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Could Pinterest become the next Napster? - Therese Poletti's Tech Tales. By Therese Poletti, MarketWatch SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Kirsten Kowalski, a lawyer and photographer in the Atlanta area, has had much more than 15 minutes of fame since she wrote a blog post late last month titled "Why I tearfully deleted my Pinterest Inspiration boards."
She even got a phone call from Pinterest's co-founder and chief executive, Ben Silbermann, after her post went viral, and she talked to him for an hour, during which she relayed some of her concerns about how the site is enabling copyright infringement. Read Kowalski's blog post on her conversation with Silbermann. Pinterest, for those not yet familiar with this latest Internet phenomenon, is a site that lets users "pin" images onto bulletin boards that they've created.
It's a sort of virtual scrapbook, where users can collect ideas they run across on the Internet, such as recipes, home decor, gardening, do-it-yourself projects. In Praise Of Piracy. I've had to think a lot about digital rights management lately.
Not that I wanted to. But I recently did some eye-opening contract software development for a DRM-heavy media app, just as our government up here in the Great White North introduced a new and extremely DRM-friendly copyright law, and links to Don't Make Me Steal started popping up all over the Internet. You probably don't realize, unless you actually work on a software project laden with DRM, just how much Sisyphean effort goes into it. I estimate fully a quarter of the developer-hours that went into the app in question were devoted to building or dealing with the DRM, meaning a quarter of the total effort did not go into crafting a killer app. Similarly, the countless hours and dollars Sony spent on CD rootkits and impressively inept PS3 encryption did not go into building better products.
Droits d'auteur : les coiffeurs alsaciens coupent la musique. Techdirt. Commons News. CC talks with Marc Weidenbaum This guest blog post was written by Niki Korth.
If you're in the Bay Area, come see Marc read from his new book at City Lights Thursday night and come hear Niki speak at next week's CC Salon. Marc Weidenbaum / Jorge Colombo In 1996, Marc Weidenbaum founded the website Disquiet.com, which focuses on the intersection of sound, art, and technology. He has written for Nature, the website of The Atlantic, Boing Boing, Down Beat, and numerous other publications. Creative Commons. Droits d'auteur : les coiffeurs alsaciens coupent la musique. Why We Need To Abolish Software Patents. During my tech days, I co-authored four software patents.
Each cost my startup about $15,000—which seemed like a fortune in those days. I didn't really expect these to give me any advantage; after all if my competitors had half a brain, they would simply learn all they could from my patent filing and do things better. But I needed to raise financing, and VCs wouldn't give me the time of day unless I could tell a convincing story about how we, alone, owned the intellectual property for our secret sauce. We got the financing, and the plaques of the patents looked great in our reception area, so the expense was worth it. But there was definitely no competitive advantage.


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Welcome back,
to another oh so inspirational dev diary post for Starvoid!
Quick catchup for those that hasn't been around too much; Starvoid is a real-time strategy game in a futuristic setting with drop-in/drop-out functionality on dedicated servers. It is played with large teams and focuses on being very easy to just jump into for an instant dose of RTS tactical gameplay.
Alright, now to some more details! This week I'm going to go down into the lore of the game a bit more. Because even though the game won't have a single player campaign, the background story and setting of the world is very important to us.
In the central parts of the galaxy, the so called Nexus Area, society is highly developed with large mega-cities, with billions of people are scattered across different planets. Law and order is highly valued and tons of resources are invested in keeping the environment safe through police and security operations. Starvoid does not however take place in these parts of the galaxy. Starvoid takes place outside the Nexus Edge, in the far Rim of the galaxy. Law and order has not set its foot here for a long time.. if ever.
A couple of hundred years ago, humanity invented the technology of warp drive. It was still in a crude form though, and warp travel was still expensive and still relatively slow. It still took several years to get to the most remote locations of the galaxy. Those that left to explore the outer Rim, in the hunt for adventure or riches, were rarely expected to return. They were cut of from civilization and the people in the Rim quickly got degenerated to low standards of civilization.
Then, just about few decades ago, a new, much improved form of warp drive was invented. The technology, and the fuel it required, was called Starvoid. Starvoid was an extremely fast form of warp travel, and cross-stellar transportation could now be done in just a few days. It was extremely expensive though, especially since the fuel it required was rare and had only been found in the Rim.
The people in the Nexus had heard the stories of how life in the Rim was; lawless, dirty and rough. Few or none wanted to move there to relocate closer to the valuable resource. The life inside the Nexus was far too good. Fortunately for the huge Starvoid Corporations, the Rim was already inhabited since hundreds of years back. The corporations started hiring among the lawless in the Rim. At first, operations went smooth. Harvesting facilities were built and production went well. But it didn't take long before the people in the Rim turned on each other. It was much easier, end cheaper, to raid and steal Starvoid from other workers, working for other corporations. The corporations could not solve the hostile situation, and the need for Starvoid grew larger and larger within the civilized world. Soon, the situation was close-to-war between the corporations, where the harvest workers are more to be considered mercenaries that are hired by the corporations for securing resources across the Rim for them.
The mercenaries (this is where you come in players), or commanders as they usually call themselves, buy and build combat droids to fight other mercenaries. The droids are commanded through interface implants and can be deployed down onto planets through gateway devices known as Boxes from the commanders' ships. An experienced commander can fight almost as one alongside his or her droids.
Between the clashes, most of the commanders live in their ships, where they work on their droids to improve them before the next fight and search for the next place to secure more Starvoid for the highest bidding corporation. The corporations does of course pay pretty well for the Starvoid secured, which allows the commanders to always purchase new and better droids. As a result of this, many manufacturers of droids have been established that all focus on different ways of warfare.
But more about these manufacturers in future dev diaries.
Take care everyone. Cya around!
Rasmus Davidsson, Game Director at Starvoid

subset: commoncrawl


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Stock Market Analyzer-Predictor
To find an optimal timing to buy and sell stocks, Stock Market Analyzer-Predictor SMAP extracts basic cycles of the stock market (indexes or well-traded shares) and uses them for predicting SMAP-3 Features
Page-menu Output allows viewing all calculated results Plotting major spectrum lines of decomposed historical data Plotting historical and forecasted data Using statistical analysis to find optimal timing (month of year, day of month, day of week)
Simply How SMAP-3 WorksThe algorithm of using SMAP is simple - select input data, process data, and view results. The input data are historical quotes of the stock market indexes, ETFs, funds, well-traded shares, etc. for any period from around one year to more than 40 years. Data are provided by users. All calculations are done by clicking Processing > Performing Analysis. The calculations can take from a few minutes to an hour depending on the analyzing data period and performance of your PC. Output results are spectrum of historical quote cycles, forecasted performance, and statistics of average prices (depending on month of year, day of month, and day of week). Back to Top |
| |
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As the BARs of Jenson Button and Anthony Davidson coasted to a halt after just two laps of the Malaysian Grand Prix many predicted that they would be the first of many casualties in what was widely tipped to become a race of attrition.
It wasnt. In a tribute to the engineering prowess of the teams no other cars retired due to mechanical failure. The failure of the BARs Honda engines will be particularly embarrassing as both were withdrawn early from the Australian race to allow new powerplants to be fitted for Malaysia, a tactic the FIA has since moved to ban.
Tyres proved to be a far more important issue as teams battled to adapt to the restrictions of one set for qualifying and race - with varying degrees of success. As the afternoon progressed several drivers could be seen to be battling with a lack of grip, and both winner Fernando Alonso and second-placed Jarno Trulli told the post-race press conference that the need to preserve their tyres had tempered their pace during the final stages of the race.
Different wear rates also gave fans some spectacular racing, in particular a thrilling three-way dice between the two Williams of Mark Webber and Nick Heidfeld and the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher. Webber ultimately crashed out as he battled Giancarlo Fischella, lack of grip playing a key role in their collision.
Rubens Barrichello was another victim of tyre-related problems he was forced to retire his otherwise healthy car after excessive rear-tyre wear, brought on by some debris lodged in his rear wing upsetting its handling, made it almost undriveable. Overall, it was a disappointing weekend for Bridgestone, with Michael Schumacher their only points scorer in seventh.
Michelin had dramas too. Kimi Raikkonen suffered a right rear puncture due to a damaged tyre valve on his McLaren shortly after his first pitstop. As the new regs allowed he limped his car around until he could stop again to change the flat, carrying on to finish the race in ninth place.


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Barstool Chicago Comments of the Week!
MS Painting courtesy of mikey da trillest
Alright you ungrateful pieces of shit, here's your goddamn comments of the week. Every week I try and make up a new excuse to give Big Cat to why I can't write the COTW because I don't have the attention span to dig through a weeks worth of blogs in one sitting. This week I switched it up a little bit to limit the constant bitching you guys do each Friday when this feature comes out and took screenshots of each of the comments I chose. Ha! Papa Doc'd your asses… Or something like that. Anyways, here you go, you dickheads.
- Note – These are in chronological order, most recent going first.
1. Blog: Pam Anderson, I Still Would
"I walked into my sons room and he was ravaging his prick to this. I hope he gets a job soon"
This was probably my favorite comment of the week on BS Chicago. I literally haven't said one word to Neil since he called me to tell me he was "leaving barstool". Got me wondering if he has found work or not. If anyone is friends with him on Linkedin or some shit let me know what he's up to and tell him I said 'sup. Thanks.
"They could have Obese Loser Week instead, and just follow around whitesoxdave."
Ha fucking ha. Really funny. It had a good upvote/downvote ratio and I have a quota to fill, so I guess this will have to do.
Commenter: thisguyrighthere
"I would give myself 20 papercuts in between my fingers and kick an aluminum door with toothpicks in my toe nails just to smell the hand of somebody who had touched that sand that week"
This comment didn't have that many upvotes but I don't give a shit. It's hilarious and it's true. I'd dwell in her toilet with my mouth wide open.
4. Blog: Ronnie Woo Woo Chillin Behind Enemy Lines
Commenters: Whiteboyswagg, mrpresident, pubes, and on
Only can Stoolies turn a blog that's about Ronnie Woo Woo into a conversation about how many times they've jerked off that day so quickly. Had me loling all over the floor. Good work.
7. Blog: Subtle Racism by ESPN in the LLWS
Commenters: danyoungman and ayoungvinbaker
No sir it won't, danyoungman! If I've said it once I've said it a million times. Making fun of people that are different will never get old.
Commenter: wood bat
"Big Cat would've responded and made another A+ blog, Pres would've asked the chick for money, KFC isn't athletic enough to sit on a beach chair with a hole in it. Mo would have ended up banging the chick, killing her, then stuffing her in his trunk."
This was technically on a Boston blog, but I don't give a shit. The KFC line had me laughing my gunt off. Hands down the comment of the week in my opinion.


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We like to poke fun at Luminous Arc and its successor due to all the boobs-and-butts shots, but we do it out of love. Despite the first title's somewhat lackluster overall review scores, it's looked on a little more fondly in the DS Fanboy offices. The first game had a lot working for it, and a major thing working against it: the controls. So when we sat down for a little quality time with the sequel, Luminous Arc 2, we paid particular attention to that aspect. And guess what?
It's better, and not only that, but the ability to do things your way is great. D-pad or stylus control? It's up to you. Tap through the cutscenes, play them automatically, or skip them altogether? Make it your game. For those reasons alone, Luminous Arc 2 is worth a go.
Of course, a game needs more than decent controls and customization, and Luminous Arc 2 has a lot to offer. The storyline isn't going to blow you away, and you're going to need at least a small taste for tactical RPGs to get into the fun here, but if you can manage both of those small hurdles, then there's a good time to be had here. The characters, graphics, and art design all shine, even if the costumes range from the impractical to the nearly impossible. The Witches must spend a lot of time and power just keeping everything in place and avoiding embarrassing slips.
Didn't play the first one, but find yourself intrigued? No problem. The title is more than friendly to gamers new to the burgeoning series. The tutorial is simple (and optional, of course) and the game will pull you right in. You're going to need to pay attention on the battlefield, however; here, it's very possible to take out your own guys in a friendly fire barrage.
The only real nitpick we can pull down in the game's early stages is about the occasional voice acting. Listen, the off-and-on voice approach is just fine when it's done, say, for a pivotal scene or something. But starting a voiced cutscene, only to have the voice acting stop just, y'know, whenever, is a little weird. Maybe they're trying to keep you guessing.
The bottom line is that if you're at all interested in marching a party across a battlefield laid out in a grid, this looks like a solid choice. We hope to have a full review for you after the title's official North American release.
Featured Stories
Off the Grid: The Witcher Adventure Game and Star Wars Imperial Assault
Posted on Feb 3rd 2015 2:15PM


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Most sites can't handle the slashdot effect.
However, why should that stop you linking all the cool stuff you make?
Enter a link to your content and to a mirror (google cache, imgur,
etc.), copy the link created and it will automatically redirect traffic
when the original site becomes slow or unresponsive.


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I am a Ph.D. student in Public Health with a concentration in Community and Behavioral Health Promotion. I graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign with a Master of Public Health degree in 2012. I also hold a Bachelor of Optometry degree from International Islamic University of Malaysia in 2009.
My interest is in translational research that focuses on health intervention programs designed for middle to low income population. I am also interested in exploring the functionality of health communication theories and strategies as well as health informatics in the intervention effort.


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First Night Boston 2014 at The Mary Baker Eddy Library
Presented by The Mary Baker Eddy Library at Mary Baker Eddy Library
December 31, 2013
Ring in the New Year with The Mary Baker Eddy Library!
Join us for engaging activities throughout the day that will keep your family involved and excited, including face painting, multicultural performances, winter themed arts & crafts, and crown making for the city-wide parade.
Official First Night Boston buttons will be available for purchase at the Library through December.
200 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Admission Info:
$6: General Admission;
$4: Seniors (62 and over), Students (with ID), Youth (6-17);
Free: Children under 6, donors, and
First Night button holders.
Phone: 617-450-7000
Accessibility Information:


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Hi all,
I am trying to recover a particle system that I programmed some time ago.
The main difference between "some time ago" and "now" in my engine is that now I render all transparent objects in a different buffer. This buffer is a multi render target (2 buffers) of 64 bits per pixel each buffer. I do this because I use one buffer for color and the another one for displacement.
I have an issue with the blending, I use the standar blending new*alfa+old*(1-alfa) (GL_SRC_ALPHA, GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA) and with 30,000 particles I have this:
The expected result should be be different, something like this:
This pictures has only 1,000 particles because I use new+old blending (GL_ONE,GL_ONE) for this screenshot. It's only to exemplify the expected result, but of course is wrong, with more particles everything will become white.
Any idea of why I am getting this behavior with GL_SRC_ALPHA, GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA? I am not sure if the problem is the multi render target or the 64 bits buffers.
Help: Blending issue
Started by Marcel Stockli, Oct 21 2012 07:48 PM
1 reply to this topic
#2 Crossbones+ - Reputation: 9304
Posted 22 October 2012 - 12:19 AM
I guess you have enabled the z-buffer ? Nevertheless, if you want to render alpha blended surfaces correctly, you need to sort them.GL_SRC_ALPHA, GL_ONE_MINUS_SRC_ALPHA
My game: Gnoblins
Developer journal about Gnoblins
Small goodies: Simple alpha transparency in deferred shader
My game: Gnoblins
Developer journal about Gnoblins
Small goodies: Simple alpha transparency in deferred shader


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- The Idea Log - http://blogs.denverpost.com/opinion -
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a scapegoat?
Posted By The Denver Post On March 16, 2007 @ 10:01 am In Letters | 8 Comments
When will we learn that Khalid Sheik Mohammed…is responsible for the Walter Reed and VA scandals….is responsible for the CIA leak…is responsible for the US Attorney firings
….is responsible for no WMDs in Iraq
….is responsible for shooting Cheney's hunting companion in the face
….is responsible for Katrina
….is responsible for each and every failure of the BushCheney regime?
Frank Lineaweaver, Buena Vista
This letter was not edited.
Article printed from The Idea Log: http://blogs.denverpost.com/opinion
URL to article: http://blogs.denverpost.com/opinion/2007/03/16/khalid-sheikh-mohammed-a-scapegoat/25/
Click here to print.
All contents Copyright 2012 The Denver Post or other copyright holders. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed for any commercial purpose.


text: TOP 10 Top 10 Power & Money Job Searching Tips Back to Top ▲ Job Searching Tips 4 Know Your Worth And Communicate It Share on Facebook Share on Twitter 0 Shares A lot of people accept jobs at the lower end of the pay continuum, and then find it near impossible to achieve their desirable salary down the line (at the same company). The fact is, no employer is going to pull you aside and say, "You know what? You need to be paid more, so we're bumping up your salary today." You have to set the tone, and that involves knowing your worth and knowing how to communicate it. This video on salary negotiation will point you in the right direction. Next Page TOP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Comments Show Comments More Like This Promoted Around the Web Special Features


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FREE SHIPPING on orders $100+ to the Continental USA
Pink Daisy features a premium line of feminine hygiene products. Theyre reusable, comfortable and luxurious. Whether youre a pre-teen that just started your period, blissfully pregnant, a nursing mom, or someone that just needs a little incontinence support, weve got something for you.


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There are no items in your cart at this time.
Footwear etc. Rewards: Enjoy $10 in Rewards Just for Signing Up!
Select your desired product options and we will notify you when it is back in stock.
Strengthen and tone your muscles with this stylish mary-jane from Alegria!
Alegria Paloma Midnight Garden Patent Leather Women's Shoe
Features include:
love these shoes. These are all I can wear. which the velco would last as long as the shoe.


text: Through decades the lines have been thrown between the pair trawlers by hand power. This has more or less been working, but most sailors have experienced that the first throw missed and the ships have had to sail back again for the second throw, and maybe even a third and have used valuable time and fuel. It has also happened that the ships have bumped into each other and caused damages on to each other – but that is all in the past!!! The new Line-Thrower L-75 will help you get rid of this unnecessary oil consumption and expenses that these damages have caused, and will also provide safer and better terms for the crew to work under. With Line-Thrower L-75 you will get an instrument that


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Marcia Cross Hairstyles
Credit: © Sara De Boer / Retna Ltd.
Marcia Cross
Jan 26 2009
Marcia Cross' swooping strands gathers neatly in back into an off-center knot.
Styling Tip
Starting with smooth dry hair, create a side part and gather your length in back and slightly to one side. Secure into a low ponytail with a coated elastic band. Wrap the entire length all the way around the band once. Coming from the top of the loop, pull the remaining length through and allow the ends to sprig out from underneath the knot. Mist with shine spray for added luster and hairspray for hold.


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[SOLVED] save and restore window / dialog positions
I would like to save my mainwindow, dialogs and toolbar positions. I am having a difficult time implementing the save and restore geometry code found here. [developer.qt.nokia.com] the problem is that i don't know how to create the savegeometry and savestate functions.
can I have a working example that works with x11 please.
12 replies
You don't have to create them. They're already provided by QWidget [doc.qt.nokia.com] (unless you're using a version of Qt older than 4.2). If your class inherits QWidget, then you can just call the methods.
I am have a problem with line 24 / 25 of the code. I am getting the error mainwindow.cpp:24: error: 'saveGeometry' was not declared in this scope and mainwindow.cpp:25: error: 'saveState' was not declared in this scope.
do i have to create the saveGeometry and saveState functions? I need examples for this code please.
- #include "mainwindow.h"
- #include "ui_mainwindow.h"
- #include <QWidget>
- #include <QSettings>
- ui(new Ui::MainWindow)
- {
- ui->setupUi(this);
- QSettings settings;
- restoreGeometry(settings.value("mainWindowGeometry").toByteArray());
- // create docks, toolbars, etc...
- restoreState(settings.value("mainWindowState").toByteArray());
- }
- QSettings settings;
- settings.setValue("mainWindowGeometry", saveGeometry());
- settings.setValue("mainWindowState", saveState());
- }
- MainWindow::~MainWindow()
- {
- delete ui;
- }
here [developer.qt.nokia.com] is the link from the save state quote below
This function deals with session management. It is invoked when the session manager wants the application to preserve its state for a future session.For example, a text editor would create a temporary file that includes the current contents of its edit buffers, the location of the cursor and other aspects of the current editing session.
You should never exit the application within this function. Instead, the session manager may or may not do this afterwards, depending on the context. Futhermore, most session managers will very likely request a saved state immediately after the application has been started. This permits the session manager to learn about the application's restart policy.
one last question. above is a quote about saveStates. the savestate code that I have in my program (see below code), will my program exit within this saveState function?
- settings.setValue("mainWindowState", saveState());
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Joseph Dean Huxman
Joseph Dean Huxman, 87, Russell, formerly of Natoma and Tehachapi, Calif., died Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, at Hays Medical Center.
He was born Dec. 24, 1925, in Pretty Prairie to John Walter and Mryl (Bixler) Huxman. He attended high school in Natoma.
He married Mamie Mravinec on April 14, 1950, in Russell. He worked with pilots and astronauts with Life Support Tech until retirement in 1983. He was a U.S. Navy veteran.
Survivors include his wife, of 63 years, of the home.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Bible Baptist Church, Russell; burial in Russell City Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, Russell.


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Do you love Scribblenauts: Remix as much as we do? Then show your love with a Scribblenauts-inspired Halloween costume and enter to win either a vinyl Maxwell doll (like the one pictured here) or a pair of Scribblenauts headphones.
What do you have to do? It's simple. Just post a picture of yourself (or a family member – pets included) in Scribblenauts gear to our Facebook page, and we'll take it from there. Winners will be announced Tuesday, while you're recovering from your Halloween sugar binge. Get to it, wannabe Scribblenauts!
Released: 2011-10-12 :: Category: Games
Tagged with: contest, costume, costumes, doll, gear, Halloween, headphones, maxwell, Scribblenauts, Scribblenauts Remix, swag, toy


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The exact reason for MOH headaches is unclear, but it's believed that regular use of painkillers may alter the processing of pain signals in the brain, making you more sensitive to pain and affecting how your brain naturally deals with it. In response, you take more painkillers, and the cycle continues. After a while, your body becomes used to the presence of a certain level of the drug, and stopping it results in withdrawal – and more pain.
MOH can arise from taking as few as 10 doses of painkillers for headaches in a month, depending on the individual and the type of painkiller used. Paracetamol, NSAIDs, codeine and triptans are all implicated. Interestingly, if you're taking painkillers for pain other than headache – such as osteoarthritis - you're less likely to suffer the MOH effect.
A diagnosis of MOH is made if headaches occur on more than 15 days per month for at least three consecutive months, in conjunction with the regular use of painkillers. Depression and anxiety are commonly associated problems and may complicate treatment.
The treatment of choice is complete withdrawal, under your doctor's supervision. During this time, your headache often worsens before it gets better.
Receive FREE email updates of our latest tests, consumer news and CHOICE marketing promotions.


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Tag: bolt creative
Showing results 1-2 of 2
Ape Entertainment's "Pocket God" Hits A Half Million
The digital comic based on the best-selling "Pocket Gods" iPhone game has exceeded 500,000 downloads, and to celebrate Ape Entertainment shares an EXCLUSIVE preview of #11 with CBR while making #1 free to new readers.
"Pocket God" Descends on Comics
Ape Entertainment and Bolt Creative have announced a comic series based on the popular "Pocket God" game. CBR spoke with Ape's David Hedgecock and Bolt Creative's Dave Castelnuovo for details about the project.
Archives: All | Comic Books | TV/Film | Video Games | Web Comics


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Cartoon Debate Cont'd: Iran's Ebadi 'Fed Up'
Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian human rights lawyer and 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has joined Muslim writers who see a Western "double standard" in the publication of Danish cartoons caricaturing the prophet Muhammed. But she also underscores her frustration with extremists on both sides who have come to dominate the debate.
"The starting point of this issue was the decision by the management of a newspaper to start a competition for an issue that to Muslims is as humiliating as, for example, is questioning the Holocaust to the Jewish believers," she writes in Rooz, a news and analysis site favored by Iranian reformists.
But Ebadi also says Muslims are "fed up" with how the controversy has grown.
She laments the "repeated scenario in the Islamic world" in which debate is "dominated by two groups: non-Muslims who through the use of the media further incite Muslim hatreds, and Muslims who through their violent responses add to the hate against Muslims."
"The principal victims of these two extreme positions, as always, are the majority of moderate Muslims living in the West," Ebadi writes.
By Jefferson Morley |
February 16, 2006; 5:40 PM ET
| Category:
Previous: 'Double Standards' and Dissenters |
Next: Hamas Bravado Breeds Israeli Worries
Questioning the Holocaust is a matter of humiliating Jewish believers? The only ones humiliated are the idiots questioning historical fact.
Posted by: Dave Bob | February 16, 2006 06:04 PM
I still fail to see any double standards. For some, it's time to grow up and learn to see beyond the patterns that graphite smeared on dead trees may or may not have. Especially one that are as harmless as the ones that were the source of all this costly expenditure of good karma.
Furthermore the only one to incite Muslim hatred are Muslim extremists methinks. I now make abstraction from some far-right ructions, which are deplorable and should be met with a bit of arrest.
Finally I fail to see how moderate Muslims living in the West are victims.
Actually, this 'I'm such a victim' lament is slowly getting a bit old.
Next in our discussion: How to wean the Middle East off extreme Nationalism and Islamism before Global Warming kills us all.
(After this message...)
Posted by: El Tonno | February 16, 2006 06:45 PM
I think Ebadi and a lot of other people are missing the point when they compare Cartoongate to the Holocaust. The Holocaust (as we all know) was a concentrated effort to wipe an entire group of people off the face of the earth. That wasn't focused "humiliation", that's murder. In addition, the gathering of the cartoons wasn't even intended to be humiliating, from what I can gather it was a well intentioned result of an author trying to develop a children's book.
How does that compare to the Holocaust? It doesn't. Nothing compares to the Holocaust.
Hypocrisy exists all over the world and no one has a monopoly. No one, so get over it.
Speaking of hypocrites, where was the esteemed Ms. Ebadi during this furor? Where were the so-called moderate voices? Did they go on Al-Jazeera and advocate restraint, did they lead peace marches? Do they ever? Where were those that rise above the fray and unite with a voice that isn't afraid? They have had ample opportunity over the years to speak and we have heard nothing. I doubt they exist. Our country was built with those voices and they weren't afraid of the consequences.
To stand to the side wringing your hands and wondering why the world views you in the very manner in which you so often portray yourself seems a bit self serving. Certainly she has accomplished and risked a lot, of that there is no doubt, but stop lamenting and do something.
The principle victims are not the moderate Muslims living in the West, they are free to express their views w/o violent reprisal. The victims are the masses being manipulated by a few loud voices. Just not hers.
Posted by: asta | February 16, 2006 07:18 PM
This debate is ridiculous. It seems that there's nothing but morons who can't grasp the simple principles behind the freedom of speech and the press.
If something is said, or printed that you don't like then you can say, or print things that contradict and condemn it. Go nuts start a huge multi-million dollar media campaign. You can also start a boycott and encourage others to join you. Go nuts!
But that's it. Those are the acceptable actions you can take in a free society that depends of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
To suggest anything else, or result to violence (over a cartoon of all things!) exposes your ignorance and YOUR cultural bias.
And while we're at it how about a break for the rest of us who don't care about any religion and just want to live our lives. We're fed up with ALL of you! Stop forcing all of your beliefs down our throats!
By the way if you'd like to truly understand "double standard" just take a look at the political cartoons on Al Jazeera's website from time to time.
Posted by: Infidel | February 16, 2006 07:38 PM
From asta's comments it is obvious one of Ms. Ebadi's fears has come true. Calling moderate Muslims hypocrites only illustrates a prejudice on your part to lump all Muslims into this bandwagon of supporting extremism... explicitly or implicitly. Your suggestion that we stand by wringing our hands and lamenting our marginalization in Muslim politics and society is insulting and reflects a complete lack of understanding of the accomplishments of moderates in suffocating and dangerous environments.
Off the top of my head I can recall about a dozen professors, journalists and authors in Pakistan who have been incarcerated for life or sentenced to death for their moderate (blasphemous in the eyes of our Mullahs) opinions. Your comments disgrace them and others like them who are struggling to bring raise the voice of reason. I suppose it is easier blowing the trumpet of freedom sitting in your overstuffed chair in front of your snazzy P.C. and indulging in small minded criticism.
Yes this country owes its present to the voices of moderation that prevailed over those of extremism and insanity but you forget too easily the years of slavery and discrimination against women and minorities that for a long time allowed the voices of extremism to triumph. Consider that most Muslim countries are barely fifty years free of colonialism; we need time to mould our societies and governments as the West did with its own. After all you have had two hundred plus years to reach your current state.
Posted by: Zain | February 16, 2006 07:52 PM
"And while we're at it how about a break for the rest of us who don't care about any religion and just want to live our lives. We're fed up with ALL of you! Stop forcing all of your beliefs down our throats!"
Consider the fact that the United States invaded another country under false pretexts, causing by some estimates a hundred thousand casualties, so that it could spread its "beliefs and ideals of freedom and democracy".
Please stop forcing your beliefs down our throats. (Just pointing out a little hypocrisy. Personally I am all for freedom and democracy, but brought about by our own people, not American taxpayers.)
Also note to rabid national security blah, blah, blah.. defenders. I deliberately left out the invasion of Afghanistan. Definitely legitimate concerns there.
Posted by: | February 16, 2006 08:04 PM
Double standards, indeed. The MSM in the U.S. has no problem publishing photos of the "Piss Christ" or the Virgin Mary in elephant dung, fully knowing how offensive this artwork is to many Christians. Yet the fear of offending the madrassa students in Pakistan prevents the publication of a few glorified New Yorker cartoons.
Posted by: dhimmi | February 16, 2006 08:19 PM
"And while we're at it how about a break for the rest of us who don't care about any religion and just want to live our lives. We're fed up with ALL of you! Stop forcing all of your beliefs down our throats!"
Oh and being a self-professed liberal, I could not agree with you more Infidel.. despite my earlier post about the U.S invasion of Iraq.
Posted by: Zain | February 16, 2006 08:49 PM
You're just trying to justify one wrong with another. It's a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
Nothing changes the fact that the majority of Muslims throughout the world really do not grasp the concepts of freedom of expression and peaceful protest.
The fatwa issued on Salman Rushdie happened before 9/11 and Iraq. There was a European film maker that produced a film critical of Islam that wound up with a knife in his heart. That happened before 9/11 and Iraq. This has been going on for a long time.
But while we're talking about Bush let me make this clear. I include him in the "ALL of you" I meantioned above. He is a born again idiot that thinks he's on a mission from God.
Maybe if he wasn't on a mission from God he wouldn't feel that the ends justifies the means.
Posted by: Infidel | February 16, 2006 08:57 PM
First of all Zain, the fact that you're even responding means that you're sitting in front of a PC too, so stop w/ the dramatics. I happen to chose a stiff back chair for lumbar support...but that's just me.
More importantly though, those very same women and minorities you mention got up off their asses and made a stand. Great leaders step forward after all the years of strife and they make a difference. King, Walesa, Ghandi, Havel, they advocated change w/o violence for the sake of making things better, and it worked. Good for them. Where's your march? Where's your protest? Where are your lobbyists standing outside the Capitol or WH demanding to be heard? Where's your luminary?
The world needs that figure Zain and we would support him. No more BS, no more lamenting, fix your house.
I'm against people who use violence to further their beliefs, especially religious beliefs. Infadel is right, this isn't a new problem just one that has gotten very old.
Posted by: asta | February 16, 2006 09:56 PM
Muslim rage at prejudice and insult is as natural and justified as Jewish rage at prejudice and insult. Those who think not are proponents of "Jewish privilege". Every lawyer know the phrase of using a shield (from insult) as a sword (for attack immunized from criticism) - a practice that many in the Jewish community have honed to a science. Therefore the evolving and self-serving mutation of the "definition" of anti-Semitism from the initial shield against personal prejudice, to a sword defending the Israeli program of aggression and genocide.
The conjunction of Iran, Hamas, and the cartoons spotlights the highly provocative addiction to Jewish privilege in current Western thinking and even law. Iran can't even enrich, but Israel can possess; Likud's genocidal hateful agenda is embraced as a "plan for peace" by the White House, democratically elected Hamas is to be starved into extinction because it dares to legitimacy; it is an appropriate exercise of freedom of speech to desecrate what is most sacred to Islam, not so and even criminal in some places to desecrate what is sacred to Jews. Of course, the "root privilege" is that Jews are allowed - without sanction or reprisal by the West - to dispossess, starve and destroy Palestinian people in violation of every principle of human decency, but the very human efforts at resistance by the crushed Palestinians are condemned as criminal acts.
This is not simple hypocrisy. We are all hypocritical in our own small ways here and there - one would go mad trying to be a slave to consistency.
Oh no! What we see in Jewish privilege is virulent, malignant identity politics based on religion and ethnicity - one set of standards destructive to Muslims, another advantageous for Jews. Not too different than the identity politics in the "black codes" in the former slave states in the US after the Civil War.
The core problem with the US foreign policy vis-a'-vis Israel's destruction of Palestinian society, is that open discussion and debate at important policy levels is virtually taboo. This is not a legal "freedom of expression" issue. This taboo arises from the absence of challenge to the nonsensical insistence of Israel's "supporters" that all issues related to the occupation are "existential" for Israel.
This taboo has echoed into the media and the general populace and in most quarters, outside academia, frank airing of disapproval of anything Israeli is a sure-fire way to make sure you are never invited again. Even Jewish peace groups like Jewish Voice for Peace, and academic examination in our most revered universities, are under virulent attack. Those that stray in the media are publicly and viciously attacked by a well-orchestrated legion of ADL pit-bulls enforcing Jewish privilege.
The result is that far too many Americans in politics, media and the informed public fear the ADL or one of its army of local "minders" will publicly attack them as "anti-semitic" if they speak bluntly about what they really think about Israel's crimes. This fear, deliberately stoked by the ADL, obstructs the self-examination and self-correction in government, in the media, and among the politically-active public, that is an essential self-correcting mechanism of bad policy in a healthy democracy.
We Americans are far off-course in our pitiable and weak-kneed fear of finding, and talking about, the real "root causes" of Arab/Islamic hostility to the West - 90% of which is the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians. The longer we are cowardly toward the need to straighten out Israel's pathological destruction of Palestinian society, the further off and predictably the more dire the ultimate correction.
The same thing happened in the 1840's and 50's - rational discourse about slavery was impossible because the South insisted it was an existential issue for the way of life in the South. It took a catastrophe, the Civil War, to get our society back on course.
I think the probability of a catastrophic resolution of today's antagonisms is at a scary level.
I have a simpler way of putting it: The Palestinians are not the Cherokee (notwithstanding Herzog and Jabotinsky). They will resist their genocide until either they have true national justice, or we earn the forever-long national shame that befits any successful genocider.
Posted by: Timothy L | February 17, 2006 01:18 AM
Asta, you apparently understood nothing from my post and I do not really find that surprising. I addressed your concern about what moderates in the Islamic world are doing. Leaders like King and Gandhi are not churned off an assembly line or put in storage for nations to pull out when they need them. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was a committed secularist and a leader in the mold you desire. We moderate Pakistanis lament the fact that the face of our society and politics could have been so different had he survived even few more years after independence.
By the way who is to say that all those brilliant men and women who have been imprisoned and killed through the years for their moderate (read extreme for mullahs) views were not the kind of leadership we needed but were denied?
We will put our house in order Asta, just not on your timetable (or the Idiot in Chief's aka U.S Prez). After all to be moderate and advocate peace is by nature a process that occurs through discourse and therefore will take time. The lack of a visible glamorous leader advocating these positions does not mean that the efforts are not being made and does not mean that our efforts will be in vain.
Just to restate a point that I made in my earlier post that you ignored. It took the women and minorities several hundred years after independence to get to where they are now. Our nations are young and likewise need time to overcome the taboos, prejudices and evils that have ensconced themselves into our society.
Posted by: Zain | February 17, 2006 07:13 AM
I have two words for Timothy L: Oy vey! I'm Jewish and I was totally unaware of all my privileges! Damn, to think I worked myself through college, and that here I am slaving away 11 hours a day to provide for my family and my children's future, when I'm a member of the priveleged elite!
Golly, I have to call our national office and find out why haven't gotten the word. Tell me, Timmy, do we get actual cash dividends for being Jewish? BTW, I have some good reading for you -- if you haven't read it, try the Elders of the Protocol of Zion. It contains all the paranoid fantasies you've spewed here. Maybe you can republish it along with all the other paranoids and get a regular pogrom going again.
I am hesitant to dignify your diatribe with anything more than it deserves, but I want to point out that the rightwing in this country thinks the left-wing (which it includes most of the media) is anti-Israel. And you argue it is unabashadly pro-Israel. Fools hear what they want to hear and are incapable of analyzing actual facts. Yours is just one more perspective coming from the other direction -- just more flatulence in the breeze.
Posted by: AlexL | February 17, 2006 11:18 AM
Does anyone see the outright idiocy of the islamos. Don't print cartoons of our prophet(and especially violtent pics) cause that's not how we are. Lets prove it with violence. These extremist are idiots
Posted by: PeteB | February 17, 2006 01:24 PM
TimothyL is on target with his comments. The arab world now hates us for our policies and actions(we invade,bomb,torture,etc)towards arab countries. The modern day holocaust is on the Palestinians and the cowardly members of congress spurred on by Christian fundamentalists and pro-Israel lobbying groups continue to add to our shame and world insecurity. Pay no attention to Alex who is apparently just a naive kid. Those of us with experience in this arena just simply know better. The U.S. allows Israel to do whatever it wants(they have now closed off access to the Jordan Valley area). We pay for their bad behavior. Do you know that Israel wants the U.S. to pay $1.3 billion for the Gaza evacuation? That is about $600,000 per household moved out of Gaza(illegal settlements according to international law, which of course, Israel ignored) The fact that when this gets to Congress there won't be one objection reinforces Timothys points. And our people along the Gulf Coast?
Posted by: JohnG | February 17, 2006 01:50 PM
Pay no attention to JohnG who apparently is a complete idiot, and, based on his comment regarding Alex, without the excuse of youth, inexperience or naivete.
Posted by: RC | February 17, 2006 02:33 PM
Timothy: "...the Israeli genocide of the Palestinians." Holy crap,the Israelies are systematically rounding up all Palestinians and executing them all until their very race will be extinguished?!?
Hmmn... Perhaps you are exaggerrating just a tad. Or maybe a whole, whole lot. Moron. Peoplle who state such monumentally stupid and hateful things immediately undermine the credability. Hell, you could have posted the true formula for cold fusion and I'd still think you are a fricking idiot.
Posted by: GvK | February 17, 2006 03:37 PM
Why is the excuse for burning down embassies in Pakistan, Iran, Syria and Beirut the US invasion of Iraq? If Muslims all over the world are justified in committing violence against all non-muslim Westerners because of some cartoons in Denmark, isn't the logical extension of this that the West has a right to commit violence against any Islamic country based on the 9-11 attacks? And the anti-American crowd wants to believe that Middle Eastern countries are peaceful and wish no harm towards the United States. The security threat is real, people. It was real in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is real in Iran and Syria. Wake up.
Posted by: Amy Lin | February 17, 2006 03:48 PM
The point is that anyone in any religion that decides to destroy property or kill because a characature of their God was printed in the free press is wrong. They are bad people. Dangerous ignorant idiots that should be locked up.
Every one keeps talking about the double standard. But I've never heard of a group of Jews getting together by the thousands and fire bombing because someone did something anti-semetic. I've definately heard of law suits, and protests, ad infinitum. And I've definately seen Jews be over zealous with their claims of anti-semetism.
But to compare the Jews use of legal methods via the ADL to protest, object, and try to prevent things they find objectionable to the fire bombing, and destruction of life and property that the Muslim hoardes employ is absurd.
And don't bring up Israel attacking Palestinians in this discussion. It's an entirely different topic. That is a war. It's different. The Israelis aren't attacking Palenstinians because the Palestinians draw funny pictures of Jews, or call Jews bad names. Israelis attack Palestinians because Palestinians attack Israelis. Blood has been drawn on both sides.
Debate has raged on for 50 years about who started that fire. But I know one person who had nothing to do with it. Me. And I'm extremely sick of hearing about it. The only control I have over US foreign policy is who I vote for. I voted against Bush both times (and against his father too). But something tells me that if I were to encounter a terrorist they wouldn't make that distinction.
So what am I to do? I'm going to live my life and be true to my ideals. My ideals say that freedom of expression and the press is far more important that offending Muslims. My ideals say that Muslims are the square peg trying to fit into the round hole and THEY need to change. We don't need to turn the clock backward and adopt their idotic ways of doing things.
Censoring the media because a religion doesn't like what it printed? That is ridiculous. If America was like that the right wing Christians would ban all video games that are remotely violent. The artist that did 'piss christ' would be in jail getting flogged. And Larry Flint would have been executed decades ago.
No. I like the way it is. And I'll fight to death against any Muslim hoarde that tries to violently force me to bend my knee to Islam. Just as I would fight any Christian, Jewish, or Hindu, Buddhist, etc... hoarde to the death that tried to force me to follow their ways at the knife point. Because I don't believe in any religion. And I refuse to be forced to do what some idiot's book of fairy tales tells me to.
And we all know pretty soon we're all going to be fighting for our lives in this culture clash. So in the meantime while I'm waiting for Iran to develop suitcase nukes, and give them to terrorist to detonate here in my city and kill me I think I'll just go out and enjoy the freedoms that we have here in America as long as I can.
I suggest you all do the same.
Islam. The religion of peace. Yah. Make sure you put that on my headstone after the terrorist get me. K?
Posted by: Infidel | February 17, 2006 04:36 PM
I don't believe in sugar-coating so here goes, (sensitive muslims should skip this for their health and continued denial). Rioting, killing, chanting death threats and burning flags are all aspects of intimidation. That is islam's m.o., even going back to their 'glory days', those who don't believe are subhuman, and since that hasn't changed in centuries, it never will. The real question is what the hell makes them think these tactics are effective, and unfortunately we have ourselves and our Euro cousins to blame for that.
The same mentality that spawned 9/11 is thriving yet again. Terrorists should be tried in military tribunals, not courthouses, the NSA isn't listening to you unless you are talking with our enemies, Iraq is a strategic locale that if successful could have damaging effects on the tyrannical governments of Syria and Iran, (that would be sweet). Yet what do we hear from most media outlets? Iraq is a Viet Nam-like quagmire, the NSA is violating the privacy of all American citizens, and all U.S. detained muslims are innocents being tortured by the evil W's minions.
Islam, (capitalized only b/c of sentence location), sees these debates as those of cowards. I think they are wrong, but it stands to reason that western nations will grow increasingly tolerant of the violent tiffs these people are so accustomed to when they don't get there way, and what will we have then? Ask our buddies in France. I'm not saying its imminent, but this violence, as the violence before it, is a test. Right now, we aren't doing very well.
Posted by: Capitalist Bob | February 17, 2006 04:53 PM
If you really cared about genocide, instead of inventing a fictional one amongst the Palestinians, you might focus your energies on a very real one in Darfur that makes Gaza look like Club Med. It may not interest you, since the perpetrators are Arab. Alas, there are no Jews to blame.
Posted by: dhimmi | February 17, 2006 05:35 PM
Re: Genocide
Israel and the US, along with most other nations, signed on to the definition of genocide in the UN Convention for the Prevention of Genocide. I rely on that definition, since Israel adopted it. Please note item (c).
Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means ANY of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) DELIBERATELY INFLICTING ON TEH GROUP CONDITIONS OF LIFE CALCULATED TO BRING ABOUT ITS PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
By the way, I love the insults - proof positive the commentators can't refute my facts and arguments.
Posted by: Timothy L | February 17, 2006 08:03 PM
Re: Genocide
Israel and the US, along with most other nations, signed on to the definition of genocide in the UN Convention for the Prevention of Genocide. I rely on that definition, since Israel adopted it. Please note item (c).
Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means ANY of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) DELIBERATELY INFLICTING ON TEH GROUP CONDITIONS OF LIFE CALCULATED TO BRING ABOUT ITS PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
By the way, I love the insults - proof positive the commentators can't refute my facts and arguments.
Posted by: Timothy L | February 17, 2006 08:06 PM
If Israel was intent upon "DELIBERATELY INFLICTING ON TEH GROUP CONDITIONS OF LIFE CALCULATED TO BRING ABOUT ITS PHYSICAL DESTRUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART", they've done a pretty bad job, seeing that over one million Palestinian live in Israel proper with no threat to their physical well-being. If Israel was really waging genocide against the Palestinians, what explain the existence of this healthy and growing Arab population in Israel proper?
Consider yourself refuted.
Posted by: dhimmi | February 17, 2006 09:04 PM
Also Tim,
By the UN's definition of genocide, wouldn't Iran, Hamas and other Palestinian committed to the destruction of Israel be guilty of the same genocide against Jews?
Posted by: Amy Lin | February 17, 2006 09:29 PM
Hmmm. . . And I foolishly thought this blog was about an Iranian human rights activist debating a "double standard" in the Western press. . . Instead we get to hear about violence and religion.
As to the comics and the double standard, just what would happen in Denmark or Germany if some Neo-nazi published commics promalgulating the extermination of Jews? I believe Germany has very specific laws barring and punishing this sort of behavior.
And things are different in the West. We had a reformation and an enlightenment. Other areas of the world did not (and have no interest in experiencing such phenomenon). Failure to realize and understand these differences lead to predictable violence.
What I find most disturbing is not a double standard, but a basic failure by individuals who should have known better (and by all evidence did know better) than to publish such materials. Certainly some were funny, but is there any way to read Muhammad with devils horns on his head? What would American fundamentalists do if the NYT or Washington post placed pictures of Jesus with demonic characteristics on its front page?
And in the Middle East, rioting is the ONLY form of free speech. There is simply no other outlet for such communications that don't get one arrested, imprisoned, exiled, tortured, and like as not killed.
Posted by: Chris | February 17, 2006 09:49 PM
So, Chris, I guess that makes it okay to be violent?
Posted by: Amy Lin | February 17, 2006 10:28 PM
Infidel said:
"Islam. The religion of peace. Yah. Make sure you put that on my headstone after the terrorist get me. K?"
By your logic all Christians should be looked at in the light of the Spanish inquisition and other atrocities that occurred during the medieval ages and perhaps all the descendants of European nations should be judged by the fact that their countries colonized and enslaved a major part of the world. Please try not to paint everyone with the same brush because as the girl in Anthony Shadid laments:
"Do you want to silence voices of moderation, of coexistence?" she asked this week. "And this is what the generalizations of these cartoons do. It silences any individual as a Muslim and groups me along with everyone else."
I had absolutely no sympathy with the people protesting (and I am not even talking about the violent protests), being a non practicing Muslim myself, until I saw how the majority of posts on almost all the major forums I frequent were lumping all Muslims into this extremist stereotype and how easily people in the West were lapsing into a mindset of racial prejudice and, in some cases, downright hate. If I must take sides between two evils, it will be my own people.
Posted by: Zain | February 17, 2006 11:20 PM
Regarding your point on Neo-Nazi restrictions in Germany: every culture has a right to its own taboos. In Germany, it may be against the law to preach Nazism; in Saudi Arabia, it may be against the law to preach Christianity. As long as one culture does not attempt to impose its will (and its taboos) upon another, there is no problem.
Those who are upset over the cartoons are absolutely attempting to impose their cultural taboos upon another.
Regarding your question on how Americans would react to Christian blasphemy, perhaps you should ask CNN what happened when they ran this story and accompanying imagery:
Posted by: dhimmi | February 17, 2006 11:37 PM
The cartoons may have been ill advised, but what happened to the saying 'Sticks and stones...' etc? Haven't we learned that violence in reaction to words (or pictures) does not resolve anything and is not sustainable as a human race?
Posted by: marion | February 18, 2006 07:04 PM
Marion said:
"Haven't we learned that violence in reaction to words (or pictures) does not resolve anything and is not sustainable as a human race?"
Its about time people (read non-Muslims) stop generalizing and stereotyping. No one, except the minority of extremisits and thugs, thinks that violent protests productive or justifiable. Most Muslims have called them downright reprehensible. People who keep bringing up this patently false, prejudiced and bigoted view of Islam and Muslims, are nothing but the other side of the coin that is the firebrand, hatred spewing Mullah.
Posted by: Zain | February 18, 2006 10:25 PM
Zain: Your response is my point. :-) The comment IS for those that respond in this manner, whatever their colour, form, creed, race, country, sex, etc etc, etc.
Prejudice comes in many forms. I am handicapped, and the prejudice I encounter EACH day in the response to that handicap from ALL races, colours and creeds often makes me want to resort to fury and even some violence (and I have in my youth yelled at people a couple of times). What is the point?
Let us all, as reasoning human beings, understand that these are the few (please see history for other examples NOT linked to creed and I would be happy to provide some lesser known ones), and not the many.
NOW, how do we help the few to understand that this type of violence is not sustainable as a human race. Not if we wish to survive. One person of violence with the power of a large military and you and I are .... literally.... history/dead/ended. All of us.
Posted by: Marion | February 19, 2006 08:28 AM
The cartoon debate...Interesting, but maybe that is the problem. I think we should stop debating, and start posting. Seems terror has taken control. Check out the toons on my website at http://www.obber.com. Also, check out the documentary I put together.
Posted by: Curtis Stone | February 20, 2006 10:08 AM
Look, if you read the story behind the publication of the cartoons, the publication of the cartoons was VERY WELL advised. The whole point was to show to the world that radical Islamists threaten free speech, and the point was made quite clearly.
This is not a debate about the abhorent US policies in the Middle East. This is a about FREE SPEECH.
We regularly lampoon Christ and Christianity, black comedians make good money lampooning themselves, and ISLAM WILL NOT BE AN EXCEPTION.
Words should be met with words, but violence and the threat of violence should be met with the ruthless retaliation of free people who would defend their HARD WON freedoms.
The preachers of violence have spoken out. We know their names, we know where they live, we know the mosques from which they preach. It is the grim responsibility of the free to now take them out. Liberty is more important than any religion, and cannot be compromised.
Posted by: Scott | February 21, 2006 05:35 PM
I don't entirely agree with the assertion that "The principal victims of these two extreme positions, as always, are the majority of moderate Muslims living in the West". I would argue that the principal victims are those killed and injured, and those whose property has been destroyed, in these atrocious, hate fuelled acts of violence in the Muslim world.
Moderate Muslims do need to find a stronger voice if the militant, fundamentalist Islam is to be overcome. Just as moderate foreign policy advocates need to find a stronger voice in opposition to militant foreign policy doctrines in the US. The clash of ideals between these two groups of fundamentalist is fast escalating to a dangerous conclusion.
I denounce fundamentalism of any kind: Christian, Islamic, even sporting fanatics. To blind one's logic through unquestioned belief is intellectually lazy, to then try to force these beliefs on others through violence is criminal. Fundamental beliefs can too easily be manipulated by power brokers intent on furthering their own means. Never let others control your own beliefs, for fear of the loss of self.
Posted by: Fraser | February 22, 2006 01:13 AM
"The preachers of violence have spoken out. We know their names, we know where they live, we know the mosques from which they preach. It is the grim responsibility of the free to now take them out. Liberty is more important than any religion, and cannot be compromised."
Of course...Just like the wonderful job the U.S has done in Iraq. Now just out of curiosity... was it planned that by "taking them out" you would fuel the fundamentalist movement and give them more ammunition to not only attack Western interests but also viciously lash out against Muslim moderates?
The world is not made up of absolutes, even though the Idiot in Chief seems to think he can fit everyone into his chart of good and evil. The problems faced by the Muslim world are not going to be solved by a crusader mentality...going into battle against the evildoers. I am not by any means dismissing the concerns of the West or Muslim moderates, but I just do not see this antagonistic approach working in the Muslim world.
"Liberty is more important than any religion, and cannot be compromised."
There is a huge gap in one side understanding the culture of the other, and you cannot even begin to resolve this problem until that gap is closed. The solutions will have to come about within the framework of each culture's respective boundaries. Over time these boundaries will have to be adjusted but the sort of reasoning you and some other Westerners have displayed will just not cut it. Once again, like it or not, the world is not made up of absolutes (That's why I could never be a conservative/republican :-)).
Posted by: Zain | February 22, 2006 09:00 AM
From New Nation Online Edition
Editorial Page
Who's fault is the Danish boycott?
By Svend White
Sat, 4 Feb 2006, 09:31:00
When I look at analysis of the Danish cartoon controversy, I'm struck by how so many otherwise well informed and intelligent commentators simply don't get it. The basic reasons for and issues involved in this crisis are pretty easy to grasp, but one is nonetheless hard pressed to find them in most discussions of the saga in the media. Instead, one finds all these ethereal discursions on freedom of religion and freedom of speech, ideals that actually have precious little to do with this lamentable turn of events. This is about politics and prejudices, not constitutional rights.
Mona Eltahawy writes in MuslimWakeUp.com: Can we finally admit that Muslims have blown out of all proportion their outrage over 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad published in a Danish newspaper last September?
Umm, no we can't. At least not in the way you mean. Eltahaway, like so many other liberal Muslim commentators at the moment--it seems everyone's working overtime to prove to non-Muslims how secular and progressive they are by defending the Jyllands-Posten outrageous and irresponsible attacks on the Prophet Muhammad--overlooks basic political and cultural context to those cartoons, and ignores the significance of the openly hostile way they were presented in the first place.
In recent years, Denmark has been lurching rightward and turning increasingly hostile to Islam and Muslims (who now make up about 4% of the population). It is becoming increasingly common to see headlines about prominent Danish figures openly expressing prejudice against Islam, and mainstream parties are working increasingly closely with hardline nationalist (and, of course, Muslim-baiting) parties that were once rightly viewed as fringe and beyond the pale. It's gotten so bad in Denmark--and I'm sorry to say so as someone whose maternal side of the family is there and who has long taken pride in Denmark's once enlightened policies--that a prominent pundit in neighboring Sweden declared Denmark the most xenophobic country in Europe. By all accounts, inter-communal relations in Denmark (which for the most part are Muslim/non-Muslim relations) are becoming worryingly strained and beset with prejudice and misunderstandings. This is the political and social context that Jyllands-Posten's attacks on the Prophet occured in, and which is conspicuously absent from the MWU piece.
Then there's the *way* this so-called defense of freedom of speech was launched by Jyllands-Posten. They didn't simply defy the traditional Islamic ban on portraying the Prophet--as any lover of Persian art knows, there are many classics of Islamic art which also completely ignore this taboo; a few mundane sketches of the Prophet by aren't going to roil the Ummah--with predictable drawings, they chose to attack his character and portray him as a bloodthirsty killer. Not so long ago during the 1980s, many American Christians were up in arms for much, much less in Martin Scorcese's infinitely more respectful rendering of a religious icon in "The Last Temptation of Christ".
There's another fundamental problem with this apologia--it rest on a demonstrably false assumption that other religions are routinely treated in this manner. For all this, if you'll forgive the ironic choice of words, pious talk by the secular intelligentsia about how other religions are supposedly subjected to the same withering treatment that Islam and Muslims are now weathering, you'll be hard pressed to think of many comparable examples.
For example, how many times have you seen a portrait of Jesus Christ portrayed in a deliberately offensive and controversial manner in a Western publication that is read by millions? How many times have you seen a portrait of Christ that is remotely uncomplementary? The closest analogue I can think of to this controversy in recent American history is the furor over the "Piss Christ" art exhibit (which, while admittedly disgusting and offensive, pales by comparison to the bile of Jyllands-Posten's "defense" of free speech)? Did the New York Times include an insert of photos from that exhibit? Was it televised on ABC? Has it since been repeatedly republished by other media outlets?
How about Buddha? Moses? Abraham? Can't think of any public mockery of them in the mainstream media? Okay, how lesser known religious figures, like Guru Nanak (the founder of Sikhism), Joseph Smith (Mormonism), or Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science)? Still none? Hmm, how about even L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology)?
Really, try to find deliberate, open assaults on these revered figures that were dignified by publication in the major outlet. Find a case where a person revered as a spiritual guide by many millions of people is intentionally and openly pilloried in the crudest terms in a major newspaper. You won't succeed. My guess is that you'll be hard pressed to even found a case of such an icon being affectionately parrodies with a fake nose and glasses, so reverent is media mainstream coverage of these revered figures. There's a reason for this. As Edward Said has pointed out long ago, Islam and Muslims are the perennial exceptions to the rules of consistency, objectivity and scholarly rigor in contemporary Western policy debates. A newspaper can crudely and deliberately malign the Prophet Muhammad at a time when Muslims are increasingly being mocked and discriminated against throughout the West--and in a manner guaranteed to stoke the flames of prejudice and hatred--and we're all supposed to stand by it in the name of freedom of religion? Give me a break. Get back to me when Jyllands-Posten runs comparably offensive cartoons about Jews, Christians or even Rastafarians. Then I'll understand the "bigger picture" here.
Eltahawy observes:
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was right not to intervene, insisting the government has no say over media - the argument used by Arab leaders when they are asked about anti-Semitism in their media, by the way. But in a New Year's speech, Rasmussen condemned "any _expression, action or indication that attempts to demonize groups of people on the basis of their religion or ethnic background."
To portray this as a simple choice between state intervention or freedom of speech is to miss the whole point, I'm afraid. It's also an example, in my opinion, of how blind liberal Muslim commentators can be to the dynamics of power in Muslim/non-Muslim relations today. Like a white intellectual discussing American race problems in abstract categories of right and wrong ("Black racism is just wrong!"), such overly philosophical analysis overlooks the messy ethical nuances and pyschological twists introduced by great disparities of power and preexisting histories of discrimination and marginalization. It is always tempting to discuss such thorny problems in a historical vacuum--in fact, this is the preferred tactic of Muslim bashers--but this condemns the analysis to irrelevance in the real world. But that's another discussion.
The problem was not Prime Minister Rasmussen's stance against censorship--which I support and I don't think many Muslims would be terribly surprised by--but his unwillingness to openly disavow this outburst of rank prejudice and xenophobia by a major Danish publication. His refusal to meet with the host of ambassadors from Muslims states worsened the situation greatly, sending the message that the Danish government was so indifferent to the concern of Muslims around the world that it couldn't even *discuss* the matter and giving hardliners on the other side the perfect pretext for stirring up conflict.
This damage can only be done through diplomacy that demonstrates that this has been a collosal misunderstanding. I don' t think the spectacle of European media rallying to not only implicitly endorse but to greatly increase the distribution of the scurrilous drawings that caused the rift in the first place will help much. Jyllands-Posten's tawdry case is unworthy of this grand and politically risky gesture.
Also, it must be said that this cause is being exploited by Middle Eastern governments to burnish their often dubious credentials of respect for religious tradition. As one Danish commentator Rune Engelbreth Larsen noted , Jyllands-Posten should rather have exercised its vaunted right to freedom of _expression not to denigrate Islam, but to mock these dictatorial and hypocritical regimes, which are now cynically exploiting this crisis for domestic political consuption. But that fact that doesn't change anything. Two wrongs, as they say, don't make a right. Leaders also meet constantly with representatives of important consistencies (and, as the calamitous impact of this brewing boycott has shown, those ambassadors definitely represented an important constituency). Unfortunately, the government under Rasmussen sent a clear political message to Danish Muslims and Muslims around the world by refusing to take these concerns seriously until it was far too late.
The other thing that many observers fail to understand is that this is basically a case where hardliners lashed out, as they periodically do, at an already scapegoated and vulnerable minority and, for a change, found themselves on the receiving end. It's not unlike a bully who makes a habit of picking on the smallest kid in the schoolyard finding himself in hot water when he happens to pick a child with a large family. Zealots picked a fight that they thought was safe and now we're supposed to agonize because that they're suddenly outnumbered? It's also my hope that Denmark, whose political climate has really taken a nasty, xenophobic turn in recent years vis-a-vis its Muslim minority, learns something from it. As they quite understandably rail against Denmark's suddenly precarious situation--Danish business leaders are in a panic at the prospect of a boycott, security officials are increasingly worried about the risk of terrorist attacks in retaliation, and there are cases of hackers indiscriminately attacking websites in Danish--I think rank and file Danes ought to stop in the midst of all this mayhem and ask themselves, "Have I played a role in bringing this confrontation about? Do I tacitly support the denigration and scapegoating of immigrants? Did I condone Jyllands-Posten's entirely unnecessary public _expression of contempt for Muslims and their beliefs?" If you did, I submit with all due respect you're not a completely innocent bystander after all. Some would argue that the proverbial chickens are coming home to roost. Perhaps, you need to reexamine your attitudes towards your Muslim neighbors to ensure that you're not part of the problem that landed Denmark in this bizarre mess.
Finally, regardless of what side we come down on, let's get something straight: We all have a right to boycott the products of those who we feel insult us. This insight applies especially to all you libertarians and other promoters of the free market as pie-in-the-sky solution to all the world's problems. (Boycotts are your omniscent Invisible Hand at work, people.) It is not extremism or terrorism. (I'm reminded of all the claptrap by pro-Israeli apologists in the American media in the past about the great "injustice" and "extremism" of the old Arab boycott against Israel, as if Israel had a right to Arab money while it built settlements on Palestinian land and regularly ignored Palestinian human rights.) In all but the most unusual of circumstances, boycotts are a peaceful and legitimate protest. In fact, they are often the only effective means of protest left to the masses in our day of globalization, unrestrained multi-national corporations, and co-opted media. It's often the only way the little guy can be heard (just ask Selma Park).
The bottom line is this: Shortsighted leadership (by an administration that is, it should be noted, allied with hard-liners) let what should have been a minor local hiccup in inter-communal relations mushroom into an international, geopolitical cause celebre and icon of Muslim frustrations. Prime Minister Rasmussen's ham-handed response has made Denmark, no doubt unfairly, into the latest poster child for the Clash of Civilizations. Frankly, it should come as no surprise that a boycott should be in the works, tragic though its consequences for normal Danes may be. Muslims didn't start this fight--obnoxious hardliners on the other side did.
Hopefully these unsavory elements in Denmark (and bigots and xenophobes everywhere) will remember this lesson next time they're tempted to score cheap points at the expense of a small, embattled community. It's a small, interconnected world. Like in kindergarten, you never know when your bullying might backfire on you.
© Copyright 2003 by ittefaq.com
Posted by: svend | February 23, 2006 04:51 AM
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TownePlace Suites Huntsville
Description provided by TownePlace Suites Huntsville
Few Huntsville hotels can match the neighborhood-style living and great value of the TownePlace Suites Huntsville. Our all-suite, extended stay Huntsville, AL hotel is next to Cummings Research Park - home to aerospace leaders Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin - and just minutes from Redstone Arsenal. We're also close to downtown Huntsville, and great attractions like the US Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville Botanical Garden, Burritt On the Mountain Museum, and Alabama Constitution Village. Our comfortable lodging features studios, as well as one- and two-bedroom suites. All suites offer a fully-equipped kitchen, 32" flat-screen TV, and free Wi-Fi and wired Internet access. One- and two-bedroom suites also feature separate dining, living, and sleeping areas. Start each day with a complimentary breakfast. Unwind in our pool or fitness room. And bring your pet - we're pet-friendly (fee applies). Few Huntsville, Alabama hotels make you feel more at home, so make a reservation today!
List of Amenities for TownePlace Suites Huntsville
· 24-hour front desk · Accessible facilities · Accessible parking · BBQ/Picnic area · Barber shop · Beauty shop/salon · Boarding pass print-out available · Bookstore · Buffet breakfast · Business center · Business services · Car rental desk · Coin operated laundry · Complimentary breakfast · Complimentary buffet breakfast · Complimentary cocktails · Complimentary coffee in lobby · Complimentary continental breakfast · Complimentary in-room coffee or tea · Complimentary newspaper in lobby · Continental breakfast · Drugstore/pharmacy · Dry cleaning · Efolio available to company · Elevators · Evening reception · Exercise gym · Express check-out · Florist · Free high speed internet connection · Free parking · Front desk · Front desk · Full service housekeeping · Hair dryer · Health club · High speed internet access · High speed wireless · Housekeeping - daily · Ice machine · Individual Efolio available · Interior corridors · Ironing board · Kitchenette · Laundry/Valet service · Meeting rooms · Motorcycle parking · Non-smoking rooms (generic) · On-Site parking · Onsite laundry · Outdoor pool · Parking · Pets allowed · Pool · Public area air conditioned · Safe deposit box · Security · Spa · Tennis court · Valet cleaning · Valet same day dry cleaning · Wakeup service · Wireless internet connection in public areas |
Recreation Information
Tennis court
Health club
Bowling alley
Bike trail
Horseback riding
Putt putt golf
River rafting
Hiking trail
Mountain biking trail
Nature preserve trail
Children's program
Outdoor pool
Fitness center on-site
Area Attractions
HuntsvilleGreyhound Bus Lines
Fantasy Playhouse Childrens Theatre
Huntsville Ballet Company
Merrimack Hall Performing Arts Center
Carmike Huntsville 10 Cinemas
Regal Hollywood 18 Cinemas
Madison Square Mall
Parkway Place Mall
Kids Space Palace
Funatasia Family Fun Center
US Space & Rocket Center
Earlyworks Museum Complex
North Alabama Railroad Museum
Alabama Constitution Village
Huntsville Botanical Garden
Huntsville Museum of Art
Burritt on the Mountain Living Museum
American Indian Museum
EarlyWorks Museum Complex
Alabama A&M University
University of Alabama at Huntsville
Redstone Arsenal
Burritt Museum on the Mountain
US Space and Rocket Center
Bridge Street Town Centre
Early Works Museum
University of Alabama Huntsville
Twickenham Historic District
Huntsville Depot Museum
Huntsville Botanical Gardens
Big Spring Park
Weeden House Museum
Renaissance Theatre at Lincoln Center
McLain Outdoor Adventures
Monte Sano State Park
Funntasia Family Fun Center
Theatre Huntsville
Dublin Park
American Legion Post 176
Elks Lodge #1648
Huntsville Country Club
Hogg Wild Saloon
Huntsville Municipal Golf Course
Monrovia Golf Course
Cummings Research Park
Huntsville Hospital
Lockheed Martin
NASA/Marshall Spaceflight Center
Northrop Grumman
Teledyne Brown
Monaco Pictures
Huntsville International Airport
Room Information for this hotel
The amenities listed in this description represent a sample of amenities available in some or all guest rooms in this hotelMeal included - breakfast, Free local calls, Coffee/Tea maker, Alarm clock, Air conditioning, Air conditioning individually controlled in room, Shower, Bathtub/shower combination, Hairdryer, Separate closet, Laundry basket/clothes hamper, Iron, Bathroom amenities, Down/feather pillows, Foam pillows, Sofa bed, Cribs, Local calls, Free toll free calls, Kitchenette, Full kitchen, Tables and chairs, Refrigerator, Stove, Oven, Microwave, Toaster, Silverware/utensils, Pots and pans, Plates and bowls, Dishwasher, Dish-cleaning supplies, Color television, Cable television, Plug & play panel, List of movie channels available, CNN availaible, HBO available, ESPN available, All news channel, Cups/glassware, iPod docking station, AM/FM radio, Remote control television, Large desk, Chair provided with desk, Desk with electrical outlet, Spare electrical outlet available at desk, Separate modem line available, Telephone, Voice mail, Multi-line phone, Private bathroom, Phone in bathroom, Upgraded bathroom amenities, Premium movie channels, Pantry, Electrical current voltage
Miscellaneous Information provided by TownePlace Suites Huntsville
· American Dollars is the native currency.
· Check in time is 3:00 PM
· Check out time is 12:00 PM
· Opened in 2007
· 86 rooms.
· 86 suites.
· 3 floors.
This Hotel's Cancellation Policy
Cancel policy may be more restrictive based on rate / room booked, season, special events


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Revised: Icy AccuWeather forecast
Today: Snow, sleet and freezing rain accumulating a coating to an inch or so in valleys, 1-3 inches in the higher elevations The wintry mix will change over to plain rain and drizzle this afternoon, first in the valleys, then in the mountains; areas of fog as well. High 32-36.
Tonight: Cloudy and damp tonight with some rain or drizzle and areas of fog. Low tonight 34 early, rising overnight.
Tomorrow: Patchy fog tomorrow morning; otherwise, cloudy and milder with a passing shower in the afternoon. High 48.
Wednesday: breezy and mild with rain. High 59.
Thursday: partly sunny, breezy and much colder with flurries. High 39.
Friday: partly sunny and colder with flurries. High 29.
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Part of a continuing series about the life of an embedded reporter in Iraq.
FALLUJAH, IRAQ — I was eager to leave Baghdad and embed with the Second Marine Division in Fallujah, but due to bad weather — and then a sandstorm — I ended up getting stuck another two nights at the Coalition Press Information Center in Baghdad. I had more company this time, though; Toby Sullivan from the Anchorage Press and AP photographer Jacob Silberberg were also stranded, trying to get out to units they were scheduled to embed with.
Sullivan is an interesting story in himself. A quiet guy with a big, bushy moustache who works as commercial fisherman in Alaska during the summer, he freelances for the paper over the winter, and this was his second long trip to Iraq for the Press. He was trying to head out west near the Syrian border to spend a couple months with the Marines, while Silberberg was going to Ramadi to cover the action in al Anbar province.
By the third night, the weather had cleared, we were on standby and there weren't too many people waiting at the Washington Landing Zone to fly out. Some time after midnight, we heard the distant "thwack!" of choppers approaching, and we gathered our gear and headed out to the helipad. I muscled to the front of the line and to my surprise, managed to get on, but since they were going to different places, Sullivan and Silberberg remained stuck.
Sullivan had predicted that once I landed in Fallujah, no one would be able to tell me where the "media tent" was and I might have to improvise. While he was right about no one having heard of a "media tent," Lt. Blanca Binstock, the public affairs officer for the Second Marines, told me to take the shuttle bus to "embark," and ask once I got there. As I got off the bus, there was no one to ask, so I splashed through the mud and the darkness until I found the tent, which is a sagging structure with a couple dusty bunk beds, muddy pillows and a temperamental heater. Didn't much matter though, so I closed the flap, unrolled my sleeping bag and bunked out.
Next morning Master Sergeant Gideon Rogers stopped by the tent to make sure I was squared away and scheduled my transport out to Echo Company (of the Second Battalion, Sixth Marines, stationed in the city itself) as soon as he could. A friendly, easygoing guy, Sergeant Rogers took some pity on me and brought me over to the mess hall for some much needed-lunch before I shoved off.
(If I may be permitted an aside here, I'd like to give some praise to the chow hall at Camp Fallujah. It was a thing of beauty. Four hot steam trays, fully stocked with burritos, onion rings, turkey, mashed potatoes and ravoli, followed by coffee urns, fruit juice machines, and coolers full of cans of soda and juice. And who can complain about the salad bar and ice cream station? I almost hated to leave — it was the best meal I'd had since arriving in Iraq.)
The ride out to Echo Company was pretty quick. First a stop at the forward command post to be briefed on my embed, then an armored truck for a ride to Echo's post. The only other guy in the truck was an Iraqi interpreter from Baghdad who was assigned to work in Fallujah.
He was a young guy, full of twitches and nervous tics, who rapidly pulled on a succession of cigarettes while claiming he wasn't scared that the job put his life in danger. At first his military-style bravado seemed like a put-on, like when he patted the handgun on his hip and bragged, "If the terrorists catch me, I save a bullet for myself." I asked what would happen if he were caught. He laughed, exhaled smoke and said that his punishment would be to have his tongue cut out, his eyes poked out and his head drilled through with an electric drill until he died.
All of which, if true, gives his save-the-last-bullet-for-himself story some credence.
Coming up on Fallujah, we cut a vehicle checkpoint manned by the Iraqi Army and rolled by blocks of smashed houses and torn-up cars, fallout from the ferocious fights the Marines waged here in April and November 2004 to take the city. The interpreter was dropped at a checkpoint and I continued on to Echo Company's base of operations: a railroad station on the edge of town.


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Kim K rocked a more relaxed outfit while baby shopping with boyfriend Kanye in Paris in oversized trousers, a baggy black sweater and black silk camisole. Do you like her laid-back look?
Kim Kardashian traded in her tight leather skirts for a pair of roomy black trousers on an April 2 baby shopping trip in Paris with boyfriend Kanye West. She sexed up her look with a lacy black camisole, but draped a baggy black sweater over her top.
Kim's Casual Maternity Outfit
Although Kim was wearing her favorite clothing color, black, she opted for a pair of black trousers with a white stripe. Lately, she has been rocking tight dresses and skirts while out and about in public, particularly in her favorite fabric — leather!
But Kim decided to give her baby bump and legs some breathing room in her baggy pants. However, Kim dressed up her look with a pair of pointed black pumps — especially while out with her fashionable beau — so she's definitely not taking to her new black flats!
Kim & Kanye's Long Holiday Weekend In Paris
The couple, who are expecting their first child in July, were spotted at luxury baby clothing store Bonpoint in Paris, likely shopping for chic duds for their glamorous baby. Kim and Kanye spent the long Easter weekend in Paris hitting the shops and relaxing — and stocking up on goods to spoil their baby!
What do YOU think of Kim's outfit, HollyMoms? Do you like her black pants and camisole? Let us know in the comments below!
Watch: Kim Kardashian vs. Kate Middleton Pregnant Fashion Style
– Christina Stiehl
More On Kim Kardashian's Pregnancy Outfits:
- Kim Kardashian Flaunts Her Baby Bump In An Embellished, Tight Dress
- Kim Kardashian Steps Out In Tight Leather Dress For NYC Lunch Date
- Kim Kardashian Shows Off Baby Bump In Another Tight Pencil Skirt
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Its a shame that Kim is not enjoying her pregnancy the way she should. Dressing in maternity clothes, with all the money she has there are so many beautiful maternity outfits that would definetely be more comfortable than what she wears. Its too bad that she didn't follow Kourt style and sence of taking care of herself and her baby from the very beginning. She should have waited a little longer to get pregnant and chosen someone better to spend her life with. I think Kanye West is a waste of time!! Sorry don't mean to offend any fans.
Hate whores
Posted at 11:36 PM on April 6, 2013
Posted at 5:55 AM on April 6, 2013
Very aloof. They used to be all huggy and clingy before she got pregnant, now they look so detached. Kanye looks like a drug dealer with that stupid hoodie. Did someone say he has his own fashion label? Is it for the homeless? Look at the way Sean Diddy Coombs (whatever his name is) dresses, he is always beautifully attired. Kanye always looks messy and unwashed. Ick.
if kim or anyone else don't give a fart about our comments they wouldn't be reading them or paying any attention. her shirt looks like laundaray but its ok i would wear that its kinda sexy. she looks comfortable for the first time even though i dont like her pointy shoe with a sporty pants,some flats would have been better.
Posted at 1:33 PM on April 3, 2013
Posted at 1:27 PM on April 3, 2013
Posted at 5:11 AM on April 3, 2013
Posted at 1:25 PM on April 3, 2013
Posted at 5:57 PM on April 2, 2013
Are you tired of going office daily? Earn 50$ per hour working from home with Google! I've made $64,000 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student. I've made such great money. It's really user friendly and I'm just so happy that I found out about it. Here is what I do, Google.fab17.cℴm
Posted at 5:38 PM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 2:52 PM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 12:19 PM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 11:57 AM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 11:49 AM on April 2, 2013
I don't know Shannon if you realize that I'm thanking you for what you said. These people will never be satisfied. If she's not smiling they think there's trouble in her relationship.She's wearing clothes that they suggested she wear but nope not good enough. They say she does nothing, and when she tries to act in a movie they knock her down. I don't know why Kim has become the victim of these Bullies. They're like pit bulls and they've sunk their teeth into her and won't let go.I have a novel idea for you Bullies., she doesn't force anyone to buy her products, watch her shows, go to her movie, nor look at what she's wearing. So from what I see is that you all do this willingly and go out of your way to abuse her. Shame on you.
Posted at 11:46 AM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 10:26 AM on April 2, 2013
WTF are you even asking about her outfit, she has on a loose fitting outfit, so what, you people are never satisfied it is always something, it's too tight, it's too loose, sh*t maybe she should just go naked, then you b*tches would be happy. ughhhhhhhhhhh!!!! and Sheri you are a stupid b*tch.
Posted at 7:32 PM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 10:22 AM on April 2, 2013
Posted at 10:01 AM on April 2, 2013


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Liesch, Peter and Hakanson, L. and McGaughey, Sara and Middleton, S. and Cretchley, J. (2011) The evolution of the international business field: a scientometric investigation of articles published in its premier journal. Scientometrics, 88 (1). pp. 17-42.
McGaughey, S.L. and Liesch, Peter (2002) The global sports-media nexus: reflections on the 'Super League saga' in Australia. Journal of Management Studies, 39 (3). pp. 383-416. ISSN 0022-2380