By Victor Kotsev “I want to work with Netanyahu,” proclaimed Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, quoted by the Jerusalem Post. “Try me,” he said, noting his hopes that the Arab League would back his plan to resume proximity talks on May 1. “I say on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, that we are prepared for an agreement.” He emphasized that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “chosen by the Israeli people and elected by the Knesset [parliament],” and because of that it was his “duty to work with him”. This spectacular change of tone on the … Continue reading Netanyahu plays a complex and dangerous game with everyone…

view: Religious and scientific truths —Ishtiaq Ahmed What we are confronting in Pakistan and the Muslim world in general is a clash between scientific knowledge and religious quackery. The Christian West has had its share of scientists who were ostracised, banished or even executed for challenging the Creation theory An Iranian cleric, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, has proclaimed a fatwa (ruling) that earthquakes are caused by women dressing immodestly. Why the earth should feel so excited and out of control by such provocation instead of men such as the high-level Shia cleric is a question that comes to mind rather immediately. … Continue reading Muslim world – a clash between scientific knowledge and religious quackery?

dawn.com For Saudis given to modern global culture, the religious police are the bane of life. — Photo by Reuters Culture Saudi woman blasts clerics in TV contest poem Saudi woman blasts clerics in TV contest poem RIYADH: They cruise the streets in huge Chevrolet Suburbans, watching for shops that don’t close for prayers, staking out cafes for possibly unmarried couples on illicit liaisons — known as “dates” in any other culture. The religious police, Saudi Arabia’s front-line defenders of draconian Islamic controls on public behaviour, are now in reformers’ headlights. But fear of their power and their backing by … Continue reading Saudi religious police – time to reform?

The new game By Fasi Zaka After the wrangling on the change of the NWFP’s name that left no one truly happy, a dangerous game of renaming storms Pakistan. Displeased with the new name of the province, NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti held a special function at his residence, renaming his toilet commode as the Khyber Exit. Later, he went back to complete his finger painting. Not to be outdone, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif ordered that all public urinals have Lahori Gate written on them. Luckily, President Asif Ali Zardari remained above the fray but privately asked … Continue reading The New Game of Naming new names and so forth…

Posted by Sana Saleem Nadia sways in front of a begging box outside the Dola Shah shrine in Gujrat. Arriving daily at the shrine at the crack of dawn, Nadia, who is mentally disturbed, doesn’t speak to anyone. She wails and has occasional fits of laughter. She is just one of thousands of mentally handicapped children in the country abandoned to destitution and left at the mercy of the keepers of shrines.  She was left at the shrine when she was a baby and is now being looked after by descendants of Dola Shah, a Sufi saint. Nadia is a … Continue reading Trading in misery

Arthur C Clarke said any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and magic is what Gods do. Our history is littered with reports of angels or spirits descending down to the Earth from the heavens. Why is it when we talk to God we look up? It’s because that is where the God’s came from. Zachariah Sitchin puts forward the theory that the bible speaks not about a loving creator God, but about a group of extraterrestrials discussing what seems to be nothing more than a science project. If this turns out to be true and there is a … Continue reading Aliens: And the values of Fear!

Defense Scientists and Engineers are finally starting to understand the ultimate propulsion system that can make instantaneous space travel possible. The UFOs use this propulsion system to travel great distances instantaneously. The speed of light is 670,000,000 miles per hour – a number no human being can ever stand in any craft for a long time. Does that mean UFOs are unmanned or extra-terrestrial beings are totally different? It is possible but not likely. Theory of evolution in the Universe says that intelligent life forms are abundant in the Universe but they have evolved in a similar way. Traveling even … Continue reading Propulsion System – Bending time and space