Friday, March 26, 2010

"Green" font :)

simple thought = going green + savings

Never thought that something as simple as the font you use can help the environment.

Wis. college says new e-mail font will save money
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100326/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_cheaper_e_mail_font;_ylt=Ap49nHhVKTXdyKZzO29g9h7tiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ2OXE4cWhmBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwMzI2L3VzX29kZF9jaGVhcGVyX2VfbWFpbF9mb250BHBvcwMzBHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDd2lzY29sbGVnZXNh

"Love Sex aur Dhokha" (Love Sex and Betrayal)

Normally i rarely do Hindi movies, except those that come highly recommended and that are worth sitting through the 10 or so accompanying dance scenes..

The novelty of this one, the very risque nature of the material, and its reflections of the psychology of the country, and the changes therein, definitely make it one i'd watch.

Hope the sub-titles are good!

Film breaks new ground on sex in India
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100325/od_nm/us_sex_odd

Breaking INTO prison??!!

i think this is a first... LOL

Man gets 15 years for prison break-in
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_usa_inmate_odd

Sri Lankan Muslim convert accused of being 'anti-state'

Just something that made me think...

Sri Lankan Muslim convert accused of being 'anti-state'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8588611.stm

Monday, March 22, 2010

Margaret Moth

I'd never heard of her before this article, but having been given this tiny insight into her life, her world, there's only one thing i can say: "WOW."

Inspiring. She LIVED.

Fearless to the end: Remembering Margaret Moth

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/21/margaret.moth.obit/index.html

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Banned ... by Google

Interesting article...

Banned ... by Google
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/18/technology/google_china_censorship/index.htm?cnn=yes

Arab Entertainers Beware

Now i've never been one for horoscopes, mediums, fortune-tellers or psychics, particularly due to the fact that its one of the big no-nos Islamically. But what bothers me about this whole affair is that this guy (who i've never even heard of, Ali Hussain Sibat, and whose system of beliefs I am completely at odds with) has been arrested in KSA while on a visit to perform Umra. The thing is: he's never committed any kind of crime in KSA and they are arresting him solely on the basis that his program on this satellite channel offends their religious beliefs and sensibilities. Seriously. If this is the case, I strongly recommend that the entire Arab world's stars and starlets, program hosts and entertainers avoid KSA at all times, coz if I'm offended by alot of the rubbish that is put out there in the name of "arab entertainment" can you imagine how the Saudi clerics feel?

Yes, his program is 7aram, yes it goes completely against all our religious beliefs, but is this the answer? As Muslims i feel that we must do what we can when we see 7aram, but is this not extreme? What happened to trying to change things with your hand (taking action), then with your tongue (spoken word) then, if all else fails, with your heart (prayer)? Not only that, the man was in Saudi Arabia to perform Umra; sub7an Allah, maybe Allah hadaah and he was on his way to A'sera6 Al-Mustaqeem..

What irritates me the most is that when Saudi Arabia does anything at all, their actions are immediately perceived by Non-Muslims as "speaking for all Islam and Muslims". Don't they ever think of the "big picture" effect of this, the negative coverage that it would bring to Islam and Muslims rather than the small picture satisfaction of putting this man to death?

TV presenter gets death sentence for 'sorcery'
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/19/saudi.arabia.sorcery/index.html

Friday, March 19, 2010

Dream Large!

"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were." - John F. Kennedy

Saddam's Palaces Today

Saddam's Palaces Today
http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1973064,00.html

This quote, from the Photagrapher Mosse, is what stuck me the most:

       "The most interesting thing for me," he says, "is the very fact that the U.S. chose to occupy Saddam's 
        palaces in the first place. If you're trying to convince a population that you have liberated them from a
        terrible dictator, why would you then sit in his throne?"

Supposedly "in the name of Islam"

I want to know how dare these people desecrate Islam and Muslims by calling themselves Muslims??!!! What kind of a Muslim does this to another fellow human being? Where is their re7ma, their insaniya? No wonder the non-Muslim world thinks of us as savages and barbarians!!

'Shaming' her in-laws costs 19 year old her nose, ears
http://afghanistan.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/18/shaming-her-in-laws-costs-19-year-old-her-nose-ears/

In pictures: Jerusalem's African quarter

A glimpse into a world we may never see ourselves..

In pictures: Jerusalem's African quarter
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8556358.stm

Book or E-reader?

 Let me tell you, i'm TORN. Its been a while, and by this i mean MONTHS, and i have yet to make a decision...

Decision #1: to buy an e-reader or not to buy an e-reader? you see, the problem is i ADORE my books! But, i travel alot, and i tend to carry at least 5-6 paperbacks with me on a week-long trip when i leave home, manage to buy a couple more books at the bookstore in the airport (despite their crappy selection) and do you see where this is going? Excess luggage, plus the bother of so many books! That's one aspect. The other is will an e-reader compare with the real deal? I don't know.. but this article that i came across kinda shares the pain shweya

Will Ebooks Kill The Joy of Reading?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-a-stackpole/will-ebooks-kill-the-joy_b_501340.html


Now the other thing is:
Decision #2: which freakin e-reader should i go for????!!!! it seems like the moment i decide on one, 500 new ones pop up on the market (i exaggerate, i know...) but it doesn't really help me right now. Right now, i'm most likely going with the Barnes & Noble Nook, but i'm still not sure... *sigh*

Hello, Invisibility Cloak!

Yes, yes, I'm a Harry Potter fan ;)

Cloaking device makes objects invisible – to infrared light anyway
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/mar/18/cloaking-device-objects-invisible-infrared

Egyptian writer's call for new Ka'bah shrine causes international uproar

hatha 9a7i? does he even grasp the importance, the significance, the symbolism, the historical context of the Kaaba? the Qibla?

Egyptian writer's call for new Ka'bah shrine causes international uproar
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/18/egypt-writer-kabah-islam-mecca

Thursday, March 18, 2010