Interesting Quotes

"Virtue is its own punishment.
- Aneurin Bevan
It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do.
- Jerome K. Jerome
I have too much respect for the idea of God to make it responsible for such an absurd world.
- Georges Duhamel
What can you say about a society that says that God is dead and Elvis is alive?
- Irv Kupcinet
I was always taught to respect my elders and I've now reached the age when I don't have anybody to respect.
- George Burns"

Dry Cleaner Finds Note About 'Murder'

ABC News: Dry Cleaner Finds Note About 'Murder':

"ANN ARBOR, Michigan Sep 28, 2006 (AP)— Dry cleaners find all kinds of things hiding in the clothes of their customers but probably nothing quite like what some employees stumbled across recently. A note found in a customer's clothing read, 'You have committed a murder, but no one believes it. All I can do is kill myself, then everyone will see what you have done.'

It was signed: 'Your wife, Alice.'

Employees called police, fearing the note described a murder-suicide plot. But it turns out the owner of the sport coat is an actor involved in a play. The note was a prop, city police Detective Brian Zasadny told The Ann Arbor News.

Zasadny tracked down the customer on Wednesday. The man explained he is involved in the play, 'Retreat from Moscow.'"

دانشمند بزرگ مسيحي و افشاي اشتباهات فاحش سخنان جنجالي پاپ

دانشمند بزرگ مسيحي و افشاي اشتباهات فاحش سخنان جنجالي پاپ

‌پروفسور هانس كوچلر نوشته‌ است: پاپ در سخنان اخيرش قصد داشت تا مطابقت مسيحيت با منطق را درست مانند فلسفه يونان توضيح دهد. او متأسفانه اين كار را به قيمت تعريض به اسلام و پيامبر اسلام، حضرت محمد(ص)، انجام داد كه موجب زنده شدن عقايد ضداسلامي قرون وسطي شد.


با توجه به افزايش تنش‌هاي بين اسلام و غرب، ارجاع و تفسيرهاي غلط و يك‌جانبه او از اسلام و سخنان خصومت‌آميزش عليه پيامبر (ص)، سخنان او را تنها مي‌توان فسادآميز دانست كه تلاش‌هاي رهبران پيشين را نيز براي گفت‌وگوي بين دو آيين و تمدن بزرگ جهان، زير سؤال برد.

به عنوان يك دانشجوي تئولوژي، معتقدم كه پاپ از چندين مورد درباره اسلام در اشتباه است. براي مثال؛ او به آيه 256 سوره آل‌عمران در قرآن «لا اكراه في الدين» ارجاع داده و از آن به عنوان آيه‌‌اي ارجاع داده كه در اوايل پيامبري ايشان و زماني نازل شده كه ايشان هنوز قدرتي نداشته و تحت تهديد بوده‌اند، اما اين درست نيست. درواقع اين سوره به سال‌هاي حدود 624 يا 625 ميلادي بازمي‌گردد كه پيامبر هم بسيار قدرتمند بوده و شهر مدينه را در اختيار داشته است. همچنين برداشت او از جهاد نيز نادرست است و معناي اصلي آن را كه تلاش براي دستيابي تكامل انساني است و مبارزه يكي از راه‌هاي آن است، ناديده گرفته است.

...-:- پیام آور اعظم -:-... - از پاپ تا پاپ

...-:- پیام آور اعظم -:-... - از پاپ تا پاپ

پاپ بندیکت شانزدهم همچنان از عذرخواهی بابت سخنان نابخردانه اش خودداری می کند و در عوض از واکنشهای مسلمانان اظهار تاسف کرده، گویی متاسف است که مسلمانان سخنان او را درک نکرده و رفتار نامعقولی در پیش گرفته اند. چه آسان جای گناه کار و بی گناه را عوض می کنند!

رفتار پاپ جدید از تصمیم او برای بر باد دادن میراث پاپ فقید، ژان پل دوم خبر میدهد. اقدامات ژان پل دوم برای پایه گذاری سنگ بنای گفتگو و ارتباط با جهان اسلام اعتبار ویژه ای برای وی در کشورهای اسلامی به وجود آورد. دیدار وی در سال 2000 با رهبران مسلمان سوریه و گوش دادن به قرائت قرآن و بوسیدن کتاب مقدس مسلمانان باعث شد جهان پاپ فقید را اولین پاپی بداند که در یک مسجد قدم گذاشته است. در سالهای گذشته، ژان پل دوم از افراد بسیاری که طی سالهای گذشته توسط کلیسای کاتولیک مورد سوء رفتار واقع شده بودند عذرخواهی کرد و این موارد گاهی به قرون وسطی و سالهای بسیار دور باز می گردد.

سال 1992: ژان پل دوم اعلام کرد که کلیسا در محکومیت گالیه، دانشمند و منجم ایتالیایی موضع نادرستی اتخاذ کرده است.

سال 1992: هنگام سفر به سنگال از مردم این کشور درخواست بخشش مسیحیانی را کرد که در تجارت برده سهیم بودند.

سال 1995: بیانیه ای صادر و طی آن اعلام کرد که نسبت به تبعیض یا سوء رفتار کاتولیکها علیه زنان به شدت متأسف است.

سال 1995: طی سفر به جمهوری چک خواستار بخشش برای خشونت کاتولیکها علیه پرتستانها در جنبش اصلاحات متقابل قرن شانزدهم شد.

سال 1998: طی بیانیه ای درباره هولوکاست نسبت به ترسو بودن برخی مسیحیان در طول شکنجه یهودیان توسط نازی ها ابراز شرمندگی کرد.

سال 1999: سوزانده شدن یان هاس، اصلاح طلب قرن پانزدهمی که پیشرو پروتستانیسم بود و عصمت پاپی را زیر سؤال برد، تقبیح کرد.

سال 2000: خواستار بخشش گناهان کاتولیکها طی اعصار مختلف شد که نسبت به یهودیان، زنان و اقلیتها سوء رفتار داشتند.

سال 2000: در مراسم یادبود هولوکاست در بیت المقدس گفت: کلیساها کاتولیک نسبت به انزجار، شکنجه و نشان دادن احساسات یهود ستیزی علیه یهودیان توسط مسیحیان در هر زمان و هر مکانی به شدت متأسف است.

سال 2001: در سفر به یونان عذرخواهی جامعی از اقدامات ناشایست کاتولیکها علیه ارتدکسها ارائه کرد.

سال 2001: از سوء رفتار مبلغان علیه مردم بومی اقیانوس آرام عذرخواهی کرد.

سال 2001: در دیدار با پاتریاک قسطنطنیه برای گناه صلیبیونی که به قسطنطنیه حمله کردند عذرخواهی کرد.

بسیاری از کاتولیکها و غیر کاتولیکها پاپ را در انجام اقداماتی همچون که تأثیر بسیاری به جای می گذارد ماهر دانسته اند. جدا کردن کلیسای کاتولیک از جنگ عراق و حمایت معقول واتیکان از مردم مظلوم فلسطین از گامهای درخور توجه ژان پل دوم محسوب می شود . پیشرفت گفتگوی مسیحیان و مسلمانان نیز از دستاورهای مهم پاپ بود که این امر در مراسم تدفین وی به وضوح قابل مشاهده بود.

نوشته شده توسط مهدی در شنبه ۰۱ مهر ۱۳۸۵ و ساعت 11:11
ويرايش شده در شنبه ۰۱ مهر ۱۳۸۵ و ساعت 11:15

Tunisia attacked over headscarves

BBC NEWS:



"Human rights groups in Tunisia say women who wear an Islamic headscarf are being persecuted by the authorities.

The groups say that school girls with the headscarf are being harassed and forced to remove the headcover at schools and universities.

The authorities deny this, but say they are encouraging women, instead, to wear modest dress in line with Tunisian traditions."

Wired News: Grow Your Own Limbs

Wired News: Grow Your Own Limbs: "Ellen Heber-Katz, a professor at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, was working with mice that had been genetically engineered to develop lupus when she noticed that some of their ears looked weird. She had punched holes in them so she could separate her control from her treatment groups in an experiment. But the holes quickly grew shut without a trace -- not even a hint of a scar.

The missing ear holes confused her research at the time, but the phenomenon launched a whole new career for Katz.

She and her colleagues wanted to find out if other parts of these mice, known as the MRL strain, would also regenerate. So they performed some tests: They snipped off the tip of a tail, severed a spinal cord, injured the optic nerve and damaged various internal organs.

All of the injuries healed, even the severed spinal cord. The results caused Heber-Katz to shift her research from autoimmune disease to regenerative medicine.

Now, thanks to Darpa's call for grant applications in regeneration, scientists all over the country from various disciplines are working together on the MRL mouse."

Secrets Of The Self-Made - Forbes.com

Secrets Of The Self-Made - Forbes.com:


"Fourteen self-made members of the vaunted Forbes 400 shared candid, contrarian and even comedic answers to 20 thoughtful questions--ranging from what they eat for breakfast and how they pray to the importance (or lack thereof) of getting an M.B.A. and what advice they would give aspiring entrepreneurs. You can search the list two ways: Read each titan's responses to all 20 questions--or peruse the entire group's answers to each of the 10 most thought-provoking ones. (We will add more names to this list in coming months.)"

Secrets Of The Self-Made - Forbes.com

Secrets Of The Self-Made - Forbes.com:


"Fourteen self-made members of the vaunted Forbes 400 shared candid, contrarian and even comedic answers to 20 thoughtful questions--ranging from what they eat for breakfast and how they pray to the importance (or lack thereof) of getting an M.B.A. and what advice they would give aspiring entrepreneurs. You can search the list two ways: Read each titan's responses to all 20 questions--or peruse the entire group's answers to each of the 10 most thought-provoking ones. (We will add more names to this list in coming months.)"

Do the Math: Will Sony Go Broke?

.:: ESH Reviews: Do the Math: Will Sony Go Broke? ::. Bringing You the Only Video Game and Anime Podcast and Blog Run by Sistah's:

"Want a PS3? Work a Little Harder!

So you want to save Sony. What can you do?

Well, as Sony's Kutaragi says, you need to work a little harder and make a little more money.

Stop complaining that the PS3 costs $600. It doesn't. In order to cut down on its losses, Sony is liable to do the same thing to consumers that it did 11 years ago at the original Playstation launch -- it'll require that you buy two games in order to get a machine. That'll boost the price for you to around $725 or so.

But there's more! Want an HDMI cable? That'll be another $100 to $125. Now we're at $850 or so. You've got a Blu-ray player, so you'll want a few Blu-ray movies -- Sony titles only, of course. Buy six of them while you're at it! At an average list price of $25 each, we're talking another $150. That pushes our total price to an even $1,000.

That'll go a long way to saving Sony.

Now who's going to save you?"

روابط مخفیانه سعودی و اسرائی

BBCPersian.com

گزارش شده است که نخست وزير اسرائيل با يکی از اعضای خاندان سلطنتی عربستان سعودی ديدار و از جمله در باره بحران هسته ای ايران با وی گفتگو کرده است.

روزنامه اسرائيلی يديوت آهرونوت در شماره روز دوشنبه، 25 سپتامبر، گزارش کرده است که اهود اولمرت، نخست وزير اسرائيل، دوازده روز پيش با يک عضو ارشد خاندان سعودی ديدار کرد و برنامه هسته ای ايران و طرح سعودی برای صلح خاورميانه مورد مذاکره دو طرف قرار گرفت.

طرح عربستان سعودی در سال 2002 ارايه شد و مورد تاييد کشورهای عرب قرار گرفت و هفته گذشته، آقای اولمرت در مصاحبه با همين روزنامه اسرائيلی حمايت خود از اقدامات عربستان را "که به صورت علنی يا غير آن صورت گرفته است" اعلام داشت.

براساس طرح سعودی، کشورهای عرب در برابر توافق اسرائيل برای خروج از تمامی سرزمين های اشغالی در جريان جنگ 1967 اعراب و اسرائيل و حل بحران فلسطين از طريق مذاکره، کشور اسرائيل را به رسميت خواهند شناخت.

آريل شارون، نخست وزير سابق اسرائيل، اين طرح را در زمان ارايه آن رد کرد.

عربستان سعودی و اسرائيل دارای روابط رسمی سياسی نيستند.

از قول راديو ارتش اسرائيل گزارش شده است که اين ملاقات در روز 13 سپتامبر و در کاخ سلطنتی در رياض، پايتخت عربستان، صورت گرفت.

در گذشته، مقامات سعودی شايعات مربوط به ملاقات با اسرائيليان را به سرعت تکذيب می کردند اما در مورد خبر اخير روزنامه اسرائيلی واکنشی نشان نداده اند.

Iran, Russia study continued nuclear cooperation - Irna

Iran, Russia study continued nuclear cooperation - Irna:

"The two sides are to review expansion of mutual cooperation along with completion and implementation of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southern Iran.

'We are to discuss prospects of cooperation between the two countries which Iran attaches prime importance to,' he said.

Kiriyenko, for his part, referred to deep-rooted ties between Iran and Russia and underlined that his country attaches importance to continued all-out cooperation between the two countries.

The session continued behind closed doors.

It is expected that today's meeting would have a determining role in setting a definite timetable for completion of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant."

مسابقه اينترنتي "ايمني، كليد سلامتي" برگزار مي‌شود - Irna

مسابقه اينترنتي "ايمني، كليد سلامتي" برگزار مي‌شود - Irna:

"مسابقه اينترنتي 'ايمني، كليد سلامتي' به‌مناسبت هفتم مهرماه روز آتشنشاني و ايمني برگزار مي‌شود.

به گزارش روز دوشنبه روابط عمومي كانون پرورش فكري، اين مسابقه كه ويژه كودكان و نوجوانان است با همكاري سازمان آتشنشاني و خدمات ايمني تهران برگزار خواهد شد.

كاربران مي‌توانند با مراجعه به پايگاه اينترنتي كانون به نشاني ‪ www.kanoonparvaresh.com‬در مدت زمان ‪ ۳۰‬دقيقه به ‪ ۲۰‬سوال اين مسابقه پاسخ دهند.

چگونگي مقابله با آتش‌سوزي، استفاده صحيح از اجاق گاز و وسايل گازسوز، چگونگي روبروشدن با حوادث طبيعي مانند زلزله و اتفاقاتي چون قطع برق از جمله موضوعهاي مورد سوال در اين رقابت است.

دسترسي به اين مسابقه اينترنتي از چهارم مهرماه تا ‪ ۲۹‬دي ماه در پايگاه اينترنتي كانون براي كاربران فراهم است.

پس از پايان مهلت تعيين شده به برگزيدگان اين رقابت اينترنتي با مشاركت سازمان آتشنشاني و خدمات ايمني تهران جوايزي اهدا خواهد شد.

در حال حاضر دو مسابقه ديگر نيز با عنوانهاي 'كودكان سرزمين زيتون' تا ‪ ۲۸‬مهرماه، روز جهاني قدس و 'يار مهربان پيامبر' تا ‪ ۱۸‬دي ماه عيد سعيد غديرخم فعال است."

Pope Benedict expresses total and profound respect for Muslims - Irna

Pope Benedict expresses total and profound respect for Muslims - Irna:

"Pope Benedict XVI expressed 'total and profound respect for all Muslims' at a meeting Monday with ambassadors from Muslim nations and other Islamic leaders.

The meeting at the pope's summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, was called in an effort to repair relations following controversial comments he made earlier in the month.

Benedict told the envoys that 'our future' depends on dialogue between Christians and Muslims.

Among about 20 ambassadors attending the meeting were
representatives from Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey and Morocco -- as well as members of Italy's Muslim community.

Also presents were diplomats from Indonesia, where
Christian-Muslim tensions were further heightened last week by the execution of three Catholic militants.

Last month, Benedict had appealed for the men's lives to be spared.

Iraq's envoy to Vatican said after Monday's meeting with Benedict that 'it is now time to put what happened behind (us) and build bridges'."

Buy.com - LaCie 250GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Design by F.A. Porsche - 300728U - 300728U

Buy.com - LaCie 250GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive Design by F.A. Porsche - 300728U - 300728U

List Price: See Details	$129.99
You Save:	$30.00
Our Price:	$99.99
Shipping:	FREE
Buy.com Total Price:	$99.99

Happy Month of Ramadhan

رمضان

نواي رمضان مهمانان ضيافت الله اعمال ماه رمضان رمضان در صحيفه سجاديه دعاي روزهاي ماه رمضان رمضان در جهان نامى از نام هاى خدا امام خميني در ماه رمضان تقويم رمضان چهل حديث روزه خطبه پيامبر فضيلت اعمال مستحبى فلسفه و حكمت روزه اشعار رمضان

Offline Message...

Neda:
1-من تو اين دنيا سه تا دوست دارم …خورشيد ،ماه و تو . اولي رو واسه
خودم دومي رو واسه شبام ولي تو رو واسه تک تک لحظه هام مي خوام

2-من تورو فقط 15 تا دوست دارم!!!به اندازه يه 7 آسمون 7 دريا و يک دنياااااا

3-دوستت دارم ، نه به خاطر شخصيت تو ، بلكه به خاطر شخصيتي كه من در هنگام با تو بودن پيدا مي كنم.

4-وقتی معلم پرسيد عشق چند بخشه؟زود دستمو بالا بردم گفتم يک بخش، اما از وقتی تورو شناختم فهميدم عشق 3 بخشه:اتشه ديدنه تو…. شوقه با تو بودن….و اندوهه بی تو بودن!!!

5-عاشقت هستم اگر چه هدفي بيهوده ست دوستت دارم اگر چه سخنه ت

Moonsighting for Ramadan 1427

Moonsighting for Ramadan 1427:







"Fiqh Council of North America has adopted a pre-calculated calendar, and according to that the first day of (fasting in) Ramadan is Sep 23. This dates is based on the criterion adopted, that the moon is born before 12:00 Noon GMT [i.e., 3:00 PM Makkah Time or 0:00 at International Date Line (IDL)], which also means that such a moon will be old enough to be visible (weather permitting) somewhere on the globe before the end of the night in North America. This moon will be at least 18 hours old near the IDL in the Pacific Ocean at its local sunset time, and is sightable by naked eye in most months and by telescope in rare months.

The Astronomical New Moon is on Friday September 22, 2006 at 11:45 Universal Time (i.e., 7:45 EDT, and 4:45 PDT ). Looking at the visibilty curve one can understand that the moon is impossible to be seen in any continent, although it is possible to be seen near the International Dateline southwest of Hawaii by telescope on September 22. On the same day at west coast of North America, the moon will be about 14 hours old, and about 1 degree above the horizon at sunset time, and will not be visible in North America. On September 23, 2006, the moon will start to become visible, by telescope from New Zealand and Australia, and by naked eye from Southern Africa, South & Central America. If atmospheric conditions are perfect, it can be seen in North America also on Sep. 23, otherwise it will be seen in North America on Sep 24.
OFFICIAL 1st Day of Ramadan in Different Countries

Saturday, September 23, 2006:

1. Fiqh Council of North America

Sunday, September 24, 2006:

Flights as low as $1 each way!!

Spirit Airlines - Catch the Spirit!:

How many dead Presidents does it take to go on your next trip? During Spirit Airlines’ Dead Presidents sale, it’s not all about the Benjamins. We’re offering fares that start with our first president - that’s $1 each way! So holla if you want to spend a dolla for your next flight! Let the Dead Presidents take you on your next trip in style and of course, for less!

Just book your coach fare between 4:00 PM ET on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 and 11:59 PM ET on Thursday, September 21, 2006 for travel on the dates below. Other restrictions apply.

Hurry and book today! Our sales sell out quickly. Availability is limited so these fares won't last long.

Nike Maxsight Contact Lenses

Nike Maxsight Contact Lenses:


"Nike MaxSight contact lenses behave just like sunglasses, reducing glare and filtering out UVA and UVB rays. Developed in partnership with Bausch & Lomb, MaxSight contacts come in 2 colors for 2 different functions. Wear the grey-green contacts for sports played in bright sunlight where glare is an issue (golf, rugby) or wear the amber ones for sports where tracking a fast-moving object is critical (baseball, tennis, sample sales). Thankfully none of the contact have the Nike swoosh. Compare prices on Nike sunglasses. "

Turkish Protesters Demand Pope's Arrest

VOA News - Turkish Protesters Demand Pope's Arrest: "Pope Benedict XVI is continuing to face demands from the Muslim world to apologize for his controversial comments about Islam.



Turkish workers from a religious affairs union demonstrated in Ankara Tuesday, demanding the pope apologize or cancel his planned trip to Turkey.

Some of the protesters called for the arrest of the pontiff when he visits the predominantly Muslim country in late November.

But Turkey's government says it expects the trip to go ahead on schedule.

Meanwhile, the Vatican says it is sending envoys to meet with Muslim world leaders to explain last week's speech in Germany."

Women graduates challenge Iran

BBC NEWS

"The number of women graduating from Iran's universities is overtaking the number of men, promising a change in the job market and, with it, profound social change.



Single man in a class room, Azad University
In some subjects 70% of Iran's graduates are women

Twenty postgraduate students are sitting in a plush modern classroom listening to a lecture on environmental management at the Islamic Azad University - a private institution with 1.6 million students across Iran."

Alarm

But in some areas the larger number of women than men is beginning to alarm the authorities.

Historic opportunity'

"Before the revolution everybody supposed that if you wanted to be a rich person with a good standard of living you needed to be educated," explains journalist and social commentator Sayed Laylaz.

Marriage or a career

Another social change is that young women who do have careers are now beginning to think twice about getting married. Especially as under Iranian law a woman needs her husband's permission to go to work.

Israel pressed on cluster targets

BBC NEWS:



"Humanitarian co-ordinator David Shearer says Israel's failure to provide the co-ordinates has hampered a clear-up effort that could take many months.

An average of three people are killed or wounded a day by cluster munitions since the fighting ended on 14 August.

Thousands of cluster bomblets landed in farms and villages, some 30-40% of which failed to explode at the time.


It seems to me extraordinary they were fired in the last hours of the war where civilian populations were known to be going
UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator David Shearer
Israel denies using the munitions illegally against civilian targets during the conflict.

But Mr Shearer said Israel has yet to explain why 90% of its cluster munitions were fired in the last days of the conflict, as UN members were finalising a ceasefire resolution.

'We know these munitions have a failure rate and it seems to me extraordinary that they were fired off in the last hours of the war into areas where civilian populations were known to be going,' "

Are some animals gay?

Interesting Answer from Yahoo... However, the purpose of the question is to show being gay is natural in some animals therefore might be possibly natural for Human! Well, at least I believe we as human should be a bit above animals and shouldn't compare ourselves to them... don't you think??

Are some animals gay?

The sexual orientation of animals is one topic we know little about. Dogs, for instance, have been known to take great interest in our legs, but whether that means ol' Fido is gay, straight, or simply has a leg fetish, we can't say. However, studies on the overall topic do exist. A simple search on "are some animals gay?" resulted in a slew of articles.

Hide and Not Seek: Bush and Iranian President at the U.N.

ABC News: Hide and Not Seek: Bush and Iranian President at the U.N.: "Don't look for a breakthrough at the United Nations General Assembly this week in the frosty relations between President Bush and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The annual conclave of world leaders offers the opportunity for talks both in one-on-one meetings and at informal get-togethers, such as the reception Bush is hosting for leaders Tuesday night at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. But the Iranian president's invitation to the latter must have gotten lost in the mail."

The White House Advance Office, which plans presidential travels, tries to make sure there are no accidental meetings, but a Bush spokesman said there's always a possibility they will wind up in the same room.

Other presidents have also relied on their aides to try to avoid embarrassing confrontations with leaders they would rather not bump up against. But accidents do happen.

Bill Clinton did not want to talk to Cuba's Fidel Castro at the U.N. General Assembly in 2000. They found themselves in a crowded room at a diplomatic lunch, and Castro stuck out his hand. Clinton shook it. The first and only time any American president had physically touched Castro.

When Richard Nixon invited Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to the White House in 1973, Nixon aides didn't want Brezhnev talking to reporters until they were certain he would make no references to the then-growing Watergate scandal. But, in the south driveway of the White House, when Brezhnev spotted some of us, he walked over and started answering our questions. Nixon's aides were horrified. They need not have been. Brezhnev said nothing that embarrassed Nixon, and that may have worked in his favor when the two leaders sat down for private talks.. But at the same time, he showed he would not be muzzled. Two points for the Russian side.

(read the interesting story....)

Eventually, the president finished his lengthy nonspeech, and the lunch broke up. As the guests filed out, I turned to Jim Hagerty, the press secretary: "Jim, what happened? What was that all about? Why was the president so angry?" Hagerty, with a mischievous grin spread wide on his Irish face, said: "Kid, you've just been used as a prop by the president of the United States. And you were treated to some great theater. The president knew from the minute he walked in that you were there to record him. And he knew you would put that microphone in front of him. And he knew how he could use that."

Hagerty told me not to feel bad about it. After all, he said, "You've got a story you can tell the rest of your life." Not only that, but I also got a good lesson in presidential gamesmanship. Hmm. I wonder what President Bush has in mind for his Waldorf reception.

Housing starts and building permits plunge in August

Housing starts and building permits plunge in August - Sep. 19, 2006:

"Home builders slammed on the brakes in August as starts on new homes sank to their lowest level in more than three years, and a drop in permits signaled more weakness ahead for the real estate market.

Housing starts sank to an annual rate of 1.67 million last month from July's 1.77 million pace, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. That marked a 6 percent decline from July and a nearly 20 percent drop from a year earlier."

Starts are at the lowest level since April 2003. It also marked the sixth time in the last seven months that starts have fallen from the previous month's level.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast starts would drop to a 1.74 million rate.

Building permits, which are seen as a reading of builders' confidence in the market, fell to a 1.72 million annual rate in August from a downwardly revised 1.76 million in July. Economists had forecast permits would slow to a 1.75 million pace in August.

Many of the nation's largest home builders, including KB Home (Charts), Lennar (Charts), Toll Brothers (Charts) and Hovnanian (Charts), have been lowering guidance on home sales in recent weeks, reporting lower prices and excess supply of homes on the markets.

The Pope's Big Mistake: Invoking Past Conflict

Blog Posts:

"The problem with this quotation isn't the inaccuracy of the Emperor's observation but the opening it provides to allow Islamic apologists to take us back once more to the days of desperate and deadly Muslim-Christian competition in the late Middle Ages. For instance, Anas Altikriti, writing in the British leftist journal 'The Guardian' under the headline 'An Insufficient Apology' seized the opportunity to remind his readers that 'whilst the Catholic church was cementing the barbarism of Europe's dark ages,' the Muslims were 'busy writing literature, philosophy, art, architecture, medicine, chemistry, physics, biology, algebra and music.' He goes on in lyrical terms to hail the 'vast and illustrious universities and libraries of Baghdad, Damascus, Cordoba, Seville and Cairo' and 'the 100 years of glorious co-existence among Muslims, Christians and Jews' in Spain."

'آمريکا به همراهان احمدی نژاد ويزا نداد'

BBCPersian.com:



"روز سه شنبه، 19 سپتامبر، خبرگزاری دولتی ايران - ايرنا - گزارش کرد که محمود احمدی نژاد، رييس جمهوری، برای شرکت در شصت ويکمين اجلاس سالانه مجمع عمومی سازمان ملل متحد وارد نيويورک شده اما ايالات متحده برای برخی از اعضای هيات همراه وی به ويژه تعدادی از خبرنگاران، فيلمبرداران و عکاسان رواديد صادر نکرده است."

وی گفت که بر اساس "توافقنامه کشور ميزبان"، از ايالات متحده انتظار می رود تا تسهيلات لازم برای ورود تمامی مقامات خارجی به سازمان ملل را فراهم آورد و افزود که دفتری به نام "کميته کشور ميزبان" وظيفه پيگيری مسايل مربوط به صدور ويزا را بر عهده دارد.

اشاره سخنگوی سازمان ملل به توافقنامه بين آمريکا و سازمان ملل در مورد تعهد اين کشور به صدور رواديد ورود برای مقامات کشورهای عضو است که برای شرکت در جلسات سازمان قصد ورود به خاک ايالات متحده را دارند.

در مورد خودداری آمريکا از صدور رواديد برای همراهان رييس جمهوری ايران، روز دوشنبه، غلامحسين الهام، سخنگوی دولت، اعلام کرد که هنوز ويزای خبرنگاران همراه آقای احمدی نژاد صادر نشده است و چنين اقدامی را نوعی سانسور توصيف کرد.

French leader favors leeway for Iran - Newsday.com

French leader favors leeway for Iran - Newsday.com:


"UNITED NATIONS - In a potential break with the Bush administration, French President Jacques Chirac said yesterday that he is 'never in favor of sanctions' and suggested that the United States and other nations could begin talks with Iran on its nuclear program before Iran formally suspends its nuclear activities.

Chirac's remarks came as President George W. Bush prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly today, part of an intensifying U.S. drive to secure international sanctions against Iran.

'I don't believe in a solution without dialogue,' Chirac said in an interview with Europe-1 radio. 'I am not pessimistic. I think that Iran is a great nation, an old culture, an old civilization, and that we can find solutions through dialogue.'"

We Do Not Need Attacks"

TIME.com: "We Do Not Need Attacks"


TIME: Does Iran have the right to nuclear weapons?

Ahmadinejad: We are opposed to nuclear weapons. We think it has been developed just to kill human beings. It is not in the service of human beings. For that reason, last year in my address to the U.N. General Assembly, I suggested that a committee should be set up in order to disarm all the countries that possess nuclear weapons.

TIME: But you were attacked with weapons of mass destruction by Iraq. You say the u.s. threatens you, and you are surrounded by countries that have nuclear weapons.

Ahmadinejad: Today nuclear weapons are a blunt instrument. We don't have any problems with Pakistan or India. Actually they are friends of Iran, and throughout history they have been friends. The Zionist regime is not capable of using nuclear weapons. Problems cannot be solved through bombs. Bombs are of little use today. We need logic.

TIME: Why won't you agree to suspend enrichment of uranium as a confidence-building measure?

Ahmadinejad: Whose confidence should be built?

TIME: The world's?

Ahmadinejad: The world? The world? Who is the world? The United States? The U.S. Administration is not the entire world. Europe does not account for one-twentieth of the entire world. When I studied the provisions of the npt [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty], nowhere did I see it written that in order to produce nuclear fuel, we need to win the support or the confidence of the United States and some European countries."

What is a superdollar?

What is a superdollar?:



"What is a superdollar?
The superdollar is the name given to an almost perfect forgery of an American banknote.

Millions of dollars of the fake cash have been passed into circulation since its existence was first noticed over a decade ago.

The money, officially known as Note Family - C14342, is thought to originate from communist North Korea.

Experts believe that the money is being produced and flooded into the system, mostly by North Korean diplomats as they travel abroad.

It is also circulated by criminals - with the Russian mafia and even Republican organisations in Northern Ireland involved in the distribution process."

One school of thought is that it is part of a plan to try to destabilise the American economy by putting millions and millions of dollars into the system.

What is known, is that in the late 1980s, US Intelligence discovered that the North Korean government had acquired a highly sophisticated printing press, known as the intaglio.

Renew Your Passport Now! Schneier on Security

Schneier on Security: "Renew Your Passport Now!




If you have a passport, now is the time to renew it -- even if it's not set to expire anytime soon. If you don't have a passport and think you might need one, now is the time to get it. In many countries, including the United States, passports will soon be equipped with RFID chips. And you don't want one of these chips in your passport.

RFID stands for 'radio-frequency identification.' Passports with RFID chips store an electronic copy of the passport information: your name, a digitized picture, etc. And in the future, the chip might store fingerprints or digital visas from various countries."

Why is the USA so frequently the victim of resentment around the world.

KryssTal : Why The USA?:




"Why The USA?
Why is the USA so frequently the victim of resentment around the world.

Introduction
This section attempts to answer the question: why is the USA so frequently the victim of resentment around the world?

The USA government blames hatred of democracy and envy at the American way of life for this resentment. Many people in the USA and a majority around the world look towards USA foreign policy for the answers. Much of this policy, its history and consequences is under-reported by the American media."

Lessons of Suez

Lessons of Suez - The Boston Globe:

Fifty years ago, two western powers conspired to invade an Arab country--in defiance of international law and world opinion. Guess which side the United States was on.

"Once the Suez Canal opened in 1869 (after it had been dug at the cost of at least 100,000 Egyptian lives), it became the lifeline of the British Empire. That was even before it acquired a huge new importance in the 20th century, unforeseen when the canal was planned, as the shipping lane bringing oil from the Persian Gulf to Europe. Even so, and not least during the Second World War, when the British Army fought from Egyptian bases, Egypt was technically independent, under the sybaritic Anglophile King Farouk. But deep nationalist resentment led to an officers' coup under Nasser that overthrew Farouk, and in 1954 the British withdrew from the Canal Zone.

On the principle of ``my enemy's enemy' France and Israel were bound to the British through common hatred of Nasser. The Egyptian leader encouraged the Palestinian resistance, which raided across the border from Egyptian territory, and fomented the nationalist rising in French Algeria. Although the Americans didn't much care for Nasser either, Eisenhower treated him with caution while Nasser, at the height of the Cold War, adroitly played Washington off against Moscow.

After Nasser concluded an arms deal with Russia in 1955, Washington tried to woo him back with a loan for building the Aswan High Dam, but the deal withered. In response, Nasser announced, on July 26, 1956, that he was nationalizing the canal. For London and Paris this was a disaster, much as it might have seemed at the time seem to Washington if the Panama Canal had been seized by a hostile local regime.

Events now moved inexorably. In mid-August a conference was held in London to find a compromise, but the British and French had privately decided that force would likely be necessary, despite Eisenhower, who said (rather like Jacques Chirac on a later occasion) that he was ``determined to exhaust every feasible method of a peaceful settlement.'"

Bottle Blade Mozart - The Humor Archives - funny jokes, pictures, cartoons and movies

Bottle Blade Mozart - The Humor Archives - funny jokes, pictures, cartoons and movies

How to Handle Jealousy - WikiHow

How to Handle Jealousy - WikiHow

Identify what your jealousy is teaching you. Jealousy can alert you to what you want, and what is important to you.

US Iran report branded dishonest

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US Iran report branded dishonest: "US Iran report branded dishonest
Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tours the Natanz nuclear plant (file photo)
Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes
The UN nuclear watchdog has protested to the US government over a report on Iran's nuclear programme, calling it 'erroneous' and 'misleading'.




In a leaked letter, the IAEA said a congressional report contained serious distortions of the agency's own findings on Iran's nuclear activity.

The IAEA also took 'strong exception' to claims made over the removal of a senior safeguards inspector.

There was no immediate comment from Washington over the letter.

But Rep Rush Holt, a Democratic member of the House intelligence committee, which released the report, said it had never been meant for release to the public.

'This report was not ready for prime time and it was not prepared in a way that we can rely on. It relied heavily on unclassified testimony,' he told the BBC's PM programme."

سخنان پاپ خشم مسلمانان را برانگيخت

BBCPersian.com:

سخنان پاپ خشم مسلمانان را برانگيخت

	پاپ در جريان سفری به آلمان اين اظهارات را بيان کرده است

اظهارات پاپ بنديکت شانزدهم، رهبر کاتوليک های جهان، در مورد مسلمانان که به عقيده برخی در ضديت با دين اسلام بيان شده، انتقادات رو به افزايشی را در ميان تعدادی از کشورهای اسلامی موجب شده است.

"وی در نطق خود در دانشگاه 'رگنزبورگ' آلمان از يک امپراتور مسيحی قرن چهاردهم (مانوئل دوم قسطنطنيه) نقل کرده که به يک مسافر ايرانی گفته است که پيامبر اسلام برای جهان ارمغانی جز خشونت نداشته است.

سارا رينزفورد، گزارشگر بی بی سی در استانبول، می گويد پاپ در نطق پايان سفر شش روزه خود به آلمان به نقل از اين امپراتور دوره بيزانس گفته است: 'پيامبر اسلام برای جهان فقط شرارت و اعمال غيرانسانی به ارمغان آورده و از جمله دستور داده که دين را با زبان شمشير گسترش دهيد.'

جاويد احمد گامدی، از روحانيون ارشد مسلمان پاکستان، اظهارات پاپ بنديکت شانزدهم را غيرمسئولانه خوانده و تاکيد داشته است که مفهوم جهاد از ديد اسلام اين نيست که دين را بايد با قدرت شمشير گسترش داد."

Link TV: Television Without Borders

Link TV: Television Without Borders

9/11 Kean Commission Report Exposed as 'Fraud of Historic Proportions' on 9/11 Fifth Anniversary by Former 'Star Wars' Program Director - Yahoo! News

9/11 Kean Commission Report Exposed as 'Fraud of Historic Proportions' on 9/11 Fifth Anniversary by Former 'Star Wars' Program Director - Yahoo! News:

"WHAT: 9/11 Kean Commission Report Exposed as 'Fraud of Historic Proportions' on 9/11 Fifth Anniversary by Former 'Star Wars' Program Director and Top 9/11 Authors and Researchers at National Press Club Press Conference Just Before Kean-Hamilton Luncheon Address, Edward R. Murrow Room, 9:30 a.m.

WHEN: Sept. 11, 9:30 to 11 a.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, Edward R. Murrow Room

SPONSORS: McClendon Group, 9/11 Truth Los Angeles and 9/11 Truth Monterey Ca.

On the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, three hours before the Kean-Hamilton luncheon address at the National Press Club, the former Air Force officer and director of the 'Star Wars' program who just won Florida's 15th District Democratic primary with 54 percent of the vote on an explicit platform to expose the fraud of the Kean Commission Report, and top 9/11 researchers, authors and activists will present hard proof that the official narrative of the Kean-Hamilton Commission and Bush- Cheney Administration is a fraud of world historic proportions."

Funny Cat Videos - Cats Can't Figure Out How To Walk Through A Screenless Screen Door

Funny Cat Videos - Cats Can't Figure Out How To Walk Through A Screenless Screen Door

Cats Can't Figure Out How To Walk Through A Screenless Screen Door

Next >

Most expensive adwords - 'Loan consolidation' clear winner

Most expensive adwords - 'Loan consolidation' clear winner:


"The top 50 most expensive adwords
'Loan consolidation' ($69.16) currently owns them all

This is the list of the top 50 most expensive loan consolidations Google adwords as of September 11, 2006 (GMT+1) (according to wget, grep, sed & friends).

I found it rather amazing that the keywords loan consolidation for college, school, car etc. are much more expensive than, say... even private yachts, jets, luxury homes and so on!

Prices are shown in estimated average CPC (costs per click). Yes, just one tiny click from someone searching for these keywords is worth almost $70 to someone, apparently.
Adword Average CPC school loan consolidation $69.16
college loan consolidation $68.35
car insurance quotes $66.88
school consolidation $66.29
auto insurance quotes $65.90
college consolidation $64.04
student loan consolidation rates $60.14"

Americans Think Wars Are Creating More Terrorists

Americans Think Wars Are Creating More Terrorists: Angus Reid Consultants:

"- Many adults in the United States believe their government’s policies are having a negative effect, according to a poll by CBS News. 54 per cent of respondents believe the Bush administration’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is creating more terrorists who are planning to attack."

Muslims can buy homes without breaking Quran’s rules

Found on:


Newsday.com: Muslims can buy homes without breaking Quran’s rules

Although the majority of Muslims in the USA purchase homes using conventional mortgages, a sizable portion chose to use modes that are more consistent with Islamic beliefs and practices.

This Newsday article discusses the topic of Islamic alternatives to mortgages, such as murabaha or "cost-plus", and banks offering them in the USA, such as HSBC Bank USA and Devon Bank.

It also features Rushdi Siddiqui, the manager of the Dow Jones Islamic Markets index.

Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers

Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers - New York Times:

"Vowing that he was “never going to forget the lessons of that day,” President Bush paid tribute last night to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, laying wreaths at ground zero, attending a prayer service at St. Paul’s Chapel and making a surprise stop at a firehouse and a memorial museum overlooking the vast gash in the ground where the twin towers once stood."

Americans more religious, spiritual than previously thought, survey says

USATODAY.com - Americans more religious, spiritual than previously thought, survey says:

More Americans are active in religious groups than previously thought and many others without ties to congregations still believe in God or a higher power, according to a broad survey of faith in America released Monday.

The study also found that most traditional Christians reject the label "evangelical," preferring to describe themselves as "Bible-believing" or "born again."

The survey was conducted by the Baylor University Sociology Department and the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion as the first in a series on the spiritual life of Americans.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS: How the USA views God

Researchers found that only 10.8% of Americans have no ties to a congregation, denomination or faith group. Previous surveys had put that figure at 14%, overlooking about 10 million people involved in some form of organized religion, the Baylor report said.

ABC News: Anna Nicole Smith's 20-Year-Old Son Dies

This seems to be a good story for a new movie... :-D

ABC News: Anna Nicole Smith's 20-Year-Old Son Dies

NASSAU, Bahamas Sep 11, 2006 (AP)— The 20-year-old son of Anna Nicole Smith has been found dead in a hospital in the Bahamas, where the former reality TV star and Playboy playmate gave birth to a baby girl.

Smith's attorney, Howard K. Stern, said authorities had not yet determined what caused the death of Daniel Smith, whose body was found Sunday morning.

Walter Evans, a spokesman for the Royal Bahamian Police Force, would say only that the son of an undisclosed celebrity had been found in a room of the private Doctor's Hospital in Nassau.

Evans declined to provide details, but Stern said the cause was under investigation.

"We have yet to learn the cause of death but do not believe that drugs or alcohol were a factor," Stern said. "Anna Nicole is absolutely devastated by the loss of her son. He was her pride and joy and an amazing human being."

Anna Nicole Smith, 38, gave birth to a healthy 6 pound, 9 ounce girl at the hospital on Thursday. Her son had traveled to the Caribbean country to visit with his mother.

She married Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994, when she was 26 and he was 89. He died the following year. Since then, she has feuded with Marshall's son, Pierce Marshall, over her entitlement to the tycoon's estate.

Frankfurt to host confab on money-laundering and terrorist financing - Irna

Frankfurt to host confab on money-laundering and terrorist financing - Irna: "Frankfurt will be the scene for an international conference on fighting money laundering and terrorist financing in mid-November, news reports said Monday.

The confab - due to take place on November 15- will focus on anti-money laundering activities in Eastern European countries as well sharing global experiences on anti-money laundering and terrorism financing.

Speakers will include senior officials from the German Finance Ministry, the US Department of Treasury, the World Bank and Europol.

The conference is organized by the Maleki Group which is a German-based Financial Communications and Consulting Company."

Dedication to The World Trade Center

Howstuffworks "The World Trade Center":




"Origins The original idea for a world trade center in New York is generally credited to David Rockefeller, one of industrialist John D. Rockefeller's many grandsons. In fact, the idea was proposed soon after World War II, a decade before Rockefeller ever got involved, but he was the one who actually got the ball rolling.

In the 1950s and '60s, while serving as chairman of Chase Manhattan Bank, Rockefeller was dedicated to revitalizing lower Manhattan. He hoped to energize the area with new construction, in much the same way his father revitalized midtown Manhattan in the 1930s with Rockefeller Center. As part of his plan, David Rockefeller proposed a complex dedicated to international trade, to be constructed at the east end of Wall Street. Rockefeller believed that the trade center, which would include office and hotel space, an exhibit hall, a securities and exchange center and numerous shops, would be just the thing to spur economic growth in the area."

نیمه شعبان ؛ روز ولادت مبارک منجی عالم بشری ؛ مهدی موعود(عج) ؛ عید مستضعفان جهان

نیمه شعبان ؛ روز ولادت مبارک منجی عالم بشری ؛ مهدی موعود(عج) ؛ عید مستضعفان جهان

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم " اللهم کن لولیک الحجـة بن الحسـن صلواتک علیه و علی آبائـه فی هذه السـاعه و فـی کل ساعة ولیاً و حافظاً وقائداً وناصراً و دلیلاً و عینا حتی تسکنه ارضک طوعا و تمتعه فیها طویلا "

"غيبت تامه آغاز مي شود و ديگر ظهوري نخواهد بود مگر به اذن خداي تعالي و آن بعد از طول زمان و قساوت قلبها و پر شدن زمين از جور خواهد بود. زود باشد كه در بين شيعيان كساني بيايند كه ادعاي مشاهده كنند، هر كس مدعي مشاهده من قبل از خروج سفياني و صيحة آسماني بشود كذاب و مفتري است. و لاحول و لا قوه الا بالله العلي العظيم"

نیمه شعبان که می شود ؛ غمی بزرگ جانم را فرمی گیرد ؛ غمی آغشته با شادی وشعفی که چشمهایی مردم کوی و برزن ؛ پیر وجوان حاکی از حضور یک نور در قلبشان است که او خواهد آمد

نیمه شعبان که می شود ؛ غمی بزرگ جانم را فرا می گیرید ؛ با خود می اندیشم ؛ نیمه شعبان دیگر گذشت ؛ از نیمه شعبان گذشته تا امروز ؛ چه کردیم ؛ چه بوده ایم و چه شده ایم و تا کجا به امام زمانمان نزدیک شده ایم ؟