Archive > December 2008
Villagers with Torches
An outside agitating, former ACLU, Vietnam protesting, ACTUAL LIBERAL and as of August/08 a FORMER registered dem, asks the question in righteous indignation
Trevor Blake: End of Time, Two Views
Gordon Rayner: Muslim groups ‘linked to September 11 hijackers spark fury over conference’: The End of Time event at the East London Mosque, which is being publicised on internet sites including Facebook, will feature a videotaped lecture from Anwar al-Awlaki, who is banned from entering the United States after allegedly acting as a spiritual adviser to three of the September 11 terrorists. Mr Awlaki, who lives in Yemen, has been described as “an al-Qaeda supporter” by the US Department of Homeland Security, which has accused him in recent months of using video lectures to “encourage terrorist attacks”. He is due to deliver a video lecture at the mosque in Whitechapel on New Year’s Day. Speeches will have titles such as The sound of the trumpet – the real terror starts. Other speakers will include Suhaib Hasan, who advocates implementing sharia in Britain, and Khalid Yasin, who has described the beliefs of Christians and Jews as “filth”. The publicity material for the all-day event appears to be a clear reference to the attacks on New York, and features meteors raining down on Manhattan, setting fire to the city and shattering the Statue of Liberty.
East London Mosque, Response to the article in the Daily Telegraph: The Mosque hires out its facilities to all users regardless of faith, creed or colour. The “End of Time” event to be held on Thursday 1st January 2009 is an event which being organised by Noor Pro Media. The subject which is being discussed during the event is the Islamic concepts on Judgement Day and the Afterlife. These concepts are also prevalent in other faiths including the Christian and Jewish faiths. None of the speakers that are involved with the event are banned from entering the UK or are convicted of any hate crimes. Additionally, East London Mosque believes that keeping within the British ideals of free speech and tolerance, that different parties with differing views should be given a platform to speak on to raise the level of public debate about issues that directly affect society.
[Articles continue at links. East London Mosque did indeed respond to the article in the Daily Telegraph. But it did not refute it. The Telegraph said that Anwar al-Awlaki is banned from entering the United States, not the UK. East London Mosque may rent their facilities to all users regardless of faith, creed or colour, they may keep the British ideals of free speech and tolerance, that different parties with differing views should be given a platform to speak on to raise the level of public debate. But that is not what the Quran says or what the great majority of Muslims in the world say now or have ever said. The best possible outcome for this contradiction is that the West will secularize Islam in the same way it secularized Christianity. That will not occur by making excuses for violent idiots. And if secular progress continues, we can go on to talk about how Jewish, Christian and Islamic concepts of Judgement Day and the afterlife are issues that directly affect society... falsely and negatively. When you've got an invisible monster that lives in the sky on your side, when the world is going to end anyway, when you are filled with divine right then anything goes and no apologies. That's not anything that needs to exist in the 21st Century. - Trevor Blake]
Karl Rove Says George W. Bush Is a Book Lover – WSJ.com
Each year, the president also read the Bible from cover to cover, along with a daily devotional.
Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet: It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Researchers
Indulgence in a high-fat diet can not only lead to overweight because of excessive calorie intake, but also can affect the balance of circadian rhythms
Another Reason To Avoid High-fat Diet: It Can Disrupt Our Biological Clock, Say Researchers
Mars Rovers Near Five Years Of Science And Discovery
humanity’s first overland expedition on another planet
Skipping Sleep May Signal Problems For Coronary Arteries
One extra hour of sleep per night appears to decrease the risk of coronary artery calcification
Songs From The Sea: Deciphering Dolphin Language With Picture Words
Now that dolphin chirps, click-trains and whistles can be converted into CymaGlyphs, we have an important tool for deciphering their meaning. [if any, okay?]
Songs From The Sea: Deciphering Dolphin Language With Picture Words
Under the sky and over the whole Earth, the Human race is only one! | MetaFilter
When her Japanese-American husband was sent to internment camps in California and Wyoming, Estelle Peck Ishigo chose to accompany him. An art-school teacher fired for her interracial marriage, she documented the three-and-a-half-year ordeal in a short memoir and hundreds of sketches and paintings.
Under the sky and over the whole Earth, the Human race is only one! | MetaFilter
What happened to Brian Walker, the Rocketguy? | Ask Metafilter
He’s given up on the rocket. Now he’s going to shoot himself into the air with the world’s largest crossbow. [He lives in Bend, OR]
What happened to Brian Walker, the Rocketguy? | Ask Metafilter
The Future Ruins of the Nuclear Age By Masha Gessen
“I am being tested. The human capacity for survival is being tested.”
hurleyoptimized.gif (GIF Image, 608×336 pixels)
Hurly on the scooter in the airport. Did you notice then what you’re going to notice now? LOST
A plankton-eat-plankton world – MIT News Office
MIT researchers have created a microbial ecosystem smaller than a stick of gum [JUST LIKE THE LITTLE AQUARIUM IN THE STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL!]
To lift motorists, smiley masks for Thai police – International Herald Tribune
“Normally people smile. You don’t have to put on a smiley mask. But these past few years that smile has worn thin because we are all angry at each other and willing to show it.”
To lift motorists, smiley masks for Thai police – International Herald Tribune
Global warming: Reasons why it might not actually exist – Telegraph
some of the arguments put forward by those who believe that global warming is all a hoax. [Open to falsification = science. Above criticism = religion. Mockery okay.]
Global warming: Reasons why it might not actually exist – Telegraph
Classic Animation Remixed | MetaFilter
Easily several day’s worth of links to television animation. Yoinks!
Oregon town an earthquake hot spot – UPI.com
Scientists say they have yet to definitively determine what is causing the town of Maupin, Ore., to endure an earthquake every other day.
Video: Great white shark circles kayakers and fishermen in Sydney – Telegraph
One of the group was even knocked into the water by the shark, and was forced to tread water while the man-eating creature circled him for a minute. [UNPLEASANTNESS.]
Video: Great white shark circles kayakers and fishermen in Sydney – Telegraph
Why Locusts Abandon A Solitary Life For The Swarm
once the insects’ ranks grow to a certain threshold size, banding together prevents predators from moving from one patch of insects to the next and easily picking the bugs off one by one.
