Healthy Lifestyle

Eating healthy and as a result being healthy, feeling good about yourself, and looking good is no accident. Sometimes its hard work depending on your starting point. No one single habit or routine will get you where you need to be. Just prayers, no matter who you pray to, will not do it either. The suggestions below are just the start. Once you feel and look good many other good things follow. You could become more active, start exercise routine, go out more often, or any number of other things that will complement suggestions listed below.

Start today, start now!

1. Reduce the Portion Size
One of the most important things you can do towards healthy eating. Reduce the portion size to approximately half or at minimum by a quarter. When at the table take small portions and resist the urge for the third helping.

2. Curb the Urge to Eat
If you have had a good breakfast, and you have your lunch waiting but you feel hungry in the middle of the morning curb the urge to eat snacks or whatever you can find in your desk drawer. Get busy with something: Internet, exercise, new project in the office, or just pick up the phone and talk to somebody. Drink some water. Soon enough your mind will be off the food bandwagon and you will enjoy your lunch lot more.

3. No Sodas, just Water Please
Completely stop drinking sodas. The biggest appetite killer, the worst filler without being nutritious, and most calorie laden item on your table could be the soda or any carbonated water. If you must take anything other than water with your meal, make it unsweetened Ice Tea. Hot water towards the end of your meal will increase your metabolism and make you feel better breaking down the fat and grease in the process.

4. Fast Once a Month
Fasting is great to curb your urge to eat. Muslims fast every day for one whole month, but you don't have to. You don't have to convert either. Fasting once a month will do wonders for your health. Eat a balanced meal in the morning, then resolve not to eat until after dark. Do what you always do during the day. Then have a healthy balanced meal at the end of the day and it will help you shed extra poundage faster and easier.

5. Eat A Healthy Meal
Eat a full healthy meal instead of filling yourself up with things you don't like, or want to eat just because you are hungry. If you eat a lot of junk food that works as a filler you will still be "hungry" for a meal at the designated time while you are full with junk food. That is very detrimental to your well being, how you feel the rest of the day or in the morning, and also for your diet plan.

Start today, don't delay!

How not to do Justice - American style

1. Torture
2. Renditions/secret prisons
3. Outsource Torture
4. Secret Evidence
5. Secret Witnesses
6. Defame defense lawyers
7. Incident Isolation
8. tainted evidence
9. juries from tainted cities
10. create technical difficulties and throw out the case, sweep it under the rug

What Would Obama Do

If he ran his presidency as if this is his one and only term in the office

There are people who question if Obama can win second term in the office. At this time he is being kept afloat, barely. The stock market ups and downs are just enough to make it look good for few days, and then it all falls apart until the next cycle. This is well orchestrated. The man behind this facade is the White House Chief of Staff.

Given the disillusionment created at the hands of same set of people, with collusion from the media what if Obama was to break himself free from his current handlers, fire his Chief of Staff and replace him with someone who really deserves the job, and ran his presidency as if this is his last term in the office. What would he do? If he was to keep the promises he made to American people without the interference from his handlers, those who voted for him first time can help him guarantee a win again. As things stand, the ones that voted for him are losing confidence in his ability to deliver on his promises. Not becuase he cannot but because his agenda has been hijacked. (Read analysis if his first term) Those who did not vote for him will never vote for him even if Obama gave them hoards of cash and promised them a place in paradise.
What can he do to affect a 180 degree about face?

He would tell Israel to take a hike
American image has been badly damaged in the eyes of the world, including our most trusted friends for the humiliating defeat of Obama policy when it comes to Middle East peace. The illegal settlements in occupied territories continue, evictions and murder at the hands of IDF continue unabated, the Israeli media war and smear machine continue to pull new tactics to undermine American foreign policy. If Obama ran his presidency as if he only going to be in the office for one term he would stop all aid to Israel until they comply with the legitimate demands of those who want peace in the middle east. He would reign in all the under secretaries running amok at the State Department making their own policy as they go along when it comes to Israeli and middle east politics. These policies are one of undermining Obama's policy of engagement with the leaders in the middle east.

Genuine Effort towards resolving Iranian Nuclear issue
Obama promised diplomacy and an extension of friendship towards Iran. That never happened. The current regime at the state department will not allow that to happen. From the very start of the Obama administration the approach to Iran was that of hostility, outright belligerence, and threats. The policy of disengagement that was put in place by bush/cheney cabal never, for one day, changed. The hand of friendship that Obama wanted to offer to Iranian was cut off as soon as Obama took office. The threat of Military action was never taken off the table, the embargo, and sanctions continue, and the bellicosity that preceded the current administration coming directly from the state department never ceased for one day.
Obama would silence all his detractors at the state department by making a historic trip to Tehran, talking to the Iranians directly, and offering them what no administration has ever done: a genuine engagement for real negotiations.

Stop the Bailout Scam
Billions and Trillions of dollars have been wasted to artificially prop up economy and that has not helped create single job. Only the larger corporations and their CEOs have benefited from the bailout since there is general perception that the pay czar is an inside man. What it may have done is a backward slide of job loss which is really not a gain but a false hope of an improved economy. That bubble can only last for a short time because there is nothing to sustain those jobs for the long run. The only people that have benefited from the bailout are the ones that never needed the bailout. The people that are pushing the bailout and benefiting from it are the same set of people. It's the trademark collusion of the filthy rich that include the bankers, the media, insurance companies, and the military industrial complex.

Geitner has proven himself to be part of the inside crowd and a failure, as suspected from the day one. Geitner must go. At this point Obama dog is probably a better candidate to run the fiscal house than Geitner.

Bring the Culprits to Justice
Those who have committed heinous crimes against humanity should be brought to justice. That includes some people at the highest levels in the previous government. This has to be done if America is to gain credibility in the world. Without taking this serious step towards correcting the wrongs at the hands of those in power we will lose what is left of any credibility in the eyes of the world. Without credibility the only way to keep our supremacy will be to create more wars, more chaos, more bloodshed. There are no two ways about it.

Universal Truth: If the criminals are not brought to justice they live to do the same or even worse crimes again.

Is there still time for an about face? Very little if any. It will take courage, it will take audacity, the same audacity that brought Obama to the office in the first place.

Will the New York Times ever stop the Politics of Hate Mongering?

Hatred by any other name is still hatred








New York Times need no introduction. It is one of the most widely read newspapers not only in the US but all across the world. What does New York Times as a company count as part of its holdings.

Here's a partial list:
Newspapers
The Boston Globe
The Courier (Houma, LA)
The Daily Comet (Thibodaux, LA)
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
The Gadsden Times (AL)
The Gainesville Sun (FL)
International Herald Tribune
Following are the International Herald Tribune Alliances with newspapers around the world
Haaretz (Israel)
Kathimerini (Greece and Cyprus)
JoongAng Daily (Korea)
The Asahi Shimbun (Japan)
The Moscow Times (Russia)
El Pais (Spain)
Daily News (Egypt)
Al Watan Daily (Kuwait)
The Ledger (Lakeland, FL)
The New York Times
The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, CA)
Petaluma Argus-Courier (CA)
Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL)
Spartanburg Herald-Journal (SC)
Star-Banner (Ocala, FL)
TimesDaily (Florence, AL)
Times-News (Hendersonville, NC)
The Tuscaloosa News (AL)
The Star News (Wilmington, NC)
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Radio
WQCR - FM (New York City)
Other
Boston Red Sox (partial)
NESN (partial)
About Group (About.com)

With a vast empire covering most major areas along with a well established distribution network for its flagship newspaper, the New York Times, there is very little that The New York Times Company cannot influence. Multiply that with the syndication of its publications over the Internet and other electronic media and add the international alliances via the International Herald Tribune and you have making of a media empire. What New York Times says becomes reality.

As the media giant, coming out of city of hate, New York Times has been spewing hatred towards Muslims and Islam for decades now. Never a day has gone by when the New York Times does not carry an article, most of the time several articles in one day, bringing out an aspect of Islam with a negative spin on what could easily be explained otherwise by a scholar of Islam or even a lay person that is even slightly versed in the teachings of Islam. The spin is always negative, the portrayal is always skewed, the outcome is always one sided. Always.

Some examples are more egregious than others and have far reaching consequences. Here are three articles that have appeared within the last three months.

On January 27, 2010 New York Times published what it called "The Jihadist Next Door" written by Andrea Elliott. It was a lengthy article and went into great detail about all aspects of the topic at hand. Not that much of it was accurate, it read very nicely and majority of it sounded very plausible. You have to know a lot about Islam and Muslims in order to look at it critically and refute some of the assertions it made. Unfortunately, most of the readers would have absolutely no clue. At one count there were 263 comments on the article. The article portrayed the life of Omar Hammami, born and raised in America. He went to school in Alabama and attended church while growing up in small town. The article suggests among other things:

• This kind of transition from normal school boy to a Jihadi is rampant among the Muslim youths
• The family structure within the Muslim Household is broken down
• This can happen time and again
• We must take action to prevent this from happening
• We are being over taken by the people with Jihadi agenda
• No one of Muslim faith can be trusted

This article is coming at the heels of another article from the same author about an Imam. One can imagine the mudslinging that went on in that article. That article garnered the author a Pulitzer prize. That is also part of the claim to fame for this article.

In a society that is a great melting pot something has failed this kid that went from small town USA to being aligned with the Shabab's army in Somalia. Not only that but he also in the process convinced few of his friends to go along with him. That something that has failed this young man is the very phenomenon of melting pot. What exactly is it that drove him to seek out these outside influences that were strong enough to change him from his moderate, even church going upbringing so radically? It's not what one finds on the Internet; it's not what is being preached at the mosques; and it's not what is being taught at schools. What is breaking down is the societal norms of inclusion. The constant bombardment of us versus them. From the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go to bed there is the constant barrage of negativity about one's religion, beliefs, and origins. It is the equivalent of school yard bullying. There is no escape from this which is driving many young Muslims towards seeking out ways to help the downtrodden, a basic tenet within Islam. It's absolutely no different from a jewish kid going to iz-ra-eel to learn more about the history and it's people and then coming back home and supporting iz-ra-eel in any which way he or she can using media, school programs, fund raising, debates, speeches, articles and the positive feedback that goes with that. All of these avenues and outlets are closed for a person like Omar Hammami. None of these normal channels are available to thousands of people like Omar Hammami. When your belief is strong and you want to do something with the strength and desire to help can manifest itself in many different ways.

On March 3rd, New York Times Published an article called "Divorced Before Puberty" written by Nicholas D. Kristof. The article talks about a 10 year old girl getting married to somebody that is about 20 years older than her. The article made it sound like this is something sanctioned by Islamic religion. It also made it sound like it happens everyday and everywhere in the Muslim world. Reality is far from it. The author not only tells the story of this little unfortunate girl but in the process malign Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, both Muslim countries.

There is no doubt about isolated cases of this inhumane treatment of girls and women but Muslims countries are not the only ones where monsters are perpetrating these crimes. Remember the Austrian guy raping his own daughter and having 5 kids with her, the Jaycee Dugard case in California is fresh on our minds, and the celebrity case of the singer of the Mammas and the Pappas having sex with his daughter. Add to these atrocities the child abuse cases in the Catholic church and the church actively hiding and muffling those cases by moving the priests around. All of that is swept under the rug and New York Times does not have much to say about any of that. On some of these cases there have been no reporting by New York Times at all since it did not happen specifically in New York. A rather convenient technicality.

Yemen is the way it is not ONLY because its women are deprived. It could be a contributing factor but not a top of the list contributing factor. It is the one sided policy of discrimination at the international political level of US and other western countries that perpetuate the situation in Yemen. Yemen is being used as the checkmate for Saudi Arabia. It is a well known fact that the militias of the Houti tribe were well armed and had sophisticated weaponry. They even had their own uniforms. That is a pretty good indicator that they are well funded and well armed. Those weapons did not come from Iran. Those weapons were channelled from South Korea to the ports of Sanaa, delivered to Houti tribesmen to fight against the Saudi government troops. The on-again-off-again assault of the Houti tribes over the Yemeni government forces and the Saudi villages is the direct reflection of the failed diplomatic efforts of Hillary Clinton. The rebels have declared truce for now. When the state department would like to do some arm twisting involving Saudi Arabia those Houti Tribesmen will rise again on queue from the operatives of state departments.

For Pakistan the dynamics are even more complex. Under the benign and very pro-American dictatorship of Mr. Musharraf, Pakistan offered its full support to US against the Taliban. This was done at huge risk to Musharraf's own life and well being. As a result of that he was a target of several assassination attempts. The dividend of all this effort and alliance went to India instead in the form of subsidies, equipment, and guarantees for its nuclear program. Not even a thank you for Pakistan. On the contrary there was additional belt tightening of funds and technology transfer to Pakistan. The most important reason: Pakistan is a Muslim country. Nobody from the current regime at State Department will ever support providing what Pakistan really needs to make the right progress in curbing the advances of outside forces like the Taliban.

For both Yemen and Pakistan, poverty is the one and most prevalent reason why women don't go to schools and don't advance to colleges. Schooling of kids is not free in most of Pakistan. When the head of the household has to make a choice between providing food for his family and sending kids to school, the food, a basic necessity, usually wins out, hands down. One must wonder if Kristof took this very real and hard fact into account while writing his well worded malignment of Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. When is Kristof going to write espousing the benefits of policy of engagement instead of policy of confrontation with both Yemen and Pakistan?

On March 6th New York Times published an article with the heading: "Arabia: Inshallah, Obama" written by Maureen Dowd. Dowd's writing is academic, to say the least. She is what most would call an accidental Journalist. She would be better off writing for a blog instead of writing for New York Times where the readers expect lot more than the rants of an accidental journalist. (she probably does write for a blog with same hatred for Arabs, Muslims and Islam) The article rehearses a conversation between her and Prince Faisal, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia. The premise of the article, starting from the title, is poking fun at the Arabs in general and an undertone of tongue-in-cheek attitude towards what amounts to policy discussion and serious subject matters such as dealing with settlement activity by the iz-ra-eeli-s, the question of restarting the stalled negotiations for the peace process in the Middle East, and the Iranian crises.

Underlying aspects of the conversation:
First she uses the full name of Barak Obama with the middle name spelled out. Not a coincidence since it's not commonly used. It is only used when the purpose is to spread the controversy. Here is some of what she says:
"The address of the first American president with Muslim roots"
That is a thorn in many voters' side but New Work Times has to publicise that from time to time to keep things in check.

Here she goes for the jugular:
"It’s probably a sign of progress that Prince Saud calls it "a border dispute." Unless it’s just his understated way. He also refers to "the 9/11 incident" and alludes to the Holocaust obliquely as "World War II."" "Despite repeated attacks by Arab states and Arab and Iranian-backed militant groups, and a call for Israel’s destruction by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Prince Saud suggested that Israel might be overreacting about security because of "World War II" and that this prevented a peace deal."

Here is the breakdown:

"Despite repeated attacks (justification for what Iz-ra-eel does) Border dispute (read as if he is undermining the severity of the issue), 9/11 being an incident (something that has totally consumed the American psyche when worse atrocities have been committed in the name of 9/11, but the media wants to keep that in the forefront, and despite the fact that many credible American politicians have called it something other than what the American government has led the public to believe), and referring to Holocaust as World War II (anything but that. It's the ultimate weapon in a news person's arsenal alluding to anti-semitism).

Thomas Friedman is the original three headed snake that talks with one head and bites with the other two. Maureen Dowd is clearly following in his footsteps. It would be wise for the Saudi government, and all the Arab and Muslim governments to declare journalists attached in any way to New York Times, Associated Press, and NewsCorp as persona non-grata and not allow any conversations with them especially by those who are in position of power. These so called journalists go there, eat their food, talk to them as if they are friends, put them at ease, get the unofficial take on the current issues and present them to the American public as if it is the official version. American people, not knowing Albania from Zimbabwe believe anything and everything that these journalists put out as news and spit it out on queue at the comments on the news and other forums to malign Muslims and Islam. Two for the price of one. Unfortunately the chances of Prince Faisal reading what is attributed to him in dialogues such as this one from Maureen Dowd in the New York Times are remote at best. What is even more remote is the possibility of any corrections of what is attributed to him. What is almost guaranteed from the likes of Friedman and Dowd is that they will twist and twist again what was said in a private conversation to promote their own nefarious agendas.

These are only three examples of the most recent articles that have helped expose the overall agenda of New York Times of hatred towards Muslims all around the world. More and more articles are showing up on daily basis that are suggesting that hate towards American citizens of Muslim origin or those who may have converted to Islam is OK and in fact maybe called for. There is not one Muslim country that is exempt from the wrath of news hacks at the New York Times. Those who best the agenda of hate among the New York Times and Associated Press writers are sure to get a berth at the highly coveted (kissing each other's ass) Pulitzer Prize.

Oh So "Precious"

This is definitly a chick flick.

However, its a gritty movie that deserves to be seen by the strong and silent type just as well as all the rest. Word of caution: don't go there if you are looking for something cheery and lighthearted.

Oprah produced it so that means it will have something like, "oh you should...." and "we need to...." kind of pontification which was for sure there but not as bad as it usually is in Spike Lee movies. Most all of that is subtle and under the covers. (no pun intended)

There is no pun and there is no humor but if you laughed while watching Pulp Fiction you might laugh at some situations in this movie too. The "funny" is more situational and unintentional than otherwise.

The story of precious may resonate with thousands. Worse still, and unfortunately, some people maybe reliving some part of their lives while watching this movie. The flashbacks and flash forwards are all too real and add that special character to the movie that will make it worth your while.

The story of a young girl that has seen it all and done it all in short span of time what most others do in a lifetime.

The movie initially came off as stuffy and the ending was just blah ending for something that has so much going on throughout the entire movie but more you think about it more it grows on you and you start to see the point of bringing these issue in the fore. Tormented women that have nowhere to go. How many people in our midst are in this situation but we don't know about it. OK, that was crazy question! Bonus: You get to see Mariah Carey sans all the Makeup. Some girls have to do a lot, don't they. Some bonus.

Thank you Oprah.

On a scale of 1-5 and 5 being the best, this movie gets 4-1/2. Make it your first choice except if you are on a first date.

No Spin A Pleasant Surprise

American media left in the dust

Few Days ago an article in Christian Science Monitor mentioned about news media that was relatively unbiased. It's a rather novel concept in these troubled times. What was not surprising at all was the fact that not one of the outlet was US based. Free speech produces all sorts of monsters and one of them happens to be the one where whoever owns the media can spew any amount of lies and get away with it.

One of the surprises in the list was Hindu Times.

The Hindu Times is far cry, at least from the preliminary reading, from the bias and hatred that Associated Press or New York Times spews out. Here is the report in question:

Headline: Saudi Arabia 'worried' about Pakistan situation

What was remarkable about the article? Unlike the Associated Press article which would have reminded the reader about Three wars that India and Pakistan have fought in the past, the gory details of the Mumbai Attacks (how many killed and how the synagogue was attacked and how old is that survivor boy from the synagogue etc.) it stuck to the facts regarding the topic at hand which was the Saudi foreign Minister's meeting with the visiting prime minister of India. In addition there were ample details about the trip and related happenings and other articles if you really wanted to dig deeper.

The New York Times would not have fared any better than Associated Press since they are both cut from the same cloth, one that has the bias as hubris written all over it. It is refreshing to see a news outlet that sticks to new reporting instead of news making. Opinions are good but those should remain in the editorial pages instead of on the front pages disguised as news.

Toyota Has A Problem

What does Toyota and Iran have in common?

Stanley McCrystal has apologized to the people of Afghanistan for killing civilians by mistake. Media is all over it and he is a hero. All is good because the media says so. So where is the voice of the bereaved? Are they OK with it? Is Apology enough? Where are the scholarships, and the memorials, and memoirs for the dead? Maybe they were all just losers and had nothing to say or contribute to society. Maybe they deserved this fate!

So America kills and all they have to do is apologize. When it comes to Toyota, nobody is buying their apology. The tearful testimony from a driver, the repetition of bad news throughout the mainstream media playing in the hands of the special interest groups.

Iran making Nuclear weapons? According to media they already have their finger on the trigger ready to launch these weapons of mass destruction. In reality and according to the best estimates they are about 15 years away from nuclear weapon capability. The nuclear plant that Russia promised is still under construction. Constant delays and reneging of the signed contracts is the order of the day. Russia playing both sides to extract maximum political capital.
So what is the point? What does Toyota and Iran have in common? Apparently a lot. Both Toyota and Iran need better PR machines. Of course the media is not going to say the right thing unless they are paid lots of money. Buying journalists is age old practice and the media sacred cows always get the best treatment. How much is Ford and GM paying their lobbyists to spread the bad news?

The mealy mouth apology of Toyota chief and his cowering in front of the congress only shows a complete lack of understanding of American system and American way of doing things. Now they are going to spend a billion dollar fixing the damage caused by this apology. The lawsuits, the lost sales, and the image problem will cost Toyota hundreds of millions of dollars. Every little problem will be attributed to bad breaks and whatever other ills that they can find, all lumped in this giant issue of unintended acceleration because of stuck accelerator.

There was a better solution to this problem and may have saved Toyota few millions in the long run. They could have spent million dollar on securing a good lobbyist, a savvy PR firm, a team of well connected lawyers, and few well placed journalists and problem would have been mitigated. Not to mention, a few heads at high places should have rolled, blamed this problem where it belongs which is at the point these parts were tested and that happens to be at the factories here in the US. Aren't these cars assembled and tested here in the US. Sure the parts come from Japan but the final testing and approval rests on the engineers in the US factories.

Maybe this will be a lesson for the next generation of Toyoda family, the fourth generation. What would the grandfather have done if faced with the same situation? A question we may never find the answer to.

We Want Money, And Lots Of It

Since WWII companies, big and small have made restitution to Holocaust funds worldwide. Recently, IBM made undisclosed restitution for its alleged part in providing computers and related know how to Germans during WWII. It turned out some of the equipment was purchased before the war.

Nevertheless, IBM capitulated under pressure for perceived defamation promised by jewish groups and in the process not only promised huge sums to several jewish organizations but, against their better economic judgment, decided to move major part of its development to Haifa, iz-ra-eel to appease the jewish lawyers that were ready to drag IBM through courts for whatever they can get out of IBM, even if it took years. This amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars for jewish groups and for the jewish state. This is in addition to the billions already extracted, by hook or crook, in the name of holocaust. These funds go to the benefit of hundreds of organizations that support many causes including usurping of Palestinian land, getting people to visit Iz-ra-eel, providing scholarship funds to jewish students, and contributing to iz-ra-eeli political interests all across the united States. The visits mentioned earlier are part of the Birth Right movement but they are not limited to jewish youth. They bring in American politicians, including big names like Governor of Texas Rick Perry, the media people across the spectrum, and anybody that could benefit and increase the influence of the jewish state.

Fast forward to atrocities and extra judicial killings in Iraq. The survivors of some of the dead received $200-2000 only. No scholarships, no trips, no industry moving to Iraq, no lawsuits. Nothing. A measly $200 for Iraqi blood. There were videos aplenty to show soldiers handing out money to women in Burqas, toting a kid along in the dust to get her $200. Some may have gotten $2000 but those were few and far between.

Today General McCrystal is apologizing to Afghans for killing, by government count, 27 civilians. What is the current exchange rate and how much or how far $200 will go in the war ravaged country? This is not the first time the civilians have died at the hands of errant special operations forces. If past is any indicator forget the exchange rate. You will not need it. You ain't getting anything other than a televised apology so Associated Press can display that with pride, write up a biased article and everybody will be happy.

Confessions Of A CCN News Hack

How the CCN comments work - Moderation, Culling, outright discrimination

We asked around and after much struggle and lot of phone calls Pavilion found somebody who was willing to talk about this very sensitive issue. How the comments are moderated at CCN.

"I worked for CCN, one based in GA and I was one of the many people that were part of the comments moderation. Here is how the comments are moderated at CCN:

When you first sign on you have to confirm your email and login credentials. Once you have done that your name goes in a database that is compared against a database of names. The names in this master database are compared for Muslim sounding names. Any names that match the criteria are set aside in another database. The user is not restricted from commenting after you sign on but the names do not show up as the user name but only as Guest. This prevents you from searching for your comment as fast as if you were to have your name appear on a page of comments.

These guest comments are treated in a special way. Once the comments by these "Guests" are posted they are matched up and culled on regular basis for comments that are overly sensitive to Israel, zionism, any special interests, names of companies (For example New York Times, Associate Press). These companies are sacred and nothing can last too long with the comments that speak negatively about these entities or companies.

Other comments that make "too much" sense such as points made with eloquence about Islam, Muslims, and things that can not be refuted easily are regularly removed from the list of comments. Initially this takes place using a fairly sophisticated software with lot of rules and algorithm to separate the "good" from the "bad."

Majority of the work is done by computers however the logic in a comment, although discernible by a computer program, is usually given a second look by a human person, like myself. We have strict instructions to adhere to the rules and policies given to us as part of the initial training. Here is a partial list of things we have to watch for. These are top of the agenda:

1. Negative comments regarding CCN
2. Overly negative comments referring to Israeli policies and comparing them with Apartheid, Nazism, Zionism
3. Personal Information - whether that is of the person posting the comment or about another person - is removed immediately
4. Mention of another website with a link (especially a deep link)
5. Negatively mentioning other companies such as other news organizations
6. Any information that could be deemed classified - loosely following State Department guidelines
7. Comments that are overly long and convoluted in nature

As part of these rules, policies and guidelines there is a special section for anything related to Islam and Muslims.

This section mentions in quite a lot of detail what can and can not be included. Generically speaking any comments inciting violence against Muslims are considered offensive and should be removed. However, comments regarding the prophet, Allah, the Muslim clergy, the Imams are all fair game. There is also a mention of free speech when it comes to comments on Islam and Muslims.

I was fired from CCN because some people thought that I was being "too fair" with some of the comments. The word among the people working in my group was that it (people getting fired for this specific reason) could happen to anybody and other people have either been moved or let go if the group leader or the reviewer thought a person was not following the specific policy. The termination was immediate and without recourse.

Here are some work around but nothing is fool proof because you can fool the computer once but that is about it. New words and variation of words are added on regular basis just like virus definitions or words in a Spam filter:
1. Use creative word variation
2. Be on the look out for your comments. Make copies of your comments. If you see them removed, post them again. They will be there for at least a little while until the next round of comment culling
3. Use fictitious name. Use an alternate name in your email too.

Good Luck"

Pavilion Editor Note (Update): Soon after a comment was posted on CCN website with a link to this site the commenting privilage of that account was taken away. Here are the screen shots:

First the login

No comments anymore.

These are the comments posted earlier and the top comment being the link to this article.

Headline: Pakistai Forces Capture Top Taliban

When Will Pakistan Get Any Respect

Kudos all around for Pakistan. Even from America and most of all from American media. Although the media coverage is still muffled and mealy mouthed. These things are absolutely unheard of. Is this the change Obama promised the world? Is this start of something new?

Pakistan can do no right. For years everybody has maligned Pakistan for not killing their own people, for having to work with archaic equipment, for having to deal with sanctions, tariffs, custom duties and countless other ways that have hamstrung them from making any progress against the forces of evil. Not only that but it has damaged the industry, education and everything in between. Yes there is corruption, yes there are actors in Pakistan working on both sides, but name one country that does not have that problem. Name just one country please.

For years Pakistan has been blamed for Afghanistan's internal problems while ineptitude and corruption in and outside of Afghan government has gone unnoticed. The same corruption that has been going on for years including Karzai telling the opium growers to continue producing opium has just now surfaced because it is in the interest of NATO and the US to bring that out after the botched elections.

The best way forward with Pakistan is to give them what they need in training, sophisticated warfare equipment, tanks, drones, and aeroplanes. State department should remove the hoops the Pakistanis have to jump to get even a lousy night vision goggles. Pakistan has the talent and the know how to take advantage of these "facilities" and reign in the actors that are colluding with anybody that America thinks is working against their interest. Perhaps they have shown too much talent in the past that soon after the new technology is sold to Pakistan they have come up with their own by reverse engineering.

More importantly, they need to tell Karzai to straighten his own house and stop the corruption in his government. Some but not enough of that is happening. One way to deal with the people of Afghanistan: kill all the Pashtuns, Pakhtoons, and Uzbek. Another way: give these majorities their rights and allow them to participate in the government. People of Afghanistan are tired of war and they are tired of interference from outside. People of Afghanistan are tired of proxy wars and wars for saving face. People of Afghanistan want to be left alone.

People of Pakistan are tired of having their sovereignty taken away. People of Pakistan are tired of politicians that are sold out to foreign governments for pittance, and they are tired of not being able to practice freedom in their own country. People are tired of living in fear. People of Pakistan want to be left alone and find their own way out.

The recent advances in democracy in Pakistan, although not perfect, are a clear indication of that. Will America oblige?

Hariri Assasination

The Truth Will Prevail

This year Feb 14th is the 5th anniversary of the assisination of Rafiq Hariri. He was the beloved son of Lebanon, one of the best things that happened to Lebanon. He was charismatic, he had all the right connections across the Muslim world, he was even involved in politics of countries like Pakistan. He was instrumental in the education of thousands of Lebanese through the works of Hariri Foundation. He was a real valentine for many. What he lacked was the sufficient backing of the then state department. That is how he got killed.

If you know anything about the Middle East politics, you know that its easy to assisinate people and even easier to lay the blame on whomever you want to lay the blame on. Rafiq Hariri's assasination and subsequent blame game is no exception to that tried and true rule.

For years all everybody has heard is "people" pointing fingers at Syria. Poeple that have absolutely nothing to do with Lebanese politics. People that don't even know where Lebanon is on the map. But that is only in the US. It's the easiest part of the blame game. Who is going to question that? Is the media going to question the validity of that blame? Absolutely not. The entire mainstream media, without a single exception, is married to one and its favorite cause: backing Iz-ra-eel even at the expense of the destruction of our democratic ideals. Are the people going to challenge the varacity of this claim. There is no chance of that. How is anybody going to questions it? Why is anybody going to question that? Are they going to question that via the blogs and comments on the blogs? For all practical purposes comments on the blog are meaningless chatter, especially after the fact. Comments are moderated by the same people that edit the original news. Is anything that they don't want reported can get past those moderators? Absolutely not. Has anybody tried undoing the damage caused by false reporting? Good luck with that. That leaves the foreign press. However, so little of that tricles down to American audience that the impact of it is negligent, better yet its non-existent. What if three or so people know the truth or are convinced that its anything other than what the mainstream media is selling. Does anything change?

The people that have visited Lebanon and have been following this story from day one has a different opinion though. The opinion no one ever hears. They all point finger at Iz-ra-eel. There is very little doubt in the minds of majority of Lebanese because by way of technique, the aftermath, the method of detonation, the lack of any proof left afterwards, and the magnitude of the explostion and the destruction caused by it, all points to this being the work of M0ssad. Poeple in the know, that have seen both relate this to the bombng that killed the South Lebanes Army general that was going to testify against Ariel Sharon in the case of war crimes against Sharon in Belgium.

Lebanon, with its internal strife going on, does not have the know how to do any investigation. Syria had just pulled most of its operatives from Lebanon and there was no high enough ranking officer that could be available on the scene when the bombing took place. The evidence gathered was stale and may be tainted to start with. No other country in the middle east has its own forensics experts to do a real and thorough analysis of the evidence. Therein lies the biggest advantage for Iz-ra-eel. Therein lies the freedom of having a free hand that Iz-ra-eel has over anybody that it deems an enemy. In addition, all the Arab countries are loath to admit that they don't have neither the experties, or the political clout, nor the power to question what International court of public opinion, formualted at the hands of kept media, holds.

Until any one or more of these factors change the targeted killings will continnue unabated and blame will continue to be placed on whomever Iz-ra-eel chooses to put the blame on.

"Hijab for women in Islam"

Why Do Women Wear Hijab In Islam?

Editor's note: This is second of several articles about many aspects of Hijab in Islam from women's perspective.

Western world for all its advances in knowledge aquisition has conveniently forgot many things including respect for other religions. French are trying to take the lead in showing the world they are the worst of the biggots and proud of it.

As part of this war on Islam the western media is foremost in spreading not only hatred but all kinds of misconceptions about Islam. As part of that process Hijab has been made symbol of tyranny and opression by Muslim men over Muslim women. This is farthest from the truth in 99% of the cases. Unfortunately, nobody questions the western media when it comes to maligning Islam and Muslims. Not only that but based on some of the comments left on blogs indicate that some people revel in spewing hatred and biggotry. News outlets like CNN has made their business to single out Muslim issues to allow comments so people can spew thier hatred.

During all of this one thing that is overlooked is the fact that most Muslim women have their own ability to read, understand, and implement teachings of Islam. These teachinngs, as the following write-up shows, include wearing Hijab and covering oneself, and being modest.

Consider the following:
The prescription of Hijab is even mentioned in other religions, for example, Christianity. As you read below you will find the details of the mentioning of Hijab in the Holy Bible.


The common misconception among westerners is that "Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?


Answer:
The status of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media. The ‘hijab’ or the Islamic dress is cited by many as an example of the ‘subjugation’ of women under Islamic law. Before we analyze the reasoning behind the religiously mandated ‘hijab’, let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam.


1. In the past women were degraded and used as objects of lust
The following examples from history amply illustrate the fact that the status of women in earlier civilizations was very low to the extent that they were denied basic human dignity:


a. Babylonian Civilization: The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.


b. Greek Civilization: Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations. Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called ‘Pandora’ is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society.


c. Roman Civilization: When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.


d. Egyptian Civilization: The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.


e. Pre-Islamic Arabia: Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.


2. Islam uplifted women and gave them equality and expects them to maintain their status.
Islam uplifted the status of women and granted them their just rights 1400 years ago. Islam expects women to maintain their status.


Hijab for men


People usually only discuss ‘hijab’ in the context of women. However, in the Glorious Qur’an, Allah (God) first mentions ‘hijab’ for men before ‘hijab’ for the women.


The Qur’an mentions in Surah Noor: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah (God) is well acquainted with all that they do." [Al-Qur’an: Chapter 24, Verse 30].


The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.


Hijab for women


The next verse of Surah Noor, says: "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons..." [Al-Qur’an: Chapter 24, Verse 31]3.


Six criteria for Hijab


According to Qur’an and Sunnah (i.e.Teaching of our beloved Prophet Muhammad -peace be upon him) there are basically six criteria for observing hijab:


1. Extent: The first criterion is the extent of the body that should be covered. This is different for men and women. The extent of covering obligatory on the male is to cover the body at least from the navel to the knees. For women, the extent of covering obligatory is to cover the complete body except the face and the hands upto the wrist. If they wish to, they can cover even these parts of the body. Some scholars of Islam insist that the face and the hands are part of the obligatory extent of ‘hijab’. All the remaining five criteria are the same for men and women.


2. The clothes worn should be loose and should not reveal the figure.


3. The clothes worn should not be transparent such that one can see through them.


4. The clothes worn should not be so glamorous as to attract the opposite sex.


5. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the opposite sex.


6. The clothes worn should not resemble that of the unbelievers i.e. they should not wear clothes that are specifically identities or symbols of the unbelievers’ religions.


It is a misconception that Hijab is prescribed only in Islam. But if we read the Holy Bible carefully, we will find the mention of Hijab in the following verses


1. Corinthians Chapter 11 Verses 5-6 It says "5- But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 6- For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered".


2. Deuteronomy Chapter 22 Verse 5


It says "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God".


3. Timothy Chapter 2 Verse 9


It says "In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array".


From the above verses of the The Holy Bible we come to know that Christianity is more stricter than Islam regarding Hijab. Because it says that if the women does not cover her head shave off her head. Nowhere in the Qur'an it is mentioned that if the women does not cover her head shave off her head. Also, if you see the picture of Mother Mary you will always see her in Hijab.


4. Hijab includes conduct and behaviour among other things


Complete ‘hijab’, besides the six criteria of clothing, also includes the moral conduct, behaviour, attitude and intention of the individual. A person only fulfilling the criteria of ‘hijab’ of the clothes is observing ‘hijab’ in a limited sense. ‘Hijab’ of the clothes should be accompanied by ‘hijab’ of the eyes, ‘hijab’ of the heart, ‘hijab’ of thought and ‘hijab’ of intention. It also includes the way a person walks, the way a person talks, the way he behaves, etc.


5. Hijab prevents molestation


The reason why Hijab is prescribed for women is mentioned in the Qur’an in the following verses of Surah Al-Ahzab: "O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad); that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Al-Qur’an: Chapter 33, Verse 59]

The Qur’an says that Hijab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women and this will also prevent them from being molested.

6. Example of twin sisters


Suppose two sisters who are twins, and who are equally beautiful, walk down the street. One of them is attired in the Islamic hijab i.e. the complete body is covered, except for the face and the hands up to the wrists. The other sister is wearing western clothes, a mini skirt or shorts. Just around the corner there is a hooligan or ruffian who is waiting for a catch, to tease a girl. Whom will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijab or the girl wearing the skirt or the mini? Naturally he will tease the girl wearing the skirt or the mini. Such dresses are an indirect invitation to the opposite sex for teasing and molestation. The Qur’an rightly says that hijab prevents women from being molested.


7. Capital punishment for the rapists


Under the Islamic shariah, a man convicted of having raped a woman, is given capital punishment. Many are astonished at this ‘harsh’ sentence. Some even say that Islam is a ruthless, barbaric religion! I have asked a simple question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose, God forbid, someone rapes your wife, your mother or your sister. You are made the judge and the rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said they would put him to death. Some went to the extent of saying they would torture him to death. To them I ask, if someone rapes your wife or your mother you want to put him to death. But if the same crime is committed on somebody else’s wife or daughter you say capital punishment is barbaric. Why should there be double standards?


8. Western society falsely claims to have uplifted womenWestern talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honour. Western society claims to have ‘uplifted’ women. On the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.


9. USA has one of the highest rates of rape


United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. It also has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. According to a FBI report, in the year 1990, every day on an average 1756 cases of rape were committed in U.S.A alone. Later another report said that on an average everyday 1900 cases of rapes are committed in USA. The year was not mentioned. May be it was 1992 or 1993. Consider a scenario where the Islamic hijab is followed in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic hijab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrist. After this if any man commits rape he is given capital punishment. I ask you, in such a scenario, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same, or will it decrease?


10. Implementation of Islamic Shariah will reduce the rate of rapes


Naturally as soon as Islamic Shariah is implemented positive results will be inevitable. If Islamic Shariah is implemented in any part of the world, whether it is America or Europe, society will breathe easier. Hijab does not degrade a woman but uplifts a woman and protects her modesty and chastity.


Apart from all these reasoning there are numerous Scientific Benefits of wearing Hijab:


Protecting the head is one of the method to prevent heat lost. Results of medical tests show that 40-60% of body heat is lost through the head, so persons wearing head coverings during cold months are protected about fifty-percent more than those who do not.


In Chinese medical texts, in The Yellow Emperor’s Classic on Internal Medicine, it was stated that wind can cause sudden changes within the body and will upset the body’s equilibrium thus, creating bad health.

It was written that common cold are related to wind elements entering the body and causing the typical symptoms of sneezing and a running nose.

In the traditional Islamic medical texts of Al-Jawziyya, numerous references to the "four elements" of fire, water, air and earth and how these affect the body in adverse ways. In particular, we are advised to stay away from drafts and protect our heads in wind, breezes, drafts and cold weather.

Also, for health reasons, protecting the head is even more important in warm weather. V.G. Rocine, a prominent brain research specialist, has found that brain Phosphorus melts at 108 degrees; a temperature that can be easily reached if one stays under the hot sun for any length of time without a head covering. When this happens, irreversible brain damage, memory loss and loss of some brain functions can result. Although this example is extreme, Brain damage can still be measured in small degrees from frequent exposure to and overheating of the head.

Bernard Jensen, a naturopath and chiropractor states that this is because the brain runs on the mineral phosphorus, which is very affected by heat.

And while discussing about health, if we look at the home economic perspectives, Hijab head-covering are required for those working in the food sectors. This is to ensure that cleanliness is maintained to avoid food poisoning.

"Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"Gospel of Mark: Chapter 12 Verse 29

Dueling Veeps

The worst presidency in the history of the United States = George Bush
The worst vice presidency in the history of the United States = Dick Cheney

Unfortunately neither of them are done with America yet. When and how can we get rid of these two people and stop the destruction of this country?

Keith Olberman who is one of the most vehement opponent of bush had this to say earlier:

"He's been shrill, totally unpatriotic, and sounding more concerned with torture and interrogation than with results and intelligence. ... I think he may believe that only his vision can save American, and thus anything, including lying to America, is justifiable. This is, I believe, called 'a Messiah Complex."

During the Bush/cheney years any critic of their administration was immediately labeled anti-America and unpatriotic. The media went along with that and unabashedly maligned anybody that opposed these two people or any of their cohorts. Now when they are out of power, they have abrogated to themselves the right to do what they denied others. Hypocrisy's other name is cheney.

Cheney said "It's the mindset that concerns me." when talking about the treatment of some of the suspects. How is that different from how Richard Reid was treated during Bush presidency. But the guy at the ABC who is suppose to be big times reporter with many years of journalism under his belt, Jonathan Karl, did not ask this very pertinent question, r asked it in a way that gave him an easy out. Did it just not occur to him at the time or was it just something he was not going to ask. Most likely its the later because enough of these people asking the hard question could have prevented the US going to war with Iraq, would have prevented many other catastrophes during the previous administration. These journalists are tongue tied in front of these politicians or are they protecting their sacred cows?

So the problem, once again, is the media. As long as the media keep giving Dick and George time and space on the air and in print they will never ever run out of words to say to mislead the Amercing people. As long as Media stays away from hard questions they will keep getting away with it. American people, for all their strengths, are more easily mislead than any other people because they want to believe somebody. They want to trust those who they elected, now or in the past. That is a two edged sword. Fortunately, judging by the comments on some news sites (excluding Faux News) people are waking up to the truth. Whether any of that will matter or not, only time will tell.

The hypocrisy should stop with the realization that both george and dick were wrong on Iraq. They have caused to have hundreds of thousands of people killed and instead of being ashamed of it they want others to join them so they are not alone. They want others to fail so they stop looking so bad. The stated policy of Republican fringe is that they hope for Obama to fail which was expressed clearly through their mouthpiece Rush. Nobody from the Republican party criticized that, which essentially indicates they all agreed with him. However, realizing they were wrong and admitting it would take a much bigger men than both of these criminals will ever be.

Here is another curiosity. Anytime Cheney comes on a show he seems to be bashing Bush and his policies while bush was in the office. The purpose is two fold. One, it sets the agenda for the current republican wingnuts in the congress. Second, he is playing the role of a good cop and a bad cop and essentially in the process he is making bush look good. From a historical perspective nobody really cares about the vice presidency. If the bush presidency, compared to some to the policies being implemented today, is making him look good than Cheney benefits indirectly. For him it's a win win situation. That is why even if they have to buy time from the networks they will do that to push their agendas.

If Cheney was Japanese, by about now, with all the proof we have against this guy somebody would he handing him the sword.

Headline: Sleuths unravel 16th-century Italian murder mystery

Will There Ever Be Justice Anymore

The headline from Reuters talks about Italians opening a case after 447 years to find out the real motives and who was involved in killing a baroness. Amazing. Justice must be served. N matter how late it happens to be. Does not matter if the real culprits are punished. Does not matter how severe the crime was. The logic is that justice must be served.

Is that how long we will have to wait until the crimes committed by our current officials in State Department, CIA and FBI with extra judicial killings around the world can be brought to fore and some modicum of justice served?

How about those committed by IDF and Mossad, latest being the killing of Hamas official while traveling through Dubai? When will we know about them? Or the torture and murder committed by the foot soldiers at the behest of the US war machine and covered up by the officers in Afghanistan. In this case there are so many false reports entered as true and bonafied that the truth may never come out.

How about the ones committed at the US base in Guantanamo Bay. People have died under the watchful eyes of the warden. People have been tortured with video tapes rolling. Will archives ever be made public so the guilty party can acknowledge their crimes? Maybe punished for war crimes. Or maybe we will send some operative to trash those tapes as "unreadable" like they did with the records of George Bush in the National Guard. How convenient was that. It was a good old boy from Texas who probably did not know how to operate the machine to read the records. But he sure knew to trash them before they get in the "wrong" hands.

Four Hundred and forty seven years is a long time. Maybe we can take some comfort with the Medgar Evers case which was solved after more than 50 years. Justice was finally served.

Will the media lead us to War with Iran

The Obvious Truth People Are Refusing To See

From New York Times to Associated Press to Google, the hypocritical coverage and misleading news headlines is leading us to war with Iran. Last two moths there has hardly been a day that New York Times has not printed a decisively opinionated column telling the nation and the world that its OK to go to war with Iran. The allegiance of New York Times with Iz-ra-eeli lobby is no surprise. New York Times, touted as independent media is THE mouthpiece of AIPAC and rest of the Iz-ra-eeli war machine.


The latest headline from Google:


Here is the headline from New York Times:



The story does not stop at the headlines though. Many of the articles, opinions, and Op-Ed pieces allow you to leave comments and that is where the real story reside. The vitriol, the venom spewed, and the amount of hatred towards not only Iran but rest of the world that has anything to do with Iran. Surprisingly nobody faults the Russians who actually sold the technology as well as most of the know how on building the reactor. Why? The truth may just come out as to what is the capability of is sold to them.

Here are comments and there is no surprise as to what is expected:



Here is another example:

The distortions, the half truths, the misinformation, the unsubstantiated anonymous sources, and just outright lies is what makes up the coverage of Iran nuclear issues. There are many people that know exactly how crooked the media is when it comes to Iran however most of these people have no clue what to do about it. Here is an example of the misinformation (this is realted to drone attacks in Pakistan and the "accuracy" of these attacks):





So the question one must ask: how do they know they were all militants?

One advantage that media has over people at large is that no matter how many comments you leave with hard facts the damage that is done by somebody like New York Times can never be undone. Nobody has the time to call them to account. So the editors know very well that these distortions no matter how egregious are not going to land them in court. The actual war criminals are walking the streets stuffing there pockets let alone the editors of a newspaper being called to account.

Top 10 Tools Of Tyranny

Media outlets are prominently displayed in this menagerie of culprits that are destroying America one brick at a time. This is so because people become what they hear and see. People want to see what they WANT to see and hear and believe. We see and hear what matches with what we think is reality. We confirm what we know, expand on what has changed of what we know, and assimilate more of the similar stuff that reinforces what we already know and believe. In a survey of 22,000 people in 21 countries, only politicians ranked as less trustworthy than managers of large companies, who finished behind lawyers and Journalists. The journalists rank very low in the scheme of things when it comes to trustworthiness and ethical standards.
American media gives us 90% of what we want to see and 90% of what we see is handed down to us based on what the media wants us to see. It's very circular. We become what we see and hear. If hatred and bigotry is what we see on TV than that is exactly what we become: hateful and bigoted. If we see xenophobia then that is what we become in our day to day life. That is what media is doing to us. It plays a huge role in what we think, do and how we treat other people around us. Media shapes our lives in more way then we would like to admit.

Fox News
The amount of misinformation coming out of this media outlet is unmatched. If this was a liberal media owned by a foreigner, Rupert Murdoch, the likes of Rush and Glenn will be accusing them of selling out America to foreigners. However no one ever says a word about that since it favors conservatives and it serves their purpose. According to them it's perfect for America.

US State Department
The true shadow government within the Obama government. Hillary Clinton is suppose to be incharge of it but she has been sidelined from about the second month into her appointment. Beyond that was all Rahm and his henchmen running the foreign policy.

American Enterprise Institute
The neocon hang out of people like Karl Rove and Richard Perle, the prince of Darkness. Even Lynn Cheney has a desk their for allegedly writing books for kids.

Blackwater
Hired mercenaries and thugs with no regard for life whatsoever. They have recently been ordered out of Iraq but it remains to be seen how they are going to be morphed to pull wool over the Iraqi government's eyes. The weak government in Iraq is the obvious advantage Blackwater has. The crimes against the innocent, murder in broad daylight, and bribery from the highest level. What more evidence you need to declare them enemies of state, both in America and abroad. Its all about the networking and who you know in the high places.

New York Times
Behind the excellence in writing is the ultimate sword of hatred and bigotry. It kills, and kills relentlessly. They have a special section dedicated to inciting unrest in Iran, or so it seems. Even the Iranian clerics have become the darling of news hacks at this establishment. When China kills its own Muslim civilian population in cold blood, according to New York Times its China's "Strongman" protecting the interests of the state. See also our top ten enemies of peace.

Associated Press
With control over 5000+ print media and 1700+ TV stations they have the monopoly over all aspects of any household globally. This is especially true in the west because that is where most of the information that comes out of this premier hatemonger is consumed. Unless you are living in a cave you can not escape from the clutches of this tool of tyranny. The biased and agenda driven drivel coming out of this media conglomerate is unmatched. Top secret weapon: the people who decide what goes in the news and what stays out. See also our top ten enemies of peace.

Rush, Glenn, And The Right Wing Hate Machine
Rush, Glenn, Sean, and O'Rielly are the poster boys of right wing hate machine. However don't forget people like Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Robert Spencer, and the entire staff of FrontPage Magazine that work behind the scenes to convince people in high places that hate is good and freedom is bad; torture is OK and accountability is bad. They are there to argue that banning Hijab and minarets will somehow make us safer and stronger.

Hollywood
The remake of Taking The Pelham 123 was an eye opener. It maligned the two main religions using camera angles and symbols. Hollywood churning out movie after movie with message of hate and desecration of symbols of Christianity and especially those of Islam.

Department Of Homeland Security
The most recent addition to the arsenal of hate mongering is called "home grown threats." Everybody is a suspect. anybody and everybody can be interrogated without showing just cause.

US Armed Forces
The military industrial complex that we were warned about was no hoax. It has come to fruition long time ago but more so now than ever before. They have been let loose on the world without any accountability. The tyranny they are unleashing on innocent people in far away places is making new enemies for America by the bushel. Nobody blinks an eye on murder of innocent people and chalk that all up to collateral damage. The means to that end are all too familiar: drone attacks in Pakistan, night raids in Afghanistan, torture and renditions around the globe, and special forces and sophisticated bomb attacks disguised as suicide bombings in Iran.

Let There Be A Nuclear Iran

Why Is The West Afraid Of Nuclear Iran?

It's not what you think.

Why is a nuclear Iran such a huge problem for the west? This question is raised time and again and the answer is always the same. The lie about what the Ayatollah may have said about wiping Israel from the face of the earth which is not entirely a bad idea but its not something to be entertained rather seriously.

That itself is astounding. What you see in the news is reality. What you hear over and over again is reality. If you hear it long enough it becomes the truth and anybody who questions the truth must be crazy. That is the logic behind pushing the lie over and over and again. We have seen that time and again and the lie about what the ayatollah may have said is no exception. Top that with more lies by attributing that lie to the current regime in Iran. Nobody is a fan of the current regime but that is not because they are illegitimate or because we want to question what they want in nuclear know how. What they want is their inalienable right and nobody has any question about that. (except the media of course) The dislike is over the ignorance of how to handle this situation. The colourlessness goes far and wide and plagues the entire middle east. With all the money they have they could buy each and every journalist outright for life. All journalists are for sale, many for a fairly small amount of money. Many just for the opportunity to see their name in print and media. But then again, the leaders of the middle east have no clue how to go about doing that.

coming back to the issue at hand; why is the west so apprehensive about Iran acquiring nuclear know how. Nuclear bombs in Iran are a far cry because first Iran has to perfect the technology for producing, enriching etc. of Uranium. Not an easy task. It will be twenty plus years before they are anywhere close to making indigenous warheads. It took Pakistan years to do that and it required collaboration with many countries including France.

The overwhelming reason why the west is so afraid of any Muslim country getting nuclear know how is because the larger ramifications of technology acquisition and transfer. Of course this is not new technology but there are many other related technologies that come with general know how of nuclear technology. Medical, electrical, energy to name a few. This Independence is what scares the west. After the fall of Ottoman empire there was wholesale destruction of the written proof of advances made in science by Muslim scholars. Today nobody knows the advances made during that time and it is as if we started the world after the WWII and nothing existed before that. Let's look at each region/country separately and how the government and people are oppressed to keep them in check.

The Middle East: Middle East as a region includes major portion of all the Muslim countries. They are by far the most wealthy and well off. However, those, as a result or consequence, are the people least likely to advance in strategic knowledge. Saudi Arabian youths come to the US universities, get educated and go back home. However, the easy availability of cheap labors compels them to rather hire somebody to do the work than do the work themselves. They import people from the subcontinent and have them work at rates they agree or rates that market would bear. There are many American expatriates that go to Saudi Arabia, get paid really well, get housing and other allowances, and do whatever is asked of them. Other countries follow suite. The oil extracted from Middle eastern soil is bought at fraction of its real price, refined to umpteenth other uses and that technology has never passed on because of the agreement clauses and other legal mumbo jumbo.

The Indian Subcontinent: When Brits left India and divided the subcontinent into Pakistan and India, and later Bangladesh the division was such that all the factories, schools, colleges, and major universities remained in place in India. The monuments and the main places for tourist attraction were all part of India. All the major government installations and hubs were in the Indian part of the subcontinent. The rivers flow downstream to Pakistan with control of those rivers in India. At the start Pakistan was saddled with a part of its own that was thousand miles over the hostile Indian territory. All flights had to go around the Indian ocean to bypass Indian airspace. This was a huge strategic disadvantage. Imagine the burden all of that placed on a newly independent country.

Fast forward to the current situation. With all those problems inherited it's no wonder Pakistan is struggling with its economy, literacy, industry, the infrastructure etc. It is struggling against overwhelming odds that were stacked against this country right from the time of its Independence.

Africa: The poorest, the most neglected, and the most exploited continent on the face of the planet earth. From Egypt to Ghana to Zimbabwe, the odds of any country making any substantial progress are minimal at best. For centuries the Gold and Diamonds, the most precious and sought after minerals, are being extracted and the wealth of nations plundered by few large western enterprises who buy influence and never allow their dirty laundry to come out in full view. They have the local politicians on their payroll and nothing can change until all of that wealth is gone. The movie Blood Diamond was a pretty fair expose of what really happens but the core of the matter was dropped by the mainstream media promptly after the buzz about the movie died.

when you talk to anybody they will be happy to tell you and remind you that the change will have to come from inside. They will contend that people must make the change to make their country better. Then they will move to leadership gap. Then finally they will say it's the literacy or the lack thereof that's causing these problems. Although all of these factors must be considered to formulate a policy of change, they neglect to mention the most important factor: The will, the demand, and might of the superpower to keep the status quo. The superpower and its allies must not allow any substantial progress from taking place. Which brings us full circle back to Iranian nuclear issue. The main reason why American politicians through its client state of Israel want to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear know how is to prevent that country, and any other country for that matter, to acquire any sophisticated technology that may lead to Independence from it's hegemony. They know very well that it will be years, probably more like decades for Iran to develop full capability of its own to develop nuclear arsenal. However the perception that is being pushed by the very controlled media is that of imminent danger. The perception that something must be done to stop the Iranians from acquiring nuclear know how right now. It must be done now to stop them from getting handle on the technology.

At the same time name any Muslim country and along comes the list of policies in place to keep them exactly where they were about 100 years ago. There are people in high places whose only job is to make sure no progress is made in any substantial way in any of these countries. The so called think tanks are churning out policy papers that the lawmakers take as Gospel. For example, Pakistan's nuclear arsenal is in danger, not from the likes of Taliban, but from US who would want to force the hands of Pakistani politicians to dismantle it and take the nuclear tips off them. The goal is to de-fang Pakistan, the one Muslim country set to and capable of making most advances in science and technology. Do they not need the nuclear plants to generate electricity? Do they not need the medical technology? Obviously not, according to the think tanks. It will be "provided" for them. It will be given to them when US wants to give it to them. As long as they are good boys and girls and do as US tell them to do we will keep providing them with what they need. One step out of line and all of that stops. Where does that leave Pakistan.

They want Iran to agree to have nuclear fuel processed elsewhere. The same doctrine as the Pakistan doctrine applies to Iran. The real purpose of this demand is to make sure if they stray out of line we will have the strings that can be pulled to bring them back in line. Iran has no choice but to go independent with its nuclear technology. Iran must develop full nuclear cycle on its own. It should conduct all the tests necessary to make sure everything is in place for next generation to take it to the next level. It will not only give them alternative to fast depleting energy sources, and the much needed medical isotopes but it will create new high end jobs, it will create national pride, and it will be good for the middle east. These are the foremost reasons to one other one: the non-proliferation treaty gives them the full rights to do what they have done so far.

The question is: is Iran willing to pay the price that it must to make that happen?