Abdurrahman's Blog

John McCain's IQ is 138, Says Ad

2008-11-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

"Are you smarter than the next president?"

I was surfing the internet today, namely the ABC News website, where I found this funny but rather disturbing fact. Apparently, the advertisement is about an IQ tests website. It seems that the advertisers have zero IQ to say something like that. First, McCain is not the next president... not anymore. Second, if McCain's IQ is that high, how high would Obama's IQ be? How high would my IQ be? The advertisement is probably outdated, but surely funny and worth sharing.

Obama, Palin to Feature in Video Game

2008-11-07T07:55:00.000-08:00

That's the spirit! I think this could be the most effective advertising in our times. Having Mr. President featured in a video game as a playable character is surely captivating. This is where Obama and Palin could be tested for their true skills and show some real moves, not any of the politics cheap talk. I'd enjoy running around as Palin and getting killed over and over and over and etc. Or play as Obama to kick some Arab ass... just the usual day at the office for a guy like Obama. The game is called Merceneries 2. It's in stores now and getting the downloadable content with our heroes soon.

Mouth-Off: "Obama FTW" and "Go Obama" Don't Specifically Apply to Us, Arabs

2008-11-05T13:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm in lots of angst at the moment and I need to mouth off. That's dedicated to all Arabs who think Obama is cool... those who believe Obama leads a bright, promising future for America and the world, including the Arab World.

Well, that's partially true, though, because Obama does have promising plans for the future of the free nation of America, but to me, as an Arab, he offers me nothing. I have seen it everywhere. People jumping from joy all around me because Obama won the presidency... these people are neither Americans nor living in America, but still support an American president. The guys put up status messages on Facebook saying "Obama FTW" (FTW=For The Win) and "Go Obama". Yeah, I know it's cool to have a new president after eight years of Republicans ruling the world. But hey, I'm not American, so it's not cool.

I'd like to say first that I praise Obama for what he is. He is a really charismatic person with a lot of influence. He is not arrogant like Bush. He is educated and knows what he's talking about. If I was American, I would surely give my vote to Obama. But as an Arab, I refuse to support someone who has every intention of fighting Arabs, and especially Muslims.

As an Arab, and particularly (but not limited to) Muslim, I must take a stand against many of America's oppressive policies. I have to stress on the fact that I'm opposing the American policies, but not Obama in person, nor McCain or Bush. McCain seems to me more of an Arab-hater than Obama, but both follow the same American political agenda and work hard to achieve what's best for America. America's interests do not change with the president. It's the same country, but with a different face.

So Obama promised a lot of things, including ending the war in Iraq, improving health care and energy independence, which, at some point, Obama pointed out as his three main objectives. Again, I'm stressing that these are objectives that are best for America. They don't even benefit us in the least bit. He must end the war in Iraq because it's a major contributor to America's deficit.

Energy independence is actually not doable for a nation like America. America's energy comes from the OPEC countries (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, etc.), Russia, Venezuela and Canada. In this speech, Obama promises that in ten years, America will end its dependence on oil from the Middle East. Although this is not doable, if it happens, that's a ban on Arab countries.

I believe this is impossible, though, because America depends largely on oil. American oil from the Middle East is 15% of its total oil imports. It cannot recover that amount by increasing imports from Russia or Venezuela, which do not seem very much under American control as much as Middle Eastern countries. The OPEC countries are also close allies to the United States, pretty much the same as Canada, so such move is not favourable for America. It does not seem to me as an environmental issue neither because 15% is still not enough to reduce our carbon footprint.

Plus, he is pro-Israel. So that doesn't change much from America's position in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Just the same way "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" goes, I could say "The friend of my enemy is my enemy". That's simple logic and sums the whole thing up.

Obama is There

2008-11-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

Today, Democrats are celebrating Obama's win in the presidential race. It was expected. Throughout the past month, Obama was obviously ahead at the race. Obama has got the intelligence, charisma, funds, supporters and luck. He was able to energize his supporters through his promising speech. He told the people what they wanted to hear, making them a bright future. He criticized the Bush administration in the Iraq war, specifically, and promised change in other issues such as energy independence and providing universal health care.

One of the main reasons behind Obama's success is intelligence, which is lacking in Bush. His campaign won the votes of two groups from the very beginning - African-Americans and the youth. He always encouraged young people, who are not very much into politics, to vote and take part. They represent a large portion of the American population, so winning such a group is a very intelligent move, Mr. President.

Luck has played a major role in Obama's success. Luck? Yes, it is luck that very much contributed to Obama's win. One of the main points of strength in the Republican McCain's campaign is war against terrorism. No terrorist attacks have happened in the past months, so Obama kept support and people didn't rush to McCain seeking protection. Such events could really shift consequences, but for Obama's luck, it just didn't happen.

Sexual Harassment.. In Egypt?

2008-10-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

Okay first of all, I am not surprised in any way that we have sexual harassment in Egypt, but I am in extreme disgust of the Egyptian people... my people.

This is not Egypt... at least not the Egypt I know and studied about. Sexual harassment (in Egyptian arabic, "mo'aksa") is forbidden in Islam, and is a taboo in the Egyptian culture. The man who harasses women is known to be a sissy. But it seems that the condition in Egypt has worsened very much that people no longer have ethics, nor follow their religion.

I am actually against the "I am this, because I'm poor... I do that, because I'm poor" idealogy. I am talking about those who blame "poverty" for the fact that he's unmannered, hot-tempered, greedy, impatient and dirty-mouthed/minded. I have noticed that as I described the (stereo-?) typical Egyptian, or most Egyptians, to be more specific, the (bad) traits have become more and more unrelated to poverty. Being unmannered and dirty-minded is not because you're poor. Egypt has had poor people all the time. In King Farouk's era, there were a lot of poor people, but they were not like this. Each and every Egyptian, whether rich or poor, was well-mannered and followed his religion.

So apparently, the problem we have in Egypt is not because of poor people being poor. It is because of almost everyone being unmannered. It is a problem... a serious problem. Based on surveys, 83% of veiled, Egyptian women reported that they have been harassed at least once in their lives. They are veiled, but still harassed. I have heard from many Egyptian youth that they harass women because they wear tight or seductive clothes. That's not even a reason to harass them. But here, the women are veiled, but are still harassed. It is more of a lack in manners than in wealth.

The reason why I'm writing about this is because of this article I ran through while surfing the web. It is about a tourist's experience in Egypt. She got into disgusting situations that really make you hate Egyptians.

One kiss on the mouth, and he'll give me the equivalent of a dollar. I am walking through a market in Cairo, Egypt, when I realize that sexual harassment has no limits here. - Quoted from the tourist

Kiss on the mouth? Seriously, this is getting ugly. Plus, he is going to pay 5 pounds. If he saves them rather than spend them on kissing tourists, he would've become wealthy. If he wants a kiss on the mouth, he should get married... Seriously! Read the article to see a more detailed description of the incidents. She suffered. If I were in her shoes, I'd hate Egypt and not want to visit the country again.

Another survey states that 98% of foreign women get sexually harassed on their tour in Egypt. This means less tourism in the country and eventually less foreign money going to the government. Now, can't you see that sexual harassment threatens tourism? These people are sick (not as in ill). They can pop up anywhere in Egypt and harass women just for the sake of it. They know they will be turned down, but they just do it. No wonder why they remain poor and God does not bless their money.

Just an advice to any potential tourists out there. If you ever come to Egypt, always stick with the guide on your tour. If you're female and without a guide in Egypt, your tour will turn into a nightmare. Egypt is a wonderful country, despite the criticisms. The criticisms are mostly true, but if you're joined with a guide, the tour will be great. Firstly, you'll get your time schedule organized so you'll be able to visit the best places in Egypt. Secondly, the guide will give you lots of information about the places and landmarks. Thirdly, the guide can tell you about prices and where to buy souvenirs. Last but not least, you will be protected from harassments!

Visit Egypt!

Obama: 57 States?

2008-10-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

In the last 15 months, we travelled to every corner of the United States. I've now been to fifty... seven states? I think one left to go.

I have to say I got surprised at first. I mean... Obama? That's most expected from Bush, because as far as I know, Obama is not as ignorant as Bush. Will a series of Obamisms start just like Bushisms? I guess not. Obama is less likely to make linguistic or factual errors. He's human, so he's expected some mistakes. But 57 states? After all, it could be some sort of misunderstanding, or may be he was joking. A slip of tongue may be? It's funny anyway and needs to be shared. As for the fact that it's an old vid, I just found it yesterday and I think it's worth watching and sharing ;-).

Message to Readers

2008-10-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the no sign of life. I'm short of time and ideas at the moment and I'm having exams in about one week. Wish me luck, pray for me, etc. I'll try my best to post in the coming days, but I'll be back to blogging very soon.

P.S. My friends can now follow my blog through Facebook!

An Overview of the Economic Situation in Egypt

2008-09-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Many say that the economic situation in Egypt has started its decline since Nasser's nationalization back in the the 50s. Others say it has been declining greatly nowadays because of the unprofessional privatisation steps taken in Mubarak's reign. The former opinion is rather extreme because most of the people saying that are already criticizing Nasser's decisions in many other aspects than the communist economy. I believe privatization has led to many unfavourable consequences in the Egyptian economy, such as monopolies and inflation.

Nasser's nationalization was not a bad step as he aimed for "Egyptianizing" the economy, as it was mainly dominated by foreign private capital back in King Farouk's era. He redistributed the country's wealth, gave the poor new life opportunities and encouraged local industries. The criticism on Nasser's actions were mainly about the unjust take over of personal belongings and assets, but it was a time in the history of Egypt when drastic decisions were to be made in order to accomplish change.

On the other hand, privatisation has brought many domestic and foreign private capital for investment on many industries. It has caused profit-seeking businesses to take advantage and create monopolies. With many of them being members of the parliament, they get lots of illegal support from the state, due to corruption. With that put aside, external factors affecting Egypt, including the rise in global prices and the economic problems in the United States, are also a major cause of economic problems in Egypt.

Plus, there are no business ethics any more. The morals Allah teaches us in the Qur'an are no longer followed. Egyptian markets are suffering everyday from monopolies, with them are the poor who cannot afford some goods and services they used to afford before any more. The one very example of monopoly in Egypt is Dikheila's in iron and steel. Another problem Egyptians suffer from is cruel and unfair traders. It is known that on the first of Ramadan, demand on food supplies becomes very, very high. For that reason, local supermarkets (and traders with no business ethics) have increased prices on these necessities, taking advantage of high demand and forcing Egyptian consumers to spend more.

The Egyptian economy is heading towards inflation. Rising prices of food and petrol are the main indicators of merciless inflation on the horizon. The costs of living more than doubled, whereas the earnings remain stagnant. With 25% of Egyptians living under poverty line, it has become very difficult for bottom-feeders to cope with price increases. Necessities now cost more than they did a couple of years ago, and much, much more than 5-10 years ago. Also, the income of most residents in the rural areas does not exceed $2 (11 EGP) a day, that is $60 (330 EGP) a month.

Daily News Chief Editor suggests that despite the current economic crisis gripping Egypt and the world, the government and its citizens must look to the future.

"Huge social subsidies and quick fixes are not enough," she begins. "Forward vision and sound planning, with the express aim of lifting the struggling masses from adverse poverty, is the only way to guarantee political, social and economic stability in a country teeming with the disappointment of millions of disenfranchised youth whose small buried dreams will soon turn into bitterness and violence."

"Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" Movie Redistributed, Prompts Hatred, Angst and Disgust

2008-09-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Mass-distribution of film, Obsession, is financed by pro-McCain groups and prompts hatred, angst and disgust.

I was just writing about how racist Israel and the west are. Now, they're even proving it more. Free copies of the 2006 racist American movie "Obsession" are being distributed this week in several U.S. states through local papers. As part of McCain's presidential campaign indirectly, the movie is releasing, spreading islamophobia around the powerful and fearless nation, America. The film is a typical example of American terror propaganda.

About the Film

The film features pro-Israel ex-terrorist Walid Shoebat (trash-) talking about Islam, and how radical muslims are such terrorists and Israel is peaceful nation. The movie compares the threat of radical Islam with that of Nazism. It shows that Islamic parties are similar to the Nazi party, and Adolf Hitler relating with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. Just for your information, the term Grand Mufti of Jerusalem describes the Sunni Muslim cleric present in Jerusalem, in charge of the holy places in Jerusalem. Not because the Mufti sat one day with Hitler, he is Nazi! Eisenhower sat with Hitler one day. Does that make him Nazi? Hitler had benefits with the Mufti because Palestine was once an English colony.

The movie starts off with showing the September 11th attacks in New York. Yeah, it's a tragedy... A tower with offices of the hugest companies of the world. But the destruction of Palestinians houses and Iraqi buildings is no tragedy at all. What the hell? Both are civilians! Iraqis and Palestinians are humans just the same as Americans, and should have human rights just the same way. The film then moves to the 11 March Madrid attacks. How many victims? About two hundred. Just count how many vehicles in Palestine have been destroyed by Israeli terrorists, and how many in Iraq destroyed by American imperialists. After all, it is not known yet whether "radical" Muslims are responsible for the attacks, as it is possible that ETA is responsible for it. That's in addition to the London attacks and the attacks in Russia on the school. Now Russia is no longer the bad guy, but we (Muslims) are.

This Palestinian woman talking in the film is full of shit. Seriously... She's not even Muslim. She doesn't want the Holy Qur'an (Allah's words) to replace the constitution (man's words)! The quotes taken about Abu Hamza are not true.. not even logical. This is the first time in my life to hear about non-Muslims treated like "cows". In Muslim land, you cannot sell a non-Muslim in the slave market. You cannot kill a non-Muslim. This is total bullshit. This part is a result of montage, and it's obvious. Why would he say that? Why didn't the movie makers keep the whole topic, or even placed it in context? This is because he never said such a thing. Abu Hamza was clearly talking about something else, and they only took out the parts they like. Any Muslim would not believe this as it's not logical, and would know that it is fake.

Jihad was once a good term for America. When the Soviets were the bad guys back in the late 80's and early 90's, America supplied Muslim Jihad from Chechnya with weapons, and Jihad was once an ally. It's all changed now. Jihad (for America of course) is now terrorism. Americans can just flip the facts the way they want.

What is Jihad?
Jihad is literally another word for "struggle". It is not "holy war". It is actually a way of life. Jihad is the self-struggle of a Muslim against all pleasures of life for the sake of Allah. I can't see anything wrong with that. Death for the sake of Allah is only a part of Jihad. It is only when a Muslim nation is in the state of war. Death for the sake of Allah, I repeat, is a minor part of Jihad. We don't get those ads on TV calling for Jihad. It's just unbelievable how biased this film is.

Islamist Propaganda vs. Western Propaganda

I have to say this is the first time I hear of this term, "Islamist Propaganda". I have lived all of my life in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and I have never seen anyone on TV or in the streets that calls for Jihad. Plus, if somebody attacks me in my place, kills my family and destroys my house, I will never be peaceful and welcoming. That's the same thing happening in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries. Then from where do you think those people you call "terrorists" come from? Nobody is violent by nature. Nobody likes killing. Terrorism is one whole thing, and resistance is another.

What about western propaganda? Resistance is a word we haven't heard in the media for decades. Those so-called "radical Muslims" are resisting. All these attacks are no more than responses to the terror America left in Iraq, and the violence Israel imposes in Palestine. All the hate you see in them (although this film is extremely biased) is from the hate originating in the west from the first place. In the west, there are capitalists... those who are greedy and can slaughter blood for oil, not any of the "freeing the land from a dictator" bullshit as claimed about the war in Iraq... those are major companies in America that control the economy of the country. They have no morals. All they want is money. Then what do you think the war in Iraq was all about in the first place?

Hate speech! That's one term I've heard in this film repeatedly. Hate! Hatred! Hate speech! Hate propaganda! There is no such thing as hate propaganda that comes from nowhere. It is all a form of response from the hate propaganda that America initiated in Iraq and Afghanistan during the wars. What do you expect from someone who saw his family slaughtered, his house destroyed and his neighbours killed and the whole country at war?

Obsession is the typical example of propaganda. It is hate speech. It is more of "Radical Misinformation and the War Against Islam" rather than "Radical Islam's War Against the West". It is literally war against Islam.

[Source]

Did You Know?

2008-09-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

An Interesting List You've Never Known About.. Deception At It's Best
The following is also a list of Did-you-know facts that we don't hear about in the media. Western governments hide these facts from the people in order to show how "righteous" Israel is and how much of victims they are, and that we, Arabs, are the terrorists and that we do not want peace, whereas Israel is promoting peace. America is full of shit. Just look at how racist and violent Israel is.

That non-Jewish Israelis cannot buy or lease land in Israel?

That in Hebron, 85% of the water is given to about 400 settlers,while 15%must be divided among Hebron's 120,000 Palestinians?

That Palestinian license plates in Israel are color coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews?

That the United States awards Israel $5 billion in aid each year?

That yearly US aid to Israel exceeds the aid the US grants to the whole African continent?

That Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has nuclear weapons?

That Israel is the only country in the Middle East that refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and bars international inspections from its sites?

That Israel has for decades routinely sent assassins in to other countries to kill its political enemies?

That high-ranking military officers in the Israeli Defense Forces have admitted publicly that unarmed prisoners of war were Executed by the IDF?

That Israel refuses to prosecute its soldiers who have acknowledged executing prisoners of war?

That Israel blew up an American diplomatic facility in Egypt and attacked a U.S. ship in international waters, killing 33 and wounding 177 American sailors?

That the second most powerful lobby in the United States, according to a recent Fortune magazine survey of Washington insiders, is the Israeli AIPAC?

That Israel stands in defiance of 69 or more United Nations Security Council Resolutions?

Today's Israel sits on the former sites of more than 400 now-vanished Palestinian villages, and that the Israeli's re-named almost every physical site in the country to cover up the traces?

That it was not until 1988 that Israelis were barred from running (Jews Only) job ads?

That the Israeli Foreign Ministry pays two American public relations firms to promote Israel to Americans?

That there is a party Molodet: which advocates expelling all Palestinians from the occupied territories?

Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the refugee population in the world?

As promised, I'm still preparing the second part of the 30 Years After Camp David topic. Stay tuned!
[Source]

30 Years After Camp David

2008-09-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Thirty years ago, Egyptian president Anwar El-Sadat signed the Camp David Accords, which is a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. For some people, most Egyptians to be more specific, the peace treaty symbolizes a complete loss of dignity, as Egypt became the first Arab country to recognize the state of Israel. For others, it is a huge leap forward as it marked the end of three decades of hostility between the two countries.

Personally, I partially support the former opinion, but I believe the international and domestic pressures that were exerted upon Sadat would have not allowed any other decision. Israel has been, and will always be our ultimate enemy, with or without a peace treaty. Israel is occupying the Palestinian land, slaughtering the families, brutally slaying women, children and the elderly. Palestinians are made guilty for resisting the Israeli terror and are called terrorists, for defending their land.

The treaty did, however, get us our land back. Sinai, which has been occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War, was retrieved back with all the Israeli forces and civilian inhabitants withdrawn back to Israel.

"Peace is much more precious than a piece of land... let there be no more wars." - Anwar El-Sadat

Some believe that this was the only guaranteed way for us, Egyptians, to get our land back, which is partially true because any further war would mean more casualties and not necessarily ending with free land. With that being known, it is clear that Sadat was aware of this fact and did the right thing for our country. He did not want to risk the lives of the Egyptian youth. He truely was a political mastermind. He understood the mentality of Israel and the United States and knew how to act upon their decisions.

Without this treaty, it would have been difficult to reach what we've reached today, which is an accomplishment despite the substandard advancements, and war would have caused more destruction and casualties.

Islam and Democracy

2008-09-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

For some westerners, Islam is another word for "terror", and for others, it's just another religion they know nothing about. Islam and Muslims have gained bad publicity since 9/11, with many misinterpretations of the Qur'an, giving the (ignorant) people the image of a Muslim in a white robe with a huge beard with strong looks and always-frowning face.

Among the many stereotypes said about Islam is that Islamic governments are autocratic. It's clear that anyone who believes such a stereotype has never heard of the Caliphs, or has never read about Islam and its history. Let's put that aside and take a look at how Allah teaches us democracy in the right ways.

Shura in the Qur'an
Aya 38 of the 42nd Sura of the Qur'an, called Shura:

Those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular Prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation; who spend out of what We bestow on them for Sustenance.

Aya 159 of the 3rd Sura of the Qur'an, called Al-Imran:

And by the Mercy of Allah, you dealt with them gently. And had you (Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H.) been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you; so pass over (their faults), and ask (Allah's) Forgiveness for them; and consult them in the affairs. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allah, certainly, Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).

Shura and the Caliphate
Known as Shura, democracy in the Qur'an is what we know now as representative democracy. The first four Caliphs were selected by Shura, which is similar to election, but only the wise and trustworthy are involved in the decision. After the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, the later Caliphs had less democracy. During the Islamic Golden Age, the Caliphs rised to power through inheritance and might, but the decisions were made by Shura.

The Muslim counselors advised submission to rulers as long as they were Muslims but also stressed the duty of the ruler to rule by shura. They based this recommendation on the passages from the Qur’an mentioned above. The verses indicate that shura is praiseworthy but do not indicate who should be consulted, what they should be consulted about, or whether the ruler or the shura should prevail in the event the two do not agree.

Modern Practices of Shura
Nowadays, Arab countries do not practice Shura as much as before. There is, though, a Shura Council, in which representatives of different parts of the nation are involved in the decision made. However, the ultimate power lays within the hands of the ruler. This is not the righteous way of ruling by Islamic Shari'a and by the teachings of the Qur'an. This is why Arab countries are not in their best states. I mean what's better than ruling by the Islamic Shari'a - the Islamic law that Allah teaches us?

[Source] Credit goes to Sukran from Truth Booth Online for making such a wonderful research, which is actually much larger than this. Please refer back to his page for a more detailed explanation.

Rockslide Death Toll Tops 75, Homeless Get Housing

2008-09-11T21:11:00.000-07:00

The citizens (or what's left of them) of shantytown Duweiqa have been left homeless for a couple of days since the disaster. They finally get homes. The death toll reaches 75, rising from Saturday's count of 31. Now, why the hell does it take 4 days to dwell the people of Duweiqa, leaving them all-day and all-night in the streets? I'd imagine a developed country perform immediate evacuation of the site into a safer area. This comes under the condition of being developed, which doesn't apply to our country. But hey, let's look at the bright side. More than one hundred families have been sheltered and are currently dwelling in apartments. Our prayers to the citizens of Duweiqa...

[Source]

Top 5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Worry About the Large Hadron Collider

2008-09-11T18:10:00.000-07:00

Now that the LHC experiment is scheduled to start on October 21st, people (morons, may be?) say that we're about one month away from catastrophe. I say we're about one month away from the greatest discovery in the history of mankind, so don't start your to-do-before-death list already, as it's probably years away.

Let me start off with the alleged threats first.

The threats:

1. Black Holes. It is feared that the collisions to be made on October 21st will result in black holes. Black holes are theoretical regions in space that have an extremely powerful gravitational field that can pull any particle inside it, even light particles.

2. Strangelets. These are also theoretical sorts of exotic matter that if comes in contact with Earth, it will reduce all the atoms of Earth to strange matter as well, transforming the planet into a hot, large lump of strange matter. How strange is it? Do your own research, but it's strange enough to end the world.

3. Vacuum Bubbles: They are a so-called stable state of the universe. It is feared that perturbations caused by the LHC would cause it, turning our planet to an inhabitable one.

4. Magnetic Monopoles: Yet another theoretical particles that have not been observed by science. If they form, they cause protons to decay.

Why you shouldn't worry about the Large Hadron Collider:

1 The main argument against the claimed threats I mentioned before is the existence of cosmic rays. Cosmic rays are constantly bombarding the surface of our planet (and most are penetrating), causing particle collisions similar to that to-be-conducted in the LHC. The Safety Assessment Group writes:

Nature has already conducted the equivalent of about a hundred thousand LHC experimental programmes on Earth – and the planet still exists.

2 Cern says that the black holes are expected to form, but they will be too tiny to even absorb other particles, and will decay immediately. This is due to the very small scale of the experiment that will greatly minimize its dangers.

3 Strangelets, the exotic matter as explained above, are also produced by cosmic rays. If cosmic rays that are much powerful than those produced in the LHC cannot produce strangelets, then the LHC will not produce strangelets. In the same way that strangelets reduce Earth's atoms into similar strangelets, they, too, are transformed into ordinary matter within thousand-millionth of a second, as the conditions of the experiment are not favourable for the production of strangelets.

4 Vacuum bubbles are yet another sort of matter that has not been produced by cosmic rays in the universe, since they're only theoretical. LHC rays are not capable of producing vacuum bubbles if cosmic rays do not.

5 Magnetic monopoles cannot be produced due the conditions of the experiment, as they are too heavy to even form up. Once again, the fact that cosmic rays cannot produce proton-eating magnetic monopoles is enough to rule out any possibility that the LHC could produce one.

Now wouldn't it be cool if we collide the particles and get the experiment going?

"That's the essence of experimental particle physics: You smash stuff together and see what other stuff comes out." - Nat Geo

Besides, if the experiment fails, it's gonna be quick and painless that you won't even know about it. Plus, I wouldn't have to sit for my economics exam. Anyway, we have one less thing to worry about! That still doesn't mean that the world is safe, though. We still got global warming, possible nuclear war, etc. So don't go "Hooray", but stay depressed and sit in the corner of your room. :D

[Source]

Correction: LHC Experiment Has Not Started Yet... Really

2008-09-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

A correction to yesterday's post: The Large Hadron Collider has been only initiated yesterday, in a test to accelerate the particles, but not collide them. The real deal will be on October 21st, when the experiment will be started to collide the particles.

Public Concern Arises As Big Bang Machine Switches On

2008-09-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

This morning, Swiss scientists have initiated a machine that accelerates sub-atomic particles in the speed of light towards opposite directions, smashing them together at the high speed. The machine, Large Hadron Collider (LHC), has cost more than $5.4 billion and has been in the making for almost two decades. It is located at the headquarters of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern).

Scientists hope to recreate the conditions at the time of the Big Bang, simulating the Big Bang itself and reveal the mysteries of the beginning of the universe. Archana Sharma, a physicist with Cern said,

Our primary scientific goal is to find the Higgs.

What's the risk? If the experiment goes wrong, a black hole forms and expands, sucking everything (including Earth), destroying the world.

Nothing's going to happen here that's not already happening in nature.

Mario Nessi, the projects technical director, said. Cern says it has commissioned a panel to verify its calculations that such risks are virtually impossible.

What's behind this? Scientists are trying to disprove the existence of God. Even if this experiment works well, this does not prove by any means that the Big Bang is the work of nature. The theory of Big Bang does not conflict with our beliefs as Muslims and it is already mentioned in the Qur'an. Such an explosion is said to be random, but the fact that it resulted in millions of galaxies and billions of stars and planets, among them is Earth, with all the intelligent life forms on it, is not random at all. There is very little to no chance that an explosion (accompanied by randomness) results in intelligent humans. There must be a divine force behind this explosion that controlled it with wisdom, in order to make such a perfect universe.

I am not criticizing the experiment by any way. On the contrary, I believe it can uncover lots of facts and groundbreaking discoveries that can be equated to the discovery of X-rays or electricity, as what Archana Sharma said.

[Source]

Obama Bashes Arabs, Pleases Democrats

2008-09-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

It was last week when Obama gave his historic acceptance speech that was full of applauds and approvals (and acceptance). Americans were assured of their heroic nation's future and safety as Obama laid out his agenda for the coming year... and bashed Arabs.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

... said Barack Obama. Notice how, in the video, Obama deviates the topic from a political one, involving the Middle East, into an environmental speech. This is not the case here as environment is not his main issue, knowing that the U.S.'s oil imports from the Middle East are only 15% of its total oil imports from various other countries. He did emphasize on the term "Middle East", indicating clearly that it's an issue to be dealt with Arabs, and not the environment.

This would be a way to reply to rumours saying that he is Muslim. He is trying to show opposition against the Middle East in any way, in order to bash these rumours as well. He skillfully covered this subject and mentioned renewable energy resources, harnessing them and making efficient use of energy. Then why, oh why did he ban Middle East oil imports, when they're only 15% of the U.S.'s total oil imports? Why didn't he mention Canada?

You can argue that Canada, from which the most of the U.S.'s oil imports come from, is a close ally of the U.S., but the five oil supplying countries from the Middle East are allies as well. Those are Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Neither the future of the planet, nor the U.S.A.'s national security are threatened by those five countries.

As I am very concerned about the environment and climate crisis, I am glad to hear that the second most carbon dioxide emitting country is aware of the crisis. But in the same time, I'd like to see action, as well as results within ten years of tackling the problem. It won't make any difference if the amount of oil America is going to stop importing from the Middle East is compensated by increasing imports from Canada, Russia or even using local (American) oil reserves, which are, by the way, 21 billion barrels.

I just wanted to share my ideas with you people and show the fact that the Middle East is not the main supplier of oil to the U.S. as what many people believe. I also strongly criticize other parts of his speech, specially this one.

You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington.

Hey, this same terrorist network Obama wants to defeat is the same one America supported back in the eighties, when the Soviets were the bad guys, and Jihad was once a patriotic American term. They supplied the heroic Islamic fighters to attack the Soviets and weaken them. But now, Jihad, Islam, Islamist and Islamic fighters are just synonyms for terrorism.

Egypt Scores 2.9 in Corruption Perception Index!

2008-09-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

Transparency International is a global organization against corruption. It measures the corruption of every country on a yearly basis through CPI, which stands for Corruption Perception Index (CPI). CPI is way of determining a country's corruption through polls and surveys, conducted by Transparency International. On a scale of 1.0, being most corrupt, to 10.0, being least corrupt, Egypt proudly held a CPI of 2.9 in year 2007, along with the rest of the Arab countries within the range of 2.0-3.9.

Egypt is 2.9 out of 10 clean, which is not bad for a developing country, but really bad for an Islamic nation. If it's a true Islamic nation that follows the Islamic Shari'a very well, it would easily score a 10.0 in CPI. By the way, the country holding first place in being least corrupt is Denmark. Denmark that has been publishing caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) and insulting 1.4 billion Muslims all around the world is considered the world's least corrupt country. How ironic!

Egypt-Israel Gas Pump Resumes, Egyptians Become More Outraged

2008-09-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ever since Egypt started supplying Israel with natural gas, the average Egyptian literally has no value. This has been a decision that totally conflicts with our pride and heritage. Israel has always been our one ultimate enemy, and will always be. There is no peace treaty that could ever happen with such terrorists who are supported by capitalists in the west.

First of all, we are giving away our resources, literally, to an enemy. Selling natural gas at a price well below its global market price, we are giving it away. Every drop of natural gas they get from us is transformed into Palestinian blood. Palestinians, our brothers, will suffer from this decision, either directly or indirectly. Here is how it goes. Israel gets electricity from gas-fired plants, they power their factories, producing more military equipment and slaughtering more Palestinians as a result.

Secondly, the contract is 15-year contract. According to DailyStarEgypt.com, this will guarantee a total of 1.7 billion cubic meters a year at the price of $1.5 per million BTU (British Thermal Units), whereas the world price of natural gas is $5.87 per million BTU. Moreover, the contract can be easily renewed up to 5 more years. Now that I've shown you the facts and numbers, I can proudly say that this contract is a total mess-up.

Here is a quote from DailyStarEgypt.com, which is, in my opinion, total bullshit.

Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Mufid Shehab said in a parliamentary session that Egypt did not export gas to Israel because it was not the state or government that was supplying the gas, but a private company.

Strike one: How can you say that Egypt did not export gas to Israel? Gas is physically moved through pumps from Egypt to Israel. That's enough to call it exports, and if you don't like the terminology, the idea in itself is still conflicting with our aims as an Islamic nation.
Strike two: A private company selling well below market price (where market is the world)?? This is not possible by any means and simple logic would not agree with that. Who wouldn't want to make profit? If it's truely a private company, then it would've set a high price matching market price, and not below.
Strike three: Egypt has a government, which can interfere freely in private businesses and influence their decisions. A healthy government (with no international pressures that is) would not let national resources drain into the enemy's stronghold, not at such price anyway.

Here is another quote from the same website, DailyStarEgypt.com.

The minister also said that one could not accurately ascertain a world price for natural gas as the price always differed from contract to contract.

Just Google "natural gas world price", and links to the websites of the world's biggest energy-oriented organizations will show up, showing you the world prices of natural gas today. Even if the price differs from contract to contract, the difference will never reach 200%.

It is clearly a set-up. The Egyptian government is under international pressure by the west, Israel and global prices (of other commodities) in general. I'm not criticizing government action, but I'm criticizing the means. It should not dispose of the future of the country down the hole, but rather look after it and its people. The least thing would be negotiating, if the contract is somewhat inevitable. May be reducing the contract duration will do, as well as the ability to renew it. Raising the price of natural gas is definitely a way to benefit more from this contract, and increase national income. We could only pray that the situation would not get any worse, and that we can keep that last bit of dignity we have.

[Source]

Rumor: Transformer Found in Egypt!

2008-09-05T05:38:00.000-07:00

We've seen Egypt on the silver screen for many, many times. But to see transformers and Egypt in one shot is just exciting. I'm already pumped for the movie and I've been waiting for it ever since I watched the first Tranformers. I can't wait to see Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and the rest of the guys hanging around at the pyramids or dueling in front of the sphinx. It will also be interesting to see Egyptians a bunch of tribes in the desert riding camels and living in the pyramids. :D They already did that in Qatar, which won't be different in our case.

Here's a movie I found on YouTube to reminiscence.