Russia just bought Iceland

Financial Crisis: Iceland gets €4bn Russian loan as banks collapse


Iceland said it will borrow €4bn (£3.1bn) from the Russian Treasury, after announcing this morning that it would nationalise its second biggest bank, Landsbanki, and give a £400m loan to its largest lender, Kaupthing.

The decision to borrow a large sum of money from another country comes just hours after Prime Minister Geir Haarde told the country that borrowing billions of krona could "make the whole Icelandic society bankrupt".

The threat to Iceland's financial sovereignty is seen as the greatest faced by any country since the credit crisis started 14 months ago.

The Russian ambassador to Iceland, Victor Tatarintsev, informed central bank governor David Oddsson early this morning that Russia would provide Iceland with the loan for three to five years at rates 30 to 50 points above Libor.

However, Russia's deputy finance minister Dmitry Pankin said the country has not yet decided whether to make the loan.

Iceland's Financial Supervisory Authority announced on its website that the nation's second biggest bank, Landsbanki, was now in national hands, dismissing the board of directors and putting the company into receivership.

The country's largest bank, Kaupthing, will be given a £400m loan from the Icelandic Central Bank, which yesterday guaranteed all savings for Icelandic customers.

News of the bank nationalisations sent the Icelandic krona plummeting to a new 35pc low against the euro, but the currency recovered the loss after reports of Russia's loan.

Iceland's FSA has replaced the board with its own executives.

Around 150,000 people in the UK have savings with Landsbanki's Icesave and Kaupthing Edge, the UK retail arm of the Icelandic bank. Icesave said overnight that it had stopped processing requests to remove money and taking on new customers.

Commerce and banking minister Bjorgvin Sigurdsson told Icelandic national radio that the nationalisation was made in cooperation with Landsbanki and the bank would be open and run as normal while the changes were taking place.

"As declared by the government, all domestic deposits are fully guaranteed. Landsbanki's domestic branches, call centres, cash machines (ATMs) and internet operations will be open for business as usual," the FSA said in a statement.

Kaupthing said on its website that the government's £400m loan would "facilitate operations" at the bank and reassured customers that it was committed to the regular workings of the Icelandic financial system.

Iceland's parliament voted to adopt the sweeping new emergency powers to stabilise its struggling financial sector close to midnight last night.

Prime Minister Haarde indicated in a dramatic televised speech that he could not find an affordable loan from abroad that would not be disastrous for Iceland's public coffers. He also warned of "chaos" if Iceland's banks stopped operating, and rushed through the emergency measures.

Mr Haarde added: "A lot of the banks' business is in Britain, so it is likely that Britain might well be affected."

(ref: www.telegraph.co.uk)

P.S: WTF is happening???....Dammit! I was thinking-of buy Iceland myself. Time to really start shopping in my opinion. And no, I haven't got a cent, but massive credit is about to be unleashed...lol. Whats in Iceland anyways other than polar bears, killer whales and seals?

"Knighting" Shah Rukh Khan in Malaysia

The "knighting" of India's top Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan will help boost tourism in Malaysia, an official from the western Malacca state government said Monday.

Khan is to be given the Governor of Malacca's award, which carries the title "Datuk," after his 2001 film boosted the profile of the state as a destination for tourists.

The 42-year old heart-throb will receive his award on November 29, in a ceremony that will be aired live on India's top entertainment channel, Zee TV.

"It is a boost for tourism in Malaysia. His movies are seen by people all over the world and this is cost-free advertisement for us," local parliamentarian Mohammad Sirat Abu told AFP.

Malacca, a historic port town and a relic of Malaysia's colonial past, relies hevily on tourism for income.

Mohammad said since the filming of Khan's 2001 movie, "One 2 Ka 4" at a popular resort in Malacca, the number of tourists coming from India has increased markedly.

"He is a worldwide icon and having him here will boost our country's tourism industry," he said.

However, the granting of the award has been controversial, with some questioning what Khan had done to merit the honour.

Opposition politician Lim Kit Siang said local artists and celebrities should have been recognised ahead of Khan.

"I don't think the reason that has been given for making Shah Rukh Khan a Malacca Datuk would impress or convince many," he said earlier this month.

However, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad supported the move.

"I feel embarrassed when the award... to Shah Rukh Khan is being questioned. We confer such titles quite often on foreigners to appreciate their contribution to the country," he wrote on his blog chedet.com.

"Some of these people have contributed even less than what Shah Rukh Khan has."

Malaysia has become a popular location for Indian films, which have a huge following among ethnic Indians and the majority Muslim-Malays.

Women of all ages -- including the wife of deputy prime minister Najib Razak, Rosmah Mansor -- are huge fans of the charismatic Khan, dubbed the "King of Bollywood" here.

Malaysian tourism chiefs are aiming to attract 22.5 million visitors this year, who they hope will spend 50.5 billion ringgit (14.1 billion dollars).

From January to September 2008, tourist arrivals increased 4.4 percent on the year to 16.3 million, mainly from neighbouring Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

Pakistan facing bankruptcy

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves are so low that the country can only afford one month of imports and faces possible bankruptcy.

An investor monitors the index at Karachi Stock Exchange in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo: BLOOMBERG

Officially, the central bank holds $8.14 billion (£4.65 billion) of foreign currency, but if forward liabilities are included, the real reserves may be only $3 billion - enough to buy about 30 days of imports like oil and food.

Nine months ago, Pakistan had $16 bn in the coffers.

The government is engulfed by crises left behind by Pervez Musharraf, the military ruler who resigned the presidency in August. High oil prices have combined with endemic corruption and mismanagement to inflict huge damage on the economy.

Given the country's standing as a frontline state in the US-led "war on terrorism", the economic crisis has profound consequences. Pakistan already faces worsening security as the army clashes with militants in the lawless Tribal Areas on the north-west frontier with Afghanistan.

The economic crisis has already placed the future of the new government in doubt after the transition to a civilian rule. President Asif Ali Zardari has faced numerous but unproven allegations of corruption dating from the two governments led by his wife, Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated last December.

The Wall Street Journal said that Pakistan's economic travails were "at least in part, a crisis of confidence in him".

While Mr Musharraf's prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, frequently likened Pakistan to a "Tiger economy", the former government left an economy on the brink of ruin without any durable base.

The Pakistan rupee has lost more than 21 per cent of its value so far this year and inflation now runs at 25 per cent. The rise in world prices has driven up Pakistan's food and oil bill by a third since 2007.

Efforts to defer payment for 100,000 barrels of oil supplied every day by Saudi Arabia have not yet yielded results, while the government has also failed to raise loans on favourable terms from "friendly countries".

Mr Zardari told the Wall Street Journal that Pakistan needed a bail out worth $100 billion from the international community.

"If I can't pay my own oil bill, how am I going to increase my police?" he asked. "The oil companies are asking me to pay $135 [per barrel] of oil and at the same time they want me to keep the world peaceful and Pakistan peaceful."

The ratings agency Standard and Poor's has given Pakistan's sovereign debt a grade of CCC +, which stands only a few notches above the default level.

The agency gave warning that Pakistan may be unable to cover about $3 billion in upcoming debt payments.

Mr Zardari is expected to ask the international community for a rescue package at a meeting in Abu Dhabi next month.

This gathering will determine whether the West is willing to bail out Pakistan.

Ref: Telegraph, UK

Do-Buy / The construction zone

As world's economy crumbles, Dubai keeps on building.
Dubai's property developers are still thinking bigger than everyone else - despite growing fears that the Middle East will not be immune to a global slump

The Burj Dubai, the world's tallest building, rises above the city

Sharif Shafei, PR supremo for a leading Dubai-based developer, can certainly talk the talk. Words like brand, vision, iconic and ambition trip easily off his tongue – all to convince you that it's business as usual in the world's hottest real estate market.

Shafei, an engaging Egyptian-Canadian, works for a company behind huge construction projects in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Morocco, all cashing in on an oil-driven boom and Dubai's reputation for cutting-edge architecture, boundless imagination and high returns.

"I am telling people to continue to invest in real estate," he insisted. "There is no bubble that's going to burst."

In a week that saw panicky stock markets, falling oil prices and credit growth outstripping deposits, the brashest economy in the Middle East barely paused for breath. And with annual growth of nearly 18% since 2001, it's easy to see why. Indeed, across the Gulf, the overall real estate market has been valued at a whopping $1.3tr (£750bn).

Property prices in Dubai have increased by 40% since January and by almost 80% in the last 18 months, though there is now some evidence of a slowdown. Worries about a downturn coincided with Dubai's annual property fair, Cityscape, which filled the cavernous World Trade Centre with eager salesmen, glittering displays of extraordinary buildings and promises of secure investments.

The real estate company Nakheel, owned by the Dubai government, and so in effect by the ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, turned heads by unveiling plans for the world tallest tower at a cost of $38bn. But the next day Meraas Development's Jumeirah Gardens complex came in at a show-stopping $95bn.

This is an emirate where record-busting skyscrapers and artificial islands are the norm, and which is already building the world's largest theme park and shopping mall and planning an Eiffel tower bigger than the real thing. So some people weren't that impressed.

"Dubai is fixated on the largest, it's a PR thing to attract attention, publicity and tourists," laughed Shafei. "Dubai," said Sina al-Kazim, chief executive of Meraas, "has always reinvented itself."

Smooth PR, lavish entertainment and celebrities like formula one champion Michael Schumacher added lustre. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones graced one party at the $1.5bn Atlantis Hotel on Palm Jumeirah island. Kelly Rowlands of Destiny's Child wowed guests at another flashy reception.

But if the public message was one of unbridled confidence, there was an undercurrent of concern that didn't feature in the sales pitches, press releases and shiny brochures.

Cityscape exhibitor Khaled al-Ali, resplendent in flowing white dishdasha and headdress among the dark suits, made no attempt to hide his fears. "It's a bit scary," he admitted. "Customer perception, misinformation and the size of the projects are all a bit too much. The wow factor makes it hard to make a decision. People believe in the companies and in Dubai but they want to know what's coming next. If banks are collapsing it might affect them."

Dubai is long used to defying normal behaviour: this tiny emirate, one of the seven states of the United Arab Emirates, has an economy second in size only to regional giant Saudi Arabia, even though it has relatively little oil.

Of its 1.3 million people, 80% are non-native foreigners, including 100,000 Britons. Many more are the south Asian labourers whose grim lives and working conditions were highlighted in the Guardian this week.

Its unique status as a regional hub for business, leisure, and travel means much investment is international rather than local – and that some will see it as a safe haven in stormy times elsewhere.

Warning signs about its property market have been visible for some time. There is concern about corruption allegations against property and banking executives. And worries too about speculative money propping up the market despite government efforts to slow rapid buying and selling, the so-called "flipping", of properties.

And late last month the UAE Central Bank made $13.6bn available to maintain liquidity in the face of a local credit squeeze.

"On the one hand you have the fact that Dubai's government will pour as much money as is needed into any element of the economy to see it safe," commented one property newsletter. "But on the other hand you have to be realistic about these things and ask, where will the people come from to live in these mega housing estates and to shop in these huge malls?"

Away from the futuristic towers, parts of Dubai provide glimpses of a world that is fading away: on the famous creek, lined with Iranian banks – a reminder of the brooding power across the Gulf - picturesque wooden abras nip between the dhows.

Across the greenish water on the Deira side, opposite the British embassy and the ruler's palace, the streets have a subcontinental feel that recalls the old adage about the UAE: "Emirates stands for English-Managed, Indian-Run, Arabs Taking Enormous Salaries."

In a place built on confidence and the projection of confidence the idea of failure seems inconceivable. The consensus is that a slowdown or a "correction" of property prices, and delays to some existing projects, are likely, but a crash impossible. "The message here is that it's still party time," says Professor Abdelkhaleq Abdullah, a political scientist. "Everyone else is in crisis - but Dubai always sees the opportunity."

Ref: The Guardian, UK

Zimbabwe - Where was that??

Zimbabwe's inflation rate surges to 231,000,000%

A new 100 billion Zimbabwean dollar note in a box of apples in Harare

A Z$100bn note - they were worth less than 8p when they were scrapped in August. Photograph: Philimon Bulawayo/Reuters

Zimbabwe's official inflation rate has surged to 231,000,000% as the opposition appealed to South Africa's former president, Thabo Mbeki, to rescue the historic power-sharing deal he brokered last month.

With the economy continuing its rapid collapse and no end in sight to the political deadlock, the World Food Programme today launched an appeal to feed 5 million Zimbabweans. It said that more than 80% of the country's population was living on less than £1 a day and nearly half is chronically malnourished.

The latest official inflation rate, for July, is twenty times higher than a month earlier. Independent economists, who have accurately estimated the true rate in the past, say that inflation this month will run into the trillions.

That has forced the government to allow shops this week to begin accepting US dollars and South African rand because the Zimbabwean dollar is now all but worthless.

The latest inflation figures will increase pressure on the country's president, Robert Mugabe to stop stalling over the composition of a new power-sharing government with the prime minister designate, Morgan Tsvangirai. The president is demanding security ministries such as the army and police as well as the finance portfolio even though foreign donors have made it clear that there will be no aid to revive the economy unless that falls under Tsvangirai's control.

Tsvangirai said today that the talks were deadlocked and called for Mbeki to intervene. "We have asked him to come over and he has said he will come over," he said.

But Tsvangirai said he retained confidence in the agreement. "We are confident about the potential of the deal," he said. "In the process of implementation, we have hit an impasse but not on fundamental contents of the deal.

"Unfortunately no progress has been made ... to bring the Zimbabwean people to the beginning of the path of recovery. Instead the economic crisis has worsened. We now live in an environment characterised by hunger, starvation, and we are days away from seeing people dropping dead on the streets."

Mugabe only signed what he called a "humiliating" agreement surrendering many of his powers because his government has no solution to the problems afflicting Zimbabwe, and that has not changed.

Its attempt to curb inflation with enforced price reductions only drove trade on to the black market.

The central bank removed 10 zeros from the national currency in August after rapid devaluation forced it to print Z$100bn notes that were worth only about 8p on the street when they were scrapped.

But the new currency continued the free fall as it dropped from about Z$100 to the pound two months ago to Z$2m to the pound before the government blocked electronic bank transfers last week.

Severe cash shortages, because the government cannot afford to print bank notes to keep pace with inflation, had meant that many people could at least use bank accounts as a means of payment using a parallel market rate. But that lifeline has now been cut.

The central bank said the transfers were used for illicit exchange deals and to overprice goods. "We have no option but to take this drastic measure in order to maintain sanity in the financial system," said the central bank governor, Gideon Gono.

Ref: The Guardian, UK

Disappearing Deccani culture...A concern !!!

Urbanisation of Hyderabad has taken its toll on a lifestyle that once bound diverse communities.


This anecdote narrated by well-known Urdu writer and academic, Zeenat Sajida, mirrors the traditional composite culture of erstwhile Hyderabad.

Has this refined Deccani culture as typified by the Hyderabadi way of living, become passé in the wake of globalisation and urbanisation, coupled with the expediency of electoral politics? Some of the prominent Muslim intellectuals of the city feel so.

Rather wistfully and with nostalgia , they recalled that the fundamental feature, which distinguished the Deccani culture, was its composite nature - a milieu in which the rulers and the subjects alike, while retaining their identity, respected the faith and beliefs of others. And their catholic outlook did not end by merely respecting the others' faith; they also participated with genuine warmth and affection in the festivities and other events.

"It was not culture predicated on mere tolerance. It was the culture of recognition of the right of others. It was secular in the true sense of the word. There was no difference between a Hyderabadi Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or anybody," observed eminent Urdu poet, Rashid Azur. Bonhomie, etiquette, manners, social graces, humility and simplicity were some of the attributes, which constituted the `zeitgeist' or the spirit of the times. The frenetic pace of urbanisation has transformed the cultural landscape of the city so completely that these values are rapidly becoming extinct.

Reflecting on the egalitarian attitude with which they were brought up, Rashid said, "We used to play with our servants. Chirkhi billa, goliyaan, lone paat, gilli danda, kabbadi were some of the games fondly played by all. The respect for elders was equally pervading and we always used to address our driver as `Khan Saab'. Another aspect of the Deccani way of living, which was missing now was that the family of servants used to live for generations in the house of their masters. They used to be part of the household ," he reminisced.

"I think the Khuloos (affection) and friendship of those times is missing now," rued Zeenat Sajida. Such was the extent of cross-cultural interaction and togetherness that it influenced even the cuisine. Yet another feature was that a majority of Muslims avoided eating beef. "The culture was almost similar in the houses of Rajputs, Kayasths and Muslims," she added. Every house had an open courtyard and a "Dalaan" (an open living room), and the size of Dalaan more or less reflected the social status of the householder, she added.

For Prof. S. Sirajuddin, a retired professor of English from Osmania University, those were the times of bonhomie, gracious living, love of poetry and good food. "Poetry circulated in houses and aired in mushairas. It went deep into the psyche of Urdu speaking people," he recalled.
Hyderabad had high quality mushairas which have become a thing of past. Outside Delhi and Lucknow in the North, Hyderabad was the most important centre of Urdu. Mushaira was a major cultural and social event in which the nobility and the commoners constituted a very appreciative and discerning audience. The city attracted poets like Daagh Dehelvi, Josh Malihabadi, Fani Badayuni and Fasahat Jung Jaleel among others.

Another retired English Professor, Taqi Ali Mirza, said that the preservation of temples, mosques and monuments like Ajanta and Ellora received lot of attention from the rulers, who used to give generous grants.

"Very munificent grants were given by the Nizam to non-Muslim universities like the Benares Hindu University and the Bandarkar Research Institute, Pune." In matters of dress too, there was lot of commonality between Hindu and Muslim students on the Osmania University campus. The Hindus used to wear a cap, which was compulsory and a sherwani or a coat. There was no restriction on wearing dhotis. "I miss that amity and fellow feeling now. There is feeling of alienation among the communities due to political reasons...this is very sad," he lamented.
Former Director of Salar Jung Museum, M. L. Nigam said the Hyderabadi tehzeeb was a gracious way of living, which had nothing to do with religion. "When we talk of Hyderabadi culture, it does not mean it is the culture of Muslims or Hindus. The whole problem today is that we are confusing culture with religion."

Citing another famous incident which reflected the secular culture, he said the sixth Nizam, Mahbub Ali Khan worshipped River Musi and offered a sari after it flooded half the city in 1908. "The greatest merit of that culture was that it integrated the people, irrespective of their caste and creed."

"Life was essentially easy-paced and stress-free," observed Ghani Nayeem, Urdu scholar, who said that nothing reflected this better than the present-day marriages, which have none of the refinement, grace and elegance of old Hyderabadi marriages. Old world ceremonies like "chakki ka rasm" in which seven suhagans (married women) ground turmeric in a grinding stone have already become extinct. How many young people today know of a Mushata (match-maker) or a Mirasan, who used to sing wedding songs, he queried.

A revival of that great culture and tradition might be the answer to Hyderabad's eternal peace and harmony

Its 2008, there'z no Google. What now??

Unearthly visions of a world without Google



Google is 10 years' old now but what if Larry Page and Sergey Brin had spent their university years pickling their livers instead of programming? We imagine a world without Google...

1 We'd still have brains
Why bother remembering things when you can just Google them? According to Nicholas Carr Google's instant access to everything may be reprogramming our brains and ruining our attention spans. Which reminds us of that thing, you know, that thing that bloke said about, er, things. No, sorry. It's gone.

2 We'd have fewer funny images
Without Google Image Search, the wags at Worth1000.com, Fark.com, b3ta.com and Icanhazcheezburger would have a much poorer selection of amusing images for their photographic tomfoolery - and the web would be a sadder place as a result.

3 We'd have rubbish webmail
Pre-Gmail, webmail had tiny amounts of storage space and terrible search tools. Gmail raised the bar, and every single webmail provider had to improve their offerings accordingly. Pre-Gmail, you'd get a few megabytes of storage and you'd be grateful. Now, you get gigabytes free with your Corn Flakes.

4 We'd pay for content
If a site charges for access, we'll just Google for one that offers similar stuff for free. More often than not, that means a site funded by advertising - and more often than not, that advertising comes via Google. Wags suggest that when Google says it wants to organise all the world's information, it means it wants to organise all the world's money.

5 Beta would mean beta
It isn't the only offender, but Google's (ab)use of the beta label is particularly annoying. Pre-Google, "beta" meant a final check for bugs before the finished version shipped. Gmail has been in beta for approximately 3,000 years. Expect a similarly long beta period for Google's new browser, Google Chrome.

6 Pub quizzes would be fun
Google has been a boon for pub quizmasters, but it's taken the joy out of playing. Whenever the quizmaster asks a hard question you can see the electric glow as everybody sneakily Googles it on their phones.

7 We'd still use Usenet
When Google bought the Usenet archive Deja News, people still used Usenet - but Google then turned it into Groups, blurring the lines between Usenet and Google's own content and effectively killing Usenet in the process.

8 Bloggers would be broke
AdSense has made it possible for bloggers to earn money from their writing - in some cases, lots of money. Of course, that's also resulted in blogs whose content only exists to push advertising and "How to make money from blogging" blogs, but we don't read those ones so we don't care.

9 The iPlayer would suck
Without Google, the combination of bandwidth bills and legal action would have taken YouTube off the net ages ago. YouTube's success has clearly influenced iPlayer, and without it we'd probably be stuck with the DRMed, download-only iPlayer 1.0.

10 Mozilla wouldn't make money and IE would still be rubbish
Firefox's search box generates tens of millions of dollars for Mozilla every year - and it makes a tidy sum for Apple and Opera, too. By effectively subsidising alternative browsers and web technologies, Google's cash forces Microsoft to improve IE - and its new browser, Google Chrome, kicks the browser wars up another notch.

11 We'd be lost
Although rivals have overtaken it in some areas - Live Maps' bird's eye view is great - Google took online mapping and made it something we use every day. It's not just the about maps, though: it's the integration with local search results, the mobile versions and the API that gives developers the keys to make all kinds of mashups.

12 We'd still have privacy
Google's massive share of the search market and the sheer range of services it provides - including adverts on what seems to be most of the internet - means that it holds an unprecedented and potentially terrifying amount of data about individual internet users. If Google ever decides to become evil, we're doomed.

A Martial Art led me to Islam (Story of a convert)

By Steven Krauss (Abdul-Lateef Abdullah)

The Malaysian martial art form called silat.

My experience in Islam began as a graduate student in New York City in 1998. Up to that point in my life, for 25 years, I had been a Protestant Christian, but had not been practicing my religion for quite some time. I was more interested in “spirituality” and looking for anything that didn’t have to do with organized religion. To me, Christianity was out of touch and not relevant to the times. It was hard for me to find anything in it that I could apply to my everyday life. This disillusion with Christianity led me to shun everything that claimed to be organized religion, due to my assumption that they were all pretty much the same, or at least in terms of their lack of relevance and usefulness.

Much of my frustration with Christianity stemmed from its lack of knowledge and guidance around the nature of God, and the individual’s relationship to Him. To me, the Christian philosophy depends on this rather bizarre intermediary relationship that we are supposed to have with Jesus, who on one hand was a man, but was also divine. For me, this difficult and very vague relationship with our Creator left me searching for something that could provide me with a better understanding of God, and our relationship to Him. Why couldn’t I just pray directly to God? Why did I have to begin and end every prayer with “in the name of Jesus Christ?” How can an eternal, omnipotent Creator and Sustainer also take the form of a man? Why would He need to? These were just a few of the questions that I could not resolve and come to terms with. Thus, I was hungry for a more straightforward and lucid approach to religion that could provide my life with true guidance, not just dogma that was void of knowledge based in reason.

While in graduate school, I had a Jewish roommate who was a student of the martial arts. While I was living with him, he was studying an art called silat, a traditional Malaysian martial art that is based on the teachings of Islam. When my roommate would come home from his silat classes, he would tell me all about the uniqueness of silat and its rich spiritual dimension. As I was quite interested in learning martial arts at the time, I was intrigued by what I had heard, and decided to accompany my roommate to class one Saturday morning. Although I did not realize it at the time, my experience in Islam was beginning that morning at my first silat class in New York City back on February 28th, 1998. There, I met my teacher, Cikgu (which means teacher in Malay) Sulaiman, the man who would first orient me to the religion of Islam. Although I thought I was beginning a career as a martial artist, that day back in 1998 actually represented my first step toward becoming Muslim.

From the very beginning, I was intrigued by silat and Islam and began spending as much time as possible with my teacher. As my roommate and I were equally passionate about silat, we would go to my teacher’s house and soak up as much knowledge as we could from him. In fact, upon our completing graduate school in the spring of 1998, upon his invitation, we spent the entire summer living with him and his wife. As my learning in silat increased, so did my learning about Islam, a religion that I had hardly any knowledge of prior to my experience in silat.

What made my orientation to Islam so powerful was that as I was learning about it, I was also living it. Because I studied at the home of my teacher, being in the presence of devout Muslims allowed me to be constantly surrounded by the sounds, sights and practices of Islam. For as Islam is an entire lifestyle, when you are in an Islamic environment, you cannot separate it out from everyday life. Unlike Christianity, which lends toward a separation between daily life and religion, Islam requires its followers to integrate worship of Allah into everything we do. Thus, in living with my teacher, I was immersed in the Islamic deen (lifestyle) and experiencing first-hand how it can shape one’s entire way of life.

Since Islam is focused on the most healthy, positive way of conducting our lives in every setting, then it is, and always will be, the only real answer to any society’s social dilemmas.

In the beginning, Islam was very different and powerful to me. It was also very foreign in many ways and the amount of discipline it requires was difficult to understand. At the time, I was liberal in many ways, and was used to shunning anything dogmatic or imposed, regardless of where it came from! As time went on, however, and my understanding of Islam grew, I began to slowly see that what seemed to be religious dogma was really a lifestyle put forth to us by our Creator. This lifestyle, I would later learn, is the straight path to true contentment, not just the sensual and superficial way of life that my society and culture promote. I realized that the question is quite simple actually. Who could possibly know better what the best way of life is for human beings than the all-wise Creator?

From that first silat class in New York City to the day I took my shahadda, July 30, 1999, I had undergone a thorough self-examination that was comprised of two major processes. One was to question the culture of the society I was brought up in, and the second was to question the role I wanted religion to play in my everyday life. As for my culture, this one was not as difficult as most people would think.

American culture is highly influential on how we see life because it constantly bombards us with sensual gratification aimed at appealing to our worldly desires. In America, happiness is defined by what we have and consume, thus, the entire culture is geared toward the marketplace. Unless we are removed from this type environment, it is difficult to see its drawbacks, which are based on worshipping and putting faith in everything but God, the only One that can provide us with real, lasting contentment in our lives.

Being a social scientist by trade, much of my professional time is spent trying to address the social ills of our society. As I learned more about Islam, I came to the conclusion that many societal ills are based on unhealthy social behavior. Since Islam is a lifestyle focused totally on the most healthy, positive way of conducting our lives in every setting, then it is, and will always be, the only real answer to any society’s social dilemmas. With this realization, not only did I decide that Islam was relevant to my everyday life, but I began to understand why it is so different from other religions. Only Islam provides knowledge and guidance for every aspect of life. Only Islam provides a way to achieve health and happiness in every dimension of life—physical, spiritual, mental, financial, etc. Only Islam provides us with a clear life goal and purpose. And only Islam shows us the proper way to live in and contribute to a community. Islam is what everyone needs, and what so many who have not found it yet, are searching for. It is the path to purpose, meaning, health and happiness. This is because it is the straight path to the source of truth and real power—Allah.

It was only until I actually became Muslim that I realized just how encompassing the Islamic lifestyle is. Literally everything we do has one underlying purpose – to remember Allah. The lifestyle provides us with the way—not just the understanding—but an actual method of constantly remembering our Creator in as simple an act as greeting someone, or getting dressed in the morning, or waking up from sleep. Islam shows us that by remembering Allah, everything we do becomes focused on Him, and thus becomes an act of worship. From this, our energy, our thoughts, and our actions all become redirected away from unhealthy and useless causes and focused on the source of all goodness. Thus, we are continuously tapping into His divine strength, mercy and grace. So, by remembering Allah constantly, we become stronger and healthier in every aspect of our lives and not distracted by self-defeating thoughts and behaviors.

When I finally broke the news to my family that I had become Muslim, almost all their concerns were related to cultural differences

There still remain some minor aspects of Islam that have proven to be somewhat difficult adjustments for me. Nevertheless, I thank Allah everyday for the ease to which he has allowed me to make the necessary changes in my life so that I can continue to live in America and still be, Insha-Allah, a good Muslim. As a white, middle-class American, many cultural aspects of Islam are quite different from the way in which I grew up. In fact, when I finally broke the news to my family that I had become Muslim, almost all of their questions and concerns were related to cultural differences—marriage, social life, family, etc. They were much less concerned about my general beliefs about God and religious practice. For my family, friends, and co-workers, becoming Muslim was not seen necessarily as a negative change, but it has required a great deal of education about Islam.

Because acquiring knowledge is a critical component to a Muslim’s development, having a teacher who has taught me how to apply Islam in everyday life has made all the difference in managing whatever difficulties I have experienced from my reversion. Having someone knowledgeable you can turn to whenever you have questions is a wonderful support that every new shahadda should go out of their way to find. Islam is not a religion that can be rationalized, in the way that Christianity and Judaism are. It is a clear path that must be followed just as Allah has laid out for us through the Qur’an and the lives of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his companions, and the saints of Islam.

In this day and age, in this society, discerning the path can often be difficult, especially when we are constantly faced with questions and doubts from people who on the surface may not be hostile to Islam, but whose general lack of faith can have a harmful effect on someone who bases everything they do on their love for Allah. It is also not easy being in an environment where we are constantly bombarded with sensual temptations that are seen as ordinary, common aspects of everyday life. But when we have the support of a knowledgeable, experienced teacher, who is able to apply the universal teachings of Islam to his life, then the truth becomes clear from error, exactly how Allah (SWT) describes in the Qur’an. From this, we are able to understand how to apply Islam correctly to our own lives, and Insha-Allah, receive Allah’s many blessings. The ultimate test, however, of anyone who claims to have true and right knowledge, is to look at how they apply it in their own lives. If their actions support their teachings, then and only then should we look to them for guidance.

My journey to Islam has been a life-altering experience. It is one that with every passing day makes me more and more appreciative and thankful to Almighty Allah. The extent of His mercy can only fully be understood from the perspective of a Muslim—one who prostrates regularly and submits their will to that of the Creator.

I look back at my life prior to Islam and reflect on the different ways I sought guidance. I think back to all the different ideas I once had of who God really is, and how we can become close to Him. I look back now with a smile and perhaps even a tear because now I know the truth. Through Islam, I know why so many people who do not believe have so much fear inside them. Life can be very scary without God. I know, because I once harbored that same level of fear. Now, however, I have the ultimate “self-help” program. It’s the self-help program without the self. It’s the path that puts everything is in its proper place. Now, life makes sense. Now, life is order. Now, I know why I am here, where I want to go, what I want my life to be, how I want to live, and what is most important not just to me, but to everyone. I only hope and pray that others who have not found the path yet, can feel the same that I do. Ya arhama rahimeen wal hamdulillahi rabbil aylameen……

*Reprinted with the permission of the author.



Source:islamonline.net


Allah always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.

English are speaking Hinglish back home

London: Beware do not say "badmash" loudly within the hearing of an Angrez. They, the Goras, know the meaning. It is not only the English food, which has been spiced up with the Indian hot curry, but English too is being spiced with a large number of Hindi words.

In the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, there are a lot of Hindi words, including Angrez and badmash. More Hindi words would soon be entered into the Collins Bank of English.

The Queen's English is turning into Queen's 'Hinglish', thanks to multiculturalism. Not only words but, slang such as "innit" used extensively by the educated Asian young have had a massive influence on the spoken English, specially in inner cities where many Asian communities have taken on dominant role in the political, economic and social life.

In Leicester or Birmingham "achha", "arre" and "am chey" are commonly understood. The popular spoof television programmes like 'The Kumars at No 42' and 'Goodness Gracious Me' that have commanded large segment of British viewers have had enormous impact on everyday conversation in English and the knowledge of Hindi words.

If the craze for the curry has brought in words like balti, tikki, pulao and pappadom, music has introduced bhangra, mujra and ghazal. The craze for Bollywood films had added to the general awareness of Hindi words, even abuses like "sala". In cinema complexes like in Birmingham and Leicester where at least in one movie hall four shows of a Bollywood film are screened every day, many English people can be spotted in the audience. They might not use many words like theek, yaar, naach and gaana, but they fully comprehend their meaning.

The term "chuddies" is now one word which is some what in general use because of the popularity of 'Kumars at No 42' and 'Goodness Gracious Me'. True, many English people have learnt that it is not a word that should be used in polite conversation or in front of ladies. But, may be for fun or whatever many young English boys and girls never hesitate to use the word in north England cities like Bradford or Burnley.

A report in The Observer said that a study in Birmingham looking at mixed groups of Sikhs and whites in youth clubs found that all white teenagers quickly absorbed derogatory Punjabi words to use as insults. Churi, lahenga, sari, ganja, cheetah, mehndi, sindoor, balti and masala are all understood and accepted words in most High Street shops and in drawing room conversations.

A linguist at Reading University, Arfaan Khan expects a whole new dialect to emerge soon. Collins Dictionary editor-in-chief was quoted in The Observer.

"This will be an increasing trend. If new words are used enough they will end up in the dictionary, and once they are then they become English words, too. With our increasing multi-cultural society, in 50 years English will have a mass of words from all the different cultures living on this island."

So Asians in campuses would soon provide slang "seen" meaning, "I see" and "oi, blud soon brethren" meaning "will see you soon brother". And why not they are paying seven times more tuition fees.

They are enriching the coffers of both the universities and the English language as well. In the spoken Hindi in India too, words like table, bank, almirah and sahib are words commonly used by even the semi-illiterate in villages. "Now with the Raj in opposite swing, it is not surprising that Hindi words are understood and used here", said a Hindi lecturer.

So the purists should not complain. Collins chief editor, Jeremy Butterfield
too said, "English is a mongrel language, and has always been." Innit!

Mikhail Gorbachev advertises Louis Vuitton bags to make his living

So many fashion ads feature celebrities now that it isn’t even faintly jarring to flip through the August issue of Vogue and see Scarlett Johansson lying on her belly with a Louis Vuitton bag over her shoulder and 10 pages later find her flat on her back, her cascading blond hair spread to promote L’Oreal Superior Preference shade No. 10NB.

Mikhail Gorbachev advertises Louis Vuitton bags to make his livingThat said, what is a reader to make of a Vuitton ad, coming in the big September books, that stars Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union? A decade ago, Mr. Gorbachev’s appearance in a Pizza Hut commercial was generally greeted as a low point in his career.

The Vuitton ad, however, is part of a campaign to emphasize the company’s heritage in luggage and travel accessories. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the ads include other celebrities using Vuitton bags: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf cuddling in a hotel room, their bags not yet unpacked; Catherine Deneuve resting on a trunk in front of a steaming locomotive; and Mr. Gorbachev in the back of a car with a duffel bag on the seat next to him. Of the group, Mr. Gorbachev appears the least comfortable. He is holding on to a door handle, as if the bag contained polonium 210.

It seems unlikely he will be approached by L’Oreal.

THE August issue of Harper’s Bazaar, meanwhile, includes fashion illustrations by Julius Preite of “The Simpsons,” with a cartoon version of Glenda Bailey, the editor, in place of her usual portrait. And now on Style.com, it is Candy Pratts Price, the site’s executive fashion director, who appears more animated than usual.

In a feature called “CandyCast,” Ms. Price will dispense thoughts on fashion in the form of an avatar, illustrated by Bruno Frisoni, the creative director of Roger Vivier. She looks skinnier than a paper clip, the New York Times reports.

“Take a look at gray!” she says in the first installment, which sounds a tad like a spoof of Diana Vreeland. “Always chic, always right, and always, always mandatory!”

Ms. Price said she hopes to convey a lighter tone in the future.

“It will definitely be related to fashion, because that is what I do for a living,” she said. “I am not a doctor.”

iphone vs blackberry

A BlackBerry is a BlackBerry and an Apple is an Apple and there are STILL 10 Reasons why the iPhone is NO BlackBerry.

10. No Removable Battery
Steve Jobs is big into looks and wants the iPhone to be an 'object' instead of an electronic gadget, but there is a time and a place for everything and when it comes to smartphone batteries they neeeed to be replaceable. Sure, iPhone users can pick themselves up an extended case battery like the Mophie Juice Pack Battery Pack / Case for the iPhone, but this is a bandaid solution for an issue that shouldn't exist.


9. Still No Native Video Recording / No Camera Flash
Maybe a 3rd party application will bring out the video recording capabilities of the iPhone, but until it happens this is one for the list. All new camera equipped smartphones from RIM can record video, and with the release of OS4.5 even older models (Pearl 8100 excluded) will get the goods to. While were at it, let's remember that the iPhone still has no camera flash.


8. Still No Voice Dialing
Voice dialing on a touchscreen phone seems like an absolute no brainer. It was shocking when the original iPhone did not have it, and it's even more shocking to see this missing from the next-generation iPhone. Come on Apple, even Microsoft can do this with their Windows Mobile phones. One thing is for sure, it's a safe bet Voice Dialing will not be missing from the BlackBerry "Thunder" when it is launched.


7. No Memory Expansion
8GB and 16GB versions are decent, but what you buy is what you get. Having the option to swap out microSDHC cards provides unlimited storage.


6. Still No MMS
Pretty much every phone on the market does this. What up Apple?


5. No CDMA Version Available
If that matters to you.


4. No UMA
3rd party apps may hit the market that will allow for calling via WiFi (a la Skype for iPhone), but you won't be seeing unlimited calling via UMA


3. Still No A2DP Stereo Bluetooth
WTF?! It's a wireless world, yet Apple still wants you to plug in headphones. Earth to Apple - Stereo Bluetooth is where it's at.


2. Still No Copy & Paste
No comments required on this one. Just start laughing. :-)


1. Still Lacks the Crack!!!
While the nine reasons above are factual "What's Lacking on the iPhone" statements, this final and most important reason is a combination of factors. The BlackBerry earned the name CrackBerry for a reason... it's Addictive. It's not that BlackBerry users pick up their device and use it for thirty minutes and put it back down and pick it up a few hours later when they are bored and use it again. The BlackBerry compells its owner to use it.

BlackBerry owners reach for their BlackBerry frequently throughout the day (count it one day - don't be surprised if you exceed 100) and there are reasons for that: the one-handed ease of use allows you to BlackBerry it up anywhere; the LED notifier lets you know something is up and draws you back; the "always on" nature of the device makes turning it on pain-free - you can be in and out in couple of seconds; the easy-to-type-on physical keyboard allows you fire off messages in a jiffy. These factors combined contribute to a winning user experience, especially for those who USE their smartphones...not just PLAY with them.

Most ridiculous software licence agreement

Ref: www.wordweb.info

WordWeb free version may be used indefinitely only by people who take at most two commercial flights (not more than one return flight) in any 12 month period. People who fly more than this need to purchase the Pro version if they wish to continue use it after a 30-day trial period.

Global greenhouse gas emissions are currently around 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide per person per year, and probably need to be reduced by at least 80% have a good chance of avoiding dangerous warming. Most computer users are responsible for far more emissions than is sustainable. For example two short-medium distance return flights can be equivalent to over 1 tonne of emissions1: more than an average person can safely emit over an entire year.

If you do not qualify you must uninstall the program after the 30-day trial period or purchase WordWeb Pro. The licensing model is designed to allow relatively non-wealthy people to use the program free of charge, and to provide a small incentive for other people who fly a lot to cut down.

Whenever a user no longer meets the above requirements, and they have installed the product for more than 30 days, they must uninstall the product or purchase WordWeb Pro.

There is one exception to the above: not-for-profit educational establishments may make a network installation of WordWeb for the use of their students (regardless of whether their students individually meet the licensing requirement)

Life's like that........ !!!

Even as I am trying hard to keep my eyes open (the sleepiness that creeps in post lunch!), a dozen thoughts flash through my mind and I have started pondering over the questions that I have been asking myself for quite sometime now. Hasn’t predictability crept into my life in the form of things that I do everyday? Have I not got settled into this routine a bit too comfortably? Everything from the music that I listen to, the movies that I watch, the places that I go for, the newspapers, books & blogs that I read, the websites that I visit, to the food that I eat, the work that I do, the people whom I chat with, seems to have an air of predictability to it. There’s predictability in every single thing that I do! A kind of monotony seems to have crept in. But then I am not complaining about it at all and I do like it most of the times. Despite that, the urge to break free from this routine does make a grand appearance once in a while and now is one such moment. But what do I do to achieve that is THE big question!

Journey to the moon - myths and legends

Did man reach the moon thousands of years ago?

Seems highly unlikely...,!!!, Analyse the facts below and give it a thought ;-)

In 1926, Professor A. W. Bickerton declared the concept of shooting at the moon to be foolish and impossible. In 1935, the noted astronomer F. R. Moulton wrote that man could never travel in outer space. In 1957, Dr. Richard van der Riet Wooley (former Astronomer Royal) called the idea of space travel "utter bilge." Eight months later Sputnik I was orbiting the earth.

In a remote northern area of Tibet lie the ruins of the Hsing Nu capital, discovered by Duparc in 1725. Within the city, Duparc came upon a mass of monoliths (once coated with silver), a pyramid, part of a tower of blue porcelain, and a royal palace, containing thrones with sun and moon images. There was also a large milky white stone surrounded by exquisite drawings.

Now for the stunning sequel. In 1952, a Soviet expedition arrived. The group was shown by Tibetan monks some ancient documents, whose descriptions agreed with those of Duparc.

But here is the breathtaking part: the milky white stone, so said the documents, was "brought from the moon." Moon rock? Is it possible? COULD MAN ACTUALLY HAVE LEFT THIS EARTH AND GONE TO THE MOON IN AGES PAST? Was space travel a natural adjunct to his civilization? Are there clues?

Indeed there are. Indications of the reality of ancient space travel do come from widely separated parts of the world. Written and oral tradition is widespread - and, it seems, reliable.

Chinese historians in particular never tried to please their rulers at the expense of truth. Death was preferred to untruthful reports of history. As an example we have the fate of historians in the reign of Chi in 547 B.C. We should therefore take seriously the historical reports of China, even if they seem at first to he far-fetched.

There is a tendency in scientific circles nowadays to regard ancient documents and even mythology and folklore - as sources of history. Anthony Roberts expresses it this way: "Legends are like time-capsules that preserve their contents through ages of ignorance."

In regard to some of the chronicles cited hereafter, internal evidence will carry its own proofs of authenticity.

The first source is an old manuscript described by James Churchward, the English scholar who wrote decades before people spoke of artificial satellites and spaceships.

1 - INDIA: Vehicles that could revolve around the earth (i.e., satellites): "Their fuel is drawn from the air in a very simple and cheap way. The motor is something like a modern turbine: it works from one chamber to another and does not stop or stall unless switched off. If nothing happens it continues to function. The ship in which it is built could revolve as long as it liked around Earth, only falling when the parts of which it is made were burnt up.

2 - INDIA: Philosophers and scientists who orbited the earth "below the moon and above the clouds" are spoken of in the ancient Surya Siddhanta.

Giant satellites made of shiny metal and turning about an axis are described in detail in ancient Sanskrit texts, right down to their dimensions and interiors, as well as smaller craft that fly between them and the earth.

3 - CHALDEA: Two "modern" rockets emitting rays at the rear, a box like a loudspeaker and a "copy" of a Gemini capsule - are engraved on a copper chisel unearthed at Ur.

4 - SUMERIA: Pictographic texts describe three related objects on display in Sippar: the golden sphere (command module?), the "GIR" (a long arrow-shaped object, divided into several compartments) and the "alikmahrati," meaning "advancer that makes vessel go" (i.e., a motor, or an engine). Together they look very much like a three-part rocket ship.

Another explicit sign is the combination of two words "DIN" and 'GIR." When joined together to form the word "g-ds," the tail of the finlike "gir" fits perfectly into the opening of the rocket like "din," which exhausts fire from its tail.

5 - PERU: A clay vessel 8-1/2 inches high portrays a kind of "space capsule" on which motor and exhaust are clearly recognizable.

6 - ITALY: A painting discovered in the niche of a room under Rome's Palatine Hill, in 1961, portrays what appears to be a rocket. It stands on a launching pad. From it run guys or cables; behind is a tall wall, resembling a counterblast wall.

7 - JAPAN: Excavations have uncovered clay figurines of people clad in peculiar "space suits", with helmets entirely covering their heads. On the helmets are representations of something like slit-type glasses, breath -filters, antennae, hearing aids and even night-sight devices.

8 - INDIA: The Mahabharata describes "two storey sky chariots with many windows, ejecting red flame, that race up into the sky until they look like comets . . . to the regions of both the sun and the stars."

9 - GUATEMALA: Another ancient description mentions "a circular chariot of gold, measuring 12,000 cubits in circumference and able to reach the stars"

10 - INDIA: Other references speak of:

* Pushan sailing in golden ships across the ocean of the sky

* Garuda (a celestial bird) carrying Lord Vishnu in cosmic journeys

* Aerial flights "through the region of the sky firmament which is above the region of the winds"

* The Ancients of Space Dimensions.

11 - NEW ZEALAND: Maori legends tell of flying machines and journeys to the moon.

12 - CHINA, 3rd century B.C.: Chuang Tzu, in a work entitled Travel to the Infinite, relates a trip he made into space to 32,500 miles from the earth.

13 - TIBET and MONGOLIA: Ancient Buddhist books speak of "iron serpents which devour space with fire and smoke, reaching as far as the distant stars."

14 - TIBET: The three levels of a pyramid in the Hsing Nu capital commemorated three historical periods in the remote past: the pre space travel era, the time when men were able to visit one of the heavenly bodies, and then afterward when they came back to earth and lost the power of space travel. It was here that there reposed on the altar a "stone brought from the moon."

15 - BABYLON: The Epic of Etana (4,700 years old) supplies us with very accurate descriptions of the earth's surface from progressive altitudes - descriptions which were not verified in our own era until the high-altitude aerial flights of the 1950s and the first space shots of the 1960s.

The description of this ancient space flight depicts exactly what happens when man leaves the earth (the concept of the round earth which becomes small, due to perspective as distance increases, and changes into particular colors).

16 - BOOK OF ENOCH: The ancient Book of Enoch says that in space "it was hot as fire and cold as ice" (where objects get hot on the side illuminated by the sun and icy cold on the shaded side) and "a dark abyss." 9

17 - YUNNAN PROVINCE CHINA Engravings of cylindrical rocket like machines, which are shown climbing skyward, were discovered on a pyramid which suddenly emerged from the floor of Lake Kun-Ming during an earthquake.

18 - GREECE: Lucian pictured the moon as a body like the earth which could be reached in 8 days and wrote a "fiction" (?) of a moon trip.


(Ref: Did Man Reach The Moon Thousands Of Years Ago? by John Winston)

Am back! 'So Unreal'

Back to my blog again after a long while, life's been taking its toll on me but i keep fighting.

An interesting thought here, 'how artificial is the world we live in???'. Could you answer that?. Do we really live in a matrix?

The Universe is unreal. Life is unreal. Nature is not natural.We assume the world is natural; that everything just happens, naturally. Schoolbooks teach us that the entire Universe just BANGED into existence. Scientists assume that stars and planets came into being by dust and debris coalescing or concentrating over eons of time. Educatorstell us that Life came into being on Earth through natural forces. They say: We humans are simply natural by-products of the world around us. We crawled out of the oceans; we evolved into primates; we stood erect and developed into modern creatures over extremely long periods of time...so say the evolutionists.

That was not the case. Funny, how wrong the universities are in their studies of anthropology! The most important question of how Life began on Earth cannot be answered through traditional means. There are too many holes in the story of Evolution. If we came from monkies, monkies would only be found in the fossil record and would not be alive.

Not only are there human missing links, but also there are missing links in every single species of every single known life form. On this subject, there was an old Phil Donahue Show that concerned 'Evolutionists Against Darwinism.' They rolled out a very long scroll or genealogy chart that contained all species and their permutations. The chart was virtually blank. There were only a few animals with links to other forms. We know, for certain, of only a few changes over time. There was not one complete animal chain of forms from the earliest times to modern times.

Brain size of ancient Cro-Magnons was LARGER than the brain size of modern humans! This anthropological truth is ignored by traditional sources because it is not understood by traditional sources. Cro-Mags were not primitive in any way. Revered psychic Edgar Cayce understood that the Cro-Magnons were the Atlanteans. The Incan and Egyptian surviving Cro-Mags were the Atlantean elite; our ancestors. They were the pyramid-builders and ancient astronauts. The evidence shows a degeneration, over eons, down to modern humans. A smooth, upward, human Progression is not what history records.

We assume the educators know what they are talking about. We assume the anthropologists are correct because 'that's their job and they're the experts.' We should question traditional conclusions. We should realize that scientists, in general, believe what they do for one main reason: They want to differ from and oppose Religion. Readers can examine my article called 'My Atlantis' which puts forth another alternative to these traditions.

You have heard of 'star-stuff.' We are star-stuff. The same molecules in us are also found inside stars. This, again, is a big misconception. The real motive for such a philosophy is to eliminate the idea that an INTELLIGENCE was behind our genesis. They want you to believe that everything is natural. Nothing is farther from the truth.

This writer is not saying 'God did it.' God is an overwhelming, inconceivable concept that no one should talk about since no one can understand it.

We ARE products of intelligent beings in the Universe. Another article that one might consider is called 'The Purpose for the Human Race.' We are strangers on Earth. Our ancestors landed here and made this planet their home. We are also not the creations of aliens. Aliens did not accelerate the development of natural, Earthly primates. We came from HUMANS. These prehistoric, human ancestors are not the ones you are familiar with. They (we) were once spiritual, super-tech GODS. But, we have fallen from greatness.

The point here is to state that the Universe is not just gas and dust and debris. It is not outrageous to believe that the cosmos is filled with Life. What if the Universe itself is an artificial construct? Where scientists see only lifelessness; there could be life. What we believe is natural could be artificial. Out of ignorance, we may be viewing the Universe the wrong way. Maybe the truth is: The world is unnatural. It was all MADE or manufactured by intelligences far beyond our comprehension.

Let's examine celestial objects in our own Solar System. We do not have to look far in our search for cosmic artificialness. The Moon might not be natural. It is too large. The only other planets with similar sized moons are the GIANT planets of Jupiter and Saturn. Great Saturn only has one satellite close to the size of our Moon (Titan). Venus is similar to the size of Earth and is moonless. Mars has only two small meteors as moons.

The Moon contains rocks older than any bodies in our Solar System. The Moon does not fit with the rest of the planets and satellites. Could the Moon have been BROUGHT IN?

In an exclusive interview, Jordan Maxwell (Jordan Maxwell.com) 'the Godfather of Secret Societies' revealed that he attended a Moon/Mars Conference in Oakland, CA. Richard C. Hoagland (The Enterprise Mission.com) of NASA and writer/lecturer of the Monuments of Mars spoke at this 1995 conference. Lunar and Martian anomalies were discussed. The government classified a million lunar photographs and restricted their distribution to the public. Government sources MAY confirm that THE MOON IS HOLLOW. Our satellite is composed of a 'metallic superstructure.' It was brought into the Solar System.

In an article called 'Who Stops to Question the Man in the Moon?' readers find that the Man in the Moon might be an artificial situation. We think it is natural for the Moon to always have one side that faces the Earth. We all take this astronomical fact for granted. Not only did someone; some high intelligence bring the Moon in...but it was PURPOSELY SET to rotate precisely as it revolved around Earth. This is a synchronized clockwork condition that will never change. It should change. Orbits decay and change over time. Either a slowing or speeding up of rotation and revolution would alter the perfect 'in sync' relationship we have with our Moon. Scientists know this will never change. The far side of the Moon will always face away from our planet. Normally and naturally: We should, intermittently, see the lunar far side. But we never will and this is NOT NATURAL!

Could an ancient machine or device be purposely compensating the lunar rotation and revolution to keep this unnatural planet/moon system going as is? Why would someone want one side of the Moon to face the Earth? The reason is the only planet that we know for sure has LIFE also has the perfect observation platform. From the far side; aliens, humans-with-the-technology or any higher intelligent ETs could operate secretly. Radio-silence of the Moon would block all broadcasts. It is logical to assume that SOMEBODY uses the lunar far side. It is the perfect place for an observation base. It is too perfect. Our monitors from the Moon could be numerous alien races and the Feds, working in secret.

Scientists say we are 'gravity-locked' with our Moon. Gravity-Lock is a myth. Astronomers had to come up with some natural explanation, no matter how unfounded. If G.L. exists, why aren't all planets gravity-locked with their moons? Why are we different? The astrophysicists cannot answer these basic questions; yet we are to believe their NATURAL answers. The Moon, in every way, is an anomally. Luna has artificial structures. The Feds are operating, in secret, on the Moon and even on the planet Mars. We have not returned to the Moon because we are covertly there. Please read the article 'Secret Bases on the Moon and Mars.' There have been reports that the Moon has slight weather. Question the party line of a lifeless Moon and Mars. What THEY tell us on the media might not be the truth.

Another synchronic relationship between planet and moon also exists with Pluto/Charon. Charon orbits 'in sync' with the ROTATION of Pluto. This is a different situation than our satellite relationship. On the surface of Pluto, Charon would never move and always be in the same position in the sky. Pluto's and Earth's synchronicity are not the norm for celestial bodies. There are probably more than 100 satellites to all the planets in our Solar System. These two situations are known oddities in the great minority. What makes these oddities different than the rest of the
satellites? Maybe the systems only seem natural and are really artificial situations? Could cosmic INTELLIGENCES have artificially created what we assume is natural?

Mars once had Earthlike conditions. There was water. Huge canyons were carved by water that flowed on the Martian surface. There are dried up riverbeds. The red planet's atmosphere was much thicker long, long ago. At Cydonia, there is an ALIGNED Great Pyramid. The Pyramid is not a natural formation caused by a trick of light. The Cydonia Great Pyramid has been estimated to be approximately a mile long and a million years old! Ancient, Earthly pyramids only acquire energy and power if they are aligned with the directions. This fact, along with many similarities between Giza and Cydonia, has convinced Richard C, Hoagland of pyramids on Mars. More researchers should be open to the idea that human life once existed on Mars. THERE IS A FACE next to the Great Pyramid at Cydonia. Next to Earth's Great Pyramid, there is a Sphinx; a large face. On Mars, the carved FACE is located near the Martian Great Pyramid. Were ancient Martians gods of war?

The concept of HUMAN features constructed in stone on Mars, breaks all the evolutionary laws that say the human race is unique; a product of unique circumstances only found on Earth. If we evolved on Earth exclusively, then we should not discover humans on other prehistoric planets. Darwin was wrong! Darwinism is truly NOT based on science. It is based on inaccurate assumptions. It is more likely that humans were seeded on Earth as a result of intelligences from space than ever crawled out of our oceans. Are governments publicly skeptical of the Cydonia Monuments because they have already studied the ruins in secret? Why have our 'public' NASA programs failed to explore these long known MARTIAN anomalies? Curious.

Many Martian probes have previously malfunctioned and have been lost. These were not accidents or normal failures. The probes were made to fail so we do not discover a military presence already on Mars!

The 5th planet is not Jupiter. Jupiter is actually the 6th planet. The 5th planet was BLOWN UP! We know the Solar System is composed of inner planets, outer planets and a gap between them. Within the gap, astronomers discovered the Asteroid Belt. This was once a planet. Another article to read is 'Bode's Law and KBOs.' There is a simple formula to find the distances of the planets out from the sun. It is called Bode's Law. The formula was considered a valid rule up to the late 19th Century. The Asteroid Belt was discovered while astronomers searched for the missing planet in the gap. They originally thought they found it with the discovery of Ceres; the largest asteroid. Then they found Vesta; the next largest, shattered fragment. These are pieces of a pulverized planet. Slowly, astronomers observed and recorded thousands or irregular fragments orbitting at the 2.8 Astronomical Unit distance. Mars is at 1.6 AUs and Jupiter is at 5.2 AUs. The asteroids are rarely found outside of Mars and Jupiter. Certainly, some meteors do fly away from that area and pass by Earth. Shooting stars are these fragments from a (possibly once life-filled) planet that enter our atmosphere. Comets also account for
our meteor showers.

Could the early Martians [a planet of war] have gone to war with the planet that became the Asteroid Belt? Did the Martians blow it up? Is what we found in the gap, the aftermath of a great war of the planets? The point here is: What we take for granted as natural...might not be. Prehistoric space wars or acts of alien armies could have left the Solar System in its present state. God might not be involved. The gods are another story.

The planet Venus is not natural. At .72 Astronomical Units, Venus is a total enigma. It's extremely thick atmosphere acts as a pressure-cooker. There is a big mystery here: How is Venus losing its energy? The planet captures its heat energy and does not release it into space. Scientists expected a molten planet. When probes finally peeked through the thick atmosphere, they fopund THE MOST INTENSE CRATERING IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM! This means that the surface of Venus is so super ancient and dense that we have preserved craters from the days of the early Solar System. Venus has not terra-formed or changed in all that time. No one expected high mountain peaks on Venus. Another article to read is called 'Life Inside Venus?' The article indicates that the second planet from the sun is not a natural object. Venus functions more like an artificial orb; something constructed; like George Lucas' Deathstar; than a normal planet. There are hellish conditions on the surface of Venus. INSIDE Venus might be the perfect place to hide an advanced civilization. Is this theorized race of Venusians using up the planet's heat energy on the inside?

Returning to Bode's Law, all the planets conform to a particular pattern out from the sun. Some intelligence put the planets in their place. If the positioning of planets were a natural or RANDOM event, the planets would have chaotic orbits around the sun. Instead, there is virtually perfect ORDER: The planets' orbits are aligned ellipses in an Ecliptic Plane. Neptune is an exception. When Neptune was discovered in the late 19th Century, Bode's Law was discarded. The next planet beyond Neptune, PLUTO, fits the Bode formula. When Pluto was found in 1930, Bode's Law should have been reconsidered. But, no one has noticed this astronomical fact. In the article 'Bode's Law and KBOs' this writer predicted that the next planet beyond Pluto would orbit at 77.2 AUs from the sun. That distance is 77.2 X 93 million miles. The article was first posted on the Farshores website in October 20, 2002. Years later, SEDNA was found to be approximately 77 AUs from the sun. The 10th planet has been discovered and further indicates the great order in the Solar System. The positioning of Sedna tends it to be a true planet; different than other Kuiper Belt objects. The prediction coming true was announced in an article called 'I Predicted the Distance to the 10th Planet.' Some higher intelligence placed the planets in perfect order; originally. Over billions of years of cosmic change, the perfect positioning has slightly altered. For example, Saturn fits Bode's Law; but is slightly off. The formation of its huge ring system could have slightly shifted the planet from its Bode's position.

If we take Bode's Law out to its next position, the answer is 154 AUs. In these very dark regions of the far Solar System, astronomers might discover another planet at the next B.L. distance of 154 AUs. This could surprise everyone by being a GIANT planet and not be Pluto-sized.

There could be life forms out there so advanced that they are planet-makers. They could build planets and planetoids. Other ETs could be in charge of maintaining whole galaxies. And others could be in charge of clusters of galaxies. There are no limits to the Universe or what Life is capable of building.

Comets are incoming material from the outer reaches of the Solar System. They do not have planetary orbits. They have extreme cigar-shaped orbits. Comets speed into the center of the Solar System, accelerate around the sun and warp back out to the cold Kuiper Belt. Something forced this cometary material into their extreme orbits. A great explosion is a likely cause for the creation of a comet. What if comets are remnants of blown up worlds? These cosmic explosions might not be natural, but purposeful acts of violence by advanced intelligences. Did a FAR outer planet explode and create what we call comets? By the same token, supernovas also might not be natural events.

An astrophysicist looks at a galaxy containing many Black Holes and still sees only lifelessness. Yet, inward Black Holes and outward Quasar White Holes could really be extraterrestrial transit systems! Other life forms might use the curves of space and wormholes as a means of travel.

In another article called 'Light-Speed Universes,' an amazing thought is put forth: The Electro-Magnetic Spectrum is not just a series oflifeless wavelengths (energy). Other universes, composed of real atoms, are passing by us and through us at light-speed. They appear as different wavelengths to us. EM waves are truly bombarding us in all directions. Radio telescopes prove this fact. Only light is visible. At different frequencies are ultraviolet; infrared; x-rays; microwaves; short-waves; long radio waves; television; cosmic rays, etc.

How can something act as particle and wave? The answer is relative movement. Move a 'quanta,' atom or dot extremely fast...and you have a line, a curved arc or a particular wavelength. A physical tree is only a tree because it moves as you move and appears physical. If the tree moved by you at light-speed, it would be photon-energy moving like a wavelength or light beam. Because of relativity, other universes whip by us at light-speed. We can only discern these real worlds as EM wavelengths. Also, our entire (seemingly stationary) universe is only a wavelength TO THEM. To that other world passing by us, their radio telescopes could only perceive our entire universe as a radio wave! The physical universe is similar to television signals. We are all television transmissions traveling through space. Universes are endless. Endless worlds, each with their own Big Bang, fly through space at relative frequencies. A saucer flying at warp speed would catch up with one of these worlds and it would seem stationary.

Is every star what it appears to be? A few stellar objects could have other purposes to other creatures. They could primarily be life-giving, nuclear orbs of ignited gases. Suns could also have been purposely placed there to see what life will thrive in the Petri dish. We could all be an experiment in a gigantic, astronomical test tube. Are we all in an unreal Truman Show?

Life does not just happen. If you had an empty fish tank with all the elements for life... You would have a very, very long wait for life to emerge. In fact, it would NEVER just emerge on its own. Life does not just come to be on its own on a planet. Something does not just form or evolve out of a vacuum of Nothing. Life has to be seeded. Once you put guppies, plants and food in the fish tank...life will exist. If those positive conditions are maintained, the life will flourish. Basic Darwin Evolution has been proven to be incorrect. The evidence suggests that humans and animals appeared on Earth in a relatively short time. BANG! Poof, there was carbon-based life on Earth. Plants and animals did not come to be from a very long period of change and evolution.

If some of the articles mentioned here were read, you would find this writer believes we came from HUMAN supermen and superwomen; advanced-tech Atlanteans. This means that God did not create Life on Earth. Evolution did not 'create' humans, animals and plants on Earth. Our human, ancient ancestors (not aliens) genetically created all the animals and all the plants. Life, itself, on this planet was not a natural thing. We were MADE; genetically planned, built and constructed. Probably, our human seeders also traveled to other planets. This could explain a giant, human face and structures on Mars.

Can the weather be controlled? Tesla built machines that made rain and machines that dispersed clouds. Could there be machines that cause earthquakes and tsunamis? We always assume these disasters are accidental and have no plan. The Conspiracy Theorist would say your Secret World Government DOES control the weather. THEY are the cause of the Florida hurricanes, the vast flooding in 2005, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, tornadoes, volcanoes blowing and many earthquakes. Those with the technology can artificially disturb nature and all of us would assume these were natural events. Could a sunny day be purposefully planned for some reason unknown to us?

In the distant past, our Atlantean ancestors mastered the Sciences. We are not raised up primates; we are fallen gods. The ancients could control the weather through electrical principles. When the world power system blew and their civilization collapsed, weather-control was no more. Ice Ages happened when the world weather-control went off-line. Nuclear winters could also have created Ice Ages from long ago.

Another point brought out in the articles is the idea of ancient, nuclear warfare. The pulverized deserts of today could be areas where there were once atomic exchanges in some lost and forgotten wars. Deserts are not natural formations.

This concept of ancient weather-control explains how the Machu Picchuans FARMED on top of the Andes Mountains. The land is terraced for farming in places that are impossible to farm today.

Did the weather-control in early Egypt drastically change and cause the water damage on the Sphinx? The story of the Great Deluge in the Bible could be historically true. The Great Flood could have been artificially made to happen by those angels with the machines that could control weather and make rain. Certainly this unnatural, atmospheric event was known about in advance.

A meteor did not wipe out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The dino era was not that early. They did exist in the time of humans on Earth and that goes against traditional Evolution. Dinosaurs and even mythical animals were created by ancient, human, genetic engineers. The idea of a meteor taking out the dinosaurs is another of their NATURAL explanations. This was not the case. Life forms were artificially manufactured and their annihilation could also have been a purposeful act.

Jordan Maxwell has told this writer that when big news events happen, they happen for a reason. Major stories do not just occur. When strange things happen on the news that makes no sense to you...they happen for a real reason unknown to you. Jordan quotes FDR who stated this very same concept. Rarely is the public let in on the real truth. Usually they are fed disinformation; only what the secret THEY want us to know. Even the news events and history do not unfold naturally! In many cases, they have been artificially fabricated for secret reasons and according to secret agendas. For example, we were led to believe that the AIDS virus was natural, that it came out of Africa. We just assume that Ebola, etc, developed in nature without human help. Maybe these deadly viruses did not. They could be experiments and purposely unleashed on a unsuspecting general public.

When we see a piece of nature; a rock; an insect; a tree; a cat; a dolphin...don't be so sure this creature or thing naturally formed over time. These bits of nature are magnificant works of art. The cosmic intelligences behind the purposeful designs of Life should not be forgotten or ignored. Super Scientists, beyond our wildest imagination, can achieve all that has been attributed to God. It was HUMAN progenitors that were the original artists on Earth. They are us. Everything was
manufactured.

The great Nikola Tesla believed: God is ELECTRICITY; the spark of all Life. Humans are not human. We are bioelectric MACHINES.

(Ref: 'The Artificial world we live in' by Doug Yurchey)

Do - Buy

Putting this up after a lil while as i was off to dubai., waited long for this break and finally made it. I owe a lot to this place, it has taught me quite a lot about life during the 3 yrs i spent over there, most important of all PATIENCE!

Dubai is famed for it’s visitors the many thousands of people that flirt with the damsel that is Dubai for a few brief days or hours. Dubai being the mistress that it is, will inevitably leave a mark on all that encounter her. Some will fall in love with her and forever yearn to come back and see her again, others will just be smitten by her and end up staying for good. There are some who will for the rest of their lives rue the day they ever laid eyes on Dubai, for them she is nothing but an unfaithful temptress.

Dubai is like a massive melting pot of every possible and impossible thing in the world. And melting it is, with temperatures settling comfortably in mid forties. I so far refused to melt and spend most of my free time indoors and at shopping malls. The only recent and quite memorable outdoor event that will take me a while to get over was the trip to Palm Jumeirah, Indeed was spellbound after witnessing the way it had shaped up. And at the Jumeirah Beach Residences, the sight was awesome at the beachfront with a lot of tourists getting a neat tan out of sun. Just the right temperature, and only a little rougher than I would prefer. The Area i was put up, 'Mirdiff'was so quiet that it deserves a note!. Dubai to me is a strange land, a lil bit fascinating and welcoming, but still a strange land and controversial too.

If u ask me to phrase Dubai in an one liner it wud b something like this 'Dubai is like once beautiful woman, thats had too much plastic surgery and has lost her soul to selling herself'

Its raining cats and dogs !!!

I will come to that phrase later but today its rained like never before in my city since last night which made me cancel my trip last night n stick to home. Way to the office has been journey down the flooded path and here i am , writing my blog from the office, ON A WEEKEND. Sad is that i work saturdays but its something i am getting accustomed to.

why do they say its raining cats and dogs?

A friend of mine told me that this refers to the old english homes. You've heard of thatch roofs, well that's all they were. Thick straw, piled high, with no wood underneath. They were the only place for the little animals to get warm. So all the pets; dogs, cats and other small animals, mice, rats, bugs, all lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery so sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Thus the saying, "it's raining cats and dogs."

This is nonsense of course. It hardly needs debunking but, lest there be any doubt, let's do that anyway. In order to believe this tale we would have to accept that dogs lived in thatched roofs, which, of course, they didn't. Even accepting that bizarre idea, for dogs to have slipped off when it rained they would have needed to be sitting on the outside of the thatch - hardly the place an animal would head for as shelter in bad weather.

After some research i found out that this is an interesting phrase in that, although there's no definitive origin, there is a likely derivation.

The much more probable source of 'raining cats and dogs' is the prosaic fact that, in the filthy streets of 17th/18th century England, heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals and other debris. The animals didn't fall from the sky, but the sight of dead cats and dogs floating by in storms could well have caused the coining of this colourful phrase. Jonathan Swift described such an event in his satirical poem 'A Description of a City Shower', first published in the 1710 collection of the Tatler magazine. The poem was a denunciation of contemporary London society and its meaning has been much debated.

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