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Was the Ottoman empire a force for good or evil?

published by You on 28 January, 2010 - 14:03

I have mentioned on here quite a few time how the "Middle-eastern front" in World War one is often overlooked and many do not know that a major part of world war one was the decimation of the ottoman empire.

However, something that has not been discussed, nor have I looked at is the Ottoman empire itself.

How was it run? Was it a force for good or evil?

Why did everyone want to break away?

I think we can all agree that the Armenian genocide was absolutely appalling, but other than that, what else was there (especially in the late Ottoman empire)?

Smacked children more successful later in life

published by You on 28 January, 2010 - 01:54

Smacked children more successful later in life, study finds

Children who are smacked by their parents may grow up to be happier and more successful than those spared physical discipline, research suggests.

A study found that youngsters smacked up to the age of six did better at school and were more optimistic about their lives than those never hit by their parents.

They were also more likely to undertake voluntary work and keener to attend university, experts discovered.

The research, conducted in the United States, is likely to anger children’s rights campaigners who have unsuccessfully fought to ban smacking in Britain.

Bearded man gets pregnant O_o

published by You on 27 January, 2010 - 21:22

The world's SECOND pregnant man is 'blissfully happy' as he prepares to give birth to baby boy next month

A transgender couple have revealed they are expecting their first baby in a month’s time.

Scott Moore - thought to be only the second ‘pregnant man’ to go public - is due to give birth to a boy in February, with husband Thomas by his side.

The couple were both born girls and have undergone surgery to transform their sex.

Scott, 30, who is legally married to Thomas because he still has a female birth certificate, says he is eagerly looking forward to giving birth.

They have decided to call the child ‘Miles’.

‘We know some people will criticise us but we are blissfully happy and not ashamed,’ Scott said.

Abel Xavier accepts Islam

published by You on 25 January, 2010 - 03:28

Football star Abel Xavier embraced Islam on a trip to the United Arab Emirates last week and said he will now quit football at the age of 38 to pursue a career in humanitarian work, press reports revealed.

Former Portuguese international, Abel, who will now go by the name of Faisal Xavier, said he regretted leaving the sport but said he was happy to enter a new phase in his life.

"While it's an emotional farewell, I hope to participate in something very special as I enter a new stage of my life," press reports quoted Xavier, who also once played for Liverpool and Everton, as saying.

Haiti capital earthquake death toll 'tops 150,000'

published by You on 25 January, 2010 - 00:42

The confirmed death toll from Haiti's devastating earthquake has risen above 150,000 in the Port-au-Prince area alone, a government minister has said.

Communications minister Marie-Laurence Jocelyn Lassegue said the count was based on bodies collected in and around the capital by state company CNE.

Many more remain uncounted under rubble in the capital and elsewhere, including the towns of Jacmel and Leogane.

The search for survivors has officially ended and the focus has shifted to aid.

As the death toll in Haiti has risen, it has become clear the 12 January quake is one of the worst natural disasters to have struck in recent years.

Read more @ BBC News

Male Passenger Sues British Airways for Sexual Discrimination

published by You on 22 January, 2010 - 22:41

Innocent until proven guilty' is not a presumption British Airlines is willing to make when it comes to sex offenders. The airline does not allow minors to be seated next to unfamiliar adult males, and now one man is accusing the airline of branding all men as sexual predators.

"I was made to feel like a criminal in front of other passengers. It was totally humiliating," said 33-year-old business man Mirko Fischer to the UK's Daily Mail on January 16th. Fischer says he was insulted when forced to separate from his 6-month-pregnant wife after being sandwiched between her and a 12-year-old boy.

Muslim police say Islam not to blame for terror attacks

published by You on 21 January, 2010 - 15:43

Muslim police officers have rebelled openly against the Government’s anti-terrorism strategy, warning that it is an “affront to British values” which threatens to trigger ethnic unrest.

The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) claimed that ministers were wrong to blame Islam for being the “driver” behind recent terrorist attacks.

Far-Right extremists were a more dangerous threat to national security, it said.

The officers told MPs that Muslims were being “stigmatised” by the Government’s attempts to tackle terrorism, which was adding to “hatred” against entire communities.

In the official intervention, the association said the Government’s anti-terrorism policies could not “continue unchecked”.

Egyptian mobile users warned off Koran-based ringtones

published by You on 21 January, 2010 - 15:39

Stick to prayer, invocation and recitation, says Mufti

Egypt's supreme religious law authority has delivered a stinging slap to mobile users who were adapting verses from the Koran as ringtones, saying they were violating the sanctity of the word of God.

Mufti Ali Gomaa has put a stop to the practice, according to Reuters, on the basis that users could truncate the holy verses when they answer calls, thereby confusing the quotations and misdirecting themselves and other listeners.

"Putting the Holy Koran or the call to prayer as a mobile phone ringtone trivializes the sanctity of the verses, which are for prayer, invocation and recitation and not to be taken out of their legitimate use," the Mufti Gomaa told Egypt's state news agency.

The perils of young Egyptians' secret marriages

published by You on 21 January, 2010 - 15:03

In the leafy grounds of Cairo University there are many dating couples among the crowds of students. Some sit close together in shady corners and hold hands.

Religious customs and ideas of social propriety in Egypt do not permit them to take their relationships much further.

However there is a way of bending the rules - urfi marriage.

Young Egyptians are said to be opting for these informal marriages in record numbers, often as a way of getting around religious strictures against premarital sex.

"It's a secret marriage between a boy and girl which even their parents don't know about," explains a 20-year-old archaeology student. "They don't announce it publicly."

Iran 'formally rejects nuclear fuel deal'

published by You on 20 January, 2010 - 14:35

Iran has told the International Atomic Energy Agency it does not accept the terms of a deal to ease concerns about its nuclear programme, diplomats say.

For months, the Iranian government has criticised the offer to ship low-enriched uranium abroad in return for fuel, but never responded formally.

But diplomats say Tehran is now suggesting an alternative involving a simultaneous exchange on its territory.

Correspondents say the proposal is very unlikely to be acceptable to the West.

The US and its allies fear Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

Read more @ BBC News

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