The international music industry may be playing Whack-A-Mole with P2P hubs, but it has been whacking some rather large moles lately. Shutting down all illicit P2P traffic is obviously not a realistic goal, and it's not one that groups like the RIAA or the IFPI hold; instead, they just want to make it difficult enough for the average Net user to snag a file that legal alternatives start to look better in comparison. Putting some fear into file sharers is also part of the plan.
Music trade groups in Canada and Poland have taken another step down this road with the apparent closure of the BitTorrent tracker Demonoid and a Polish pre-release music site operating from Wroclaw...
"The CRIA threatened the company renting the servers to us, and because of this it is not possible to keep the site online. Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding."
#1
YOUTUBE and similar. As said long ago, TECH(S) INNOVATION > one day Big Theater/Cinemas will likely merge wid minicafes, bookstores, music and home videos, teleconferencing, etal.. BECOME ONE GIANT MULTI-PURPOSE, ALL-PURPOSE/SOURCE, MULTI-VIEWING/LISTENING/CONFAB, PERSONAL-GROUP ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNIC SERVICES BIZZZZZZNEZZZZ.
#2
saw American Gangster this week - really liked it - note those % (+/-) are daily Box Office $ - look for the number of theaters, total B.O. and what the movie's production budget was - Rendition is a (well-deserved) bomb - I hope all involved lose their anti- american asses. Critical reviews (likely better than audiences, given the critics' lib leanings) for Lions for Lambs (Redford's POS flick) are scathing - another box office nuke...heh
I really liked Redford back in the day....Jeremiah Johnson remains one of my top fives (and in my DVD library), The Sting, Butch Cassidy, et al...3 Days of the Condor (although a good movie) was the start of his spiral down the anti-american path IMNSHO
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2007 18:42 Comments ||
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#3
Hollywood style movies aren't dying. They will just become smaller, more CG and designed to go straight to DVD or streaming skipping the box office. I see it breaking up at first like ma bell, then merging into several large firms later.
#6
he didn't care about blacks, and ultimately he didn't care that he was bringing his own kin into a path to prison. True stories sting the worst, don't they?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2007 19:37 Comments ||
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#7
Hollywood will go into producing blockbusters primarily and distributing movies made by smaller companies rather than trying to compete against the smaller movies.
#8
For me to care Hollyweird and the MPAA's members products they would have to produce something worth the price of admission, they haven't in years and to get the hell out of lobbying Congress for laws to entrench and favor their business model. This combined with their support for politics I do not believe in means my money stays in my pocket and my eyes focused on other things.
The same goes for The RIAA and their members products.
Show business is bad for the US and civil liberties. "Hollywood" is bad news.
(AKI) - The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's strongest opposition group, has said that women and Christians cannot become president in Egypt. "Women and Christians are not allowed to have access to the position of president of the republic," said a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood in a report carried by local newspaper, al-Masri al-Yom.
"They're ucky."
The highly influential Islamist movement, banned in several Arab countries such as Syria, Jordan and even Egypt, expressed this view as part of a draft of a new political programme revealed on Wednesday.
Women and Coptic issues have been impediments to the group's party platform being accepted by Egyptians as a whole. Scholars and intellectuals have asked the group to modify its views on this matter, but this latest statement shows that the group has refused to change its previous stance, which is based on an Islamic fatwa or edict. "After a long debate, we have reached the conclusion that these two categories of people do not have the right to take on this role and this is the definitive verdict on this issue and we will not turn around on this in the future," said the representative. The group will be circulating the decision among the militants of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The news was also confirmed by Isam al-Ariyan, a member of the political office of the Muslim Brotherhood, who said that "the decision was supported by all the spiritual leaders within movement who said it was necessary to send a signal that would differentiate it from the secular position," he said.
According to the reports, included among those who supported this position, was Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Islamic television preacher on the Arab television channel Al Jazeera, who is considered to be top international ideologue of the movement. The group has repeatedly said that the party is civil in nature with an Islamic background. The Egyptian constitution forbids the formation of parties based on religious affiliation.
This article starring:
Muslim Brotherhood
Isam al-Ariyan
Muslim Brotherhood
Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Muslim Brotherhood
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[8 views]
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#2
According to the reports, included among those who supported this position, was Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Islamic television preacher on the Arab television channel Al Jazeera, who is considered to be top international ideologue of the movement.
Information on Qaradawi and Theology of Terror
Facts on Qaradawi
∙ Prominent member of The Muslim Brotherhood.
∙ President in The European Council for Fatwa and Research (www.ecfr.org (Arabic only).
∙ Founder and President of the International Association of Muslim Scholars.
∙ Chairman and professional director of the worlds most extensive web-based resource on Islam, www.islamonline.net.
∙ Qaradawi also runs his personal web page: www.qaradawi.net (Arabic only).
∙ Member of the board of the Islamic American University.
∙ Member of the board of the Islamic Society of Boston.
∙ Chairman of the Scientific Council of the European Institute of Human Sciences (Europes largest educational centre for Imams in France).
∙ Previously one of the major owners of the Islamic financial institution, Taqwa Bank, and a member of the banks Sharia Council (until the banks assets were frozen, after western intelligence organizations claimed the bank financed terrorist organizations).
∙ Member of the board of the First Islamic Investment Bank of Bahrain.
∙ Member of the board of Qatar Islamic Bank.
∙ Chairman of the Sunna and Sira Council, Qatar.
∙ Grand Mufti of the United Arab Emirates.
∙ Host in weekly, immensely popular, 90 min live TV-broadcast on Al-Jazeera: Sharia and Life.
Sources for Mr. Qaradawis Fatwas with reference to suicide bombings.
For unknown reasons, Mr. Qaradawis Fatwas are not easily found in English translation. HonestThinking has had the support of a professional Arabic language consultant who confirms that the Arabic language sources quoted below in fact contain what HonestThinking claims.
With reference to the claim that Palestine, including the State of Israel, is Islamic territory, we can find an elaboration on this issue in the conference report from the European Council of Fatwas and Research, Dublin, September 2000. The Conference, led by Mr. Qaradawi, issued a Fatwa contending that it is haram (sin) for any Muslim to give up any bit of Palestine (including the territory of the State of Israel). This can be found in Resolution 1/6: Surrendering al Quds (Jerusalem) is a Betrayal of Allah, His Messenger, and His Faithful (p.2-3). The full report is available in PDF Format.
Mr. Qaradawi has issued a Fatwa called El-amalijat al-istishadiya azam suwar al-jihad (Martyr operations are the highest form for Jihad). The Fatwa was issued 3 October 2001 and can be found in Arabic on Mr. Qaradawis home pages.
HonestThinkings confirms that the Fatwa claims that martyr operations are: a) a defense of Islamic territory and religion; b) Jihad in honor of Allah; c) not terrorism but heroic acts; and d) not by any means suicide, but as far removed from suicide as conceivable.
Another of Mr. Qaradawis more important Fatwas referring to suicide actions is titled Amaliyat Hamas Jihad Waqatalaha Shuhada (Hamas operations are Jihad, and those who die [in carrying them out] are martyrs), but we have not been able to find the source of this Fatwa. Please contact HonestThinking if you know a source for this fatwa.
Hamas offers two anonymous Fatwas (in English) with content similar to Mr. Qaradawis, here and here.
The London-based newspaper, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, offers comprehensive information about Mr. Qaradawis doctrine on suicide bombings. The 19 July 2003 issue reproduces a lengthy Fatwa issued by Mr. Qaradawi through the European Council for Fatwa and Research; as reported from a Fatwa Council Conference in Stockholm, July 2003. The original in Arabic can be found. Memri (www.memri.org), a Jewish organization specialized in translating anti-Jewish publications in Arabic language and which have proven their reliability over the years, offers a translation (recommended!) of the article (see also related article).
Even if Mr. Qaradawis Fatwas related to suicide bombings are not fond on islamonline.net, the net site upholds Mr. Qaradawis doctrine. By searching on martyrdom operations anyone can find plenty of writings by Qaradawis colleagues, all seeking to justify and legitimize suicide bombings (martyrdom operations). This article (English) will verify that the majority of Muslim scholars (learned in the law) consider Palestinian martyr operations as legitimate.
In another article (English), Sheik Faysal Mawlawi, vice Chairman of the European Council of Fatwa and Research (chaired by Qaradawi), confirms that he has issued a Fatwa titled Martyrdom Operations are not Suicide.
In the quotation below, HonestThinking presents translated excerpts from Qaradawis Friday sermon in a mosque, March 2002 (darsha). The speech can be found in its entirety in Arabic at Qaradawis home page.
At this time Jihad is an absolute necessity for all Muslims. [Mr. Qaradawi addresses the Arab countries and criticize them for not having done enough to help the Palestinians]. In blowing themselves up, the Palestinians have given us beautiful examples of Jihad; or in standing up against tanks, and blowing them up. They are not afraid of anything, not even dying. How can we help the father who will not grieve his son having become a martyr, or the mother who receives the message about her sons martyr death with shouts of joy? What do we have to offer the mother who offers good advice to her son on his way to blow himself up: That he be strong and that he shall know that he does this for Allah; that he shall know he will not be considered dead! [Quoting the Quran:] Say not about one who is dead for Allah that he is dead, for he lives!. [Mr. Qaradawi criticizes an Arab media outlet for using the termsuicide attack, contending that death by martyr operation is not suicide]. Jihad is now an absolute necessity for the entire Arab nation. Everyone must engage in Jihad with everything he is and with everything he has.
The Simon Wiesenthal Centre has issued an interesting report (available in English (pdf) and French (pdf) - also available in English in html) about the connections between The Muslim Brotherhood, Mr. Qaradawi, and Hamas.
HonestThinking recommends an article from Arab News called Qaradawi, moderate and extremist.
UN petition against theology of terror
In stark contrast to Norwegian politicians inability to act in the face of Det Islamske Forbundets (The Islamic Federations) theology of terror, 2500 Muslim intellectuals from 23 different countries have joined in a campaign and a request to the UN asking for initiatives against what they call terror theologians, and they are specifically mentioning one of them, Mr. Qaradawi. Many of these Muslim intellectuals are risking their lives, the lives of their families, their jobs, and their carrier opportunities for their standing up against evil and inhumanity. This call for endorsement and appeal for the UN to apply political sanctions against Theology of Terror is presented as Open Letter from Liberal Arabs and Muslims. It can be found several places on the Internet, e.g. here or here.
Mr. Qaradawis Fatwas on husbands rights to beat their wives
In one of Mr. Qaradawis best-selling books he writes: The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam (1984, page 205-206), Mr. Qaradawi writes:
Because of his natural ability and his responsibility for providing for his family, the man is the head of the house and of the family. He is entitled to the obedience and cooperation of his wife, and accordingly it is not permissible for her to rebel against his authority, causing disruption. Without a captain the ship of the household will flounder and sink.
If the husband senses that feelings of disobedience and rebelliousness are rising against him in his wife, he should try his best to rectify her attitude by kind words, gentle persuasion, and reasoning with her. If this is not helpful, he should sleep apart from her, trying to awaken her agreeable feminine nature so that serenity may be restored, and she may respond to him in a harmonious fashion. If this approach fails, it is permissible for him to beat her lightly with his hands, avoiding her face and other sensitive parts. In no case should he resort to using a stick or any other instrument that might cause pain and injury.Rather, this 'beating' should be of the kind which the Prophet (peace be on him) once, when angry with his servant, mentioned to him, saying, 'If it were not for the fear of retaliation on the Day of Resurrection, I would have beaten you with this miswak (tooth-cleaning stick)' [as reported by Ibn Majah and by Ibn Hibban, in his Sahih].
"The Prophet (pbuh) admonished men concerning beating their wives, saying 'None of you must beat his wife as a slave is beaten and then have intercourse with her at the end of the day.'
"It was reported to the Prophet (pbuh) that some of his Companions beat their wives, whereupon he said, 'Certainly those are not the best among you [as reported by Ahmad, Abu Daoud, and al-Nisai. Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim classify it as sound, as narrated by Iyas ibn 'Abdullah ibn Abu Dhiab].'
Says Imam Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar, 'The saying of the Prophet (pbuh), 'The best among you do not beat,' could imply that beating wives is in general permissible. To be specific, one may beat only to safeguard Islamic behavior and if he (the husband) sees deviation only in what she must do or obey in relation to him. It is preferable to warn (her) or something of the sort, and as long as it is possible to achieve things through warning, any use of force is disallowed because force generates hatred, which is inimical to the harmony expected in marriage. Force is applied only when sin against Allah Ta'alah (masiyah) is feared. Al-Nasai has reported 'Aishah as saying, 'The Prophet (pbuh) never beat any of his wives or servants; in fact, he did not strike anything with his hand except in the cause of Allah or when the prohibitions of Allah were violated, and he retaliated on behalf of Allah.'
If all these approaches fail, and the rift between the husband and wife deepens, the matter then devolves on the Islamic society for solution. Two individuals of good will and sound judgment, one from the wife's and one from the husband's side, should meet with the couple in order to try to resolve their differences. Perhaps the sincerity of their efforts may bear fruit and Allah may bring about reconciliation between the spouses.
On the popular Al-Jazeera TV show, Sharia and Life, Mr. Qaradawi said (15 October 1997):
Beating is permitted [to the man] in the most limited of cases, and only in a case when the wife rebels against her husband The beating, of course, will not be with a whip, a stick, or a board. The beating will be according to what the Prophet said to a servant girl who annoyed him on a particular matter, 'If it were not for fear of punishment in the Hereafter, I would have beaten you with this miswak.
Likewise, the beating must come only after admonishment, and expelling [the wife] from the bed [as is said in the Qur'an 4:34], 'Admonish them, leave them alone in their beds, and beat them.'
He also said: "Beating is not suitable for every wife; it is suitable for certain wives and for other wives it is not. There is a woman who cannot agree to being beaten, and sees this as humiliation, while some women enjoy the beating and for them, only beating to cause them sorrow is suitable
The Prophet said about those who beat their wives: 'Those are not the best among you.' The respectable and honest Muslim man does not beat his wife, and his hand is not accustomed to beating. If [the husband] beats [his wife] he must beat her in the way of which we spoke. He must refrain from beating her in sensitive places or on her face.
Original source in Arabic at Al-Jazeera, Memri offers a translation.
In yet another Fatwa published on islamonline.net Qaradawi says:
It is forbidden to beat the woman, unless it is necessary, and she 'is in a state of rebellion' against the husband and flouts him. This is temporary discipline [ta'adib] that is permitted to him according to the Qur'an in exceptional circumstances, when other efforts of admonishing [the wife] have failed and removing her from the bed as Allah said: 'As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them; but if they return to obedience, seek not against them pretexts (for annoyance): for Allah is Most High, Great (above you all).'[Qur'an 4:34] Despite this permission for the hour of necessity, the Prophet said: 'The good men from among you do not beat [their wives].
Information compiled by Jens Tomas Anfindsen, editor, HonestThinking.org
1. Ayman al-Zawahiri
2. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
3. Ayatollah Kahmeini
4. Mullah Muhammad Omar
5. Abu Bakar Ba'asyir (Bashir)
6. Moqtada Sadr,
7. Abu Hamza al-Masri,
8. Mullah Krekar (AKA: Abu Sayyid Qutb),
9. Khaled Meshal
10. Sheikh Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
11. Ismail Haniya
12. Mohammed Abbas
13. Yusuf al-Qaradawi
14. Tariq Ramadan
15. Sheikh Taj al-Din al-Hilali
16. imam Omar Bakri Muhammed Fustuq
17. imam Abdel-Samie Mahmoud Ibrahim Moussa
18. imam Sheikh SyeSyed Mubarik Ali Gilani
19. Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal
20. Sheik Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi
21. Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar
22. Prince Sultan Ibn Abd al-Aziz
23. Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz
24. Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz
25. Muhammad Taqi Usmani
26. Yasin al Qadi (Saudi terrorist financier)
27. Imad Mugniyah, Iranian master terrorist
28. Sheikh Abdullah bin Jibreen top Wahabbi cleric
29. Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan top Wahabbi cleric
30. Sheikh Nasser Al-Omar top Wahabbi cleric
31. Sheikh Essa
32. Abu Waleed Ansari
33. Abu Yahya al-Libbi
34. Maulana Ilyas Kashmiri
35. Ahmed Abu Laban DEAD January 19, 2007
36. Sheikh Abu Yahya al-Libi (al Qaeda CEO)
37. Sheikh Abdel-Aziz Al al-Sheikh Saudi Grand Mufti
38. Ramadan Shalah Islamic Jihad leader
39. Ali Abdullah Saleh Yemini President
40. Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Ghaith head SAs Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
#4
Zenster: don't do that. Use a link instead of posting the entire thing.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/09/2007 9:27 Comments ||
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#5
David, will do. It's just that Qaradawiwidely regarded as a "moderate"is Islam's closest equivalent of a Pope. It is vital to expose his responsibility for perpetuating extremism and his almost single-handed official ratification of "suicide" bombing. Of equally important note is how there is next to ZERO criticism or censure of him for this despite growing Muslim outcry over the expanded use of "suicide" bombings in Pakistan. In many ways, Qaradawi typifies the modern "moderate" Muslim with their veneer of socialization that purposefully disguises a hidden agenda of true barbarism.
Upon re-examination, I agree, the cite is way too long and I apologize. I just wanted people to see how others have assembled quite the extensive laundry list of terrorist bona fides for this maggot. In the future I'll excerpt such data.
#6
Once again I'll suggest you sign up for a free blog at Blogspot or some similar location. Post this stuff there and then feel free to LINK to it from every comment at Rantburg if you like.
#7
Maybe the Brotherhood thinks it would be more appropriate to have the Ra religion ruling Egypt.
I'm sure that after some consideration, a lot of Egyptians might consider dropping the whole Islam thing and going back to that ol' time religion. After all, it lasted for 3,000 years before that JHVH guy took over.
#10
Thank you, Pappy. As a worthy opponent, I can only repeat what I've told you before, I don't do blogs. I know that, technically speaking, Rantburg is a blog, except that it is run in a Message Board fashion. I can count the number of blogs I have participated with over the last TEN YEARS on onehand.
I'm all too happy to hit Fred's tip jar as often as possible. Goodness knows he deserves it. Until I run up my own home based server, I'm not going to worry too much about blogs. Contrary to popular demand perception, they aren't my style.
ZIMBABWE'S Attorney-General has been arrested and charged with corruption in connection with allegations he promised to help a fugitive banker who had fled the southern African nation, police said today. Attorney-General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele was arrested on Tuesday and then released after a statement was recorded, chief police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said. "So far we don't know when he will appear in court, but we have finished everything, including the investigations, which meant taking statements from witnesses," Mr Bvudzijena said.
If convicted, Mr Gula-Ndebele could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison and face a heavy fine. Mr Bvudzijena said Mr Gula-Ndebele had met James Mushore, the former director of banking group NMBZ Holdings, in September and promised him that he would not be arrested if he returned to Zimbabwe.
Mr Mushore fled to Britain in 2004 at the height of a Zimbabwean banking crisis that saw several finance houses shut down by the country's central bank. He was arrested last month upon his return to Zimbabwe.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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LOL - a ZimBob official falls for a Nigerian scam?
Dear Mr Gula-Ndebele,
Permit me to introduce myself, I am James Mushore, the former director of banking group NMBZ Holdings. It is of utmost sincerity and confidence in which I send you this letter, which conveys my offer. If you will help me to conveyy $40 million (US) dollars, I will share this wealth with you...
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2007 12:29 Comments ||
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A MAYOR sparked a row by asking soldiers to lay down their guns before marching in this Sundays Remembrance Day parade.
Chepstow town councillor Hilary Beach says the 1 Rifles Army regiment, based at nearby Beachley Barracks, should not carry their weapons during the ceremony because of the rising tide of gun crime across the country.
Veterans groups criticised her comments as ridiculous .
Ms Beach said the ceremony should be a time for peace and not conflict.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/09/2007 11:00 ||
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#1
"Hilary Beach"
If the 'beest' grew up in Malibu?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
11/09/2007 11:18 Comments ||
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#2
She said, I would prefer there not be any guns at the Remembrance Day parade it is a personal issue for me.
#7
Offer to parade around buck naked. That way you can prove to the silly twit that you absolutely, positively don't have any icky weapons, and she can be at peace.
University leaders accused the Venezuelan government on Thursday of provoking violence to justify military occupations of campuses where students are leading protests against President Hugo Chavez.
Gunmen opened fire on students returning from a peaceful march Wednesday in which 80,000 people denounced a constitutional referendum planned for December that would expand Chavez's power. At least eight people were injured, including one by gunfire, officials said.
Higher Education Minister Luis Acuna offered Wednesday to send in troops to quell the violence, but university authorities quickly rejected the offer as an attempted power grab. "We won't fall into the trap," said Eleazar Narvaez, rector of the Central University of Venezuela.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Under fire from the West, the U.S.-friendly leader of this former Soviet republic moved Thursday to defuse an explosive political crisis by calling an early presidential election and promising to quickly lift a state of emergency. President Mikhail Saakashvili also offered minor concessions to the opposition, whose protests demanding electoral reforms were violently broken up a day earlier by riot police using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.
But while his already weakening popularity is likely to take a further hit, the president is expected to win a second term in the Jan. 5 election because the fragmented opposition lacks the time and resources to mount a serious challenge.
Saakashvili's televised address late Thursday appeared to be an attempt to respond to the criticism and ease tensions while retaining his political control. He said he was calling the early presidential election "to gain the trust of the people." "My compromise is that the opposition is given a chance to get elected by the people, if they have the support," he said.
He also proposed simultaneously holding a referendum on when to hold the next elections for parliament. That ballot had been moved back to late 2008, but the opposition is demanding the election be held earlier in the year as originally scheduled. Under the Georgian constitution, the president is elected for a five-year term and calling an early election would require parliament's approval. A majority of legislators back Saakashvili and they are expected to quickly endorse his decision.
Saakashvili also expressed readiness to discuss other measures the opposition says would make the electoral system more democratic. "In the long term, the political environment will emerge from these recent events as more competitive and less dominated by the ruling party," said Ana Jelenkovic, a Georgia analyst at Eurasia Group, a U.S.-based firm that provides advice on geopolitical risks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Russia is to expel three senior Georgian diplomats in Moscow in retaliation for similar moves by Tbilisi, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
When Scarlett O'Hara will learn about it thare will be WAR! And this time the Georgians will win.
Beijing Olympic organizers angrily disputed reports of religious intolerance yesterday, saying Bibles and other religious items for personal use will be welcome at next summer's games except for the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement. Recent reports by a religious news agency and European news organizations saying Bibles would be banned at the Olympics touched off an outcry that prompted a U.S. senator to call the Chinese ambassador for an explanation and a Christian athletes group to protest the "deep violation."
Beijing organizers flatly denied the reports, and the Foreign Ministry said the reports were likely the work of people who want to sabotage Beijing's hosting of the games. "There is no such thing. This kind of report is an intentional distortion of truth," said Li Zhanjun, director of the Beijing Olympics media center. He said texts and other items from major religious groups that are brought into China for personal use by athletes and visitors are permitted. The Beijing Olympics Web site said "each traveler is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China."
Praying ok, proseletizing not. You Gideons can just stay home.
Which means no Bibles in the Olympic Village hotel rooms. I see a plan coming togther ...
Mr. Li also said religious services Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist will be available to athletes in the Olympic Village.
However, he said, the policies do not apply to Falun Gong, reasserting China's determination to eradicate the movement. Falun Gong was banned eight years ago as an "evil cult" after its members staged a mass protest outside government headquarters to demand official recognition.
#1
"each traveler is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China."
Old rule in the USSR was, you could take religious items for your own use. Activists trying to get religious items to Jewish Jews took one of everything (bible, prayer book, phylacteries, prayer shawl, etc) for their "own" use, gave it to locals, than on exit, reported that unfortunately theyd "lost" the items.
#3
When evangelist Corrie ten Boom went to the Soviet Union, she would find the holes in the hotel room floor where the hidden microphones were and preach the gospel to the KGB minions listening in.
(AKI) - EU candidate country Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyp Erdogan on Thursday called for "objective rules for our entry process to the European Union."
I'd say the rules should start with being in Europe, not Asia Minor.
And not necessarily all parts of Europe, given today's Macedonia story ...
"The rules of the game were made in advance and the goalposts cannot then be moved," Erdogan told the Italy-Turkey Business Council in Rome on the second of a two day visit to the Italian capital. Turkey's EU membership bid must go ahead, he stressed. "Even if there have been several problems, the Turkish government is continuing to drive this bid forward with the same determination."
He said Italy's support was crucial to this dynamic and described it as "the country that has best understood Turkey's potential contribution to Europe."
The reforms Turkey must implement to qualify for EU membership "do not just serve to meet the EU's requirements for membership but also to improve our quality of life as citizens," he said.
Turkey's justice minister Mehmet Ali Sahin on Tuesday announced that a new bill would in the next few days be tabled in the Turkish parliament modifying Article 301 of the Turkish penal code which criminalises "insulting Turkishness."
Article 301 has often been invoked by nationalists against those who argue that the Ottoman empire committed genocide against Armenians around the time of World War I. Nobel-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk and murdered Turkish-Armenian writer Hrant Dink were both prosecuted under the law for their comments on the mass killings of Armenians.
This article starring:
Recep Tayyp Erdogan
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Erdogan: "The gull of these yuros! Only Turks (mooselims) can move goalposts!"
One of the best anti-terror weapons we have is free trade. The trade rules help move societies towards personal liberty, rule of law, enforcement of contracts, and better distribution of wealth. Bush wins another one, and he'll win a couple more of these before he's done. So much for being a lame duck.
WASHINGTON: Defying appeals from labor leaders, environmentalists and foes of free-trade, nearly half the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives joined with the Bush administration's backers on Thursday to support a trade liberalization agreement with Peru that the White House hopes will lead to the approval of future trade deals.
The vote came Thursday morning and followed several hours of debate that exposed a deep fissure among Democrats. On one side were veterans from declining industrial areas of the Northeast and Midwest and younger critics of globalization. On the other was the House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and other leaders arguing that trade brings benefits to many Americans and that the deal was worthy of Democratic support because it requires Peru to protect labor rights and the environment.
Voting for the trade agreement were 109 Democrats and 176 Republicans. Voting against it were 116 Democrats and 16 Republicans. (Eight members from each party did not vote.) The Senate is expected to take up the agreement soon and is likely to approve it.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Defying appeals from labor leaders..
By the way, were have all you guys been while the new helot class was imported by employers. I'd thought a real [honest] labor leader would be leading the civil side of the house exposing employers doing such dastardly deeds. Ah, what the piece of the action automatic union dues deduction does to move greed and power over principle.
#3
"desire of Wall Street and the high technology, health, pharmaceutical and entertainment industries to expand their sales overseas. These industries have also become major Democratic contributors. "
I suspect pro-trade constituencies are more important in explaining this vote than any non-lame duckness on the part of dubya.
PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto on Thursday said President General Musharrafs pledge to hold elections by mid-February was insufficient, adding that he must quit as army chief by next week. She also reiterated her pledge to start a three-day long march on Islamabad from November 13 if her partys demands are not met. According to AFP, she told a press conference that, We want an exact election date, schedule of elections and a clear date of Musharraf hanging up his uniform. She also vowed that the PPP would hold a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh today, despite all government restrictions, threats on her life and a government crackdown on PPP workers in Punjab.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
She just hates.hates.hates uniforms. She means it would be fine if he was still a chief of armed forces, but that disgusting uniform has to go!
(AKI) Two of Indonesias leading Islamic organisations are squabbling over whether mobile phone ringtønes that reproduce the Islamic call to prayer or verses from the Koran are a good thing or a sin.
They're sinful. I'm positive of that.
In Indonesia, the country with the worlds largest Muslim population, such ringtønes are becoming more and more popular among the population. Maruf Amin, the head of the Indonesia Ulema Council, the highest government-sanctioned religious institution, argued that it is a positive development that could help people to often think about God. Any incoming call will make the owner of the mobile phones remember the Creator. I do not see this as an abuse towards Islam, he told the Indonesia news service detik. "It's even good. When we're waiting for something, we could use the time and listen to the call to prayer, for example, he added.
On the other side of the fence, Amlir Syaifa Yasin, a member of the fatwa council of the Islamic Propagation Council of Indonesia has said that he is dead against it and warned that it could potentially degrade the religion.
"Yup. I'm agin it. It'll degrade our religion. Yup."
"It's not appropriate. Allah revealed every verse of the Koran to the Prophet Mohammed and it should not be seen as a decoration, let alone an incoming call tone on mobile phønes, he told "It could ring anywhere. What if it rings in the toilet? he asked.
"Where's Mahmoud?"
"In the dumper."
"He remembered not to take his phone, didn't he?"
The Koran can't be read or sung in any place, especially not in the toilet. If this happens it's considered as insulting the religion, he said.
"If it rings he's gotta kill himself!"
This is a new thing in Indonesia and it needs to be looked at closely he continued but I would tend to prohibit it.
"'Course, I'd prohibit most things. Especially the new ones."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Just switch the phone to 'vibrate' and think pure thoughts, man.
(Xinhua) -- Myanmar political party leader Aung San Suu Kyi is ready to cooperate with the government, Suu Kyi said in a statement read out in Singapore on Thursday by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari who flew here en route back to UN headquarters in New York after a visit to Myanmar. "In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the government in order to make this process of dialogue a success and welcome the necessary good offices' role of the United Nationsto help facilitate our efforts in this regard," Aung San Suu Kyi, detained General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said in the statement. "I am also grateful to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his unwavering support for the cause of national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in my country," she said.
The statement also said that she welcomes the appointment on Oct. 8 of Minister Aung Kyi as Minister for Relations, and she look forward to further regular discussions. "I expect that this phase of preliminary consultations will conclude soon so that a meaningful and time bound dialogue with the SPDC (the State Peace and Development Council) leadership can start as early as possible," said Suu Kyi. "To that end, I am committed to pursue the path of dialogue constructively and invite the Government and all relevant parties to join me in this spirit," she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I really think a name change is in order, anything is better than "Sucky".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/09/2007 16:30 Comments ||
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#2
Bold move for someone who's already detained and depends on the U.N. for back-up.
#3
I don't think she's got much choice, and given her previous backbone, has probably decided to do the best she can within reality. The Generals control everything, if she can make the situation better, without mass killings, more power to her
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2007 16:44 Comments ||
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#4
I didn't mean it as a put-down. She's a gutsy lady.
Myanmar's military government has announced that it will allow detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to meet fellow executives of her party Friday, the first such meeting in more than three years.
The announcement, made on state radio and television news, said Aung Kyi, the government minister in charge of relations with Suu Kyi, will see her first to make arrangements for the meeting. Suu Kyi has been detained since May 2003, and has not seen fellow executive members of her National League for Democracy since May 2004.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/09/2007 00:00 ||
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Falling Dollar Spurs Foreigners to Buy American, Pushing Exports to Record Level
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. trade deficit fell to the lowest level in 28 months as a falling dollar spurred U.S. exports to an all-time high. The deficit with China jumped to the second highest level on record as imports of toys and other goods surged despite a rash of safety recalls. The Commerce Department said Friday that the deficit for September dipped by 0.6 percent from the previous month -- to $56.5 billion. That was the narrowest trade imbalance since May 2005 and took economists by surprise. They had been forecasting the deficit would rise.
The improvement came from a 1.1 percent jump in U.S. exports, which climbed to a record $140.1 billion. The dollars' decline against many major currencies has made U.S. goods cheaper and more competitive in foreign markets. For September, sales of American-made cars, computers and farm products including corn, cotton, wheat and soybeans were all up.
Continued on Page 49
#3
Up here at the WA / Canadian border, the Canadians are flocking across to buy goods in such numbers that Canadian merchants have started selling their products at the (cheaper) US prices, this includes big ticket items like cars.
#6
good article, OG, but I have a personal nit to pick with this: "For those of us holding productive employment--non-government"
In my case, I am an infrastructure project manager/engineer for a large City - we build (with tax dollars, yes) roads and bridges for the citizens to use. I don't consider that non-productive, especially inasmuch as we usually employ outside (private) firms to do the critical designs (cheaper and more efficient than keeping a full-time bridge design staff on the gov't employ..) as well as employing private contractors to build, at the lowest responsible bid prices.
I take umbrage at the blanket smear. :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2007 16:13 Comments ||
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#7
PS -- Frank G, the bridge builder, is not in the "large City" of Minneapolis.
#8
LOL - no, although "my" football team got their asses handed to them there last weekend
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/09/2007 16:22 Comments ||
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#9
My roomie from college is an administrator for the federal highway administration located in a top twenty metro. Won't say where. Though Darrell gets eerily close.
So, I will grant that at least a part of what you are doing could be headered productive. But, you give no indication of your location. Were you to be employed in the city of Portland, Oregon, one would suggest that the amount of productive versus un-productive time would concommitantly suffer. Alas.
If you are, however, employed by such an august body as unencumbered by the political frippery of a Portland, you may be productively employed. I just can't say. I can hope. Just can't say. Wouldn't be prudent.
Thanks for the vist. Thanks for the comment. Your nit, having been fully picked now needs a bandage. Find some nice lady to do it. And get the kiss. Oh, and here's your umbrage. You may need it. It's raining.
Seriously, there are professionals in most transportation agencies. There have to be. The risks are just too great.
ODOT used to be the paridigm of efficiency in this country. A trip from coast to coast brought that reality home quickly. Some states simply did not put money into infrastructure.
Since 1972, when Neil Goldschmidt was elected mayor of Portland, common sense came to an end.
Plans had been drawn up for our current transportation needs by one of the greatest engineers in America, Robert Moses. Had they been built, Oregon would have remained an example of how roads work. Instead, we have a cluttered relic, in a town where cluttered relics are revered.
Today the ODT is peopled by drones with a Vision. A Vision supplied by their political betters. When Glenn Jackson was alive, he would have eaten these animals for lunch.
Well, that is what happens when you loan money to people who are considered "risky". Like my parents. I wouldn't loan them $5. Give maybe, 'cuz you would never see it come back.
#3
Another domino falls. (how do I insert a graphic of one of those giant domino displays where you tip the first one and 10000 more fall in succession?)
Read today that Bernanke is talking about the need for a taxpayer-funded bail-out of the housing market to the tune of $100B dollars!! (think: S&L writ large). Just what we fucking need: another giant bail-out of folks who let greed cloud their judgement. Makes me sick.
#4
It's funny you use the word S&L, I was just thinking that this is the biggest swindle to come down the pike in a long time. Arent these the same assholes that started giving loans to illegal aliens? Seems I cant find the tears to cry for Citi.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
ZIMBABWE'S Attorney-General has been arrested and charged with corruption in connection with allegations he promised to help a fugitive banker who had fled the southern African nation, police said today. Attorney-General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele was arrested on Tuesday and then released after a statement was recorded, chief police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena said. "So far we don't know when he will appear in court, but we have finished everything, including the investigations, which meant taking statements from witnesses," Mr Bvudzijena said.
University leaders accused the Venezuelan government on Thursday of provoking violence to justify military occupations of campuses where students are leading protests against President Hugo Chavez. 
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) - Under fire from the West, the U.S.-friendly leader of this former Soviet republic moved Thursday to defuse an explosive political crisis by calling an early presidential election and promising to quickly lift a state of emergency. President Mikhail Saakashvili also offered minor concessions to the opposition, whose protests demanding electoral reforms were violently broken up a day earlier by riot police using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.
(AKI) - EU candidate country Turkey's prime minister 
PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto on Thursday said President General Musharrafs pledge to hold elections by mid-February was insufficient, adding that he must quit as army chief by next week. She also reiterated her pledge to start a three-day long march on Islamabad from November 13 if her partys demands are not met. According to AFP, she told a press conference that, We want an exact election date, schedule of elections and a clear date of Musharraf hanging up his uniform. She also vowed that the PPP would hold a public meeting at Liaquat Bagh today, despite all government restrictions, threats on her life and a government crackdown on PPP workers in Punjab.
(AKI) Two of Indonesias leading Islamic organisations are squabbling over whether mobile phone ringtønes that reproduce the Islamic call to prayer or verses from the Koran are a good thing or a sin. 
(Xinhua) -- Myanmar political party leader Aung San Suu Kyi is ready to cooperate with the government, Suu Kyi said in a statement read out in Singapore on Thursday by U.N. special envoy Ibrahim Gambari who flew here en route back to UN headquarters in New York after a visit to Myanmar. "In the interest of the nation, I stand ready to cooperate with the government in order to make this process of dialogue a success and welcome the necessary good offices' role of the United Nationsto help facilitate our efforts in this regard," Aung San Suu Kyi, detained General Secretary of the National League for Democracy (NLD), said in the statement. "I am also grateful to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for his unwavering support for the cause of national reconciliation, democracy and human rights in my country," she said. 
Falling Dollar Spurs Foreigners to Buy American, Pushing Exports to Record Level 
