Off Beat News

MuslimSister —

Al-Azhar okays controversial book about Prophet Mohammed

Book, published in 1837 by Reverend George Bush, portrays Prophet Mohammed as 'imposter'.

The highest authority in Sunni Islam approved a book describing the Prophet as an "imposter" and Muslims as "locusts" that the Egyptian press continued Friday to attribute to the US president's great grandfather despite denials from Washington.

"The Al-Azhar Institute for Islamic Studies approved the book titled 'The Life of Mohammed, founder of the religion of Islam and of the Empire of the Saracens'," Egyptian newspapers announced on their front pages.

The book was published in 1837 by Reverend George Bush, whom Egyptian newspapers - including state-owned publications - have consistently presented as the current US president's great-grandfather.

But the government-run Al-Ahram daily said it had approved the book's publication "because it is a piece of documentation that paints a lively picture of the life of Prophet Mohammed."

Publication of Reverend Bush's work had initially been rejected by Al-Azhar and the turnaround puts an end to a year-long controversy.

An unnamed Al-Azhar official quoted in the official Al-Akhbar daily denied rumours that the publication was the result of US pressure.

"Al-Azhar does not bow to any pressure, whether foreign or local, when it comes to matters related to Islam," the cleric said.

Link

Forum
General

Naz — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 - 19:28

Why women drive with two hands and men with only one

Cruising along with one hand on the wheel, he may look detached. But he isn't.
Psychologists say that the average male driver only relaxes like this because he considers his car as a part of himself.
It takes a female driver to understand that her car is a separate entity - which means she is more likely to grip the wheel with both hands.

Research has also found that men use chat about their cars as a way of expressing their own feelings.
Co-author Dr Iain MacRury, of the University of East London, said: "Men talk about their cars as if talking about themselves.

"Women are more comfortable expressing their feelings directly and see the car as separate. That's why women give names to their cars.
"It's also why men drive with one hand on the steering wheel. They are physically relaxed as they think the car is part of them.
"Women drive with two hands because they see the car as more 'detached'."

The study noted where one-handed drivers preferred to put their spare hand.
It found that 46 per cent of men rested it on the gear stick. Just 31 per cent of women did this.
But although only 27 per cent of men put their spare hand in their lap, 39 per cent of women did.

Co-author Dr Peter Marsh said: "Men hate talking about relationships. But the relationship they have with their car is different - because they identify with their cars.
This is often demonstrated by genuine feelings of annoyance at the threat, or potential threat, of someone scratching or scraping the car. Affectionate patting of the steering wheel, car roof or dashboard, or glancing back as if to say goodbye, are also signs."

The study - called The Secret Life of Cars and What They Reveal About Us - also found that motorists are four times more likely to sing on their way to work than on the way home.
This is because they think of their car as a cocoon - "an extension of their shower or bath". Dr Marsh added: "People wouldn't sing on a bus or a train - but on their way to work in the morning there is a feeling of escapism.
"Most people are gearing up for work at the beginning of the day. It is the last bit of me-time before they arrive at their workplace or desk.
"This mood lends itself to singing, hence the dawn chorus observed during our research."
On their way home, motorists are winding down and are more likely to be thinking about catching up with the news or their families, so sing less.

Cup-holders were said to reveal a lot about a driver. Anyone who obsesses about them is likely to be a workaholic - not wanting to waste a minute.
Dr MacRury added: "Generations ago, luxury cars would have picnic tables installed - now it's a cupholder.
"Cupholders show you live a contemporary executive lifestyle - that your time is precious."
The colour of our cars is also changing. After a decade in which black, silver, blue and grey have dominated, drivers are switching to "expressive" colours such as neon pink, the researchers added.
Their report, commissioned by BMW, is to be used to help plan and design future models.

Ya'qub — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 - 14:30

Protesters disrupt historic reading of Senate prayer by Hindu

The sight of a Hindu clergyman saying the US senate's traditional morning prayer was too much for members of a Christian group, who yesterday tried to shout him down before being arrested.
As Rajan Zed, director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple, offered the prayer, two women and a man began shouting "this is an abomination" from the gallery.

The trio continued to yell at the Hindu cleric as they were taken away in handcuffs by police, yelling, "no Lord but Jesus Christ!" and "there's only one true God!". The male protester told the Associated Press, "we are Christians and patriots".

For several days, some Christian religious groups had urged their members to object to the prayer because Mr Zed would be "seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god".
Mr Zed, the first Hindu to offer the Senate prayer, began: "We meditate on the transcendental glory of the deity supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky and inside the soul of the heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds."

Mr Zed, who was born in India, was invited by the Democratic Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, a staunch opponent of the Iraq war. Speaking in the chamber shortly after the prayer, Mr Reid defended the choice and linked it to the war debate.

"I think it speaks well of our country that someone representing the faith of about a billion people comes here and can speak in communication with our heavenly father regarding peace," said Mr Reid, who is a Mormon.

Police identified the protesters as Ante and Katherine Pavkovic and their daughter Kristen, members of a Christian organisation called Operation Save America/Operation Rescue.

The group said in a statement: "The Senate was opened with a Hindu prayer placing the false god of Hinduism on a level playing field with the one true god, Jesus Christ. This would never have been allowed by our Founding Fathers."

Reverend Flip Benham, the leader of the group, said: "Not one senator had the backbone to stand as our Founding Fathers stood. They stood on the gospel of Jesus Christ! There were three in the audience with the courage to stand and proclaim, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me'."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2125680,00.html

malik — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 - 17:05

Aftermath of the Lebanese victory, one year on

By Hassan Hanizadeh

A brief comparison between the Israeli army’s 34-day war against the Lebanese people and the Six-Day War of 1967, in which the Arabs lost hundreds of jet fighters, tanks, and armored personnel carriers and 17,000 troops were killed, shows that the Hezbollah resistance fighters performed a miracle.

The Six-Day War caused a great loss of morale among the Arabs because the Israeli army emerged as the dominant power in the region and Arab countries lost 80,000 square kilometers of their territory, about eight times the area of Lebanon.

Forty years after that painful defeat, which actually changed regional geopolitical equations, a new generation, inspired by Iran’s Islamic Revolution, arose in Lebanon and succeeded in altering the regional balance of power and making amends for the Arab defeat of June 1967.

During last summer’s war, the Israeli generals planned to destroy the Lebanese Islamic resistance and restore the lost prestige of the Israeli army, which had been forced to withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000 due to heavy resistance by Hezbollah fighters.

Zionist Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and his war minister Amir Peretz declared war on Lebanon, and consequently Hezbollah and the Israeli army became entangled in a full-fledged war. However, Hezbollah fighters routed the Israeli army in the south by relying mostly on small arms.

Hezbollah’s fierce resistance surprised the Israeli generals.

The Israeli military used all its air, sea, and ground power during the 34-day war but suffered a humiliating defeat.

With help from the United States and certain European countries, some regional Arab states, which did not want to see Hezbollah become popular among Arab and Muslim nations, tried to prevent the Lebanese Islamic resistance from attaining victory.

At the height of the war, the Arab League invited Arab foreign ministers to an emergency meeting in Beirut to express support for the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who himself is pro-Western.

Aware of the compromising attitude of the Arab leaders, Israeli officials sent a message warning that any Arab foreign minister who wanted to take part in the Beirut meeting should fly over Israeli airspace, otherwise his plane would be targeted by Israeli jet fighters.

The foreign ministers ended their meeting without saying a word in support of Hezbollah or congratulating its fighters for their heroic resistance and only demanded an immediate end to the war and expressed support for the Siniora government.

The U.S. and some other Western countries did everything they could to help Israel defeat Hezbollah, but under pressure from Israeli generals, whose forces had sustained heavy casualties, Tel Aviv officials finally agreed to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for an immediate ceasefire.

After six decades of Arab-Israeli wars, Hezbollah became the first Arab force that succeeded in shattering the Israeli military’s myth of invincibility and recorded this accomplishment in history.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=7/12/2007&Cat=14&Num=001

Jul. 13, 2007 10:29 | Updated Jul. 13, 2007 15:30

France: Hizbullah not a terror group

By JPOST STAFF AND AP

Hizbullah is part of Lebanese politics and must not be regarded as a terror organization, said the French Foreign Ministry in a statement Thursday night.

The statement was an apparent about-turn by France after President Nicolas Sarkozy said that Hizbullah was indeed a terrorist group when he met with the captured IDF soldiers' families in Paris last week. Thursday's statement was prompted by protests from Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

France is scheduled to host a conference Saturday bringing together representatives of rival Lebanese leaders, including senior Hizbullah representatives, in an effort to address the Lebanon's political deadlock.

The conference, set to continue until Monday, is not expected to achieve any major breakthroughs and has been described more as an icebreaking meeting between foes.

The conference is set to focus on the political crisis in Lebanon revolving around the issue of an international tribunal into the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005.

Hizbullah is opposed to such a tribunal that is expected to convict senior officials in Lebanon and Syria.

Meanwhile, the chief investigator in the Hariri assassination said Friday that a UN inquiry had identified people who may have been involved in the murder and and that new information about the buyers of a van used in the bombing was being investigated.

While not identifying anyone, Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz said investigators had "significantly narrowed down" possible motives for the slaying to Hariri's political and personal relationships in Lebanon, Syria and other countries.

He said investigators believe the UN Security Council resolution in September 2004 aimed at blocking Lebanon's pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud from a second term "played an important role in shaping the environment in which the motives to assassinate Rafik Hariri emerged."

Lebanon's Parliament ignored the council and voted hours after the resolution was adopted to amend the constitution so Lahoud could keep his job.

Brammertz did not provide any clues to those who may have been involved.

He also said Syria and other states continued to provide "mostly positive responses" to requests for assistance. Syria, which many Lebanese have blamed for the assassination, strongly denies being involved.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1184168555491&pa…

shahid1 — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 - 19:34

Child wedding 'stopped by pupils'

Classmates of a 13-year-old Bangladeshi school girl due to enter a forced marriage have united to stop the ceremony going ahead, police say.
Around 50 pupils in the town of Satkhira took to the streets to demand that Habiba Sultana's wedding be called off, they say.

Pupils even submitted a petition to police urging them to take action.

Police summoned Habiba's father and ordered him to stop the girl's marriage, which they said was illegal.

Her father was told to sign a bond in which he promised not marry off his daughter while she is still a child, the Bangladesh Daily Star reported.

It said that the wedding was to have taken place in the south-western town of Satkhira in Friday.

Police say that Habiba, a student of Abdul Karim Girls' High School, did not agree when her poverty-stricken father arranged for her to marry a 23-year-old neighbour.

Police say that she was too frightened to protest.

When she told her friends about the impending wedding, they rallied round and urged her not to go ahead.

Parents of her friends contacted Habiba's father and tried to stop him from going ahead with the wedding.

Initially he ignored their protests, but changed his mind after the police were alerted and small protests were held outside the school.

Correspondents say that the stand of the schoolgirls has created a stir in the town.

Like many other parts of the country - young people in Satkhira are deferential to their parents and seldom question their commands.

LINK

Ya'qub — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 - 23:03

World's Tallest Man shakes hands with Worlds Shortest Man

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/9665/0205778jo9.jpg

MuslimSister — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 - 23:17

Moscow world's most costly city

London climbed three places to second in Mercer Human Resource Consulting's 2007 Cost of Living study.

Asian cities Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong completed the top five. Paraguay's capital Asuncion was the cheapest.

The report measures the cost of 200 items such as housing, clothing and food in 143 cities on six continents.

The most expensive place to rent a luxury two-bedroom unfurnished apartment was Tokyo, at £2,110 per month, and the cheapest Johannesburg, at just £490.

And while a coffee in Moscow will set you back £3.14, in Buenos Aires it will cost less than £1.

BBC

Not surprised London came second in the list.

What with travel on the underground costing £9 a day and the congestion charges, I dont know how people manage.

Ya'qub — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 - 23:19

MuslimSister
What with travel on the underground costing £9 a day and the congestion charges, I dont know how people manage.

we take the bus!

MuslimSister — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 - 23:20

Ya'qub

MuslimSister
What with travel on the underground costing £9 a day and the congestion charges, I dont know how people manage.

we take the bus!

Lol. Most lazy students want that extra 30min in bed.

Thats why they rather take the train.

Ya'qub — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 - 23:23

i used to take the train every day to work for PRECISELY 30 mins extra in bed lol!

but im much happier on the bus now. it takes half an hour longer but A) i ALWAYS get a seat; B) i have loads of extra money and C) i dont get to work smelling like i've just jogged all the way from home!

Naz — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 - 23:26

MuslimSister

Ya'qub
MuslimSister
What with travel on the underground costing £9 a day and the congestion charges, I dont know how people manage.

we take the bus!

Lol. Most lazy students want that extra 30min in bed.

Thats why they rather take the train.

heeeey were not all lazy
before i got a car i use to take 3 buses to uni. It use to take me 1hr 15 min on a good day n 1hr 30 on a bad. 🙁

Seraphim — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 - 10:43

Heres something to tempt people with:

Laptops Given Away On Orange Contracts

I've said it before (I just can't remember where?!) that laptops and PCs were always likely to end up somewhere down the line as commodity products – at least at entry level – bundled with other services. Well that somewhere is here.

Electrical superstore PC World has broken from the pack to show it can do far better than free routers and modems by announcing that anyone who signs up for a two year Orange broadband contract will be given a new laptop worth over £300. Result!

Rightly bombastic was Niall O’Keeffe, marketing director of PC World, who said: “The chance to have a free laptop is an amazing offer that is sure to tempt thousands of customers to sign up to Orange broadband through our stores. Orange broadband is already highly competitive, with one of the lowest monthly tariffs on the market. I am sure that the inclusion of a free laptop will electrify the market.”

So what exactly is this deal?

Right, the broadband part is a 2Mbit connection with wired ADSL modem at £14.99 per month with the first three months at half price or an 8Mbit package on identical terms for £19.99 per month. As for the laptop it isn't going to break a speed records and you might want to do some upgrading in the store before you leave but the 'Advent 7211' (above) does offer a 15.4in widescreen display, Celeron CPU, 256MB RAM (that's the upgrade bit), 40GB HDD and a DVD rewriter. This should be fine for the casual or budget user.

Furthermore, customers in need of a bit more oomph can 'trade up' to a higher specified machine from just £19.99 or receive a £350 discount off any laptop in the PC World range. Which seems pretty fair to me.

Right, let's get some competition in this area... I want nothing less than a free Sony TZ before the end of the month... *shuts eyes and prays really hard*

You — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 - 21:07

The gadget freak in me wants an olpc XO.

You — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 - 16:47

City 'about to lose water supply'

Water supplies in Gloucester could run out by 1600 BST on Sunday.

Treated water supplies to Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the surrounding villages are expected to run out later.

More...

Dave — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 - 14:24

You

City 'about to lose water supply'

Water supplies in Gloucester could run out by 1600 BST on Sunday.

Treated water supplies to Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and the surrounding villages are expected to run out later.

More...

Does anybody in Gloucester want to buy my bottle of Aquafina?

Bidding starts at $95,000

yashmaki — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 - 23:45

this is my part of the woods worc. gloc etc/

i was in evesham not long ago i can't believe it, it's such a pretty picturesque town.

where i am it's fine but a few miles down the rd its a different story :?

I feel sorry for those ppl with babies, they need boiled clean water, and with no electricity hows that gona happen?

and what of the elderly?

P.s that article about women driving with two hands and men with one, well men have half a brain hence they use just one hand....

Ya'qub — Thu, 2 Aug 2007 - 11:36

thats not a monkey, its a chaffinch in disguise

Naz — Thu, 2 Aug 2007 - 20:52

yashmaki P.s that article about women driving with two hands and men with one, well men have half a brain hence they use just one hand....

😂

Mr Honey's Day Out[list]

[url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/01/nmonkey… Telegraph[/url]A Dorset couple birdwatching in their garden were stunned to spot a baby monkey climbing in one of their trees.

[list]http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/49/monkey450zx5.jpg[/list:u][/list:u]

awwwwwww

Heavenly Springhttp://img170.imageshack.us/img170/4894/mallardms2807468x397tb9.jpg

Monkeys in disguise.

double awwwwwww

Ya'qub — Fri, 3 Aug 2007 - 17:06

SPICE GIRLS TO PLAY CONCERT IN BAGHDAD
...WITH YOUR HELP!

As the coalition runs out of ways to communicate to the Iraqis about how utterly screwed they are, the Spice Girls step in with the suggestion that they might play a concert in Baghdad. Dare to dream, kids! Dare to dream.

"We thought, why not let our fans decide where we play?" the girls stated on their website last week, as they revealed a plan to add one extra, unspecified date to their end-of-year farewell tour. "All you need to do is tell us where you want to see us. We are literally in your hands."

And, according to reports, thousands have already voted for the girls to put on a show in Baghdad. Who knew they had so many fans in the car-bomb capital of the world? Oh, hang on ... I see.

So if you wish to restore hope to a city that for so long has had to get by without the chance to listen to the unifying message contained in the lyrics of 2 Become 1, then do visit thespicegirls.com and place your online vote for the Iraqi capital.

In fact, picture the scene in Baghdad just a few months from now. A darkened stadium; an electric atmosphere. Well, as electric as it can be, given that there's no actual electricity. Unfortunately, the generators are down again.

Still, the road crew are resourceful, and so it is that five US army searchlights pick out five girls perched atop their chrome stools.

"I need some love like I've never needed love before ..."

Ah yes, drifting out from the stage come those haunting stanzas that were the soundtrack to everyone's Christmas in 1996 - especially if they were living in Baghdad.

"I had a little love, now I'm back for more ..."

The audience sways in rapture, their upstretched arms waving lighters, celebratory rifles, IEDs . . . whatever's to hand, really. Somewhere in the throng, a Shia militia man turns toward the Sunni militia man welling up next to him.

"Cos tonight is the ni-ight, when two become one ... "

The crowd just explodes. Maybe even literally. But you know what? The moment's bigger than all of that, and it's time you lot plucked up the courage to start making a difference. Vote early, vote often.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/lostinshowbiz/archives/2007/08/just_what_wa…

You can register your vote for Baghdad here: http://www.thespicegirls.com/en/index.html#

You — Thu, 9 Aug 2007 - 20:47

Johnson & Johnson sues American Red Cross over use of emblem

NEW YORK: Johnson & Johnson, the health-products giant that uses a red cross as its trademark, sued the American Red Cross on Wednesday, demanding that the charity halt the use of the red cross symbol on products it sells to the public...

More...

Naz — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 - 11:20

'We've won a wee bit of money'. The moment Britain's biggest lottery hit the £35m jackpot

The postal worker who won a record £35.4million on the lottery plans to quit Britain for a new life in Italy.

Angela Cunningham, a 40-year-old mother of one, beat odds of up to 76million-to-one to scoop Friday's EuroMillions jackpot - although it took her three days to check her ticket.

The clerical assistant, who earnt £22,000-a-year, has gone from living in an ex-council flat and driving a second-hand Fiat to becoming one of Britain's richest women after winning the lottery.

She has now found herself richer than Princes William and Harry, whose personal wealth is estimated at£34million each, and Wayne Rooney, who is worth a mere £30million.

She was officially named by Lottery operator Camelot as Britain's biggest-ever winner at a press conference in Falkirk this morning.

The millionaire now plans to quit her job and told friends she was leaving for a new life in Italy, where her sister, Elaine, is thought to live.

One friend said: "She is such a down-to-earth person. Her life has consisted of having nights out with her pals, drinking the odd vodka and watching TV shows like Lost and Ugly Betty.

"She's over the moon about leaving all that behind. Now she's going to be living like a queen in Italy."

The £35,425,412 cheque - which has already been paid out - would earn Miss Cunningham an incredible £2.23million in interest every year if she left it in a high-interest account, or £181,000 per month.

Miss Cunningham's colleagues at Royal Mail's Springburn sorting office in Glasgow described how she had made them check the ticket several times before finally accepting it was the winner.

One said: "You never imagine anyone you know will win these things, but it's been the talk of the sorting office here.

"She checked her ticket and was whisked off by Camelot.

"I wish I'd known her better before - I might have got a wee share. She'd never miss a million!"

Miss Cunningham has worked in the administration department since splitting from her husband Gerard Kelly, a fellow postal worker in 2002.

The couple married in 1987, but have not yet divorced. They have a 14-year-old son, John.

There was growing speculation that the windfall could lead to a bitter divorce battle.

But according to legal experts, he may not be entitled to any of the winnings because the couple have already declared their separation under Scottish law.

They may already have signed a document declaring their possessions to be separate.

But if no agreement exists, then he may be entitled to part of the jackpot in any future settlement.

Divorce lawyer Stephen Watt, of Glasgow firm Carruthers Gemmill, said: "Under Scottish law the husband is not likely to be entitled to any money if the couple are already separated.

"It really is down to the wife's goodwill."

Neighbours were left struggling to comprehend the scale of Miss Cunningham's win, which would buy a yacht, a fleet of Rolls-Royces and several houses.

Lee McMillan, 46, who lives in the same block of flats, said: "It's great that someone like Angela, a single mum who works very long hours, can actually win.

"She just gets up every day at 6am and drives to her work at the Royal Mail. Good luck to her."

The winning numbers were 23, 40, 42, 43 and 49 and the lucky star numbers were 2 and 6.

The previous record jackpot paid out to a UK lottery winner was the £22.5million won by Mark Gardiner and Paul Maddison of Hastings in 1995.

obviously the lottery is haraam but say that someone left you a fortune of £35m (yeah like thats gonna happen) what would you do? would you jack in your job and go shopping everyday? (oh yes lol) would you move abroad? buy a bling bling car? build a chocolate factory and eat chocolate all day? Buy an island and name it after yourself?

Joie de Vivre — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 - 21:48

[url=http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/08/slap-the-monk-e… Adams[/url]My favorite story of the week, if not my entire life, involves China passing a law banning Tibetan monks from reincarnating without permission.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227400/site/newsweek/

My first reaction was something along the lines of “Ha ha! You can’t regulate reincarnation!” Then I realized China manufactured every article of clothing I’m wearing, and I didn’t see that coming either. So maybe I should stop underestimating China for once. I’d like to go on record predicting China CAN control reincarnation if they set their minds to it.

(The real story is that by outlawing the reincarnation of Monks outside China, the Chinese government claims its right to veto the Dalai Lama's choice of successor.)

Ya'qub — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 - 23:18

Joie de Vivre

[url=http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2007/08/slap-the-monk-e… Adams[/url]My favorite story of the week, if not my entire life, involves China passing a law banning Tibetan monks from reincarnating without permission.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227400/site/newsweek/

My first reaction was something along the lines of “Ha ha! You can’t regulate reincarnation!” Then I realized China manufactured every article of clothing I’m wearing, and I didn’t see that coming either. So maybe I should stop underestimating China for once. I’d like to go on record predicting China CAN control reincarnation if they set their minds to it.

(The real story is that by outlawing the reincarnation of Monks outside China, the Chinese government claims its right to veto the Dalai Lama's choice of successor.)

lol