sides

Another every day [in Lebanon] --

'More than 40 people, including 20 children, have been killed in an Israeli air strike on the southern Lebanese town of Qana.'

Earlier, a new born, never getting a chance at a name, was also killed.

Cuba calls it all genocide.

ethical travelling

Here's an everyday. Linking...

on islam and terrorism -

Here is part of an email exchange from last summer concerning London's terror attacks. I was trying to describe the muslim reaction at my end. I'd rather quote myself than write something on this subject because that would probably just mean linking you up to a site.

***

"yeah everyone here is saddened about how persistently sickening all this inhumanity is. At the same time, there's also this concern about making clear to others again that islam forbids terrorism emphatically. although i dont think people in europe are just going to up and start all out discrimination against muslims after this, i do think that that's a scenario which makes people feel like they now have to constantly defend themselves by explaining to everyone what islam really is."

I added later on:

"btw, here are a couple of links that show the islamic stance on terrorism, in case you might find them helpful:http://thewahhabimyth.com/ ----> this is a website for the book by Haneef James Oliver. it offers a free pdf download of the book here. though contains discussion of different media-misrepresented matters, there a good section on terrorism.http://www.spubs.com/sps/sLF/sLF.cfm?sc=channel&CID=3 "

Some more:

"well, since islam is a way of life, it provides guidelines for all situations for all times. For the situation where muslims are being oppressed and have no power to defend themselves against the terrorism;the islamic equivalent/counterpart of a non-violent demonstration is the islamic call for the individual muslims to return to righteousness,correcting ourselves soul-wise, maintaining patience and a faith in God, seeking the help of God. here are two verses from the Quran which help explain this:

"Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fasiqoon (rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." (24: 55)

Indeed, never will Allaah change the condition of a people, until they change themselves. [Quran 13:11]

It is a call to change from within - believing that this will bring peace eventually."

(Okay, yeah, so there was some linking)

we

Stephen, living apart from his destitute family, sees his younger sister Dilly at a bookstand. (In James Joyces' "Ulysses": Gambler's Edition, chapter 10, lines 854-880)


--What are you doing here, Stephen?

Dilly's high shoulders and shabby dress.

Shut the book quick. Don't let see.

--What are you doing? Stephen said.

A Stuart face of nonesuch Charles, lank locks falling at its sides. It glowed as she crouched feeding the fire with broken boots. I told her of Paris. Late lieabed under a quilt of old overcoats, fingering a pinchbeck bracelet, Dan Kelly's token. Nebrakada Femininum.

--What have you there? Stephen asked.
--I bought it from the other cart for a penny, Dilly said, laughing nervously. Is it any good?

My eyes they say she has. Do others see me so? Quick, far and daring. Shadow of my mind.

He took the coverless book from her hand. Chardenal's French primer.

--What did you buy that for? he asked. To learn French?

She nodded, reddening and closing tight her lips.

Show no surprise. Quite natural.

--Here, Stephen said. It's all right. Mind Maggy doesn't pawn it on you. I suppose all my books are gone.
--Some, Dilly said. We had to.

She is drowning. Agenbite. Save her. Agenbite. All against us. She will drown me with her, eyes and hair. Lank coils of seaweed hair around me, my heart, my soul. Salt green death.

We.

Agenbite of inwit. Inwit's agenbite.

words shmurds

Se·mit·ic
Pronunciation: s&-'mi-tik also -'me-
Function: adjective
Etymology: German semitisch, from Semit, Semite Semite, probably from New Latin Semita, from Late Latin Semitic Shem

1 : of, relating to, or constituting a subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic language family that includes Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, and Amharic

.

"If anyone killed a person, unless it is for murder or spreading mischief on earth, it would be as if he killed all of mankind. And if anyone saved a life it would be as if he saved the lives of all mankind". (Quran 5: 35)

rice sees bombs as birth pangs

'Condoleezza Rice has described the plight of Lebanon as a part of the "birth pangs of a new Middle East" and said that Israel should ignore calls for a ceasefire.'

ethics of globalization

Peter Singer's "One World"

This book is on an ethics that evolves out of the fact that we live in a globalized world. Being interconnected, the question becomes: do we become accountable for more than just our actions towards our family, local community? Extending now to our actions in relation to the education of children in pakistan? Example concept: leaders' duty to own country vs. duty to world. The book's 'facts-does-clarity' i especially found awesome. To read a NY Times review.

neat

When We Look Up


He had not looked,
pitiful man whom none

pity, whom all
must pity if they look

into their own face (given
only by glass, steel, water
barely known) all
who look up

to see-how many
faces? How many

seen in a lifetime? (Not those that flash by, but those

into which the gaze wanders
and is lost

and returns to tell
Here is a mystery,

a person,
another, an I?

--by Denise Levertov



"When We Look Up" by Denise Levertov,
from Poems: 1960-1967,
copyright © 1966 by Denise Levertov.

on pro-war sentiment-

UN says $100 mln needed swiftly for Lebanon relief

Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:07 PM BST

[For news article, click on link]