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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Swiss move to ban minarets as 'symbols of Islamic power'

The normally sleepy Swiss country town of Langenthal has become the focus of a virulent right-wing campaign to ban minarets from all mosques in the Alpine republic on the grounds that they symbolise ideological opposition to the country's constitution.

Switzerland's "stop minaret" movement is backed by the influential ultra-conservative Swiss People's Party, (SVP) which was re-elected in 2007 with its largest ever share of the vote after mounting an anti-foreigner campaign that was denounced by the United Nations as racist.

Ulrich Schüler, an SVP parliamentarian and leading member of the anti-minaret movement, says the edifices are political rather than religious. "They are symbols of a desire for power, of an Islam which wants to establish a legal and social order fundamentally contrary to the liberties guaranteed in our constitution," he said.

Switzerland is home to a population of about 400,000 Muslims, the majority of whom are Turks, Bosnians and Albanians. The "stop minaret" campaign was launched two years ago, prompting a national debate on the subject. A petition in support of its aims has since been signed by more than 100,000 citizens. Under Swiss law the issue now has to be decided by a national referendum which will be conducted in late November.

However, before then, the "stop minaret" campaign is hoping to create a legal precedent by thwarting construction of a minaret in Langenthal, a provincial town halfway between Bern and Basel that is home to 14,000 people and 11 churches.

Thomas Rufener, the town's mayor, said about eight per cent of Langenthal's residents were Muslims. "All the main parties have given their approval for the mosque," he said. The regional canton of Bern has given approval in addition for the construction of a domed mosque. That will stand alongside the planned minaret which will be little more than 30 feet high.

An anti-minaret campaign has now lodged a formal complaint with the canton, claiming that the planned mosque amounts to an "ideological intrusion". Daniel Zigg, a campaign spokesman, said the building would attract more than 100 Muslim believers a day during the Ramadan fast because it was the only one of its kind in the canton.

The anti-minaret campaigners are hoping to force Bern to rescind its approval for the minaret and score an important victory in the run-up to the November referendum. "There may be different laws governing this kind of thing in certain part of Paris or Berlin, but we don't want them in Switzerland," Mr Schüler said.

Two years ago his party fought a general election with famously xenophobic campaign posters depicting a flock of white sheep kicking a black sheep out of Switzerland.

Switzerland has permitted the construction of mosques with minarets in major cities such as Geneva, Zurich and Winterthur where they have been accepted with little noticeable objection. However the inauguration of a mosque with a minaret in the small town of Wangen in June brought protests from the "stop minaret" movement and accusations that the town's Muslim community had links with the right-wing Turkish extremist group, the Grey Wolves.

Switzerland's Muslim community has been largely reluctant to discuss the anti-minaret campaign. Ahmed Sadaqat, Imam at Zurich's Balgrist mosque, the first to be built in Switzerland in 1963, recalled last week how the building provoked vociferous protests at the time. But he added: "Since then there have be no problems at all." He accuses the anti-minaret campaigners of failing to make any distinction between Islam, the burqa and terrorism. "They should accept that Muslims are a fact in this society and that they live here. They must accept this reality," he said.

p/s: racist!!!!grrrrrrr

Sex toy sale stuns Kiwi retailer

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Monday, August 24, 2009

8 Psychological Differences between Men & Women

Here are some telling differences between the gender, in terms of psychological behaviors.

1. Men grasp a situation as a whole and think globally, while women think locally, relying on details and subtleties.

2. Men are builders and creators. They take risks and experiment, while women select the most valuable knowledge and pass it over to the next generation.

3. Men are more independent in their thoughts and actions, while women are more willing to follow the ideas suggested by others.

4. Women’s self-appraisal is lower than that of men. Women tend to criticize themselves, while men are more satisfied with their own performance.

5. Men and women have different sources of satisfaction. For men it’s career and prosperity, while women value family and kids.

6. Men have a pronounced need to fulfill their goals, and women rank relationships with others first.

7. Men get sick twice as often as women, although women tend to be more concerned about their health.

8. Women endure pain and monotonous work better than men.

In bed, men tend to show more animal instinct that women. Proof? See here.

ps// lolololololololol

Saturday, June 13, 2009

10 cool things about the iPhone 3GS

1. It's faster

Apple launched the iPhone 3G S by announcing it has a faster processor, more memory and "snappier performance". Although the iPhone 3G is no slouch, it can be a little sluggish when opening and closing applications. If Apple's demo videos are anything to go by, the iPhone 3G S will be a much zippier smartphone.

2. It has more memory

Apple will sell two models of the iPhone 3G S: 16GB and 32GB. There original iPhone came with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of storage.

3. Video recording

Wow! A smartphone in 2009 that can record video? No way! Apple critics will point to the fact that the iPhone 3G can't record video as an example of a phone that lacks some basic features, but for potential iPhone owners the addition of video recording is a real plus.

4. Improved camera

The iPhone 3G S has a 3-megapixel camera with autofocus, compared with the iPhone 3G's 2-megapixel, non-autofocus camera. It still lacks a flash, but the increased megapixel count should slightly improve photos and tapping an area on the screen to focus on is a cool feature that should make mobile photography easier.

5. You can talk to it

The iPhone 3G S introduces what Apple calls Voice Control, a voice recognition feature that allows you to make a call and play music by speaking. Voice Control can find any entry in your contacts list, and users simply have to say a name or phone number to make a call. For music, you can ask what song is playing and hear the iPhone 3G S answer, tell it to play your favourite album, or play similar tracks to the current one.

6. It has a built-in compass

A built-in digital compass is another new feature of the iPhone 3G S. We aren't sure exactly how often anyone would use this as a standalone app, but when combined with Google Maps, the compass will rotate maps to always match the direction you're facing. Now that is pretty cool.

7. Internet tethering

The iPhone 3G S can now be used as a modem, connecting to a Mac or PC via USB or Bluetooth. Although AT&T in the US won't be supporting this feature, Optus is one Australian telco that has confirmed it will be. Telstra and Vodafone are yet to announce whether they will offer tethering capability.

8. Accessibility features

Apple has included a number of features that help people with disabilities use the iPhone 3G S. These include Apple's VoiceOver function, which reads aloud what is on the screen, a zoom function that magnifies up to five times, and a white on black display option that provides increased contrast.

9. Nike+ iPod integration

Previously only available for selected iPod nano models, Apple's Nike + iPod is a fitness system that involves a Nike shoe communicating wirelessly with an iPod. The iPhone 3G S will be compatible with the system, which displays real time walking or running statistics.

10. New headphones

The iPhone 3G S will include Apple's remote headphones in the sales package. The new headphones have a multi-button remote and volume control keys, as well as a microphone to handle voice calls.

ps: no money no buy =_=

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Analysis For Barcelona, It’s Control, Concentration and Conquest

" FIRST OF ALL BARCA 2 - 0 MAN U "

But on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium here, the team that did that was Barcelona. Its coach, Pep Guardiola, in his first season guiding the team, has produced a collective control and concentration that won the Spanish League, the Spanish Cup and now the greatest prize in world club soccer.

The 38-year-old Guardiola has barely graduated to management. Yet he has steeled Barcelona with a team ethic that was lacking last year.

“Watching my players,” Guardiola said a month ago, “give me goose bumps.”

He was not talking only about their skill. He was talking about the physical effort that the Barcelona players — even the most gifted ones — would put in to win a game.

Sir Alex knew it was there. In the weeks leading up to this 2-0 showpiece finale, he said, “All the great players, like Messi, have an element of courage that elevates them above everyone else — as well as outstanding ability.”

He was referring to Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, the smallest man on the field, who found true elevation in the 70th minute of this match. When Xavi Hernández made an exquisite crossing pass, Messi slid between Rio Ferdinand and John O’Shea.

In size, they dwarfed Messi. In skill and timing, Messi dwarfed them. He rose, using his right temple to head the ball and guide it beyond the reach of goaltender Edwin van der Sar.

The Barcelona goal was a textbook example of control and concentration. Xavi provided the control, Messi the concentration.

It was actually a familiar role for Xavi, the controller of the Spanish team that last summer won Euro 2008 — the first major trophy in Spanish history in 44 years. Xavi guides the team, influences its rhythm and makes great players play.

His chief accomplice is Andres Iniesta. On Barcelona’s first goal, Iniesta burst through from midfield like a turbo engine going full blast and spotted Samuel Eto’o.

A smooth, knife-like pass gave Eto’o the opportunity to slice open Manchester’s defense. Too quick for Nemanja Vidic, and then too smart for Michael Carrick, Eto’o stabbed the ball toward the goal. Van der Sar could get a touch, but he was beaten.

That, 10 minutes in, was Barcelona’s first attack of the night. Manchester had started the game with the confidence and élan of a champion. But Barcelona was just warming to its task, Xavi just beginning to exercise control and concentration.

The interchange between the front three attackers — Messi, Eto’o and Thierry Henry — pulled Manchester’s defense apart. Ryan Giggs and Anderson, the old and the young of United, failed to come to grips with Iniesta and Xavi.

Manchester looked like men trying to catch bars of soap. If space was closed in one spot, Barcelona players popped up in another. If Manchester tried to tackle one man, someone else moved into unseen territory.

Seven members of Barcelona’s starting lineup on Wednesday came through the academy that nestles besides the team’s stadium. They know where to pass and where to run.

Last month the British news media — often cheerleaders for United — accused Barcelona of being a side too ornate and too brittle. “They don’t like it up ’em!” was the battle cry.

But Barcelona showed that it liked it just fine on Wednesday. Fans who could get a ticket warmed to a night of fine soccer.

The game was not a battle of superstars, although Messi won hands down over Manchester’s Cristiano Ronaldo. It was not even about the goals, though they were excellent. The game was about a team that arrived with a weakened defense, but played with control and concentration to overcome its losses.

ps: peekabooo man u