Think about this. When earthquake strikes, everyone is quick to pour in money and manpower to help those affected. But oppression and suppression of human rights can go on for centuries and even millenia, and still go totally unnoticed. Even when people from the inside are finding ways to cry out for help from the free world. Why do those who talk so much about human rights simply turn a blind eye towards political and religious suppression of human rights in the name of political correctness?
Orphaned, Raped and Ignored
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: January 30, 2010
KALEHE, Congo
Sometimes I wish eastern Congo could suffer an earthquake or a tsunami, so that it might finally get the attention it needs. The barbaric civil war being waged here is the most lethal conflict since World War II and has claimed at least 30 times as many lives as the Haiti earthquake.
Yet no humanitarian crisis generates so little attention per million corpses, or such a pathetic international response.
That’s why I’m here in the lovely, lush and threatening hills west of Lake Kivu, where militias rape, mutilate and kill civilians with a savagery that is almost incomprehensible. I’m talking to a 9-year-old girl, Chance Tombola, an orphan whose eyes are luminous with fear.
For Chance, the war arrived one evening last May when armed soldiers from an extremist Hutu militia — remnants of those who committed the Rwandan genocide — burst into her home. They killed her parents in front of her. Chance ran away, but the soldiers seized her two sisters, ages 6 and 12, and carried them away into the forest, presumably to be turned into “wives” of soldiers. No one has seen Chance’s sisters since.
Read more and watch video...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
So it's okay to offend the Chinese
Update: McDonald's Singapore subsequently posted a "We're sorry, and we're grateful" (grateful for what?) notice in all its restaurants, and introduced an online poll for customers to indicate interest in a pig doraemon. The notice says that the pig toy is scheduled for production and will be made available in April (that's two long months after CNY!) for those aspiring to complete their collection. But... the damage has already been done, especially for those who decided not to continue collecting once they learnt the pig to be missing!
I guess it's not a problem to offend the Chinese by rewriting their culture, but you must be very careful not to offend the Muslims by being insensitive to their culture. Why the big difference? Can anyone tell me?
McDonald’s pulls pig toy
SINGAPORE, Jan 9 — Fast-food giant McDonald’s has stirred up a controversy in Singapore by omitting pig characters from its latest toy promotions.
The pig soft toy was expected to have been part of a 12-character Doraemon set depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar. Customers wanting the toy would have to pay US$2 (RM4.8) on top of making a food purchase.
But McDonald’s decided not to include the pig toy to avoid offending Muslim customers, and had a Doraemon Cupid toy in its place instead.
The move has upset Chinese customers keen on collecting all 12 toys in the series. One of them, staff nurse Daphne Koh, 26, said: “I was born in the Year of the Pig and would have collected the whole set. But without the pig, it makes no sense for me to do so.”
Retiree May Liaw, 55, who had wanted to buy a set to decorate her home for Chinese New Year, said: “It is strange to have Cupid in place of the pig. The set is incomplete and I am not interested in individual pieces.”
Various online forums are also abuzz with discussions on whether the fast-food chain has overreacted.
When contacted, McDonald’s Restaurants communications director Linda Ming said the chain excluded the pig toy out of sensitivity for its Muslim customers.
It chose Cupid instead to commemorate Valentine’s Day, which coincides with the first day of the Chinese New Year this year, on Feb 14.
Said Ming: “We seek our customers’ understanding that it has never been our intention to be disrespectful towards any religion or culture.”
She added that the restaurant would continue to sell the Doraemon collectibles which she said have been otherwise well received.
Experts contacted said the decision by McDonald’s showed a lack of cross-cultural understanding.
Sociologist Daniel Goh said that if McDonald’s did not consult Muslim opinions before making the decision to exclude the pig toy, the company had then presumed Muslim sensibilities. He added that it amounted to a form of self-censorship.
Indeed, Muslim teachers and scholars said they saw nothing wrong with a halal restaurant giving out pig toys.
Said religious teacher Mohammed Suhaimi Fauzi: “For Muslims who mind the pig doll, they can choose not to buy it. But even if they buy it for their children to play with or to learn about animals, there is no problem.”
Dr Mohamad Maznah, a visiting senior research fellow with the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said she felt the restaurant was just being cautious, although she doubted the Muslim community here would have been upset if the pig toy had been included.
Dr Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied, an assistant professor of Malay Studies at NUS, said: “Pigs and dogs are not non- halal, except when they are consumed.”
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, Muis, declined comment when contacted.
Muslim patrons of the restaurant also said they did not see the pig toys as a problem.
Curator Ithnine Atan, 42, said: “The pig is quite important to the whole collection. Even if they put a big picture of a pig there, as long as they comply with the proper halal regulations, it’s okay.”
Administrative assistant Masturah Salim, 26, added: “I think McDonald’s just wanted to consider the Muslim population. Personally, I am fine with the inclusion of the pig because I won’t be buying a set of the Chinese zodiac signs anyway.
“It is understandable for the Chinese to be upset about the pig being excluded from the set if they want to collect all 12 animals.” — Straits Times
Sources:
The Malaysian Insider - McDonald’s pulls pig toy
The Straits Times - McDonalds takes the charm out of Doraemon series
The Straits Times - McDonalds pulls pig toy
Reactions:
Plush pig toy pulled from McDonald’s happy meal in Singapore
McDonalds Singapore remove pig from the Chinese zodiac
Mc Donalds Singapore replaces Pig with Cupid in Chinese Zodiac sign
I guess it's not a problem to offend the Chinese by rewriting their culture, but you must be very careful not to offend the Muslims by being insensitive to their culture. Why the big difference? Can anyone tell me?
McDonald’s pulls pig toy
Instead of a pig, a Cupid (third from right) completes the line-up of 12 soft toys in the McDonald's Doraemon collection for Chinese New Year. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
SINGAPORE, Jan 9 — Fast-food giant McDonald’s has stirred up a controversy in Singapore by omitting pig characters from its latest toy promotions.
The pig soft toy was expected to have been part of a 12-character Doraemon set depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar. Customers wanting the toy would have to pay US$2 (RM4.8) on top of making a food purchase.
But McDonald’s decided not to include the pig toy to avoid offending Muslim customers, and had a Doraemon Cupid toy in its place instead.
The move has upset Chinese customers keen on collecting all 12 toys in the series. One of them, staff nurse Daphne Koh, 26, said: “I was born in the Year of the Pig and would have collected the whole set. But without the pig, it makes no sense for me to do so.”
Retiree May Liaw, 55, who had wanted to buy a set to decorate her home for Chinese New Year, said: “It is strange to have Cupid in place of the pig. The set is incomplete and I am not interested in individual pieces.”
Various online forums are also abuzz with discussions on whether the fast-food chain has overreacted.
When contacted, McDonald’s Restaurants communications director Linda Ming said the chain excluded the pig toy out of sensitivity for its Muslim customers.
It chose Cupid instead to commemorate Valentine’s Day, which coincides with the first day of the Chinese New Year this year, on Feb 14.
Said Ming: “We seek our customers’ understanding that it has never been our intention to be disrespectful towards any religion or culture.”
She added that the restaurant would continue to sell the Doraemon collectibles which she said have been otherwise well received.
Experts contacted said the decision by McDonald’s showed a lack of cross-cultural understanding.
Sociologist Daniel Goh said that if McDonald’s did not consult Muslim opinions before making the decision to exclude the pig toy, the company had then presumed Muslim sensibilities. He added that it amounted to a form of self-censorship.
Indeed, Muslim teachers and scholars said they saw nothing wrong with a halal restaurant giving out pig toys.
Said religious teacher Mohammed Suhaimi Fauzi: “For Muslims who mind the pig doll, they can choose not to buy it. But even if they buy it for their children to play with or to learn about animals, there is no problem.”
Dr Mohamad Maznah, a visiting senior research fellow with the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said she felt the restaurant was just being cautious, although she doubted the Muslim community here would have been upset if the pig toy had been included.
Dr Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied, an assistant professor of Malay Studies at NUS, said: “Pigs and dogs are not non- halal, except when they are consumed.”
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, Muis, declined comment when contacted.
Muslim patrons of the restaurant also said they did not see the pig toys as a problem.
Curator Ithnine Atan, 42, said: “The pig is quite important to the whole collection. Even if they put a big picture of a pig there, as long as they comply with the proper halal regulations, it’s okay.”
Administrative assistant Masturah Salim, 26, added: “I think McDonald’s just wanted to consider the Muslim population. Personally, I am fine with the inclusion of the pig because I won’t be buying a set of the Chinese zodiac signs anyway.
“It is understandable for the Chinese to be upset about the pig being excluded from the set if they want to collect all 12 animals.” — Straits Times
Sources:
The Malaysian Insider - McDonald’s pulls pig toy
The Straits Times - McDonalds takes the charm out of Doraemon series
The Straits Times - McDonalds pulls pig toy
Reactions:
Plush pig toy pulled from McDonald’s happy meal in Singapore
McDonalds Singapore remove pig from the Chinese zodiac
Mc Donalds Singapore replaces Pig with Cupid in Chinese Zodiac sign
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Jingle Bombs
[With Jeff Dunham]
Dashing through the sand
With a bomb strapped to my back
I have a nasty plan
For Christmas in Iraq
I got through checkpoint A
But not through checkpoint B
That's when I got shot in the ass by the U.S. military
It's not funny!
Ooo, Jingle bombs, jingle bombs mine blew up you see
Where are all the virgins that Bin Laden promised me
Jingle bombs, jingle bombs your soldiers shot me dead
The only thing that I have left is this towel upon my head
I used to be a man, but every time I cough
Thanks to uncle Sam my nuts keep falling off
My bombing days are done, I need to find some work
Perhaps it would be much safer as a convenient store night clerk,
Ooo, Jingle bombs, jingle bombs I think I got screwed
Don't laugh at me because I'm dead or I kill you
I kill you
Monday, December 21, 2009
Do you believe in God?
Often times when one is asked this question he or she replies "Yes, of course! Don't you?" or "No. God doesn't exist." But have you ever pondered whether the definition of 'God' as we have in our dictionaries is even correct?
I believe in God. But I don't believe in God. "How can you believe and not believe at the same time?" you may ask. Well, you should define 'God' and then I'll tell you if I believe (or not believe) in the 'God' you have defined. I can take the most common definitions and give you an explanation.
Do I believe in God in the traditional sense of the word? You know, like those churches, temples and the M places teach you? If you mean God as people normally define it, in a traditional or religious sense, the answer of my belief is a strict NO.
The reason? To think that a blatantly self-proclaimed 'messenger' of God would have all the answers we ever need to live our lives is simply a clear insult to our own (religious people claim God-given) intelligence. I would rather listen to Symantec than to a 'messenger' of God about cyber security.
Does 'not believing in a religious God' make me an atheist or an agnostic? Neither! You see, an atheist you meet on the street is as arrogant as a 'messenger' of God. He is a messenger of "no God," if you will. He says, "Look, there is no God. You better believe me." While atheist thinkers like Richard Dawkins present credible evidence and acknowledge that the existence of God is very very very extremely highly improbable (that would be an exaggeration, for all you know), your everyday atheist simply says existence of God is impossible. I'd rather be on the humbler side of atheists and stick with the improbability, because the impossibility of it is not proven.
So then if impossibility of God's existence can't be proven, does that mean I doubt its existence? Does that make me an agnostic? I don't doubt God's existence. (Absence of doubt does not mean belief.) The thing I doubt is what you thought the word 'God' means in the last sentence you just read. As you already know, if you thought of a bearded man in the sky, I'm an atheist. If you thought of someone 'great' watching over you with invisible surveillance cameras, recording your every move, I'm an atheist.
OK so, I'm not an atheist, I'm not an agnostic, and I don't believe in 'God' as the word is commonly defined. Where does that put me?
Perhaps I'm an Einsteinian. I believe Einstein was the messenger of God. His holy book is, well, he has not been inspired by God to write any holy book. But his religion involves doubting, testing, learning and inventing (among other related things). There was never any element of faith or believing in his religion. (I chuckle at the term 'blind faith' because all faith is blind anyway. Faith means to believe in things you don't see. Right?)
There is a name for the religion of Einstein. It's called SCIENCE. And Einstein was not the founder of this religion. If we will ever reach the true God (assuming he/she/it exists), it is going to be through Science.
Finally I'd like to remind you that if we can ever accurately and completely define what the word 'God' means, we would be greater than 'God'. This is what Science tries to achieve and other religions try to prevent.
PS: This has nothing to do with Scientology, which is a bad joke or a beefed-up version of Christianity.
I believe in God. But I don't believe in God. "How can you believe and not believe at the same time?" you may ask. Well, you should define 'God' and then I'll tell you if I believe (or not believe) in the 'God' you have defined. I can take the most common definitions and give you an explanation.
Do I believe in God in the traditional sense of the word? You know, like those churches, temples and the M places teach you? If you mean God as people normally define it, in a traditional or religious sense, the answer of my belief is a strict NO.
The reason? To think that a blatantly self-proclaimed 'messenger' of God would have all the answers we ever need to live our lives is simply a clear insult to our own (religious people claim God-given) intelligence. I would rather listen to Symantec than to a 'messenger' of God about cyber security.
Does 'not believing in a religious God' make me an atheist or an agnostic? Neither! You see, an atheist you meet on the street is as arrogant as a 'messenger' of God. He is a messenger of "no God," if you will. He says, "Look, there is no God. You better believe me." While atheist thinkers like Richard Dawkins present credible evidence and acknowledge that the existence of God is very very very extremely highly improbable (that would be an exaggeration, for all you know), your everyday atheist simply says existence of God is impossible. I'd rather be on the humbler side of atheists and stick with the improbability, because the impossibility of it is not proven.
So then if impossibility of God's existence can't be proven, does that mean I doubt its existence? Does that make me an agnostic? I don't doubt God's existence. (Absence of doubt does not mean belief.) The thing I doubt is what you thought the word 'God' means in the last sentence you just read. As you already know, if you thought of a bearded man in the sky, I'm an atheist. If you thought of someone 'great' watching over you with invisible surveillance cameras, recording your every move, I'm an atheist.
OK so, I'm not an atheist, I'm not an agnostic, and I don't believe in 'God' as the word is commonly defined. Where does that put me?
Perhaps I'm an Einsteinian. I believe Einstein was the messenger of God. His holy book is, well, he has not been inspired by God to write any holy book. But his religion involves doubting, testing, learning and inventing (among other related things). There was never any element of faith or believing in his religion. (I chuckle at the term 'blind faith' because all faith is blind anyway. Faith means to believe in things you don't see. Right?)
There is a name for the religion of Einstein. It's called SCIENCE. And Einstein was not the founder of this religion. If we will ever reach the true God (assuming he/she/it exists), it is going to be through Science.
Finally I'd like to remind you that if we can ever accurately and completely define what the word 'God' means, we would be greater than 'God'. This is what Science tries to achieve and other religions try to prevent.
PS: This has nothing to do with Scientology, which is a bad joke or a beefed-up version of Christianity.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Is this insanity or religion?
Sam Harris says, and many other philosophers agree, that when one or a few people commit insane acts, we call them insane. When enough number of people commit the same insane acts, we term the group as a cult. When a large number of people commit the same insane acts (specifically as justified by their group leaders' so-called 'holy' books), we call it a religion. And religion automatically bestows a clearly undeserved sanity upon its followers. Clearly, there is sanity in numbers. Check out the following news article. Ponder over how a man can endanger the life of a toddler simply in the name of his own beliefs. Does a cult or a religion have any true morality?
Man confesses to impaling toddler with 40 needles
Mother tells newspaper she suspected ex-husband had been involved in ‘black magic'
RIO DE JANEIRO — Reuters Published on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 9:23AM EST
A Brazilian man confessed to putting more than 40 metal sewing needles into the body of a 2-year-old boy in what may have been a cult or religious act, media reported on Thursday.
The boy, whose condition is serious but stable, was being transferred on Thursday to a specialist medical centre in Salvador, the state capital of northeastern Bahia state, after doctors found two needles were dangerously close to his heart.
The boy was brought to a hospital in the remote town of Ibotirama by his mother last week after he complained of pain.
X-rays taken by doctors, and shown on Brazil's Globo news network's website, clearly show dozens of needles deep in his body, some clustered near his lungs and others in his abdomen, neck and legs.
According to Globo television, police in Ibotirama said that the boy's ex-stepfather, 30-year-old Roberto Carlos Magalhaes, had been arrested and confessed to putting the needles into the boy's body. They reportedly said he was helped by two women, one of whom was involved in a religious group.
Surgeons had planned to operate on the boy but cancelled the surgery after deciding it was too dangerous, Dr Fabio Contelle at the hospital in Barreiras town said in an interview with Globo TV. The boy was moved to Barreiras from the smaller hospital in Ibotirama after doctors realized the seriousness of his condition.
The A Tarde newspaper in Bahia quoted the boy's mother, Maria Souza Santos, as saying she suspected Mr. Magalhaes had been involved in some kind of “black magic.”
“My son didn't like to go out with Roberto. I didn't think he was capable of doing something bad to him,” she was quoted as saying.
Police in Ibotirama could not be immediately reached.
Bahia is the heart of African influence in Brazil, where many people practice Afro-Brazilian religions that combine spiritism, indigenous and African beliefs.
Source: Man confesses to impaling toddler with 40 needles - The Globe and Mail
Man confesses to impaling toddler with 40 needles
Mother tells newspaper she suspected ex-husband had been involved in ‘black magic'
RIO DE JANEIRO — Reuters Published on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 9:23AM EST
A Brazilian man confessed to putting more than 40 metal sewing needles into the body of a 2-year-old boy in what may have been a cult or religious act, media reported on Thursday.
The boy, whose condition is serious but stable, was being transferred on Thursday to a specialist medical centre in Salvador, the state capital of northeastern Bahia state, after doctors found two needles were dangerously close to his heart.
The boy was brought to a hospital in the remote town of Ibotirama by his mother last week after he complained of pain.
X-rays taken by doctors, and shown on Brazil's Globo news network's website, clearly show dozens of needles deep in his body, some clustered near his lungs and others in his abdomen, neck and legs.
According to Globo television, police in Ibotirama said that the boy's ex-stepfather, 30-year-old Roberto Carlos Magalhaes, had been arrested and confessed to putting the needles into the boy's body. They reportedly said he was helped by two women, one of whom was involved in a religious group.
Surgeons had planned to operate on the boy but cancelled the surgery after deciding it was too dangerous, Dr Fabio Contelle at the hospital in Barreiras town said in an interview with Globo TV. The boy was moved to Barreiras from the smaller hospital in Ibotirama after doctors realized the seriousness of his condition.
The A Tarde newspaper in Bahia quoted the boy's mother, Maria Souza Santos, as saying she suspected Mr. Magalhaes had been involved in some kind of “black magic.”
“My son didn't like to go out with Roberto. I didn't think he was capable of doing something bad to him,” she was quoted as saying.
Police in Ibotirama could not be immediately reached.
Bahia is the heart of African influence in Brazil, where many people practice Afro-Brazilian religions that combine spiritism, indigenous and African beliefs.
Source: Man confesses to impaling toddler with 40 needles - The Globe and Mail
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
I'm glad we have good Muslims :-)
Disclaimer: To the best of my belief, this post is not in violation of any act. I am merely relaying what an Islamic cleric is teaching his Muslim viewers through an Islamic channel. Anyone who believes this to be a violation, please contact me and describe exactly how it is a violation.
Watch this (or read transcript below):
Youtube video link: YouTube - Trick Jews into becoming Mohammedans
Original video at MEMRI: MEMRI: Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri Recommends Tricking Jews into Becoming Muslims
Original transcript at MEMRI: Clip Transcript
Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Egyptian cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri, which aired on Al-Nas TV on August 10, 2009.
Mahmoud Al-Masri: My dear brothers, we want to repent, and we want to take by the hand those people who have not yet repented. We should feel pity for them. By Allah, we should not be tough with them. These people are sick. They are sinners. We should feel pity for them, we should care for them. We should act like doctors who care for the sick. You should care for them and feel great pity for them, and seek any ingenious way to make a person repent.
I’d like to tell you a very nice story. Once there was a Muslim who lived next to a Jew. The Muslim saw in the Jew a measure of goodheartedness – however small – and he wanted to find any way to make him convert to Islam. So he went to him and asked: “Don’t you feel the need for Islam? Why don’t you become a Muslim?” The Jew said: “The only thing preventing me from becoming a Muslim is that I love drinking alcohol. I would have become a Muslim ages ago, but the only thing stopping me is that I am an alcoholic.”
The Muslim devised a plan. He said: “No problem – become a Muslim, and continue to drink.” The Muslim didn’t meant this, of course, but he said to him: “Become a Muslim, and continue to drink.” The Jews said: “Fine.” He said: “I proclaim that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The Muslim said to him: “Now you have become a Muslim. If you drink alcohol, we will carry out the punishment for drinking alcohol on you, and if you renounce Islam, we will kill you.” So the man remained a Muslim and never drank alcohol again. This was a nice trick by this good Muslim.
Watch this (or read transcript below):
Youtube video link: YouTube - Trick Jews into becoming Mohammedans
Original video at MEMRI: MEMRI: Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri Recommends Tricking Jews into Becoming Muslims
Original transcript at MEMRI: Clip Transcript
Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Egyptian cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri, which aired on Al-Nas TV on August 10, 2009.
Mahmoud Al-Masri: My dear brothers, we want to repent, and we want to take by the hand those people who have not yet repented. We should feel pity for them. By Allah, we should not be tough with them. These people are sick. They are sinners. We should feel pity for them, we should care for them. We should act like doctors who care for the sick. You should care for them and feel great pity for them, and seek any ingenious way to make a person repent.
I’d like to tell you a very nice story. Once there was a Muslim who lived next to a Jew. The Muslim saw in the Jew a measure of goodheartedness – however small – and he wanted to find any way to make him convert to Islam. So he went to him and asked: “Don’t you feel the need for Islam? Why don’t you become a Muslim?” The Jew said: “The only thing preventing me from becoming a Muslim is that I love drinking alcohol. I would have become a Muslim ages ago, but the only thing stopping me is that I am an alcoholic.”
The Muslim devised a plan. He said: “No problem – become a Muslim, and continue to drink.” The Muslim didn’t meant this, of course, but he said to him: “Become a Muslim, and continue to drink.” The Jews said: “Fine.” He said: “I proclaim that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The Muslim said to him: “Now you have become a Muslim. If you drink alcohol, we will carry out the punishment for drinking alcohol on you, and if you renounce Islam, we will kill you.” So the man remained a Muslim and never drank alcohol again. This was a nice trick by this good Muslim.
End of Transcript
Monday, November 30, 2009
Happy Logically Designed Birthday!
Well yes, it's a Logically Designed birthday today. I'm going to have my "Logic Design" exam in about four hours, and it is, sad to say, my birthday. That one day in a year, that one dreaded day, those 24 hours out of the 8760 hours of a (non-leap) year -- my birthday. Well, I shall not go on blabbering any further. Let me show you some posts from the dusty archives of my blog:
- Thursday, November 30, 2006
- Friday, November 30, 2007
- Saturday, November 29, 2008
- Monday, December 1, 2008
- Thursday, January 8, 2009
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