retarded programming humor…

Well it seems that the Ruby on Rails people have a sense of humor do they? Here is a clip that I found somewhat amusing…

 

 

in the news…

Israeli leader guilty in sex case

June 29, 2007

 

ISRAELI President Moshe Katsav pleaded guilty yesterday to committing sexual crimes against female employees in a plea bargain that will keep him out of jail. Under the deal, Israel’s Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz retreated from his stated intention to charge Katsav with rape but said the President, whose term expires next month, would resign and that “shame will accompany him forever”.

Read more: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21986884-2703,00.html

 

Ethiopian Premier Admits Errors on Somalia

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said Thursday that his government “made a wrong political calculation” when it intervened in Somalia, where Ethiopian troops are bogged down in a fight against a growing insurgency.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/28/AR2007062802464.html

Bush Won’t Supply Subpoenaed Documents

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Bush, in a constitutional showdown with Congress, claimed executive privilege Thursday and rejected demands for White House documents and testimony about the firing of U.S. attorneys.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6745066,00.html

The CIA’s “Family Jewels”

 

 

The newly released papers titled “Family Jewels” document a nearly thirty year time period in CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) history. The papers highlight the secretive exploits of a Government agency that operated (and continues to do so) almost entirely outside the law. Wire taps, break-ins, and assassination attempts are just some of the illegal actions taken by the CIA from the 1950’s to 1970’s.

While much of the information contained in these papers was already known, or at least alluded to by Ex-CIA officers, and written about by media figures — the papers themselves were only declassified a couple of days ago. At the very least, I think that the Family Jewels make for interesting Summer reading. Check out the link to read more about CIA involvement in everything from Watergate to botched assassination attempts Mafia-style (against Fidel Castro) here:

http://www.foia.cia.gov/browse_docs.asp?doc_no=0001451843&title=%22FAMILY+JEWELS%22&abstract=&no_pages=0702&pub_date=5/16/1973&release_date=6/18/2007&keywords=FAMILY+JEWELS&case_no=F-1992-00353&copyright=0&release_dec=RIPPUB&classification=U&showPage=0001

 

Simply click on the link above and search through 700 pages of CIA history. Just type in the page number you would like to look at in the “Go To” area at the top of the page.

Or you can view the entire document here:

http://www.foia.cia.gov/browse_docs_full.asp?doc_no=0001451843&title=%22FAMILY+JEWELS%22&abstract=&no_pages=0702&pub_date=5%2F16%2F1973&release_date=6%2F18%2F2007&keywords=FAMILY+JEWELS&case_no=F%2D1992%2D00353&copyright=0&release_dec=RIPPUB&classification=U&showPage=0001

(Takes a few minutes to fully load)

Royal approval…

Well it’s official folks. One of the most — if not the most — prolific Muslim bloggers of all time has put his official seal of approval on a new term. This term will, inshallah, be used for all time to describe a particular subset of people who follow one of Great Sidi’s of our time. The term is as follows:

Hansonite: (Han-SUhn-ayht) (n.) 1. A devoted follower of Sidi Hamza Yusuf Hanson. 2. The Blind follower of Sidi Hamza Yusuf Hanson. 3. Any member or student of the Zaytuna Institute. 4. Any member or follower of the various sects of Sufism.

Sex Ed 101…

What? Did someone say SEX? Who’s talking about SEX? Are you talking about SEX? I wasn’t talking about SEX! No Sir. Not Me. Well, they’re talkin’ about SEX over at Muslim Matters…why not give this rather interesting and thought provoking article a look-see. You know you want to… : )

http://muslimmatters.org/2007/06/26/sex-the-muslim-ummah-part-1/#comment-3679

I think the article and the issues that the articles raises are quite cogent — especially considering the times in which we live. However, I would also like to see the discussion broadened a bit. I would like to see Muslim parents talking with their hormonally out-of-whack teenagers about issues like homosexuality as well. Confronting the issue of homosexuality, particularly in the West where it seems to flourish, is important.

That also leads me off topic, somewhat, to the very real and planned emasculation of the male persona in the West. While telling our children that it’s okay to cry, play with Barbie Dolls, and that Home-Ec is for both boys and girls — we kinda went overboard in the West and turned our sons into our daughters. Muslim parents have got to get real and start dealing with this (and all related) faggotry. There is simply no other option.

Let’s not forget the issue of dating — a whole new can of worms we must confront as Muslim parents. The fact of the matter is that Muslim youth date. I don’t care what form it comes in … a group-study meeting … hanging out with friends in the food court … chillin’ on the quad with my peeps … whatever. When you’ve got mixed gender gatherings in unique social settings — that counts as a date in my book. The reality is that warm glances are being traded … phone numbers are being exchanged … emails addresses are hurriedly being jotted down — and nobody is studying for the upcoming exam (unless of course the exam is on human anatomy).

To be quite honest…it is my belief that the parents of many Muslim youth today simply don’t care much about what their kids do — as long as the A’s come rollin’ in.  Many parents are willing to overlook a whole lot as long as young Ahmad or little Asma are on the honor roll.  Add to that, a culture the commercializes sex and makes it a punchline for everything and you’ve got yourself a recipe for disaster.   Now why couldn’t anyone teach me about that in Home-Ec ?

 

 

an eventful Sunday?

Yesterday was a rather eventful day, I think. I did things, I think. I got things accomplished, I think. Let’s see, hmmm…

1. I went to a class this morning…
2. I got gas in the car & had the tires rotated. No, actually I really wanted to get that done — but I didn’t.
3. I got a haircut, finally! This was a somewhat positive experience. The barber recognized me, I think, and treated me like a normal customer. I miss just being a normal customer. My Father goes to the same barber from time to time — so the barber (who is also the owner of this particular establishment) made the connection. He commented that I apparently have “coarse hair.” I mean…I am starting to lose my hair go bald…but I don’t think that my hair follicles are in any way/shape/form — coarse. Anyway, the reason I brought up the whole normal customer thing is that the last few years have been shall we say difficult damned frustrating when it comes to me as a consumer. Basically, I go to a store and either get no service whatsoever, based on my appearance, or the snooty sales associate behind the cash register assumes that I can’t speak english — so comments of varying degrees of offense are thrown around left and right.  All this while I stand in the checkout line.
4. Reviewed what I learned in class this morning. No, once again. However, I thought about studying and as we all know – “It’s the thought that counts…”
5. Organized my books and the bookshelf area. A big NO to that as well. My heart was in it though.
6. Was invited to a brother’s bunny rabbit’s home for a special BBQ! Mashallah, it was very nice to sit under the trees and just enjoy the outdoors. Ah, the simple pleasures of life. JazakallahKhair Cute Bunny for having us over for dinner!
7. Saw friends/brothers that I hadn’t seen in quite a while.
8. Ate Egyptian-style cuisine.
9. Prayed at Dar al Hijrah.
10. Drove home.

a loser…

between jobs? out of work? unemployed? “Will work for food.”

Well…you’re still better than me. I am a damn loser.

My only prospects are that I have no prospects.

I might as well get out the used Strabucks coffee cup and start begging for loose change.

Or I could become a squeegee man.

 

 

aliens and other nonsense…

If you have some time on your hands…or if your just plain bored…or if you fancy a good laugh…here is something that you might find entertaining. Beyond the conspiracies and other nonsense — I just find it funny that someone actually spent time on this. The sad part is that there are people out there who actually believe this. Anyway, it starts off with a bit of Scientology lore. The tabloid version of the history of our cosmos — without further ado…

http://www.geocities.com/nmdecke/MysteriousWorld.html

 

in search of the next, best gadget…

I am technology retarded. I am computer, PDA, cell phone, Bluetooth, retarded. I am to technology what George Bush is to books. I have a technology learning curve that qualifies me to ride on the “little bus”. Remember how you used to make fun of the little bus when you were a kid in public school. The little bus was for the disabled and mentally challenged kids who attended your school … and unfortunately the bus became synonymous for: RETARD. Well… when it comes to technology… I need to get on that bus.

As technology becomes a more and more ubiquitous part of our daily lives I am finding the need to make myself somehow technology competent — either by learning whatever I can … or by reading about any new trends in technology. I just know that the longer I stay out the loop … the harder it will be trying to get a handle on things later. I think that it is quite possible that by the time my daughter is out of highschool (or even middle school for that matter) she will already know HTML — at least if it is still as relevant a decade or more from now.

Here is an interesting article that looks at the relationship between politics and the tech sector:

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/214161.html

Lebanon in Crisis mode…again…

Well…we’re in the third week or so of what appears to be some of the worst internal fighting that Lebanon has experienced since it’s own long and bloody civil war not too long ago. I am sure that for many Middle East political observers/pundits/analysts the current situation, if you will, seems like a repeat of Lebanon’s civil war — to the average Lebanese citizen, however, it probably feels the same as well.

I won’t go into any lengthy political or historical analysis of the current situation, but, I will say that the land of Lebanon (and As-Sham in general) is a place of religious importance for Muslims. The land of as-Sham includes the areas of Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Lebanon. The Qur’an and Prophetic sayings (Hadeeth) are full of numerous references made to the land of as-Sham. Here is one such example:

On the authority of Abdullah bin Hawalla (r) who narrarated that the Prophet (saaws) said, “You will form different armies, an army in as-Sham, an army in Iraq, and an army in Yemen.” Abdullah bin Hawalla then said, “Choose one for me oh Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet then responded, “I advise you with the army of as-Sham and whoever refuses then let him join (the army of) Yemen and beware of their treachery. For indeed Allah (swt) has guaranteed as-Sham and its people for me.” (Hakim, Ahmad, Abu Dawood)

The land of as-Sham will also play a crucial role during the time of the appearance of ad-Dajjal (the Anti Christ). Here is an excellent article that discusses the land of as-Sham in light of the portents (major signs) of the final hour:

Signs of the Appearance of the Dajjal A lengthy hadith narrated by Ibn Majah, Ibn Khuzaimah, and ad-Dhiyaa’, attributed to Abu Umamah, reports that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said,

“There will be three hard years before the Dajjal (appears). During them, people will be stricken by a great famine. In the first year, Allah will command the sky to withhold a third of its rain, and the earth to withhold a third a third of its produce. In the second year, Allah will command the sky to withhold two thirds of its rain, and the earth to withhold two thirds of its produce. In the third year, Allah will command the sky to withhold all of its rain, and it will not rain a single drop of rain. He will command the earth to withhold all of its produce, and no plant will grow. All hoofed animals will perish, except that which Allah wills.” He (sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam) was asked, ‘What sustains people during that time?’ He said, “Tahlil, takbir and tahmid (Saying, la ilaha ill Allah, Allahu Akbar and al-hamdulillah). This will sustain them just as food does.” [Sahih Al-Jami` as-Saghir, no. 7875]

Abdullah bin Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said,

“The fitnah of Al-Ahlas (continuous calamity) is mass desertion and war. Then, the fitnah of As-Sarraa [meaning ‘the rich’, when some rich people use their money to hire others to fight for them] will start from under the feet of a man who claims that he is of me (of my descendants). However, he is not of me, for my loyal friends are the ones who have taqwa. Afterwards, people will unite around a man whose reign is unstable. Then, the fitnah of Ad-Duhaymaa [it is called ‘dark and black fitnah’ because of its enormity] (will start) and will not leave any member of this nation without severely touching him. When it is thought that its time has come to an end, it will be lengthened. Meanwhile (during this fitnah), a man will wake up as a believer and will meet the night as a disbeliever, until people divide into two camps: A camp of belief that contains no hypocrisy, and a camp of hypocrisy that contains no belief. If this happens, then await the Dajjal on that day or the next.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawood and al-Hakim, Mishkatul-Masabih, vol. 4, no. 5403]

There are other signs to the imminent coming of the Dajjal. Mu`ath narrated that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said,

“The flourishing of Jerusalem will mark the desertion of Yathrib (Madinah). The desertion of Yathrib will mark the start of Al-Malhamah [the great war that will start between ar-Rum and the Muslim forces before Muslims conquer Constantinople for the second time]. The start of Al-Malhamah will mark the conquering of Constantinople. The conquering of Constantionple will mark the appearance of Dajjal.” [Sahih Al-Jami` as-Saghir, no. 4096]

The flourishing of Jerusalem will happen by the hands of Muslims, by the will of Allah, after it will be retrieved from the Jews.

The Holy Land will be the seat of the Caliphate because the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said to Ibn Hawalah,

“O Ibn Hawalah! If you live to see the seat of the Caliphate of the Holy Land, then earthquakes, disasters and great calamities are imminent. Then, the Hour will be closer to people than this hand of mine to your head!” [Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 420, and he says, “Sahih”]

Then, Muslims will migrate to Ash-Sham to join the Jihad against the enemies of Allah from among the Jews and Christians. People of Madinah will desert it, not because they dislike it, but for the purpose of joining the Jihad for the sake of Allah. Then, it will be totally uninhibited, wild animals and beasts will roam through it, and it will stay deserted until the Hour begins.

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said,

“Madinah will be deserted while in its prime! Then, it will be inhabited by birds and beasts.” [Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 436]

“They (Muslims) will leave Madinah while in its prime. Only wild beasts and birds will roam it. The last persons to be gathered (for the beginning of the Last Day) will be two shepherds from (the tribe) of Muzainah heading towards Madinah. They will be herding their sheep, and (when they reach it) they will find it deserted. When they reach Thaniyyat Al-Wadaa` they will collapse on their foreheads (because the Hour will have started then).” [Ahmad, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, As-Silsilah As-Sahihah, vol. 2, no. 683]

Also, Abdullah bin `Amr said, “There will be a time among people when every believer will migrate to Ash-Sham.” [Al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, vol. 4, p. 457, and he says “Sahih according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim” Adh-Dhahabee agrees.]

The Destruction of Al-Masih Ad-Dajjal

As was narrated in the Hadith by An-Nawwas bin Sam`an, the Dajjal will be killed at the hand of Jesus son of Mary.

The Dajjal’s death will occur after the angels turn him towards Ash-Sham away from the outskirts of Madinah. He will perish in Ash-Sham near the eastern door of Lud in Palestine, may Allah return it to the Muslim.

Before we start mentioning the second coming of Jesus son of Mary, we will mention the story of Al-Mahdy, Muhammad bin Abdillah.

Al-Mahdi will appear just before the coming of Jesus, alaihis salam. He will lead the Muslim nation with justice and kindness and establish Allah’s rule. A righteous Caliphate will reappear after the earth has experienced its share of injustice and tyranny. Jesus son of Mary will pray behind him. Among Al-Mahdi’s characteristics is that he will spend money on his subjects without counting it, along with many of his other righteous deeds that were mentioned in several correct hadiths. (http://islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=402)

 

 

Read more on the land of as-Sham at www.aliasad.org (The Land of As-Sham: It’s Blessedness According To The Divine Guidance by Abu Qatada Ali Asad Chandia)

What does irritate me about the current situation is how ferocious and unrelenting the response has been from the Lebanese government and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, in particular. It is almost insulting to the people of Lebanon how quickly the armed forces were called out to deal with this rather small and shadowy band of militants — when during the entire Israeli invasion of Lebanon in the Summer of 2006 — the Lebanese army just sat around and kinda hung out.

Actually, the army was seen on the streets usually directing traffic (for the few cars left on Lebanese roads during the war) and waving at camera men and other members of the media covering the war. The Lebanese army could also be seen standing around and smoking cigarettes as the war dragged on in ‘06. At least one knew that (during the war) they could depend upon a soldier if a match or lighter was needed, in an emergency of course.

A question comes to mind: What did you do during the Israeli invasion of your country Mr. Siniora? Beyond openly crying in an emergency meeting of the Arab League — what did you do? Where were the Lebanese armed forces then? Well, it is known that some of your military officials were secretly colluding with members of the Israeli military — but I suppose you would probably agree with the notion that “politics makes for strange bed fellows”…

Anyway, as the current conflict moves into yet another day — the Lebanese military continues to pound Palestinian refugee camps in order to destroy any remnants of the Fatah Islam militant group. Conspiracy theories aside — no one really knows much about this group and I will suspend judgement until there are more facts that come out in the open. The knee-jerk reaction, I’m afraid, by many Muslims (especially those in the blogosphere) will be to immediately regard the militants in the center of this latest conflict as being khawarij, or somehow from the khawarij. I would much rather take a more cautious approach.

What I also find funny about those who throw out the usual flash terminology: “khawarij” … “takfiree” … “terrorists” … “bandits” … “nutters” … etc … is that they rarely — if ever — apply those same terms to the Shia (whose leadership is most definately made up of khawarij), for example. How is it that Hassan Nasrallah is not considered to be from among the khawarij? Didn’t he help spark Israel’s recent invasion of Lebanon? Didn’t his policies, and his militant groups actions, bring about nothing but death and destruction for Lebanon and its people?

When all is said and done…and whoever that needs to be crushed is indeed crushed…Fouad Siniora will hopefully come out a loser in yet another Lebanese conflict. His first major failure was handed to him by the Israelis last Summer. The other loser in this will hopefully be Hassan Nasrallah. Who is this loser to attack, let alone lecture, any militant group in Lebanon? Beyond all of his lecturing and finger-waving, Nasrallah is himself responsible for the largest militant group in Lebanon (Hezbollah) — a group with undoubtedly the most blood on it’s hands.

 

A new arms race? We should stop Putin up with this guy!

So, the President’s boy…his man-in-the-Kremlin…Vladimir “Stalin wasn’t so bad” Putin is trying to start another arms race is he? Wait a minute. Did you just say ARMS RACE? Yes, indeed. It seems that on the eve of the G8 Summit Mr. Putin just had to get some things off his chest. I mean, why hold it in? If you want to vent — just let if loose. In particular…it’s NUKE TIME baby! In “don’t mess with Texas” fashion Putin has announced that he plans on aiming nuclear missles at specific European targets should the United States install a ballistic missle shield in eastern Europe.

Putin’s words should definately be cause for concern — at least for the Whitehouse. Putin, a former KGB Agent and Communist Party Apparatchik, has gone out of his way to consolidate political and economic power in Russia and has dealt with perceived enemies with a vengeance (let us not forget the murder of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko that had all the makings of Tom Clancy novel).

Putin, like many in Russia, believe in the power of a strong centralized government. Putin & Co. view a strong Kremlin as vital to — and above — all national interests. They believe that a thriving and prosperous Russia can only exist as a result of an increasingly powerful government. Finally, on Human Rights…let’s just say that Putin is a joke. However, it would be a laughing matter if it indeed wasn’t so sad. His war of attrition with rebels in the breakaway Republic of Chechnya has left thousands dead and thousands more among the missing. Mere “collateral damage” for Mr. Putin — the “bandits” as he refers to them would never be given a chance to succeed. Let us also not forget the murder of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko that had all the makings of Tom Clancy novel.

After destroying Grozny, and the very foundations of Human Rights in Russia, what is Putin left with? Well, the Iraq boat has sailed so to speak and he is no longer best buds with the Iranians. Europe (especially Great Britain) is looking at Russia with an increasing eye of contempt…and now he wants to tangle with the United States? What is Putin in search of? I believe that it is relevancy which Putin so desperately longs for. Relevancy in Europe and the rest of world. A relevancy that Russia once held during the Cold War.

With the fall of the Soviet Union and Russia in a state of economic flux throughout the 90’s — Putin is seemingly looking toward a new Russia that will yet again be a leader on the world stage — a new Russia that will yield greater influence in crucial matters of day. In the final analysis, however, I doubt we’ll learn what Putin is in search of with his latest gamble. Ultimately it may be his sanity perhaps.

Read more at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,2094839,00.html

picnic fun!

Yeah…so…uh…got back not too long ago from a picnic hosted by a brother and fellow co-worker of mine (who shall remain anonymous). We arrived to the picnic quite late and some guests had already left. However, people were constantly coming and going so I don’t think it mattered so much that we were late.

I saw people that I hadn’t seen in quite some time so that was good. I also got to see ExEx Blogger’s BBQ skills. Man! That guy is quite the chef, mashallah. I mean, he knows how to rotate meat on a grill and everything (note a small dose of sarcasm). At one point I thought he was going to set Picnic Area #1 on fire — but it’s all good. No forest fires, alhamdulillah. Smokey The Bear would have been proud of us.

The gathering was nice and there was loads of fun and merrymaking. A good time was had by all, alhamdulillah. What this occasion did show me, however, was that I need to get out more — especially with my family. I would go out more…it’s just that I’m not that get-up-and-go kind of person. Perhaps I was at one time in my life…or maybe in the not so distant past but these days going out just ain’t my thang if you catch my drift.

Going out with my family often involves some kind of trauma. These days it is usually centered around the fact that we are Muslim in a society that otherwise hates us or views us as completely alien. Nothing will likely change that. No matter how much dawah we make, how much we try to assimilate, and how “white” we sound — people will still turn their heads to gawk and others will continue to pass comments to their friends. That part doesn’t bother me too much. It’s when my wife is openly taunted or verbally harassed by some punk kid who thinks he going to be on American Idol or his aging baby boomer midlife crisis father — that pisses me off.

I have lost count of the time that she has been insulted by customers, store clerks, or random passersby because of her appearance. Just because she dresses in Islamic clothing and wears the niqab she is deemed a worthy target for the ignorant. The interesting thing is that when I’m around — nobody says a damn thing.