one down, hopefully more to go

canada is suspending assistance to the palestinian authority because the hamas-led government refuses to renounce violence and refuses to recognize israel.

wonder if the conservatives winning the election has anything to do with this nice piece of news...

missing by the millions

a very shocking article by ayaan hirsi ali, a somali-born member of the dutch parliament "women go 'missing' by the millions"

"...One United Nations estimate says from 113 million to 200 million women around the world are demographically "missing." Every year, from 1.5 million to 3 million women and girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence or neglect"

the article cites that there are many reasons for this, including:
1. selective abortion and infanticide
2. neglect (in favor of boys & men)
3. 'honor' killings
4. 'dowry' deaths
5. int'l sex trade
6. domestic violence
7. death at childbirth
8. genital mutilation

how can something so self-evident for us be so commonplace in other parts of the world? living with dignity and having basic human rights respected should not be a privilege of the west; there should be no other approach to human rights than those achieved for women in the western world; there should not be alternative sets of values allowing this kind of genocide to exist and at such proportions in the world today, and the western world needs to fight for this

allah is sending signs

first it was the rooster that squawks "allah" and its life was spared.

now it's a pair of oscar fish with markings on their sides spelling "allah".

between these two events, i do believe we have irrefutable proof that the apocalypse is upon us

ντροπή

"Υπόθεση μετάγγισης μολυσμένου με τον ιό του ΑIDS αίματος σε 16χρονο κορίτσι φέρνει στην επιφάνεια Το Βήμα της Τρίτης. Το περιστατικό συνέβη τον Αύγουστο/Σεπτέμβριο του 2005 στο Ιπποκράτειο Θεσσαλονίκης, πιστοποιήθηκε στις αρχές του 2006 και ο υπουργός ενημερώθηκε στις 24 Μαρτίου 2006."

από το in.gr

tell us something we didn't know

από άρθρο στο in.gr με αφορμή την έκθεση της Παγκόσμιας Τράπεζας:
«Η Ελλάδα το 2006 είναι η πιο δύσκολη χώρα της Ευρώπης για να κάνει δουλειές κανείς»

when will we ever learn?

αυτά είναι που με τρελλαίνουν στην ελλάδα: καθηγητές και φοιτητές εκτός ότι απεργούν έχουν κάνει κατάληψη σε κάποια πανεπιστήμια της χώρας. "Υπό κατάληψη βρίσκονται ήδη σχεδόν όλες οι Σχολές του Πολυτεχνείου Αθήνας, η Ιατρική Σχολή, ορισμένα Τμήματα στα Πανεπιστήμια Θράκης, Κρήτης και Πάτρας, καθώς και το Γεωπονικό Πανεπιστήμιο." (in.gr)

excuuuuuse me, αλλά με τους φόρους μου εγώ πληρώνω τα παν/μια και τους μισθούς τους. με πιο δικαίωμα οι καθηγητές κάνουν κατάληψη σε χώρους που δεν τους ανήκουν? από που κι ως που απεργούν οι πανεπιστημιακοί καθηγητές "με κύριο αίτημα να μην αλλάξει το άρθρο 16 του Συντάγματος και να μην ιδρυθούν ιδιωτικά πανεπιστήμια στη χώρα μας, κάτω από οποιαδήποτε μορφή"? is somebody afraid of something? or am i supposed to believe that greek university professors are truly concerned about the quality of university education in this country? what are they worried about? will private universities not teach us properly? or, what, they'll lose their jobs? highly unlikely. this whole situation is way beyond me. and i know the education system in greece is for the birds. but is it even remotely possible that professors are partly to blame?

praying in style

from cnn:
"A new line of jeans designed by a small company in northern Italy caters to Muslims seeking to stay comfortable while they pray...
Abdel Hamid Shaari, president of the Islamic Cultural Institute in Milan, said low-priced jeans specifically designed to keep Muslims comfortable could open up a big market in Islamic countries and countries with large Muslim populations." hmm, wonder if that would be true if these were levi's jeans (and not "al quds")

"around greece in 80 stays"

a fantastic book about the 80 most exceptional small hotels and guesthouses in greece: 80 unique places to stay on the mainland and on the islands

υπάρχει ελπίδα?

αν φύγει η αμερικάνικη πρεσβεία απ'το κέντρο, θα την ακολουθήσουν οι πορείες? is there ever any hope να μην γ***νε την καθημερινή μας ζωή η γσεε, η αδεδυ, το κοινωνικό φόρουμ, το πολυτεχνείο, το παμε και ο κάθε πικραμένος που πορεύεται μέχρι την αμερικανικη πρεσβεία για το κάθε τι που τον χαλάει?

ΠΑΜΕ & ΕΛ.ΑΣ: till death do us part

15 μαρτίου. συλλαλητήριο και πορεία του "παμε" από το σύνταγμα ως (φυσικά) την αμερικανική πρεσβεία.
ανεβαίνει η πορεία τη βασ. σοφίας. σταματάει μπροστά σε κτίριο με σκαλωσιές. γυρνάει όλη η πορεία και κοιτάζει το κτίριο γιατί βλέπουν 3-4 εργάτες πάνω στη σκαλωσιά. ντροπή κι αίσχος. δούλευαν μια τέτοια μέρα.
στο ισόγειο του κτιρίου υπάρχει ανεξάρτητος χώρος, όλος τζαμαρία μπροστά.
βλέπουν οι προστάτες του λαού κόσμο μέσα. ορμάνε με οργή πάνω στη τζαμαρία. φωνάζουν: "γαμώ το σπίτι σας, ανοίξτε!" "που τους έχετε κρύψει τους μαλάκες;" κι άλλα τέτοια. διάφοροι οικοδόμοι του "παμε" αρχίζουν να τρέχουν και να πέφτουν πάνω στη τζαμένια πόρτα και να χτυπάνε με καδρόνια τη τζαμαρία για να τα φέρουν όλα κάτω για να βρούν τους απεργοσπάστες. αυτό κράτησε περίπου 5 λεπτά. η πορεία είχε σταματήσει και περίμενε. συγχρόνως, ανέβηκαν διάφοροι επιφωτισμένοι απεργοί πάνω στη σκαλωσιά και χτυπάγαν τα τζάμια. κάτι σε πογκρόμ. ευτηχώς η τζαμαρία δεν έπεσε (είχαμε βάλει καλά τζάμια γιατί μια άλλη φορά κάποιοι αναρχικοί την είχαν φέρει όλη τη τζαμαρία κάτω). ήταν αδύνατον να συνενοηθείς μαζί τους. ζήτησα απ'τον κόσμο της εταιρίας να φύγει από μια πίσω πόρτα. ο τρόμος όλων μας ήταν απερίγραπτος.

αφού είδαν και αποείδαν με τη γαμ****νη τζαμαρία που δέν έλεγε να πέσει, μπούκαραν στο κύριος κτίριο και σπρώχναν τον κόσμο και ρωτάγαν που έχουν κρύψει τους εργάτες. σε έναν όροφο βρήκαν τα εργαλεία τους και τα κλέψαν. ευτηχώς τους εργάτες τους είχαν κρύψει και δεν τους βρήκαν. ήταν και μετανάστες. θα τους σάπιζαν στο ξύλο αν τους βρίσκανε.

με το που ξεκίνησε όλο αυτό, πήρα την αστυνομία η οποία ήταν άφαντη. ήταν άφαντη ενώ γνώριζε ότι θα γίνει πορεία και γνωρίζει ότι πάντα γίνονται φασαρίες και συνήθως έχει ματ σε όλη τη βασ. σοφία. η ώρα μία παρά δέκα. δεν ήρθε. όταν ξαναπήρα την αστυνομία στις 1.25 (όπου είχε προχωρήσει η επανάσταση πια στην πρεσβεία) για να παραπονεθώ που δεν ήρθαν, έγινε οι ακόλουθοι συζήτηση:
- γιατί δεν έχει έρθει κανείς;
- έχουμε ειδοποιήσει κυρία μου, θα έρθουν.
- μα να έρθουν τώρα δεν έχει νόημα. γιατί δεν ήταν εδώ όταν χρειαζόταν;
- η αστυνομία δεν πετάει
- δηλαδή, η επίσημη θέση της αστυνομίας σε μια κλήση επείγουσα ότι μας έχουν επιτεθεί είναι ότι η αστυνομία δεν πετάει;
- όπως εσείς είχατε πρόβλημα μετακίνησης, έτσι και η αστυνομία
- μα δεν σας μίλησα για μετακίνηση. για προστασία από επίθεση σας μίλαγα.
- αν δεν σας αρέσει ο τρόπος που σας μιλάω, η συζήτησή μας καταγράφεται
- ο τρόπος σας δεν είναι το θέμα, αυτά που μου λέτε είναι το θέμα.
- δεν είστε η μόνη που έχετε πρόβλημα σήμερα
- ναι, αλλά δεν ήταν τυχαίο γεγονός. γνωρίζατε ότι θα γίνει πορεία. γνωρίζετε επίσης ότι πάντα γίνονται φασαρίες και τα τελευταία χρόνια έχετε πάντα αστυνομία να φυλάει. αυτή τη φορά γιατί το αγνοήσατε;
- εφόσον έχετε πρόβλημα κυρία μου ας προσλάβετε ιδιωτικό security. εμείς τι να σας κάνουμε;

στις 1.30, όταν πια είχε διαλυθεί η επανάσταση για να πάνε οι κουρασμένοι επαναστάτες να πιούνε κανά κρασάκι και να φάνε καμιά γαρδουμπίτσα, ήρθε και η αστυνομία να μας προστατέψει

simply irresistible...

(i mean the new ipod hi-fi)

they had it coming

when i read about the israeli raid of the jericho prison - in order to deter the freeing of a palestinian terrorist - it makes me feel just a bit safer. it's good to know that the israelis are around to take care of this if and when iran comes close to producing the bomb

a kurdish author threatened by islamists

mariwan halabjayi, a kurdish author, has been widely criticized by kurdish islamic scholars for his book "sex, women and shariah in the history of islam", concerned with how islam is used to oppress women. as a result, the islamic league of kurdistan has issued a fatwa to kill halabjayi if he does not repent and apologize for writing the book. it comes as no surprise that this same organization has issued a fatwa to kill the danish cartoonists.

halabjayi is in hiding with his pregnant wife and his 3 children.

a petition for his and his family's unconditional protection can be signed here

vodafone rocks

from ekathimerini (march 9):
"Vodafone said yesterday that Koronias’s duties will be broadened and will include business development in Eastern Europe and the Balkans"

and meanwhile the greek press, greek mp's, greeks in general all want his head on a stick and believe he's the biggest criminal (along with the usa) to walk this earth.

well done mr. koronias, well done vodafone

who's defective: it or you?

a study by elke den ouden from the technical university of eindhoven found that half of all malfunctioning products returned to stores by consumers are in full working order, but customers can't figure out how to operate the devices
it seems that the sophistication of tech products has outpaced human sophistication the full story here

why don't i care?

milan babic was found dead in his jail cell. he apparently committed suicide. he was the president of the self-proclaimed croatian republic of krajina, formed after croatia broke away from yugoslavia in 1991. babic was serving a 13-year prison sentence as one of those responsible for murders in this area in an effort to create an ethnically clean serbian state

nice car

greece stands accused (by the european parliament) of victimising drivers of foreign-registered cars - hitting them with huge fines and confiscating their vehicles for no reason

from bbc news

the world's most awful album cover ever

un-bear-able cruelty

chinese are notorious not only for their human rights abuses, but also for their abuses of animal rights.
in china bears are kept in cages, in a horizontal position and they are continuously milked for bile. the bile is believed to be useful in treating fever, liver illnesses and sore eyes.
a catheter is introduced into their body that continuously absorbs the liquid from their gall bladders.. the bears cannot change their position and remain in this condition of permanent pain between 15 and 20 years. apart from being forced to sit in one position for their entire life (which is obviously very painful) the removal of the bile is also an extremely painful process and the bears yelp in pain each time. in many bear farms, the chinese bear keepers cut off the bears toes and remove their teeth so they won't hurt the workers.
according to the world society for the protection of animals, 7,000 caged bears are being milked for their bile in china today
the european parliament has passed a resolution demanding pressure on china to ban the farming of bears for bile.

the more you drink, the fatter you get

"One of every five calories in the American diet is liquid. The nation's single biggest "food" is soda, and nutrition experts have long demonized it.

Now they are escalating the fight.

In reports to be published in science journals this week, two groups of researchers hope to add evidence to the theory that soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks don't just go hand-in-hand with obesity, but actually cause it. Not that these drinks are the only cause - genetics, exercise and other factors are involved - but that they are one cause, perhaps the leading cause."

read the article here

number two is back

al qaeda's #2 man al-zawahri called on muslims to do all sorts of things:
first, to attack the west, proposing similar strikes as those against n.y., london & madrid
second, he urged hamas to not recognize the peace deals between the p.a. and israel
third, he called on muslims to boycott countries where satirical cartoons of the prophet muhammed had been published
fourth, he claimed that muslims should prevent the west from stealing the muslims' oil
fifth, he urged muslims to give financial support to islamic fighters

in essence, al qaeda's #2 is calling for another round of killings

from yahoo news

the world doesn't deserve these two

iran has become the closest middle east ally to hugo chavez in venezuela and hugo chavez has vehemently defended the terrorist regime of the mullahs and their right to acquire nuclear centrifuges.

for all that separates the leftist would-be marxist despot in the making and the islamist terror government, they seem to be finding that they have a lot in common...

3 pakistani realities

reality #1
the picture at left

reality #2:
pakistan has blocked sites from all over which invite people to draw cartoons of the prophet muhammad. in the process, pakistan authorities have blocked the popular blog hosting site, blogspot, and pakistani bloggers can't access their blogs - regardless of their content - if hosted on blogspot.

reality #3:
pakistan is seeking an internationally applicable law against blasphemy.

for details on #2 and #3 here

MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism

from the Jyllands Posten

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.

We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all.

The recent events, which occurred after the publication of drawings of Muhammed in European newspapers, have revealed the necessity of the struggle for these universal values. This struggle will not be won by arms, but in the ideological field. It is not a clash of civilisations nor an antagonism of West and East that we are witnessing, but a global struggle that confronts democrats and theocrats.

Like all totalitarianisms, Islamism is nurtured by fears and frustrations. The hate preachers bet on these feelings in order to form battalions destined to impose a liberticidal and unegalitarian world. But we clearly and firmly state: nothing, not even despair, justifies the choice of obscurantism, totalitarianism and hatred. Islamism is a reactionary ideology which kills equality, freedom and secularism wherever it is present. Its success can only lead to a world of domination: man's domination of woman, the Islamists' domination of all the others. To counter this, we must assure universal rights to oppressed or discriminated people.

We reject cultural relativism, which consists in accepting that men and women of Muslim culture should be deprived of the right to equality, freedom and secular values in the name of respect for cultures and traditions. We refuse to renounce our critical spirit out of fear of being accused of "Islamophobia", an unfortunate concept which confuses criticism of Islam as a religion with stigmatisation of its believers.

We plead for the universality of freedom of expression, so that a critical spirit may be exercised on all continents, against all abuses and all dogmas.

We appeal to democrats and free spirits of all countries that our century should be one of Enlightenment, not of obscurantism.

12 signatures

Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Chahla Chafiq
Caroline Fourest
Bernard-Henri Lévy
Irshad Manji
Mehdi Mozaffari
Maryam Namazie
Taslima Nasreen
Salman Rushdie
Antoine Sfeir
Philippe Val
Ibn Warraq

what a difference a month makes

two statements by ismail haniyah, hamas leader (whose charter calls to destroy Israel)

february 26, 2006:
"If Israel declares that it will give the Palestinian people a state and give them back all their rights, then we are ready to recognize them" (the Washington Post)

january 20, 2006:
"They have tried to pressure Hamas to abandon resistance and to abandon arms. They tried to pressure Hamas to abandon its strategic choice in Palestine, all of Palestine. They tried to pressure Hamas to recognize the legitimacy of the occupation. But they failed… We say Hamas will not change its constant principles." (Reuters)

wonder if the threats of cutting off the $$$$$ had anything to do with this