Imagination Defines the Limit of Genius
‘Allah meat’ astounds Nigerians
"When the writings were discovered there were some Islamic scholars who come and eat here and they all commented that it was a sign to show that Islam is the only true religion for mankind," he said.
…
"Supposing only one piece of meat was found then it would be suspicious, but given the circumstances there is no explanation," Dr Yakubu Dominic said.
I really think we need to get these guys onto the footy field as they are at it again! They obviously need some constructive outlet for all this aggression!
Can just see it now the Greek Orthodox Geckos versus the Armenian Orthodox Anteaters packing out the MCG.
…would we really be so relaxed about it?
Apr 30 – Muslims in western India have been observing a bizarre ritual – they’ve been throwing their young children off a tall building to improve their health.
The faithful have been observing the ritual at a shrine in Solapur, in western India’s Maharastra, for more than five hundred years.
They believe it will make their children strong and say no accidents have ever happened.
I have to say that after watching the video, I have my doubts about that last statement, regardless, is it really worth the risk of even one injury? Perhaps Michael Jackson should have claimed he hung his baby off that balcony in the name of the flying spaghetti monster.
I initially struggled a little about the place of interrogation techniques like waterboarding. While I was reflexively against any form of torture, I was seduced by the powerful argument of greater good when faced with the ticking time-bomb example.
That was a long time ago. Now I just see base inhumanity and worthless “intelligence”. Our struggle against “terrorists” (for want of a better word), those people who oppose the freedoms we enjoy in place like Australia and Holland, is one of ideas.
In many ways it resembles the struggle we faced during the cold war. I have spent some time lately listening to some of the great speeches of the last century, and I have to say, I have heard some truly inspiring things. The one sticking in my mind is that of Eleanor Roosevelt in her address to the United Nations General Assembly on the Adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its beautiful in its idealism and defiance.
Where are our great orators now? Where are the leaders who can “mobilize the English language and send it into battle”? For this is the stage where our ideas are best demonstrated.
Like the cold war, this “War”, cannot just be won or lost. What we face is a generation long shift in the global environment in which we live. Courage does not come from confronting it head on, but from standing firm in what we believe. By strengthening our systems of government, and then using them to secure our individual freedoms.
This battle of ideas should be easier. Our “enemy” today cares little for life, believes positive propaganda includes decapitation, and has a world view that is more than 1000 years out of date. Sadly, each time we drop to their level, by waterboarding, by Guantanamo Bay, by Abu Ghraib and even by laws which restrict our freedoms, we make the distance between us and them smaller, and undercut what are our powerful ideas.
If you are still not sure about torture, take another look at waterboarding:
Italy’s Padre Pio goes on display
His body was exhumed in March on the 40th anniversary of his death. He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
More than a million people are expected this year to see his body, which is said to be well-preserved. But there is reportedly no sign of the stigmata.
…..
The monks who exhumed his body in March said it was in “surprisingly good condition”, despite no special measures having been taken to preserve it when he was buried in 1968.
“We could clearly make out the beard. The top part of the skull is partly skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. The knees, hands and nails all clearly visible,” said Archbishop Domenico D’Ambrosio, who led the service to exhume the body.
I remember when first getting to Europe and visiting many of the big Cathedrals, in places like Cologne, and being shocked by the many “Relics” in their treasuries. These contained within them everything from Saint Such-and-such’s index finger nail, splinters from Christ’s cross, to whole skulls safely stored inside ornate precious mental boxes.
Ignorant as I am, I simply have to wonder just how these poor souls could possibly rest in peace with body parts spread to the four corners.
Just ask the Scientologists (I think even just writing the word in a blog post could result in it being red flagged, blinked, dinged, commented on by an OT VII and finally receive a DMCA takedown notice for violating some strange copyright), they have been trying for a lot longer than you guys, and with a lot more money and legal grunt than you can imagine.
Wikipedia Islam Entry Is Criticized
The Internet is censor proof, while you are at it, check in with the Chinese government and the Pirate Bay.
An interesting project that collects together the x-rays from victims of terrorism.
Inside Terrorism – The X-ray Project
It makes no sense.
The cradle of Christianity was rocked by an unholy punch-up when Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests came to blows in a dispute over how to clean Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity.
As you can see by the above picture, the battle lines were certainly drawn. I’m really not sure who I would have been backing, but regardless would have loved to be a spectator.
The brawl apparently began when Greek Orthodox priests set up ladders to clean the walls and ceilings of their part of the church after the Christmas Day celebrations.
Armenian priests claimed that the ladders encroached on their portion of the church, which led the two sects to exchange angry words which quickly turned to blows.
I totally understand how they feel, I used to have almost the exact same problem with my sister in the back seat of my parents car. Despite the middle seat being empty and elbow or something was always creeping over onto my side.
Witnesses said that the robed and bearded priests scuffled for more than an hour using fists, brooms and iron rods as weapons.
So much for love thy neighbour. And Iron Rods? Very ghetto, where exactly did these come from? Thankfully no one managed to pull the pitchfork from the hay in the stable in the nativity!
Five priests were lightly injured in the melee, which was eventually broken up by a dozen unarmed Palestinian policemen. Two of the policemen were hurt in ending the brawl.
“Lightly Injured”, well, I guess these guys are lovers and not fighters after all. Just it does seem strange that in an hour of fighting only five of them were injured, yet in breaking it up 2 cops were injured. These guys need some anger management courses!
Disturbing picture from Afghanistan by Stephanie Sinclair selected as UNICEF Photo of the year.
He’s forty, she’s eleven. And they are a couple – the Afghan man Mohammed F.* and the child Ghulam H.*. “We needed the money”, Ghulam’s parents said. Faiz claims he is going to send her to school. But the women of Damarda village in Afghanistan’s Ghor province know better: “Our men don’t want educated women.” They predict that Ghulam will be married within a few weeks after her engagement in 2006, so as to bear children for Faiz.
I just can’t imagine the kind of thought process that leads people consider this acceptable.
Love her or hate her Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an incredibly brave women and her freedom to speak should be protected, unconditionally.
While I’m not as familiar with her story as it relates to Dutch politics as perhaps I should be, in conversations with people here it’s clear she was as controversial nationally as she has become internationally. Regardless of your view of her politics, she is a Dutch citizen, she was a Dutch politician, and she deserves all the protection that her country can offer her, regardless of where she lives.
As an aside, it is likely that she would still be a Dutch politician, and living in Holland, if she were not driven from parliament in what appears to be a politically motivated witch-hunt.
The danger she faces is very real, certainly as real as that faced by Rushdie, to whom the British Government provided security. For anyone still in doubt, spend just a minute investigating the horrific circumstances of the death of Theo Van Gogh (yes a relative of THAT Van Gogh), who was killed because of the 10 minute film he made with Ayaan Hirsi Ali reflecting on the treatment of women in the Koran titled “Submission“.
At the very least Holland should reflect on the damage this is doing to their well deserved reputation for individual freedoms (overseas friends have discussed this with me on more than one occasion). They should also reflect on how they would feel, and what the impact on free speech would be, should anything to happen to her.
For more details on her story:
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: My life under a fatwa
To help with her security, security she now has to pay for herself:
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