Ramadan and its two preceding months is strictly forbidden. The terrorists have flouted this taboo which finds its source in the Koran, the scriptures regarded by millions of Indonesians as the literal word of God. Terrorists bring out the worst in themselves and others. Orthodox Sufi Islam brought peace to this region of the world. Today, the terrorist ideology masquerading as Islam is bringing war and violence and tears to the region. Those who care about Islam should be at the forefront of fighting terror. * Irfan Yusuf is a Sydney-based industrial lawyer and occasional lecturer in the Department of Politics at Macquarie University in Sydney. © Irfan Yusuf 2005

"You Oughta be afraid of Young Black Men"

This is probably the kind of comics that the girls from Prussian Blue read. ( Better quality here for Part 1, 2, and 3.) Enjoy!

Why good relations with Israel is good for Egyptians

Here is the perfect example of why having good relations with Israel is a good thing.

Deportation benefits criminals

Who knew that deportation would benefit organized crime?

For those of you who can speak arabic

Wanna see how the Saudi males view Rania El Baz? And you wonder why i am calling for Saudi to be nuked?

DST

Mia will break down Daylight Savings Time for all of you who never got the point. She will try to anyway.

On Tolerance

In Britian: The Prince of Wales will try to persuade George W Bush and Americans of the merits of Islam this week because he thinks the United States has been too intolerant of the religion since September 11. The Prince, who leaves on Tuesday for an eight-day tour of the US, has voiced private concerns over America's "confrontational" approach to Muslim countries and its failure to appreciate Islam's strengths. [...] Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Bar, was also at the meeting at St James's Palace. "His criticism of America was a general one of the Americans not having the appreciation we have for Islam and its culture," he said. Meanwhile in Australia: POLICE are being advised to treat Muslim domestic violence cases differently out of respect for Islamic traditions and habits.Officers are also being urged to work with Muslim leaders, who will try to keep the families together. [...] The instructions come in a religious diversity handbook given to Victorian police officers that also recommends special treatment for suspects of Aboriginal, Hindu and Buddhist background. Some police officers have claimed the directives hinder enforcing the law equally. Police are told: "In incidents such as domestic violence, police need to have an understanding of the traditions, ways of life and habits of Muslims." They are told it would be appreciated in cases of domestic violence if police consult the local Muslim religious leader who will work against "fragmenting the family unit". Islamic Women's Welfare Council head Joumanah El Matrah called the guidelines appalling and dangerous. "The implication is one needs to be more tolerant of violence against Muslim women but they should be entitled to the same protection," Ms El Matrah said. "Police should not be advising other officers to follow those sorts of protocols. "It can only lead to harm." Ms El Matrah said Muslim leaders should be brought into domestic violence investigations only if requested by the abused woman. No Comment.

Jihad on teenage Girls

This is disgusting: Unidentified assailants attacked a group of high school girls on Saturday in Indonesia's tense province of Central Sulawesi, beheading three and seriously wounding another, police said. The students from a private Christian high school were ambushed while walking through a cocoa plantation in Poso Kota subdistrict on their way to class, police Maj. Riky Naldo said. The area is close to the provincial capital of Palu, about 1,000 miles northeast of Jakarta. Naldo said the heads of three victims were found several miles from their bodies. Two were left near a police station and another in front of a newly built Christian church. Oh God. They were 16 years old. 16. Beheaded. Just like that. Jihad. Killing the christian infidels. Girls? Even better. Sisters of the Devils. Bonus Points for doing this during Ramadan. Praise Allah. When will it end? WHEN WILL IT FUCKIN END? God.. Update: There are pictures of those 3 girls. I wouldn't recommend looking, but here they are. Try to withhold your rage and disgust, cause I couldn't!

Schwarzenegger street

Come and meet people in Arnie's neighborhood.

The Iraqi Sunnis

The majority may not be as bad as we are led to believe. Or so says this article. Mr. Pachachi is a Sunni, but he believes that Sunnis and Shiites, Kurds and Arabs, and Iraq's minorities, are not by nature disposed to the current politics of religious and ethnic division. He regards the years of repression under Mr. Hussein, a Sunni whose main victims were Shiites and Kurds, as less a matter of Sunnis bludgeoning others to gain minority privilege than the work of a tyrant who betrayed Sunnis' instincts for a common life. Although seething mosques and insurgents dominate the Sunni heartland now, he says, most Sunnis, at heart, would prefer an inclusive, secular Iraq. Who am I to argue with the man? Read the whole thing.

Mark my words..

..this could happen in Egypt if the MB took over. Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia's government has endorsed a university's ruling that requires non-Muslim women to wear headscarves on its campuses, a report said on Wednesday. The minister in charge of national unity, Maximus Ongkili, said the decision by the International Islamic University earlier this year was not a religious one, but merely part of university procedures. "As the rule was approved by the university senate, it is not religious in nature but a matter of uniforms that must be followed. It does not breach basic human rights," Ongkili was quoted as saying in the Star daily. National Unity, ehh? Fantastic.

Egypt quick round-up

Ayman Nour is cleared of his bribery charges. The forgery charges, the more serious offense, is still going on though. He is still running though in the parliamentary elections, and so are 5400 candidates, which means that there are 12 candidates per seat. Talk about competition. On the other hand, Egyptian rights and civic groups filed a court case against the electoral commission over conditions they claim will impede their ability to monitor the parliamentary elections. Good luck.

Anyone speaks Basque?

Here is an article on Egyptian and arab bloggers (naturally featuring yours truly) written in Basque spanish. If you can read it, tell me if it says good things about me or not.

Jesus for SCOTUS?

It may not go as smoothly as you may think!

New Delhi Attacks

3 explosions, at least 61 dead, dozens more injured, state of emergency declared. Who was it? Asked who was responsible, he would only say "there are several clues." The Indian government faces opposition from dozens of militant groups — particularly Kashmiri separatists, some of whom also oppose the peace process between Pakistan and India. A leading anti-terrorism expert said the timing and nature of the blasts indicates they were the work of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, the most feared militant group in Kashmir. "It looks like Lashkar. They are the most active group here," said Vikram Sood, the former head of the Research and Analysis Wing, India's external intelligence agency. "These are not entirely unexpected. It is a wake up call for all those who think of open borders" between India and Pakistan. Pakistanis, again.

That whole "wiping them out" thing

Remember how I mentioned that the world wasn't amused at Iran's Prez call to wipe Israel out? Well, to curb down the damage, former Preisdent Rafsanji went and said that Iran respects Jews and Judasim. In a clear move aimed at calming worldwide tensions and condemnations over anti-Israeli remarks by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Friday that Iran respected both Jews and Judaism. “We have no problems with Jews and highly respect Judaism as a holy religion,” Rafsanjani said at the Friday prayer ceremony which followed anti-Israeli demonstrations throughout Iran. And then A.J. went and repeated what he said yet again, in an Anti-Israel rally. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood fast behind his assertion that Israel should be wiped off the map and repeated the call during the nationwide protests Friday, the Muslim day of prayer. [...] Marching alongside the protesters, the 47-year-old former mayor of Tehran and one-time Republican Guard commander renewed his criticism of the West. "They become upset when they hear any voice of truth-seeking. They think they are the absolute rulers of the world," he said during the al-Quds — or Jerusalem — Day protest, which was among the largest since they were first held in 1979 after Shiite Muslim clerics took power in Iran. His fellow marchers carried placards reading "Death to Israel, death to America." It is not uncommon for an Iranian president to join marches in the capital. Ahmadinejad was accompanied by five bodyguards, but otherwise security was not out of the ordinary for such an event. But.... The Iranian Embassy statement in Moscow said Ahmadinejad "did not have any intention to speak in sharp terms and engage in a conflict." So, what was that whole wiping Israel out thing? Europeans want to know exactly what he meant by saying that. Well, ScrappleFace may have the explanation right here: (2005-10-27) — The United Nations Security Council today took up discussion on what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might have meant when he called for Israel to be “wiped out from the map”. Secretary General Kofi Annan said Iran, as a member of the U.N., must be given the benefit of the doubt that the phrase was intended to encourage peaceful diplomacy. “‘Wiped’ is a word that can denote cleanliness,” said Mr. Annan. “The Iranian president may have simply meant that the map should be cleaned so Israel’s legitmate borders are easier to see.” Mr. Ahmadinejad’s remarks came during the month-long ‘World without Zionism’ celebration, and echoed the Ayatollah Khomeini’s previous comments about map hygiene. Yeah. That must be it.

Saddam agreed to exile, Moussa said no?

Did anyone know of this? Doesn't that mean that the War could've been avoided if it wasn't for Moussa and the League meddeling? Oh God.

The Mad Mullah European Awards

Nadz is handing them out. Oh, yes she is.

I wanna see this..

Looking for comedy... in the muslim world? You must be Jewish!

Egypt and Russia may enter FTA

Good news. Free Trade agreement between Egypt and Russia may come soon. We will soon find out if they do export anything other than Prostitutes. What? Too Harsh? Ohh..Bite me!

12000 year old pyramid..in Bosnia?

Whoa.

Does anybody get it?

This PlameGate thing is confusing. At first I thought it was about Yellow Cake, then I thought it was about the outing of a CIA operative, and then there was this thing with NYT and Judy Miller and now that the indictments are in, there is nothing in them on the outing of Plame, yet no one seems to care. They are all talking about how cool and impressive that special persecuter looked in that Press conference. This whole thing is weird. If you are confused as well, then this article is for you.

Saudi to execute 14 year old Egyptian boy

They are trying him as an adult for the alleged murder of a 3 year old, because he has pubic hair and coarse voice. Not kidding. At every stage of the investigation, detention, trial and sentencing, the Saudi authorities violated Ahmad's due process rights and well as international legal protections for children. He had no legal assistanceor representation during interrogation, detention and trial. Press and police accounts also throw into question his psychological stability during this period and his ability to participate in his own defense. He told the Saudi online newspaper al-Yaum al-Elektroni that he confessed only after police questioned him for the third time because"my strength dwindled and I lacked the capacity to refuse." He saidthat while in pre-trial solitary confinement for three months he "criedfrom fear and loneliness."

How could they try him as an adult? Simple. He had pubic hair.

Although he was only 13 at the time of the murder, the court tried and sentenced Ahmad as an adult, based on its assessment of the coarseness of his voice and the appearance of pubic hair. And naturally the egyptian authorities are not doing anything about it. You know, honestly, after seeing the kind of shit the saudis brought upon egyptians and the rest of the world, whether it's the exporting of wahhabist thought that brainwashed our people and thought them hate, or the financial support for Jihady terrorist groups that blow up our cities, or their continued opression of women in name of religion which makes our opression seem excuseable or just shit like this aforementioned story, I am just wondering if it would be such a bad thing if we just nuked Saudi. Can we do that? Is it possible? Just end that source of worldwide misery? No? Innocent people will die, you say? Mecca will be destroyed? Grrrrrrr..... fine! I hate common sense when it gets in my way! Sigh...

Hezballah continues to support Syria

Hezballah continue showing their true colors by standing by Syria against Lebanon. Dumb move. Given that no one wants Sanctions to be placed on Syria in order not to lionize the regime, I think what will end up happening is putting a couple of pro-syrian lebanese officials on trial, and they will let Bisho be as long as his people cut their ties with Hezballah forever and controlling that pesky border with Iraq. What do you guys think?

Greatest Parking lot ever!

This is awesome. The Japanese are geniuses.

The Basilica Church Vigil Oct. 30, at 6:30 PM

Karim is organizing it. Here is the deal: The Basilica Church in Heliopolis / Roxy (the one right next to Al-Horria Mall) has a garden directly in front of its main entrance. The meeting place is there. We will hold a short vigil this coming Sunday the 30th of October at 6:30pm. It should last no more than an hour. The point behind this event is to display Egypt’s religious interconnection. As I previously had expressed to me (rather pointedly) there are no real differences between us. We are a hotheaded lot; quick to temper but faster to forgive. Let us grasp the opportunity of the last few days of Ramadan to make this display of affection for each other. We are fast losing many friends around the world; let us at least make sure we keep the ones we have at home. Everyone is kindly asked to bring a candle and wear a white tee-shirt. The point man on this is Tamer; his number is 010-613-1004 if you have any questions please feel free to call him. Just as important as the demonstration itself as it is the pictures of it. We intend to use those pictures as the basis of a formal letter to both Pope Shenouda as well as the Vatican in a show of solidarity and apology. We are not expecting more than a couple dozen people or so, so please get there on time as it will not last long. Thank you. Karim Elsahy

Bye Bye Miers

Miers withdrew her nomination for SCOTUS this morning. It was kind of inevitable after this stuff came out to light, making it 100% impossible for the republican senators to confirm her. This isn't bad news though, and in many ways this is the answerd prayers of many many people on the right and if played correctly could heal the party and unite it behind Bush again. Is there any good news in this for the White House? Inside the West Wing, the fever might break: Aides have suffered day after day as Miers' chances diminished; now they can fight for a new, presumably more defensible, pick. Also, a replacement nomination—which officials say may be announced as soon as tomorrow—gives Bush an opportunity to change the story line of conflict inside the GOP. A new choice the right applauds may bring the fractured party back into line. "If he chooses a solid conservative, this is the opportunity he needs to shore up the base on the one issue that unites all," says a senior Republican strategist. "It won't just shore them up—they will be excited because they will think, rightly, they got it done." Word.

Iran bans all western movies

Nope, not joking. There won't be any liquor-swilling God-denyers on the Iranian silver screen any time soon. Drug takers, secularists, liberals, anarchists and feminists are out, too. That's what a committee of Islamic clerics, led by new hard-line President Ahmadinejad, ruled earlier this week when it banned foreign films. The clerics singled out in the ban elements of Western culture that were judged as affronts to the government's vision of Iran's Muslim culture. So no alcohol drinkers, athiests, druggies, secularists, liberals, anarchists or femenists. Any film that has any of those un-islamic characters will be banned. Hmm.. So that pretty much covers all US movies, no? Can anyone recommend to me a single US movies that came out without any of those types of people in them? No? Yeah , thought so. What's the reasoning again? The Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council said the banned films "damage and humiliate eastern traditions and culture" and promote "arrogant powers," a propaganda term Iran's government uses to describe the United States. The move follows on the Ahmadinejad campaign promise to promote Islamic culture and confront what he called the Western cultural invasion. Ahh.. ok! As if the Iranians won't just get their movies from the black market instead. Ohh, by the way, the Iranians are not happy about this. And the ban, designed to wipe out what clerics call "corrupt Western culture," is not going down well with many in Iran. It's not right to fight other cultures. Imposing censorship is not the logical way to resist Western culture, at any rate," said Ali Reza Raisian, head of the Iranian film directors association. "If Westerners were to treat us the same way, we also would not be able to reach them through film with our messages and way of thinking." [...] "A policy of censorship never works. Hard-liners don't understand that they can't tell the people what to watch and what not to watch," said cinema fan Hasan Jamali. [...] Raisian said the ban would have little effect on cinemas where few Western films play, but it could dramatically change television, where all channels are controlled by the state and overseen by religious hard-liners. State-run television had shown foreign films after censoring many scenes deemed immoral or offensive. Films considered hostile to the Islamic values preached by the ruling establishment were already banned altogether. "This new ban appears to be part of a campaign to push Iran back to the 1980s and to impose the same restrictions that were only just eased under Khatami. But it will be impossible to take Iran back to '80s again," said political analyst Davoud Hermidas Bavand. Well, A.J. and the cleric gang seem to be trying hard to do so. When will the Iranian people rise and get rid of them, I have no idea. But it can't happen soon enough in my opinion.

Harvard Professor: Being slutty is bad!

A Harvard male Professor seems to think that the sexual revolution doesn't serve the interests of young women. Whose side is he on? In a talk titled "Feminism and the Autonomy of Women," he suggested that men who grow used to "free samples" in the bedroom are going to leave women high-and-dry when it comes to committed relationships. And then he revealed his insights into the erotic: "[Today's] women play the men's game, which they are bound to lose. Without modesty, there is no romance—it isn't so attractive or so erotic," said the professor. The solution to the problem, clearly, was for women to start saying no a little more often. It's funny that this dude from Harvard is the one bringing this up, since Harvard is pretty much known around the Boston college scene as the "One night stand school" and for good reason: The guys there suck. They are either rich prepy assholes or dorky nerdy dweebs. That's pretty much the Criteria necessary to get into Harvard, with few notable exceptions. The same doesn't apply to Harvard girls, who most of them are attractive and come from fairly middle-class families. With their dating pool confined to those 2 categories of men, and with the fact that they have to battle each other and those damn Try-sexual* sluts from Wellsley college over the few male exceptions, Harvard chicks end up always going to clubs and bars trying to pick up men out of sexual frustration. So, I don't know. It seems that the sexual revolution is at least helping them get laid every once in a while, which is better than nothing. You know? *They will try anything in bed. Them girls are freaky.

Bush hates Viagra

President Bush signed legislation that ends Medicare and Medicaid coverage of erectile-dysfunction drugs. Nice.

2 good reasons why you shouldn't smoke!

Forget cancer. Apparently Nicotine use makes you both sterile and stupid. Smoke weed instead.

Copperfield uses magic to impregnate girl

David Copperfield says that his next big trick will be to get a girl pregnant without touching her. David Copperfield says he plans to impregnate a girl on stage - without even touching her. Dude, that's not so hard. Tom Cruise did it to Katie Holmes. It's called In Vitro and it's not magic. Plus, how will it work exactly? Will she have to pee on a stick afterwards to prove pregnancy? How do we know she wasn't pregnant before? She will have to pee twice then, once before and once after the show, no? And what will happen to the baby afterwards? And will you do that at every show, thus impregnating a new girl at every stop on your tour? Why do I even care? This is stupid.

Iran is in trouble over anti-israel remarks

World leaders don't seem to be amused with AhmedDinjad's call for the eradication of Israel and his praise for suicidebombing, especially after the one that just happend in Israel. Interestingly, the highest condemnations came from usually pacifist western countries: France, Spain, Britain, Canada and Australia condemned the Iranian leader's remarks and the European trio said their foreign ministries would summon Iranian envoys and demand an explanation. [...] Responding to Ahmadinejad's comments, French Foreign Minister Phillippe Douste-Blazy said in a statement that "if these (reported) comments are true, they are unacceptable. I condemn them with the greatest firmness." In Madrid the Spanish Foreign Ministry said " ... Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos has expressed his rejection in the most emphatic terms and has decided to urgently call in the Iranian ambassador to ask him for an explanation". In the UK, a British Foreign Office spokesman described the Iranian leader's comments as "deeply disturbing and sickening." "We have seen in Israel today the horrible reality of the violence he is praising," he said, referring to a Palestinian bombing in the Israeli town of Hadera that killed five people and wounded 30. "Saying Iran wants to wipe Israel from the map will only heighten concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions ... We will be protesting to the Iranian charge d'affaires," he said. Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew told reporters "We cannot tolerate comments of such hatred, such anti-Semitism, such intolerance. And these comments are all the more troubling given that we know of Iran's nuclear ambitions." As for Israel's recation, well, they want Iran kicked out of the UN: Reacting to the comments in an open letter to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Iran posed a "clear and present danger". "We must submit a clearcut request to the UN secretary general (Kofi Annan) and the Security Council to obtain Iran's expulsion from the United Nations," Peres said. And what's funny is that iranian political envoys are being summoned by european governments and asked for an explanation for A.J.'s remarks. Which makes me wonder: which part of "Israel should be wiped out" did you not get exactly? That wasn't clear enough for you? Dude, it was said in a conference called "A world without Zionism". Ehh...Hello.....anybody home? Which part needs further explaining to you? Oh god, why does Europe have to be so retarded? Oh and fellow egyptians, before you rejoice in A.J.'s comments, ehh, accoridng to him we are traitors who surrenderd the entire muslim world, because we had a peace treaty with Israel. So yeah, he doesn't like us either. Get that through your head , will ya?

Mom tries to put 2 year old on traintrack twice

This is highly disturbing. What the hell is wrong with those mothers? See why I demand that parents need to have a psychological evaluation before they are allowed to have kids? Jeez.

Is Bush destroying the conservative movement?

The writer of this article thinks so. It's pretty much doom and gloom stuff on how the republican voters may just sit down the next election to punish Bush for his anti- conservative leadership. For the liberal leaders who are like "WTF are you people talking about?", here is why Bush isn't a true conservative: With a single stroke…the president has…widened the fissures within the conservative movement. That's not a bad day's work -- for liberals. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq aside, George W. Bush has not governed as a conservative (amnesty for illegal immigrants, reckless spending that will ultimately undo his tax cuts, signing a campaign finance bill even while maintaining its unconstitutionality). This George Bush, like his father, is showing himself to be indifferent, if not actively hostile, to conservative values. Not to mention the Harriet Miers nomination, which is really pissing the republican base off. The writer warns that republican voters may just sit out the 2006 elections to punish Bush and the party. This may lead to some negative consequences. But the “persuasive act” may be one of severe consequences. If conservatives opt to stay home next November, then Democrats -- who even now openly gloat over their electoral prospects -- will capture seats in both chambers of Congress. More importantly, Democrats will unquestionably seize the momentum going into the 2008 presidential election. This may seem like good news for democrats, but not really. The reason why people will vote for them will have more to do with their dislike of Bush's presidency and not affinity to their ideas (an area in which they are found lacking). All it would take to swing the vote back to the republicans is if their politicians convinced them that they will have the discipline to act truly conservative. The same can not be said for the democrats unfortunately, and the "vote for us because we are not Bush" strategy they seem to be following will not work past 2006. The democrats need to find a vision first, while the republicans just need to follow the one they have.

Be afraid, Be very afraid!

For those of you who believe the hype and are making a big fuss about the avian flu, this article is for you. Moneyshot: Of four patients I saw in a single hour last week, three announced how scared they were of the avian flu. I reassured them, but there was quite a bit I did not say, and here it is. I did not say: If you want to be scared, then how about that drug habit of yours you think I don't know about? How about the fact that you are 100 pounds overweight and eat nothing but junk? How about the fact that in a few short months Medicaid is going to stop paying for your very expensive medications and no one knows how just high that Medicare Part D deductible and co-payment are going to be? I did not say: If you want something to be scared of, how about the drug-resistant Klebsiella that is all over this very hospital, an ordinary run-of-the-mill bacterial strain that has become so resistant to so many antibiotics that we've had to resurrect a few we stopped using 30 years ago because they were so toxic. Yeah, that avian flu. That's what's gonna get you!

The evidence against Galloway

For anyone who ever doubted that Galloway is guilty as sin, the evidence is starting to surface, which means it's only a matter of time till our boy goes down. Damn, people who bought his book must feel like idiots now. Wait, hold on, if they did buy his book then they are freakin Idiots. Good. I am glad you are out of this money you moron. Serves you right. But who are we kidding? They will probably never believe it, citing some conspiracy involving Cheney, Halliburton and penguins or something. You know? Oh well...

The KKK hates gay people

Anyone surprised? I am. Me is shocked, shocked I tell ya! I thought they liked the nazis and no one was gayer than the Nazis. You know, with the worship of the blonde haired blue-eyes men, the colorful matching outfits, all the marching and the waving. Am I the only one who noticed that or something? Hmmm..........

Girls only cyber cafes in Ramallah

They have girls only cybercafes in Ramalah, so that girls can watch internet porn without being judged by the guys. No? That's not the reason? Then WTF? I guess we wouldn't want the boys and girls to sit next to each other when they are using the internet, now would we? They might, I dunno, chat using their actual voices. Sigh...

Go Tanya

Hate her or love her, Tanya Harding knows how to kick ass.

Jessica Alba...naked

Enjoy!

Don't put sanctions on Syria

Amir Taheri explains why that's a bad idea. Moneyshot: The truth, however, is that Syria is ripe for change and desperately needs it. This need not come through military action, although that should not be ruled out. A substantial segment of the Syrian regime, probably including Assad himself, is conscious that change is not only possible but inevitable. Any attempt by the UN to impose sanctions on Syria because of the Hariri case could, paradoxically, freeze the energies unleashed for change and strengthen the most reactionary segments of the regime that, echoing the Iranian mullahs, believe they can weather the current storm and wait Bush out. Ture. Don't make a Hero out of Bashar. Just put him in such a position that people will start feeling he is weak and his whole hosue of cards will crumble.

Passion of the Cruise

The church of scientology sued the dude who created the ScienTomogy website, which was to make fun of Tom Cruise and his scientologist beliefs. He has now moved his website to another URL, naming it the passion of the cruise. It's hilarious. Check it out here.

Angelican church conference in Egypt denounces Canads and US churches

There was apparantly a meeting of angelican Bishops from all over the developing world in Egypt and they are mad as hell at the Angelcian churches in Canada and the US over Gay marriage. They say if those churches won't stop gay mariages, they will have to be kicked out. "I still believe there is room for us to walk together," said Drexel Gomez, archbishop of the West Indies, speaking on the sidelines of a six-day meeting of the Global South group which began in Egypt on Tuesday. "But if they (the United States and Canada) refuse to buy into what we call the Anglican consensus then I believe that those people who cannot accept the consensus are the ones who must leave," he told Reuters. They are kicking the white people out of the church over gay marriage. Interesting.

Iran's Prez wants Israel destroyed

I was taking the day off, but this was just too good to miss. Iran's hard-line president called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Jewish state, state-run media reported Wednesday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also denounced attempts to recognize Israel or normalize relations with it. "There is no doubt that the new wave (of attacks) in Palestine will wipe off this stigma (Israel) from the face of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad told students Wednesday during a Tehran conference called "The World without Zionism." "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury, any (Islamic leader) who recognizes the Zionist regime means he is acknowledging the surrender and defeat of the Islamic world," Ahmadinejad said. Ahmadinejad also repeated the words of the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called for the destruction of Israel. "As the Imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map," said Ahmadinejad, who came to power in August. Great. I wonder, if it was Israel's leader who called for the destruction of Iran, what kind of response would that get from the world?

The Nazi Olson twins

As if those two singers weren't disturbing enough, meet the next big thing in the white nationalist culture: Prussian Blue. A duo of two thirteen year old twins who sing only white nationalist songs, some even praising Nazi generals. Oh how I wish I was kidding. Known as "Prussian Blue" — a nod to their German heritage and bright blue eyes — the girls from Bakersfield, Calif., have been performing songs about white nationalism before all-white crowds since they were nine. "We're proud of being white, we want to keep being white," said Lynx. "We want our people to stay white … we don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle. We just want to preserve our race." Lynx and Lamb have been nurtured on racist beliefs since birth by their mother April. "They need to have the background to understand why certain things are happening," said April, a stay-at-home mom who no longer lives with the twins' father. "I'm going to give them, give them my opinion just like any, any parent would." [...] Songs like "Sacrifice" — a tribute to Nazi Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy Fuhrer — clearly show the effect of the girls' upbringing. The lyrics praise Hess as a "man of peace who wouldn't give up." Oh and it gets better. They are recruitment tools. Since they began singing, the girls have become such a force in the white nationalist movement, that David Duke — the former presidential candidate, one-time Ku-Klux-Klan grand wizard and outspoken white supremacist — uses the twins to draw a crowd. Prussian Blue supporter Erich Gliebe, operator of one of the nation's most notorious hate music labels, Resistance Records, hopes younger performers like Lynx and Lamb will help expand the base of the White Nationalist cause. "Eleven and 12 years old," he said, "I think that's the perfect age to start grooming kids and instill in them a strong racial identity." What a great world we live in. I need a vacation. Update: They have a website. Check out this song from their lyrics section: When the man who plows the fields is driven from his lands. When the carpenter must give away what he's built with his own hands. When a mother's only children belong to her no more. And black masked men with guns come bashing down the doors. Where freedom exists for only those with darker skin. Where lies and propaganda will never let you win. Where symbols of your heritage are held with such contempt, and benefits of country 'cept tax are you exempt . Aryan man awake, How much more will you take, Turn that fear to hate, Aryan man awake. Can you see how they lie to warp your daughter's minds? Can you let your sons be trodden down or held behind? Can you apologize for things you did not do, and leave this battle that we fight to the proud and the few? What will it take for you to waken to the truth? What will it take for you to remember your own youth? What will you give up to help this worthy Cause, and strike with force and fury, without a single pause? I smell a grammy.

Cindy Sheehan is anticipating the 2000th US death in Iraq

Told you that Bitch is crazy: Cindy Sheehan, the military mother who made her son's death in Iraq a rallying point for the anti-war movement, plans to tie herself to the White House fence to protest the milestone of 2,000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq. "I'm going to go to Washington, D.C. and I'm going to give a speech at the White House, and after I do, I'm going to tie myself to the fence and refuse to leave until they agree to bring our troops home," Sheehan said in a telephone interview last week as the milestone approached."And I'll probably get arrested, and when I get out, I'll go back and do the same thing," she said. And she is not alone in anticipation for that milestone. The milestone's approach prompted plans for hundreds of other demonstrations across the United States. [...] Beyond Sheehan's plans, a candlelight vigil is planned at the White House to mourn the 2,000-death milestone. Hundreds of other demonstrations are scheduled for the day after the milestone number is reached. It's almost like Christmass for the Anti-War protesting crowd. Sigh.... On the bright side, did anybody notice how much less media attention she's been getting since she attacked Hillary? Just saying...

Galloway is in trouble

An Inquiry claimed that the British MP Geoerge Galloway has lied under oath to the US senate on taking money from the Saddam Hussein regime. Galloway says such allegations are false and that he is ready to come back to the US and stand trial. I say take his pompus ass to court. I wanna see that bastard go down.

Tell me why! Why God, why?

I am still sick, so I don't really need things that distress me. Like this video, which shows me that globalization may have its bad effects. No one, and I mean no one, should ever sing Backstreet Boys music in public, even if they are chinese. Oh, i take that back; Especially if they are chinese. Watch at your own risk. I am still recovering.

The Sandmonkey in L'Express

We have conquered France baby. Check me out in this article they did on Egypt and its political scene. My part starts right next the side segment called "Les bons mots du Caire". If you don't know french, then just babelfish it baby.

Breaking News

Paris Hilton caught the bird flu.... They don't know which cock gave it to her though! :P

"Jihad is better when friends come together"

See? This is exactly why I love the Onion.

Syria fakes own support rally

The Syrian regime is in big trouble, so it needs to show that it is supported at home. How? By faking its own support demonstrations. The mass demonstrations in Syria were a concerted attempt to drum up support for Assad amid heightening international pressure. "Mr. Mehlis: we are not murderers," read one banner. "Syria will never be another Iraq'," said another in central Damascus' Sabe Bahrat Square, where the crowd chanted: "With our soul and our blood, we redeem you, Bashar!" Many demonstrators waved large posters of the Syrian president and his father, the late President Hafez Assad. The government gave students a one-day holiday and encouraged civil servants to take part in the rallies, which were organized by state-run labor unions. Police diverted traffic to make way for the protesters. Nice, no?

Bush just crossed the line

Bush's White House is suing the onion, and by doing that they just lost my support. You don't mess with the Onion and stay on my good side. Just ain't happening. Update: Sorry for the botched link. It's fixed now!

There will be monitors

Egyptian Monitors for the parliamentary elections are allowed as long as they register with the government first. This way it will be easier for the government to round them up and arrest them after they rig this election as well.

Rosa Parks is off the Bus

In case you have been living under a rock, Rosa Parks is dead.

Cairo's gatekeeprs

Here is an incredibly funny and true article on cairo's true gatekeepers: the bawabeen. (Thanks Ron) The bowab, or doorman, is a spy quietly amassing a damning security file, a Koran-wielding hard-liner ready to bust up an inappropriate romantic liaison, a grudge-carrying handyman who melts into the smoggy air just when a stingy resident is most in need. Every savvy Cairene knows just how important it is to stroke, butter up and slip spare cash to the bowab. It's an Egyptian truism that the bowab sees you before you see him, and that there is no secret too small to escape his snooping. So true. Read the whole thing.

Nadz on Saddam

It's pathetic, really, the attitude that some Arabs have towards this trial. It seems that because Saddam is an Arab leader, people feel obligated to sympathize with him. He's "one of our guys" who "stood up to the West", and is now on trial by "foreigners". Beneath all of these supposed concerns about poor, cuddly Saddam getting a fair trial (which he will) is an idiotic mentality that compels people to shed crocodile tears for a mass murderer. Never mind that Saddam has killed, tortured and ruined the lives of countless Arabs, his own citizens. Never mind that he was an autocrat, a sadist who gassed thousands of innocents, an all-round asshole. To the pundits at al-Jazeera, he's "our asshole". Read the whole thing of course.

Tom Delay's mugshot

Boy he's cheery.

Nigeria will start jailing spammers

About damn time if you asked me. I hate those Fraud spam e-mails. And they keep sending them. Bastards.

Protocols of Zion: the movie

Cons, originally uploaded by sandmonkey.

I wanna so see that movie. It seems like my kind of thing.

Donald Trump is not really rich

If this story is true, then watching the apperantice will not get you anywhere in life, unless you have inherited an estate from Daddy who was a multi-millionare. Just saying.

The plame drama

There are too many characters in the Plamegate drama. Whether or not this will trurn into the Watergate the democrats hoped and dreamed for, is still to be seen. The Wilsons, however, intend to sue everyone involved, cause, you know, what's really important about all of this is how much money they can get out of it. Good for them. It's the american way. ;)

Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I am sick, I am tired, I am depressed and yet i am at work. Life sucks. However, since people are probably looking thos page up for updates, I guess it's my duty to deliver the blogging. I would like to note though, that the post i really want to write will have to wait till tommorow. This is everything else i want to comment on. I guess it will have to do.

Lord have Mercy

According to Sout El Ouma newspaper, the following churches were also attacked alongside the Mary Gerges one: Ibn Zahroun Church in Ghourbal El Anba Teckla church in Al-Ebrahemia Gheit El Enab church in Karmouz Also reported the destruction of 4 cars owned by christians (they set them on fire alongside the police cars) , a couple of stores owned by christians attacked and one liqiour store set on fire. One of the only 2 christian NDP candidates and one running in Alexandria, whose rival happens to be from the MB, has just withdrawn his candidacy in protest to what's going. The Coptic candidate of the ruling National Democratic Party in Alexandria, Maher Khella, was in a fiery mood insisting that the play at issue did not convey an anti-Islamic message. "The demonstrators burned copies of the Gospel yesterday. This is unacceptable and right now we cannot even accept excuses," he told AFP. "I have presented a request to my party demanding my candidacy in the elections be withdrawn in an attempt to defuse the tension," added Khella, one of only two Copts on the ruling party's list of 444 candidates for next month's polls. He also said what I have been saying for a week: this is nothing but a ploy by the MB candidates to ensure winning the parliamentarian seats in alexandria districts. But political leaders and security officials said Islamic extremists distributed the DVDs in an effort to tarnish a Coptic Christian candidate running in next month's parliamentary elections for Alexandria's impoverished Ghorbal constituency. Maher Khalah, one of two Copts running on the ruling National Democratic Party ticket in this mainly Sunni Muslim country, announced Saturday that he was withdrawing from the race to prevent any recurrence of the violence. "This violence is not about the DVD, it is all about the elections," Khalah told The Associated Press. But don't worry kids. Pope Shenouda and Sheikh Tantawi are going to save the day. In a joint statement, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Pope Shenouda III, and Egypt's highest Islamic authority, Grand Sheik of al-Azhar Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi, urged Christians and Muslims not to resort to violence. "We call on everyone to be calm so we can spread the grace of peace, security and affection among us," the religious leaders said. "If something happened and was misunderstood, then it is our duty to deal with it in the spirit of dialogue and understanding." And you know how much credibility and influence Sheikh Tantawi has on Egypt's population. When that guy says something, muslims all over egypt listen tentavly and then immedietly continue to ignore him. It's a good thing that the police is protecting the churches in Alexandria now. I just hope this shit doesn't reach Cairo or other places in Egypt. The MB could quickly spin the whole thing as the government being against Islam and doesn't care about muslims and their sentiments, and inflame other areas as well for their own goals and purposes. And judging by how fast this situation in Alex escelated, it wouldn't be too hard for them to do it. Sigh.. I am officially depressed. No more blogging today.

Entropy continued

The situation in Alexandria keeps getting worse. After attacking the church last week, and stabbing a nun 3 days ago, 5000 demonstrators, coming right out of the mosque after Friday prayer, clashed with the police as they tried to attack the church once again, and then tried again in the evening, leaving one protester dead and dozens wounded. Here is a picture of the crowd.. the clashes... and here is the story: "Nearly 5,000 faithful gathered after Friday prayers as they exited from a mosque in the Moharem Bek area in Alexandria and proceeded towards the Mar (Saint) Girgis church," the interior ministry said. "A police force tried to prevent the protesters from approaching the church and attacking it, but they did not heed police warnings and stoned the church, the force and passersby, which resulted in injuries," the ministry said. "This left the police with no option but to use tear gas to disperse them," the statement added. The crowd dispersed and then after Iftar, they came back again, and this time the violence turned deadly: One Muslim protestor was killed and dozens more wounded in violent clashes with police in Alexandria amid mounting tensions in the Egyptian Mediterranean city over a Christian video, the interior ministry said. Following an earlier demonstration that had gathered at least 5,000 people, Muslims angered by release of a DVD by the Saint Girgis Church grouped outside the building again in the evening after breaking their Ramadan fast. Twenty policemen and sixty protestors were wounded, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP. One wounded protestor, named as Mohammed Zakariya, later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. One police car and six other vehicles were burned in the clashes, which were still ongoing. Fifty-three protestors had been arrested, the ministry said. Imagine, all of this started because an MB candidate for a parliamentarian seat wanted to ensure that his christian rival doesn't get to compete or win this year. And people wonder what I have against the MB. Well, MB admirers and advocates, take a good look: this is what you are supporting. Doesn't that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Morons.

Introducing the MB one and only female candidate

Ladies and gentlemen, I have written here before about the MB only female candidate : Dr. Makarem El Deiry. The mother of 6 children, this woman aims to fight for the opressed muslim veiled egyptian women, who apparently get discriminated against when they apply for jobs in television or in the tourism industry. Opressed veiled TV anchores and belly dancers, meet your hero: I mentioned before that this is the only kind of opression against muslim egyptian females that this woman recognizes, and some people thought I was being unfair to her. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear her opinions on gender equality and then you tell me what you think. Ok? Ok! The only woman candidate backed by Egypt's influential Muslim Brotherhood, the 55-year-old mother of seven insists there is no point arguing for sexual equality as such a demand "goes against nature." "Women are men's partners at all levels but their main role is to be good mothers who look after their children," Deiri told AFP in Nasr City, the middle-class constituency in northeastern Cairo where she is standing for election. "Would women be happy if men were to stay home to look after the children while they worked outside?" she asks rhetorically. "We believe that domestic chores are not less (than other types of work) and we oppose battling against men's superiority to women." Oh, it gets better. But she is adamant that the drive for gender equality is behind many of the social problems of the West. "Violence against women and children in Western societies stems from going against the idea that men are superior to women," she says. Nice. "Almighty God entrusted man with being the family's breadwinner and granted him the right to repudiate his wife. "Women are impulsive, they ask for divorce and then they regret their decision." Damn impulsive women. They should know their place. But my favorite part of this profile is the ending: She denies that her views prevent her being an effective advocate of women's rights and vows to campaign against "men's abuse of their superiority," if elected to parliament. By effective advocate she means being an apologist to men's abu..ehh..i meant repudiation of women. I think she would also be a terrific rape counselor. Don't you think?

The Jews are learning from us

They have evil conspiracies involving arab men and their women. No, seriously. I learned a lot during my investigation into Jewish-Arab intermarriage, but mostly I have come to realize this: the Arabs are trying to steal our land. Through their rhetoric, they are trying to do away with the inherent Jewish connection to Eretz Yisrael, and through their violence, eradicate the Jewish people. In the same way, the Arabs aim to steal our women, to slowly disconnect them from the whole world, until it is as if they don't exist. Like the struggle for Eretz Yisrael, the battle against Jewish-Arab intermarriage is a war we cannot afford to lose. It's a fight for the future of the Jewish people. Figures that our conspiracy involves sex. I call it the "arab penises of jewish death" conspiracy. Read the whole thing, take it lightly and don't be offended. Take it as an experiment of how a walk on the other side of the conspiracy street would be like.

Entropy

As if the state of religious harmony wasn't already in shambels in Alexandria thanks to last week's attack and siege of a church by angry muslims duped by local MB parliamentary candidate, it seems that the situation won't get better anytime soon: The Mujahedeen of Egypt have issued a statement threatening the "cross-worshippers of Egypt" (Hattip Ritzy), and now a young man stabbed a nun and another man in a church in Alexandria while shouting "Allahu Akabar". While the young man was later arrested by the police and while the injuries sustained by the nun and the man were not dangerous, this incident is clearly disturbing, especially given the timing. It may be too early to call it, but there may be a resurrection of secterian violence in Egypt between christians and muslims once again. In a country that claims to be religiously tolerant, it never occured to the people who rule it that it may not stay that way without emphasizing the importance of respecting people from other faiths than that of the majority. After years of the government encouraging openly racist hate-speech against the jews- a.k.a. the evil infidel descendents of the pigs and monkeys-amongst its majorly muslim population because it gave the people someone to hate besides them, they seem rather surprised that the people started having the same attitude and using the same terminology against the christians. The subtitution of the Jews by the christians as objects of hate was rather easy, given that they were both minorities and that there is increasing envy amongst the muslim population because they seem to have this view that the christians are wealthier than them, which of course breeds and fuels the resentment, not to mention the continious marginalzations of the christians in Egypt in terms of representation in government or even being viewed as citizens of Egypt. I used to laugh my ass off when on national television they would congratulate "our christian brothers" on their holidays. I always wonderd, if we were all egyptains and equal, how come when the muslim holidays come along, they won't congratulate us the same way? I would love it if they announced a season greetings to "Our Muslim Brothers" on TV. I believe it would give the islamists ulcers. But even that, which is nothing but a stupid and symbolic example of how deeply rooted inequality and racism in Egypt really is, doesn't happen and likely never will. And yet people wonder how it's so easy in a country as "religiously tolerant" as ours, things like what's been happening in Alexandria could happen. Sigh... No wonder all of my christian friends want to leave this country. I don't blame them. I just feel horrible that this is how badly our state of religious harmony has regressed. Egypt used to be a country where Jews, christians and muslims lived side by side as Egyptians. Now the muslims have effectively kicked the jews out and are working on doing the same to the christians, so that egypt could be a 100% islamic country. I don't know what the victory in that would be really or what purpose it would serve. All I know is that if its price is the persecution and uprooting of a defenseless minority that Islam and the Koran stated should be repsected and protected, then the whole thing can be damned as far as I am concerned.

Revenge against mail spam

This is pure genius.

Incompetence?

The biggest critcisms against the Bush adminstration these days has been their incompetence in handeling the Iraq War. Here is someone who offers a different perspective on the whole thing. Moneyshot: Set aside, for the moment, the favorable historical context of the achievements in Iraq thus far: Toppled Saddam's government in less than two weeks. Avoided doomsday scenarios of environmental and humanitarian disasters. Established provisional government. Held the most open, free and fair elections in decades. Established interim government. Reached deal on Constitution. Tomorrow a referendum on the charter and two months later, full elections. All of this accomplished in just over two and a half years with less than 2,000 U.S. combat deaths. The war in Iraq is not without problems, but despite the relentlessly negative press coverage pumped out to the public every day, from a historical perspective we've made astonishing progress. Again, setting all that aside, ask Democrats who charge the Bush administration with incompetence what they'd do differently in Iraq under the same circumstances and you get silence and a blank stare. Can they identify a single thing we should be doing in Iraq that we aren't? Is there something we should try that we haven't? John Kerry is a perfect example. Last year, after spending months formulating an Iraq policy for his general election campaign, Kerry and his advisors finally emerged with a five-point plan that didn't contain a single substantive difference from the Bush administration's policy. The best Kerry could do was to offer that he'd "do a better job persuading the international community to share the burden in Iraq." That's more platitude than policy, and it was obviously far from convincing. Interesting. Read the whole thing.

Sheehan vs. Hillary

Fight, Fight, Fight!

Michael Jackson is wanted in court

Only as a juror this time. Except that he won't be able to go, since he has followed through on his moving plans and now permenantly lives in Bahrain, where he believes they will somehow be more tolerant of him. LOL Yeah, kinda glad he is not going to show up for Jury duty in a way; I am not sure his kind of judgment in any legal case would be..ehh...sound.

Gun control doesn't work

If there ever was a good clear argument against gun control myths, this would be it. Moneyshot: Talking to prisoners about guns emphasizes a few key lessons. First, criminals don't obey the law. (That's why we call them "criminals.") Second, no law can repeal the law of supply and demand. If there's money to be made selling something, someone will sell it. A study funded by the Department of Justice confirmed what the prisoners said. Criminals buy their guns illegally and easily. The study found that what felons fear most is not the police or the prison system, but their fellow citizens, who might be armed. One inmate told me, "When you gonna rob somebody you don't know, it makes it harder because you don't know what to expect out of them." What if it were legal in America for adults to carry concealed weapons? I put that question to gun-control advocate Rev. Al Sharpton. His eyes opened wide, and he said, "We'd be living in a state of terror!" In fact, it was a trick question. Most states now have "right to carry" laws. And their people are not living in a state of terror. Not one of those states reported an upsurge in crime. Why? Because guns are used more than twice as often defensively as criminally. When armed men broke into Susan Gonzalez' house and shot her, she grabbed her husband's gun and started firing. "I figured if I could shoot one of them, even if we both died, someone would know who had been in my home." She killed one of the intruders. She lived. Studies on defensive use of guns find this kind of thing happens at least 700,000 times a year. Having a gun in this crazy world may seem like an addition to the mayhem to some, but to others it's a form of necessary protection. People know that the Police are inept and won't probably save them on time, so they have to take matters in their own hands. Gun control won't stop the criminals form getting armed, it will just stop the citizens from arming themselves against them, which is kind of retarded if you ask me. Let the people keep their guns, cause for some it's the only source of protection they have left.

Smoke weed every day

Marijuana apparently is less likely than tobacco to cause lung cancer, at least according to this report. While this is great news to those who like the ganja ( and i have been known to be a fan), i am not really sure this piece of news is fairly accurate for 2 reasons: 1) It's written for a medical journal called "Harm reduction". Harm reduction is the method anti-drug law supporters preferr to prohibition; it states that we should educate people about drugs and drug use, since they are gonna use it anyway. Kind of like the drugs answer to sex education if you will. So you can see why such a report in such a journal might be slightly biased here. 2) This sentence: "the review noted that there's increasing evidence that marijuana can improve the lives of patients with a broad range of health problems, including insomnia, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease" Ok, i can buy the insomnia one, cause smoking weed makes you sleepy. I can also buy the AIDS one, because it combats nausea and makes you eat various types of food in large quantities, as opposed to AIDS which causes you to lose appetite and throw up. The Alzheimer disease one though, ehhhh, yeah, not so sure about that one; I doubt that a drug that makes you forget and messes with your memory will help you with a disease that makes you forget and messes with your memory. Maybe it makes you forget to forget your memory? Hmm.. Unlikely, but that would be cool. No?

Things not looking good for white house...

...Especially with the Plame probe. It seems it will be either Karl Rove or Scooter Libby who will be indicted by the special persecuter. Or the whole thing may end up being the biggest wild goose chase of all time, making Bush haters formulate all kinds of conspiracies on how the whole thing was to distract us from Bush's ability to control the weather to kill black babies in crimson southern states; you know how much he likes to eat them with BBQ sauce. hmm........

A school for ordinary gentlemen

The British have opend a "finishing school for men", where men can go for 3 days and learn how to become siss....I mean gentlemen. But after three days in a Scottish castle, the students emerge from a minefield of etiquette knowing everything from how much to tip the gamekeeper to how to walk with a book balanced on their heads. [...] Table manners and cutlery terrified the nine pathfinders on the first course. "What glasses for which wine, which knife and fork -- that was what frightened them the most," Mather said. In deportment, they learned with the help of a book balanced on their heads "how to stand, sit and walk with stylishness and poise." To the relief of their nearest and dearest, they were even taught basic sewing and ironing skills as well as such manly pursuits as fly fishing and clay pigeon shooting. Scottish reels were danced "for fun and fitness" and the networking class even taught how to offer a power handshake. LOL This, is of course, to counter the fact that more men are..ehh...behaving badly, or in an ill-mannerd way at least. But check this out: Feminism is to blame. Feminism and political correctness, she argues, may have to shoulder some of the blame in an age of equality. "These days do you open a door for a woman or give up your seat? Rabid feminists may not think so but most women like to be treated like a lady. A lot of women still want a knight in shining armor," she said. Awww... Well, on behalf of all the men of the world kadies, please let us know when you finally know what you want, cause we are getting mixed signals here.

The Suicide bombing expert

This article is very very very disturbing. "Daddy, I want to be a martyr. Can you get me an explosive belt?" When Abu Qaqa al-Tamimi's 9-year-old son asked for his help in becoming a suicide bomber, he was, to say the least, taken aback. "This is not what you expect to hear from a little boy," says al-Tamimi, an Iraqi man in his late 40s with close-cropped hair and a thin beard lining a round face. "I didn't know what to say." The son had even come up with a proposed target. "There was an American checkpoint near his school, and he said, 'They won't suspect me because I'm a kid, so I can walk right up to them and explode the belt.'" Like other Iraqi parents, al-Tamimi frets about the emotional toll on his child caused by the daily onslaught of suicide bombings. But al-Tamimi bears a personal responsibility for his son's bizarre ambitions. For the past 13 months, al-Tamimi has played a crucial, and murderous, role in the Iraqi insurgency: he is one of a small number of operatives who provide would-be suicide bombers with everything from safe houses to target information and explosives. Al-Tamimi says he also acts as a guardian, religious guide and all-around father figure in the final days of a bomber's life. "Once a volunteer is placed in my care," he says, "I am responsible for everything in his life until the time comes for him to end it." Al-Tamimi is often the last person bombers talk to before their deadly mission. He is so proficient at facilitating suicide bombings that he says his own brother and sister have asked to be considered for "martyrdom operations." He gave them some basic training but advised them to find other, less drastic ways of serving the insurgency. "A suicide bombing should be the last resort," he says. "It should not be a shortcut to paradise." Ya, like you are likely to ever see it you psycho bastard. Read the whole thing. It's eye-opening.

Western Wives in Egypt

The METimes has an interesting article on what life is like for a group of foriegn women married to egyptian men. The article was well rounded me thinks, ranging from the negative: Egypt's culture, in Karen's opinion, is one of manipulation, not directness. "Egyptians are obsessed with covering their back. In the West we are direct because we have a system that covers us up." As a result, she says, "The [Egyptian] husband [of a Western woman] thinks, 'My wife is not respecting me' when all what she is doing is being direct." to the positive The case is different for the Irish wife Aisha Fitzpatrick. She maintains warm ties with her in-laws, who live with her on the same building. "They are very good, kind people.... They appreciate my coming from Ireland to live with their son here in Egypt," she says. But according to them, the key word for cross- cultural marriage is.... conformity To Kris, the key to a foreign woman's success in Egypt is conformity: "I have foreign friends in Egypt fighting against what they don't like; they end up feeling lost and frustrated. If you don't conform, you will be on the outside. If you don't go with the status quo in Egypt, you will be rejected." She points out that Egyptians refuse to cope with what's foreign, what they don't know. Hmm.....

Uh-oh

Chavez is seeking nuclear technology. That can't be good.

Learning from Israel?

The Egyptian authorities are planning to erect a fence around Sharm El Sheikh to controll access to and from the resort. It's gonna be 20 km long, which should give the place a nice Prison feel to it.

The revolution will be merchandized

They are selling Chavez action figure dolls now. Narcissim thy name is Hugo.

What do Sadam, Osama Bin Laden and Mother Theresa have in common?

They are the new behaviour cops in Mexico city. Weird.

The Titanic as a horror movie?

This is just awesome.

Lebanon charges a Syrian official in Harriri Probe

Oh, how things are looking worse for Syria with every passing day.

I have work today so i am leaving you with this:

The newspapers kept stroking my fear. New surveys provided awful statistics on just about everything. Evidence suggested that we were not doing well. Researchers gloomily agreed. Environmental psychologists were interviewed. Damage had “unwittingly” been done. There was “feared lapses”. There were “misconceptions” about potential. Situations had “deteriorated”. Cruelty was on the rise and there was nothing anyone could do about it. The populace was confounded, yet didn’t care. Unpublished studies hinted that we were all paying a price. Scientists peered into data and concluded that we should all be very worried. No one knew what normal behavior was anymore, and some argued that this was a form of virtue. And no one argued back. No one challenged anything. Anxiety was soaking up most people’s days. Everyone had become pre-occupied with horror. Madness was fluttering everywhere. There was fifty years of research supporting this data. There were diagrams illustrating all these problems- circles and hexagons and squares, different sections colored in lime or lilac or gray. Most troubling were the fleeting signs that nothing could transform any of this into something positive. You couldn’t help being both afraid and fascinated. Reading these articles made you feel that the survival of mankind didn’t seem very important on the long run. We were doomed. We deserved it. Bret Easton Ellis, Lunar Park

Say it Freedom

Read Freedom For Egyptians take on the iraqi elections. You must read this. Money shot: Iraq’s elections uncover to what extent Arab regimes and media are in support of the Iraqi democracy. The Egyptian newspapers’ headlines are highlighting US readiness to launch military operations in Syria. Another headline says, President Mubarak in Libya to discuss pressure on Syria. We are supposed to shed tears on the Syrian regime and how the “bad” US is trying to pressure Syria. There is no mention to the high turnout of the Iraqi referendum and the great political process that is evolving with the people writing their constitution. But of course these are minor details for authoritarian regimes. Another headline says Arab League chairman did not withdraw his decision to visit Baghdad, while the story says nothing about congratulating the Iraqis on their constitution. I am not so sure that the Iraqis want to receive such a despicable person who cannot realize that he is out of reality. His only role is to talk about the sovereignty of Iraq without referring to the death of 300,000 Iraqis during the era of Saddam or the mass graves that continue to unearthed or glorifying their courage to defeat terrorists. I am taking the opportunity to congratulate the Iraqi people on the referendum of the constitution. Even if the constitution did not pass, they will work more on it which is great. I am filled with hope because this gives me hope for a future in Middle East. Me too Freedom. Me too.

Want a day off? Call in a bomb threat!

Oh, how i love stupid people.

PETA kills animals

It seems that Penn and Teller episode on PETA was right on the money: 2 of their members were arrested for disposing euthanized cats and dogs, ones that they obtained under the premise of finding homes for. Now that's how you ethically treat animals. Sick puppies.

Oh how people change when they have kids

Madonna won't let her kids watch TV. Prude.

IRA bombs kill british troops in Iraq?

If there was any proof or indication that world terrorist organization are in this war together, this would be it.

Google is helping terrorists

India seems to think so.

Stating the obvious

Newsweek is wondering whether the Ghazi Kanaan "suicide" was really a suicide or a murder. Ehh..... They don't catch on quick do they?

The Power of Prayer

Koizumi prays, and it pisses off China and South Korea royally.

DailyKos is mad

Because a black gay activist was not allowed to speak at the black million whatever march. Given that the people who organized it are Rev. Willie Wilson and Louis Farakhan, i am not sure that their intolerance for gay activism should come as a surprise.

Alcohol is your friend

It came to my attention while reading the Sout El Omma newspaper this morning that someone named Fares Moahmed Ahmed has filed a lawsuit against the Egyptian government in order to ban the manufacturing, selling, serving, importing or exporting of Alcohol in Egypt. His legal reasoning? It’s against the Islamic Sharia, and since the Sharia is the primary source of the Egyptian constitution, then the selling or manufacturing of alcohol in Egypt is unconstitutional. He also mentions that since Alcohol is “Haram”, then any money that we gain from selling it won’t be blessed by God, and hence useless to the Egyptian people and would be sinful to give to them. Needless to say, I disagreed with him entirely. Mind you, I didn’t disagree with him based on merit of argument, but rather on principle. In my humble opinion, what we need in Egypt is to encourage the sale and consumption of Alcohol and not ban it. I honestly believe- and I am saying this in the middle of Ramadan- that if the majority of Egyptian population became alcohol drinkers, it will benefit our country and society greatly. You don’t agree? Let me convince you. In my opinion, the consumption of alcohol in Egypt is beneficial to the Egyptian population, because it serves 3 distinct purposes. Here are those purposes and their beneficial effects: 1) Happiness purposes: The drinking of alcohol is known to loosen the inhibitions of people, making them tipsy and happy, and happiness is something that the Egyptian people desperately need in their lives. They are all mostly depressed, dejected and have basically given up any semblance of hope in this country, which in turn makes interacting with them rather unpleasant. Alcohol consumption will change that, make them jubilant and jovial once again. It will give them a fun activity to embark on every now and then, something to look forward to, and an escape from their reality, which is something they very well need. It will make them love Life again, and not look forward to death so much, cause they might go to hell for drinking alcohol. Talk about motivation to live Life to the fullest. 2) Honesty Purposes: As I said before, alcohol consumption makes you less inhibited, which also makes you a more honest individual. People in Egypt could use some honesty in their daily interactions with each other. Imagine having alcohol present during those Ramadan Iftars where you have to sit down with the extremely unpleasant pretentious people that are your extended family: Wouldn’t it make the event more interesting and fun? You father getting drunk and telling your grandmother that she needs to stop butting in his life? Your cousin screaming at her father for being an absent emotionless bastard who ruined all men for her? Your grandfather mumbling about how much none of you respect him or his opinions anymore before passing out on the carpet? You telling your fat obnoxious second cousins to stop stuffing their faces with your food and kick them the hell out of your house? See how much fun we are missing? Nevermind the family, can you imagine the shit we would tell the useless intruding unsupportive annoying judgmental unreliable bastards that we call our friends? We would have Honesty people. All sins will be exposed and dealt with. And it would counter the effects of the anti-Honesty drug called Hash, because unlike Alcohol, which allows you to formulate sentences and reasoning (no matter how flawd), Hash makes you wonder “what was I just thinking” every 4 seconds and never address any issue in order not to ruin your high. With alcohol that doesn’t happen; it makes you wanna just spill your guts to everyone in a 20 meter radius around you, and then spill what’s in your guts, hopefully on their shoes or expensive Persian carpets. And never mind the lost friends or cleaning bills; actually take pride in them. After all, that’s the price of honesty. 3) Liquid courage purposes: And we finally come to the biggest reason why the Egyptian people need more alcohol in their lives: it gives people the ability to do and say shit that would get them in trouble with clear abandon. The Egyptian people have long allowed themselves to be oppressed out of their own fear and inaction, something being drunk will help eliminate; after all, they don’t call it liquid courage for no reason. Historically it has been used for similar purposes, whether in bar fights, in world war two by Kamikaze pilots who knew they were going on suicide missions, or in the always festive British soccer riots, which always seemed like lots of fun to me (Imagine an Ahly and Zamalek game if both audiences were drunk. Ohh Goodie!). Now imagine that same principle employed for political purposes in Egypt: the masses, drunk as shit, running around in the streets in anti-Mubarak demonstrations and beating up the anti-Riot police. Their anger, accompanied with their newfound courage, would ensure their participation in political demonstrations more actively, and hell, give the police a good reason not to get out of their beds every day. The people would find their voice, which they could use for drunken chanting and public cursing. After all, isn’t that what democracy is all about? So in conclusion, and citing all of the previous benefits I mentioned, I propose that not only should Alcohol stay legal, it should be supplied to every home. A little Vodka Faucet right next to the water one would be a superb way to do it. It would make people happier, more honest and active participants in our budding democracy. Sure, they may all end up in muslim hell, but they would probably be too drunk to care or remember. Oh, and always remember: you are a drunk, and not an alcoholic, as long as you don’t go to meetings.