BAGHDAD (AFP) - Archaeologists will soon begin a dig at a site in the southern Iraqi province of Muthanna that may date back to the Sumerian period, local heritage chief Tawfiq Mohammed said on Thursday.
The excavation will take place in hills near Rumetha, just north of the provincial capital Samawa, Mohammed said, referring to an area on the banks of the Euphrates River.
"This place is a very important heritage site," he said. "The exploration could lead to the discovery of orginal architecture that can be added to the heritage of Mesopotamia"
What is now Iraq is often described as the cradle of civilisation, with some of the first evidence of complex urban life appearing within its borders around 3,000 BC.
Baghdad is keen to capitalise on some 10,000 historic sites across the country to attract tourists.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
America sees immigration slowdown
AP
updated 12:07 a.m. ET, Tues., Sept. 23, 2008
WASHINGTON - The wave of immigrants entering the United States slowed dramatically last year as the economy faltered and the government stepped up enforcement of immigration laws.
The nation added about a half million immigrants in 2007, down from more than 1.8 million the year before, according to estimates being released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.
"The U.S. is still a beacon for many people who want to come here for all kinds of reasons," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the numbers. "But what this shows is that the economy plays a big part in it."
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The U.S. has added an average of about a million immigrants a year since 1990, including those in the country legally and illegally.
At more than 38 million, the number of immigrants in the U.S. is now at an all-time high. Immigrants made up 12.6 percent of the population in 2007, the largest share since 1920, when the U.S. was nearing the end of its last immigration boom, one that brought millions of people from Europe to the United States.
That wave of immigrants ended with the Great Depression and the onset of World War II.
Looking for jobs
The immigration figures released Tuesday were from the 2007 American Community Survey, the government's annual survey of about 3 million households. The survey, which is replacing the long form from the 10-year census, yields reams of demographic, social and economic data about the nation.
Because the estimates come from a survey, each includes a margin of sampling error that makes year-to-year comparisons inexact. Annual immigration changes for many states and cities were within the margins of error, but the national trend was statistically significant: The nation's immigration boom slowed substantially in 2007.
Fourteen states showed declines in the estimated number of immigrants from 2006 to 2007, including New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and South Dakota. Several major cities also posted decreases, including Atlanta, Las Vegas and Oakland, Calif.
Other cities continued to show gains, including Phoenix, Boston and Denver.
Census data
Highlights of Census Bureau report
_Median home values increased 2 percent from 2006 to 2007, a significantly lower rate than in recent years.
_Hawaii had the highest median home value, at $555,400, while West Virginia and Mississippi tied for the lowest, at $96,000. The national estimate was $194,300.
_The average commute to work increased from 25.0 minutes in 2006 to 25.3 minutes in 2007. Commuters in New York state had the longest average journey to work, at 31.5 minutes; workers in North Dakota had the shortest, at 16.1 minutes.
_Immigrants made up 27.4 percent of the population in California, the largest of any state. West Virginia has the lowest percentage, at 1.3 percent. The national average was 12.6 percent.
_Nearly 43 percent of Californians spoke a language other than English at home, the highest rate in the nation; West Virginia had the lowest rate, at 2.3 percent. The national share was 19.7 percent.
_Wyoming had the highest share of high school graduates, at 91.2 percent of the population age 25 and older; Mississippi had the lowest, at 78.5 percent. The national share was 84.5 percent, up slightly from 2006.
_The District of Columbia had the highest share of those with a bachelor's degree, at 47.5 percent, while West Virginia had the lowest, at 17.3 percent. The national share was 27.5 percent, up from 27.0 percent in 2006.
_Alaska had the highest share of veterans, at 15.4 percent of the population, while New York had the lowest, at 7 percent.
_South Carolina had the highest share of housing that was mobile homes, at 18.2 percent, while the District of Columbia had none.
Source: Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey.
"Immigrants have always come to the United States for jobs, but before they went to big immigration magnets to be with family or other immigrants," Frey said. "Now the geography of where these people move is much more tied to the economy than ever before."
Much of the nation experienced a housing boom in the first half of the decade, providing jobs that attracted immigrants. The housing bubble burst last year, sending housing markets tumbling and contributing to a slumping economy that some economists believe is in recession.
The Census Bureau's' estimates for immigrants include those in the country legally and illegally because the agency does not ask about legal status. Government and private estimates put the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. at about 12 million.
A little more than half of U.S. immigrants are from Latin America and about a quarter are from Asia. About 13 percent are from Europe and 4 percent from Africa.
The latest immigration boom has sparked political and social turmoil in many communities unaccustomed to large influxes of foreigners. About one in five U.S. residents spoke a language other than English at home in 2007, about the same share as a year before.
Immigration reform
The issue, however, has been muted in this year's presidential election in part because both Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama support comprehensive immigration packages that include increased enforcement and an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants.
Obama and McCain aren't talking much about immigration reform — at least not in English. Both, however, are running Spanish-language TV ads accusing the other of derailing comprehensive immigration packages supported by many Hispanics.
Voters say other issues are more important to them than immigration policy, including the economy, gas prices and education, according to the latest AP-Yahoo News poll.
In many communities, though, immigration is an important issue.
Federal agents started conducting more high-profile immigration raids the past several years. The effects on local immigration levels have been mixed.
For example, a leather goods manufacturer in New Bedford, Mass., was raided in March 2007, and the number of immigrants living there dropped for the year. At the same time number of immigrants in Boston, about 50 miles away, jumped.
A temporary employment agency in Baltimore was raided in March 2007, and the number of immigrants in the city dropped slightly for the year. But a meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colo., was raided in late 2006 and the number of immigrants increased in 2007.
Some communities have tried to get tough on illegal immigration with local ordinances.
In Northern Virginia's Prince William County, officials debated a crackdown for months before directing local police to check the immigration status of everyone they arrest. The county experienced a small drop the number of immigrants last year despite overall population gains.
"In our county there is a tremendous amount of fear," said Nancy Lyall, legal coordinator for Mexicans Without Borders, an immigrant advocacy group. "The people who can leave Prince William County have."
updated 12:07 a.m. ET, Tues., Sept. 23, 2008
WASHINGTON - The wave of immigrants entering the United States slowed dramatically last year as the economy faltered and the government stepped up enforcement of immigration laws.
The nation added about a half million immigrants in 2007, down from more than 1.8 million the year before, according to estimates being released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.
"The U.S. is still a beacon for many people who want to come here for all kinds of reasons," said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution who analyzed the numbers. "But what this shows is that the economy plays a big part in it."
Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The U.S. has added an average of about a million immigrants a year since 1990, including those in the country legally and illegally.
At more than 38 million, the number of immigrants in the U.S. is now at an all-time high. Immigrants made up 12.6 percent of the population in 2007, the largest share since 1920, when the U.S. was nearing the end of its last immigration boom, one that brought millions of people from Europe to the United States.
That wave of immigrants ended with the Great Depression and the onset of World War II.
Looking for jobs
The immigration figures released Tuesday were from the 2007 American Community Survey, the government's annual survey of about 3 million households. The survey, which is replacing the long form from the 10-year census, yields reams of demographic, social and economic data about the nation.
Because the estimates come from a survey, each includes a margin of sampling error that makes year-to-year comparisons inexact. Annual immigration changes for many states and cities were within the margins of error, but the national trend was statistically significant: The nation's immigration boom slowed substantially in 2007.
Fourteen states showed declines in the estimated number of immigrants from 2006 to 2007, including New Jersey, New Mexico, Vermont and South Dakota. Several major cities also posted decreases, including Atlanta, Las Vegas and Oakland, Calif.
Other cities continued to show gains, including Phoenix, Boston and Denver.
Census data
Highlights of Census Bureau report
_Median home values increased 2 percent from 2006 to 2007, a significantly lower rate than in recent years.
_Hawaii had the highest median home value, at $555,400, while West Virginia and Mississippi tied for the lowest, at $96,000. The national estimate was $194,300.
_The average commute to work increased from 25.0 minutes in 2006 to 25.3 minutes in 2007. Commuters in New York state had the longest average journey to work, at 31.5 minutes; workers in North Dakota had the shortest, at 16.1 minutes.
_Immigrants made up 27.4 percent of the population in California, the largest of any state. West Virginia has the lowest percentage, at 1.3 percent. The national average was 12.6 percent.
_Nearly 43 percent of Californians spoke a language other than English at home, the highest rate in the nation; West Virginia had the lowest rate, at 2.3 percent. The national share was 19.7 percent.
_Wyoming had the highest share of high school graduates, at 91.2 percent of the population age 25 and older; Mississippi had the lowest, at 78.5 percent. The national share was 84.5 percent, up slightly from 2006.
_The District of Columbia had the highest share of those with a bachelor's degree, at 47.5 percent, while West Virginia had the lowest, at 17.3 percent. The national share was 27.5 percent, up from 27.0 percent in 2006.
_Alaska had the highest share of veterans, at 15.4 percent of the population, while New York had the lowest, at 7 percent.
_South Carolina had the highest share of housing that was mobile homes, at 18.2 percent, while the District of Columbia had none.
Source: Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey.
"Immigrants have always come to the United States for jobs, but before they went to big immigration magnets to be with family or other immigrants," Frey said. "Now the geography of where these people move is much more tied to the economy than ever before."
Much of the nation experienced a housing boom in the first half of the decade, providing jobs that attracted immigrants. The housing bubble burst last year, sending housing markets tumbling and contributing to a slumping economy that some economists believe is in recession.
The Census Bureau's' estimates for immigrants include those in the country legally and illegally because the agency does not ask about legal status. Government and private estimates put the number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. at about 12 million.
A little more than half of U.S. immigrants are from Latin America and about a quarter are from Asia. About 13 percent are from Europe and 4 percent from Africa.
The latest immigration boom has sparked political and social turmoil in many communities unaccustomed to large influxes of foreigners. About one in five U.S. residents spoke a language other than English at home in 2007, about the same share as a year before.
Immigration reform
The issue, however, has been muted in this year's presidential election in part because both Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama support comprehensive immigration packages that include increased enforcement and an eventual path to citizenship for many illegal immigrants.
Obama and McCain aren't talking much about immigration reform — at least not in English. Both, however, are running Spanish-language TV ads accusing the other of derailing comprehensive immigration packages supported by many Hispanics.
Voters say other issues are more important to them than immigration policy, including the economy, gas prices and education, according to the latest AP-Yahoo News poll.
In many communities, though, immigration is an important issue.
Federal agents started conducting more high-profile immigration raids the past several years. The effects on local immigration levels have been mixed.
For example, a leather goods manufacturer in New Bedford, Mass., was raided in March 2007, and the number of immigrants living there dropped for the year. At the same time number of immigrants in Boston, about 50 miles away, jumped.
A temporary employment agency in Baltimore was raided in March 2007, and the number of immigrants in the city dropped slightly for the year. But a meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colo., was raided in late 2006 and the number of immigrants increased in 2007.
Some communities have tried to get tough on illegal immigration with local ordinances.
In Northern Virginia's Prince William County, officials debated a crackdown for months before directing local police to check the immigration status of everyone they arrest. The county experienced a small drop the number of immigrants last year despite overall population gains.
"In our county there is a tremendous amount of fear," said Nancy Lyall, legal coordinator for Mexicans Without Borders, an immigrant advocacy group. "The people who can leave Prince William County have."
Monday, September 22, 2008
Eid Al Fitr Moon , A detail Calculation
Sun and Moon Data for One Day
The following information is provided for Toronto (longitude W79.4, latitude N43.7):
Tuesday
30 September 2008 Universal Time - 4h
SUN
Begin civil twilight 06:46
Sunrise 07:14
Sun transit 13:07
Sunset 18:59
End civil twilight 19:28
MOON
Moonset 18:50 on preceding day
Moonrise 08:43
Moon transit 14:02
Moonset 19:12-Hard to see in Toronto,So Eid-Oct02 of
Moonrise 09:50 on following day
Phase of the Moon on 30 September: waxing crescent with 2% of the Moon's visible disk illuminated.
New Moon on 29 September 2008 at 04:12 (Universal Time - 4h).
--------
Sep 30, 2008 5:39 AM 8:35 PM 6:12 AM 8:01 PM 6:46 AM 7:28 PM 7:14 AM 6:59 PM 93°Map direction East 266°Map direction West 11h 45m 04s − 2m 58s 1:07 PM 43.2° 149.783
--------------------
Astronomy for September 30, 2008:
Rise: Set:
Actual Time: 7:15 AM EDT 7:00 PM EDT
Civil Twilight: 6:46 AM EDT 7:29 PM EDT
Nautical Twilight: 6:13 AM EDT 8:02 PM EDT
Astronomical Twilight: 5:39 AM EDT 8:35 PM EDT
Moon: 8:43 AM EDT (9/30) 7:12 PM EDT (9/30)
Length Of Visible Light: 12h 42m
Length of Day:
11h 45m
------------------
Moonsighting for Shawwal 1429
The Astronomical New Moon is on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 8:12 GMT, 4:12 am EDT, 1:12 am PDT). It will not be visible on September 29 except small possibility in Ploynesian Islands. On Tuesday, September 30, it will be visible in New Zealand Australia, Indonesia, South Asia, Africa and Americas. In North America on September 30, it can be seen in Southern belt states. So, Eidul-Fitr is expected on Wednesday, October 1, most of the world, Insha-Allah. Also, according to Saudi Ummul-Qura calendar, Fiqh Council of North America, and European Council for Fatwa and Research, the first day of Shawwal is on Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
In UK moon cannot be sighted on Sep 29 or Sep 30, 2008. Sighting in UK could only be on October 1. However a new Fatawa from Deoband, India, is that even if moon is seen in as far south as South Africa, UK will accept that sighting. According to this criterion Eid in UK will be on October 1, Insha-Allah, because the moon should be easily visible in Australia and South Africa on September 30.
In Pakistan, moon may not be seen on Septmber 30, except by high powered telescope. So, Eid in Pakistan is expected to be on Octber 2, 2008.
-----------------------
Visibility Predictions for the New Crescent Moon
Toronto
Longitude W079 25
Latitude N43 42
Time Zone + 05h 00m
Times are in Standard Time = GMT - 05h 00m
New Moon Birth Date Sun Moon at Sunset Moon Lag BEST Code
+ Set Az Age Alt Az DAZ Mag El Set Time TIME
year mth day h m d mth day h m o h m o o o o h m m h m
2008 Sept 29 03 12 Mon
0 Mon Sept 29 18 01 267 14 49 -3 258 8 -4.3 8 17 50 -12 17 56 F
1 Tues Sept 30 18 00 266 38 48 1 247 19 -5.5 20 18 12 12 18 05 F
2 Wed Oct 1 17 58 266 62 46 5 236 30 -6.6 31 18 37 39 18 15 A
A means easily visible on Oct01, So it means Eid will be on Oct02/2008.
A Easily visible
B Visible under perfect conditions
C May need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
D Will need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
E Not visible with a telescope
F Not visible, below the Danjon limit
But I am ready to fight and die
Iraq's Mehdi Army at crossroads as U.S. scales down
By Mohammed Abbas 37 minutes ago
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Forced off Iraq's streets and with diminished political clout, what anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia do next will be crucial if they are to remain relevant.
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The rallying cry of the Mehdi Army and Sadr's political movement since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 has been to kick American soldiers out of Iraq. With a 2011 deadline for a U.S. troop withdrawal possibly in sight, Sadr must find another cause to give his movement purpose and cohesion.
Sadr has largely frozen the Mehdi Army, which led two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004, and has shifted to cultivating the cultural wing of his movement.
The cleric has huge support among Iraq's Shi'ite poor, and similar movements in the Middle East have traditionally replaced or bolstered armed struggle with cultural and charitable works that have fed into votes at the ballot box.
But the cleric has decided his movement will not compete in upcoming local elections under the Sadr banner. Sadrists will instead join independent candidate groups.
The move could be a way of keeping a hand in politics without giving legitimacy to elections held while U.S. forces are still in place.
But the move could limit their influence in increasingly powerful provincial councils, where they hold little sway after largely boycotting the last local elections in 2005, and rob them of momentum in national polls due at the end of 2009.
Sadrists took part in the previous parliamentary elections, but control only 10 percent of seats. They withdrew their six cabinet ministers from the government in 2007 in protest at Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
Sadr's movement is unlikely to survive as a purely cultural and charitable organization with no military or political clout, said Toby Dodge, an Iraq specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
"They'd disappear almost overnight if they did that. It would go against every model they're copying ... If they don't run (in elections) and demobilize their militia, what's the point of them? What's the unifying ideology?" he said.
SADR SLIPPING?
Sadr spokesmen say the cleric froze his militia partly to give Baghdad and Washington space to agree a security deal, now in its final stages of negotiation, that is likely to pave the way for a large-scale U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of 2011.
"If the agreement has positive points and a defined deadline then I'm sure we will support it," chief Sadr spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi said in an interview at the cleric's headquarters in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.
Ubaidi last month suggested the Mehdi Army would dissolve if the United States withdrew according to a defined timetable.
With violence in Iraq at four-year lows, the Pentagon will pull 8,000 soldiers out by February, leaving 138,000 troops.
But the Sadr movement will only outline its next move after the U.S. presence ends, not before, Ubaidi said.
Meanwhile, rival political groups are consolidating power, while a series of crackdowns by an increasingly assertive Maliki has forced the Mehdi Army from many of its former bastions.
Attacks on Shi'ites by Sunni militants, which drove many to Sadr's militia for support, have plunged. Criminal elements among the Mehdi Army's ranks have also frustrated Sadr.
"Moqtada may be beginning to feel that the Mehdi Army is becoming more of a liability than an asset," said Reidar Visser, an Iraq expert and editor of the www.historiae.org website.
Luwaa Sumaisem, head of the Sadr parliamentary bloc's political committee, said the movement had future political ambitions and wanted to be central in efforts to rebuild Iraq.
Focus on the Sadrist cultural wing, which defines itself as an "army of cultural and religious doctrine" that wages jihad on the "western and secular tide," could be considered a political move in preparation for the departure of U.S. forces, he said.
"That we don't have political ambitions, that may be for the moment. It's not our priority," he told Reuters.
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY
Greater religious authority could be one way Sadr intends to retain relevance. Widely believed to be studying in Iran, Ubaidi said it would not be long before Sadr would enter the ranks of the Marjaiya, or senior Shi'ite Islamic clergy.
"The next key step for the Sadrist movement may relate to Sadr's religious status, and in particular whether he is going to make an attempt to act as a scholar with the ability to issue his own fatwas (religious edicts)," Visser said.
In Shi'ite-majority Iraq the Marjaiya have huge influence, although frosty ties with Iraq's top Shi'ite clergy mean it is unclear how much weight would be given to Sadr's fatwas.
Often ambiguous and sometimes contradictory, many of Sadr's frequent statements give few clues to his thinking.
Making few public appearances, Sadr may next appear when the U.S.-Iraqi security deal is signed, Ubaidi said. Until then, the support of at least some of Iraq's Shi'ite poor remains strong.
"Of course we hope for no more violence. Look at all these young men," said Abdul-Zahra Darwish, the brother of a slain Mehdi Army fighter as he stood among graves at a Sadrist cemetery in Najaf. "But I am ready to fight and die."
(Editing by Dean Yates and xxx)
By Mohammed Abbas 37 minutes ago
NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Forced off Iraq's streets and with diminished political clout, what anti-American Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his Mehdi Army militia do next will be crucial if they are to remain relevant.
ADVERTISEMENT
clear
clear Email:
ZIP / Postal Code:
clear
clear
The rallying cry of the Mehdi Army and Sadr's political movement since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 has been to kick American soldiers out of Iraq. With a 2011 deadline for a U.S. troop withdrawal possibly in sight, Sadr must find another cause to give his movement purpose and cohesion.
Sadr has largely frozen the Mehdi Army, which led two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004, and has shifted to cultivating the cultural wing of his movement.
The cleric has huge support among Iraq's Shi'ite poor, and similar movements in the Middle East have traditionally replaced or bolstered armed struggle with cultural and charitable works that have fed into votes at the ballot box.
But the cleric has decided his movement will not compete in upcoming local elections under the Sadr banner. Sadrists will instead join independent candidate groups.
The move could be a way of keeping a hand in politics without giving legitimacy to elections held while U.S. forces are still in place.
But the move could limit their influence in increasingly powerful provincial councils, where they hold little sway after largely boycotting the last local elections in 2005, and rob them of momentum in national polls due at the end of 2009.
Sadrists took part in the previous parliamentary elections, but control only 10 percent of seats. They withdrew their six cabinet ministers from the government in 2007 in protest at Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
Sadr's movement is unlikely to survive as a purely cultural and charitable organization with no military or political clout, said Toby Dodge, an Iraq specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
"They'd disappear almost overnight if they did that. It would go against every model they're copying ... If they don't run (in elections) and demobilize their militia, what's the point of them? What's the unifying ideology?" he said.
SADR SLIPPING?
Sadr spokesmen say the cleric froze his militia partly to give Baghdad and Washington space to agree a security deal, now in its final stages of negotiation, that is likely to pave the way for a large-scale U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of 2011.
"If the agreement has positive points and a defined deadline then I'm sure we will support it," chief Sadr spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi said in an interview at the cleric's headquarters in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf.
Ubaidi last month suggested the Mehdi Army would dissolve if the United States withdrew according to a defined timetable.
With violence in Iraq at four-year lows, the Pentagon will pull 8,000 soldiers out by February, leaving 138,000 troops.
But the Sadr movement will only outline its next move after the U.S. presence ends, not before, Ubaidi said.
Meanwhile, rival political groups are consolidating power, while a series of crackdowns by an increasingly assertive Maliki has forced the Mehdi Army from many of its former bastions.
Attacks on Shi'ites by Sunni militants, which drove many to Sadr's militia for support, have plunged. Criminal elements among the Mehdi Army's ranks have also frustrated Sadr.
"Moqtada may be beginning to feel that the Mehdi Army is becoming more of a liability than an asset," said Reidar Visser, an Iraq expert and editor of the www.historiae.org website.
Luwaa Sumaisem, head of the Sadr parliamentary bloc's political committee, said the movement had future political ambitions and wanted to be central in efforts to rebuild Iraq.
Focus on the Sadrist cultural wing, which defines itself as an "army of cultural and religious doctrine" that wages jihad on the "western and secular tide," could be considered a political move in preparation for the departure of U.S. forces, he said.
"That we don't have political ambitions, that may be for the moment. It's not our priority," he told Reuters.
RELIGIOUS AUTHORITY
Greater religious authority could be one way Sadr intends to retain relevance. Widely believed to be studying in Iran, Ubaidi said it would not be long before Sadr would enter the ranks of the Marjaiya, or senior Shi'ite Islamic clergy.
"The next key step for the Sadrist movement may relate to Sadr's religious status, and in particular whether he is going to make an attempt to act as a scholar with the ability to issue his own fatwas (religious edicts)," Visser said.
In Shi'ite-majority Iraq the Marjaiya have huge influence, although frosty ties with Iraq's top Shi'ite clergy mean it is unclear how much weight would be given to Sadr's fatwas.
Often ambiguous and sometimes contradictory, many of Sadr's frequent statements give few clues to his thinking.
Making few public appearances, Sadr may next appear when the U.S.-Iraqi security deal is signed, Ubaidi said. Until then, the support of at least some of Iraq's Shi'ite poor remains strong.
"Of course we hope for no more violence. Look at all these young men," said Abdul-Zahra Darwish, the brother of a slain Mehdi Army fighter as he stood among graves at a Sadrist cemetery in Najaf. "But I am ready to fight and die."
(Editing by Dean Yates and xxx)
Sunday, September 21, 2008
What is politics?
I got this from cafearabica.com.
DEFINITION OF POLITICS
Son: Dad, I have a special report for school. Can I ask you a question?
Dad: Sure son, what's the question?
Son: What is politics?
Dad: Well son, let's take our home for example. I am the wage earner, so
let's call me the management. Your mother is the administrator of the
money, so let's call her the government. We take care of you and your
needs, so let's call you the people. We'll call the maid the working
class and your baby brother the future. Understand?
Son: I'm not really sure dad, I'll have to think about it.
That night, the boy is awakened by his baby brother's crying, so he went
to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had a heavily soiled
nappy, the boy went to his parent's room and found his mother fast
asleep. He than went to the maid's room, where, peeking through the
keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the maid. The boy's knocking went
totally unheard. The boy went back to his room and to sleep.
The next morning...
Son: Dad, I think I understand politics.
Dad: That's great son, explain it to me in your own words.
Son: While the management is screwing the working class, the government
is fast asleep, the people are being completely ignored and the future
is full of @!#$.
While the nation of sheep is asleep, the government is allowing the Jewish Financial Mafia to screw up the economy and the army is in deep sheet in Iraq.
But does the military know who is in the bedroom upstairs before throwing a hand grenade? It is like carrying a machine gun and mowing down students or shoppers in a shopping mall. Or an Israeli placing a bomb in a Palestinian car and detonate it from afar killing many innocent people. Sdism characterises the USraeli killers.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
DEFINITION OF POLITICS
Son: Dad, I have a special report for school. Can I ask you a question?
Dad: Sure son, what's the question?
Son: What is politics?
Dad: Well son, let's take our home for example. I am the wage earner, so
let's call me the management. Your mother is the administrator of the
money, so let's call her the government. We take care of you and your
needs, so let's call you the people. We'll call the maid the working
class and your baby brother the future. Understand?
Son: I'm not really sure dad, I'll have to think about it.
That night, the boy is awakened by his baby brother's crying, so he went
to see what was wrong. Discovering that the baby had a heavily soiled
nappy, the boy went to his parent's room and found his mother fast
asleep. He than went to the maid's room, where, peeking through the
keyhole, he saw his father in bed with the maid. The boy's knocking went
totally unheard. The boy went back to his room and to sleep.
The next morning...
Son: Dad, I think I understand politics.
Dad: That's great son, explain it to me in your own words.
Son: While the management is screwing the working class, the government
is fast asleep, the people are being completely ignored and the future
is full of @!#$.
While the nation of sheep is asleep, the government is allowing the Jewish Financial Mafia to screw up the economy and the army is in deep sheet in Iraq.
But does the military know who is in the bedroom upstairs before throwing a hand grenade? It is like carrying a machine gun and mowing down students or shoppers in a shopping mall. Or an Israeli placing a bomb in a Palestinian car and detonate it from afar killing many innocent people. Sdism characterises the USraeli killers.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
Similarities:Hurricane Shlomo and Katrina!
Author: Adnan
Date: 20-09-08 12:28
Similarities between Hurricane Shlomo and Hurricane Katrina!
The first similarity is that Both Hurricane Shlomo and Hurricane Katrina caused $billions of damages to the US economy that will be covered by the American taxpayer. The second similarity is that no-one is there to be blamed. Hurricane Katrina was caused by angry God/nature and no-one in his right mind can possibly complain. Similarly, Hurricane Shlomo was caused by the greed of the Jewish financial mafia and no-one is powerful enough or in his right mind who can complain let alone ask for them to be exposed and punished. The message from Bush remains to be: the Jews can make wrong investments, cash hefty bonuses and commissions but the taxpayer will pay for the losses if something goes wrong.
One hopes that a bankrupt America will discourage the USraeli war mongers from launching more wars besides an early end to the US hated occupation of Iraq.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
Date: 20-09-08 12:28
Similarities between Hurricane Shlomo and Hurricane Katrina!
The first similarity is that Both Hurricane Shlomo and Hurricane Katrina caused $billions of damages to the US economy that will be covered by the American taxpayer. The second similarity is that no-one is there to be blamed. Hurricane Katrina was caused by angry God/nature and no-one in his right mind can possibly complain. Similarly, Hurricane Shlomo was caused by the greed of the Jewish financial mafia and no-one is powerful enough or in his right mind who can complain let alone ask for them to be exposed and punished. The message from Bush remains to be: the Jews can make wrong investments, cash hefty bonuses and commissions but the taxpayer will pay for the losses if something goes wrong.
One hopes that a bankrupt America will discourage the USraeli war mongers from launching more wars besides an early end to the US hated occupation of Iraq.
Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times
Imam Ali A.S Aliph to Ya
ألف *** أهواك أيا حيدر يا ساقينا عند الكوثر
باء *** باب مدينة علم من يأتيها يأتي حيدر
تاء *** تكفيك شهادته انك مولانا بل أكثر
ثاء *** ثق يا نبض فؤادي عن حبك لا لن أتغير
جيم *** جندلت أكابرهم فسل الاحزاب وسل خيبر
حاء *** حارت فيك عقول حق لها بك أن تتحير
خاء *** خابت نفس لئيم لم يتوالاك أبى شبر
دال *** دامت راية نصر ما دامت في كفك حيدر
ذال *** ذللت رقابهم ونسفت الشيطان الاكبر
راء *** ريحان وزهور عشقك كالمسك أو العنبر
زاء *** زينت لنا الدنيا بسنا وجهك وهو الانور
سين *** سيفك لمايبرح يفلق هامات ويشطر
شين *** شيدت باصرار صرح الاسلام وذا مفخر
صاد *** صمت أذن بغي من جحد الكرار وأنكر
ضاد *** ضم اليك فؤادي كي يحضى بالفوز الاكبر
طاء *** طابت نفس محب بولاكم في يوم المحشر
ظاء *** ظلك كم يحمينا من عرصات الفزع الاكبر
عين *** عميت عين حسود من ليس الى فضلك مبصر
غين *** غصبوك وهم أدرى أن لاغيرك فيهم أجدر
فاء *** فصبرت على ألم لو لاقى جبل لتكسر
قاف *** قادوك أيا عجبي أين الصولات وأين الكر
كاف *** كسروا ضلع الزهراء وأنت بما فعلو مبصر
لام *** لطموا وجه القرآن وهل لنفسك أن تصبر
ميم *** من حلمك أنهلني يا نور الرحمن الازهر
نون *** نورت دياجينا ومن الشمس سناكم أنور
هاء *** هامت فيك قلوب هيمها وجدك يا حيدر
واو *** واليتك لا طمعا في مال أو جاه يذكر
ياء *** يا ربي ثبتني بولاية من صام وكبر
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