Weekend News Roundup

MUSLIMS IN AMERICA:

Samaha (Blog) - ISNA: Invasion of The ISNA Deaniacs

Around me I could hear whispers of “Howard Dean” and I watched the youth all around me, all wide eyed, explaining Howard Dean to their parents, aunts and uncles.

It was quite interesting watching these fidgety late teens and twenty-something year olds turning their heads, looking towards the door anxiously awaiting Howard Dean. This was it - this right here, this vibrant young enthusiasm was what differentiated my generation from theirs. Not because they are Deaniacs, mind you, but because within these wide eyes you can see hope. You can see the innocence and yes the good naivety that none of us should ever have lost. You can see in their eyes the hidden solutions that they all carry to all of the problems of the world. You can see the simplicity of it all but somehow, somehow you just can’t see far enough to be able to touch it or grasp it, to feel it again.

Around this room sat future congresspeople, representatives, activists, philanthopists, and maybe even a future president. In this room sat our fidgety hope for a better tommorow and maybe a not so impossible world peace.

I should make note that ISNA itself insists that it is non-partisan and had invited republicans to this event but had no takers on the republican invitees - so the panel before us consisted of democrats. ~Way to go republicans~

He asked of us for the sake of America to get into politics “For the sake of America I need you to run for yourselves.”

That my friends was “The Take Back America Rally”

Charitable Tradition in Transition

Key edicts of Ramadan, which began yesterday at sunset, are to fast and promote good conduct. The devil is said to be shackled, making it easier than during the rest of the year to perform good deeds and give charity.

Mukit Hossain, 47, a telecommunications worker and Muslim activist in Northern Virginia, said holiday charity is deliberately done more publicly because Muslims are eager to build bridges after Sept. 11.

Community Times magazine, Lady Liberty, a Fellaha?

OnFaith from the Washington Post presents:
The Muslims of Jesus Camp

ISLAM:
Islam's Up-to-Date Televangelist

Secular critics say Khaled, the son of a doctor, is fostering a religious revival rather than modern reform. Wael Abbas, a leading Egyptian blogger, said Khaled is the "first step to Islamization. He's charismatic and the girls like him. But Egypt is becoming more conservative as a result of him. More girls have started to wear veils."

The question now is whether Khaled represents a fad or an enduring trend. Khaled is most popular among the middle and upper classes. Egypt's Al-Ahram newspaper described him as a "Pied Piper" leading Arab youth "to an unknown destination -- much to the discontent of the town elders.

From Finding Radical Islam to Losing an Ideology

LONDON, Sept. 11 — For four years, Maajid Nawaz, a British Pakistani university student, was imprisoned in Egypt, enduring months of solitary confinement and the screams of those being tortured.

Mr. Nawaz left Britain on his fateful trip to Egypt on Sept. 10, 2001, for a year abroad to study Arabic. In April 2002, he was charged and sentenced by the Egyptians for spreading the beliefs of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a radical Islamic group that is legal in Britain but banned in Egypt and other countries because it calls for the overthrow of governments in the Muslim world.

Calls in Britain for the banning of Hizb ut-Tahrir usually stress that the group is a gateway for some Muslims to turn to terrorism. As Mr. Nawaz puts it, “Hizb ut-Tahrir spearheaded the radicalization of the 1990s and cultivated an atmosphere of anger.”

Mr. Nawaz is the product of a third-generation British Pakistani family. His father recently retired as an oil engineer, and his mother works in a bank; they live in Essex, a middle-class area south of London.

When he was growing up, Islam seemed like an irrelevant, “backward village religion,” he said. That attitude changed when he was 16.

On a rare visit to a mosque, he met a Bangladeshi student, a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, who he said preyed on his confusion about his British Pakistani identity.

Miscellaneous:
Reprieve for the Pint and the Ounce

BRUSSELS, Sept. 11 — Britons and the Irish can still down a pint of beer, walk a mile, covet an ounce of gold and eat a pound of bananas after the European Union ruled today that the countries could retain measurements dating back to the Middle Ages.

Under a previous European Union plan, Britain and Ireland would have been forced to adopt the metric system and phase out imperial measurements by 2009. But after a vociferous antimetric campaign by British skeptics and London’s tabloid press, European Union officials decided that an ounce of common sense (or 28.3 grams) suggested that granting a reprieve was better than braving a public backlash.

They also feared that forcing Britain to abolish the imperial system would have damaged European Union trade with the United States, one of three countries, including Liberia and Myanmar, that have not officially adopted the metric system.

A British grocer, Steve Thoburn of Sunderland, became known as the “metric martyr” when he was convicted in 2001 of measuring fruits and vegetables in pounds and ounces instead of kilograms. A court gave him a six-month conditional discharge. He died of a heart attack in 2004 just days after learning that his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against a conviction for using nonmetric scales in his market stall had been rejected.

Under the European Union decision, they can retain miles on road signs, and pubs may continue to serve pints of beer. Other goods must be sold in metric quantities, but retailers can display imperial equivalents.

CENSORSHIP:
'Breast-Feeding Is Obscene'

'This is a death announcement for freedom of press in Egypt'

"This is a death announcement for the freedom of press in Egypt," Eisa said.

Qandil said the "severe" verdict would not weaken him.

Hafez Abu Seada, secretary-general of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, said: "This is something very unique to Egypt," he said.

"I have never seen, at least in the last five years, any country that jails four editors in one day.

For China's Censors, Electronic Offenders Are the New Frontier

Prisons Purging Books on Faith From Libraries

But prison chaplains, and groups that minister to prisoners, say that an administration that put stock in religion-based approaches to social problems has effectively blocked prisoners’ access to religious and spiritual materials — all in the name of preventing terrorism.

“It’s swatting a fly with a sledgehammer,” said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, a Christian group. “There’s no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism.”

The lists are broad, but reveal eccentricities and omissions. There are nine titles by C. S. Lewis, for example, and none from the theologians Reinhold Niebuhr, Karl Barth and Cardinal Avery Dulles, and the influential pastor Robert H. Schuller.

Funkengroovin Wednesday - Afterview

I was going to post a "Funkengroovin Preview", but TeData decided at exactly 4:30 PM on Sunday it was changing over it's system, you know "improvings it," and my Internet went dead, as well as my Vonage phone. They sent a young MB looking guy, in jeans over, who fucked with my MAC for over an hour. He tried that last month, but I wouldn't let him near my machine. No one around here seems to understand Mac's. They promised to send someone else over in the morning - "inshallah mumpkin boukra" (tomorrow, God willing). The Boss Man went through the words "fuck," "fucked up," and "fucking" every other breath (the ugly American.) Fortunately MB looking man laughed at it all. They said they had installed a better system from the U.K. Oh, let me ask a rhetorical question here, "Is Bill Gates from the UK? Is Steve Jobs from the UK? Did the UK invent the Internet? Are all the Indian ITT wizards from the UK?" Needless to say, that did not impress me.

Monday I found the new TeData number in the back of a magazine, after having called wrong numbers all morning long. One of the numbers, which I had gotten from a book belonged to a woman I phoned up twice. The second time, she said, "Don't hang up! I want to help you." I explained my problem (that I was trying to call TeData,) and she gave me the number for information. I decided to wait until the maid arrived, for help with any Arabic I might need, but then I found the TeData number on the back page of a CSA Magazine the Boss Man brought home, coincidentally the night before.

I called. I waited. I was transferred. I waited again. I was transferred again, and constantly told, "I am now transferring you to a techhnikal assistant." I was transferred again, to a "technician". Apparently not technically inclined enough though, as his reply to me was, "We do not soupporrrt Muckintoush." Meanwhile, it took me about an hour to figure out what the young MB dude did to my computer, and to undo it all.

Fortunately we have a friend who came over with his IBM, and he was able to figure out that our router went dead after the TeData "improvements." He got us use of a (temporary) working router, and sometime Monday evening we were back in business. He's even going to take the old router back for us, to exchange for a new one. The man is amazing! Needless to say we will need to bring a superior gift for him, when one of us returns from the States, later this fall. I think the Boss Man was talking about an Apple product - not sure, but I know he'll love it! We will convert these skeptics, one by one, slowly, killing them softly with lovable Apple products (uh, no iPhone, though).

Monday evening, which is when I usually post my "Funkengroovin Preview" we were back in business, but I was about 24 hours behind on my blog.

Both the young lady on the other end of my wrong number, and our friend were awesome in helping us out. The people here in Egypt are totally giving. I don't think I've ever lived in a country where people are so friendly, considerate, willing to make fun of themselves, plus who scream and get all emotional just like Greeks! So for all my Egyptian and Muslim friends: Ramadan Kareem. BTW, I gave the boab money to go buy a Ramadan light. I told him to buy one he liked, since he sits out there, and has to look at it all day and night. He said, in his thirteen years working here, no one has ever given him that discretion, nor paid for a light.

What did Jerry Lewis say, LaLaLa, Nice laddeeee!" - Nooooo. I am not nice! I was just so embarrassed because everyone else had Ramadan lights and we didn't. I can't believe the other folks in this apartment building don't give a hoot, and they're all Muslim! I think the boab is very happy though.

My mom always said, "What goes around comes around."

Now, that I've gotten my computer problems off my chest, here's the "Preview" a bit late - which makes it an "Afterview", I guess.

Anybody remember Ted Bundy?
Bundy, Ridgway 'murderabilia' among Internet sales

WASHINGTON - Round and chrome, it looks a lot like your average hubcap from a vintage VW Bug. But this one is special. And it's for sale.

It's off the tan 1968 Volkswagen Beetle that Ted Bundy drove as he roamed the West in the mid-1970s murdering young women. From Washington state to Colorado to Utah, Bundy is considered among the most diabolical serial killers in U.S. history.

The starting bid for the hubcap from Bundy's Beetle is $3,500.

Here's a preview of a new car from Volkswagen. Personally, I don't like the way it looks - fugly. Interior and exterior photos are included in the article.
The Volkswagen up!

Frankfurt Preview: Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life

A Successor to the Hippie Van

It has become the favored vehicle for a new generation of van fans, argued Paul Saffo, the futurist and Stanford University teacher, in his blog at saffo.com. The Sprinter, he wrote, became the spiritual successor to the Volkswagen Microbus of the 1960s and the Ford Econoline and other vans of later eras, noting that private individuals “began purchasing Sprinters, turning them into mobile homes, windsurfing carriers, pedigree dog show transporters and, of course, surfer vans.

Rise of the replica cars

Volkswagen T2 van The classic "Kombi" camper van was never luxurious but romantics still prefer it to modern tourers. VW Brazil is still manufacturing a version and you can buy a brand-new T2 Rio camper – but with the reliability and build quality of a modern Volkswagen.

The motor is water- rather than air-cooled (it's from a 1.4-litre Golf). Otherwise, this is as faithful a Sixties camping experience as you can get. From £21,688, danburymotorcaravans.com.

The Who to rock International Bus Meeting - Nice photos here.

That’s exactly what the song ‘Going Mobile’ is about: “Well I'm gonna find a home on wheels, see how it feels, / Goin' mobile/ Keep me moving/ I can pull up by the curb, /I can make it on the road, /Goin' mobile
I can stop in any street/ And talk with people that we meet”.

The Who vocalist Roger Daltrey is a Volkswagen Bus enthusiast too and says he is looking forward to the event. “All of us in the band are Volkswagen fans. I’ll give my vocal chords an oiling and then give it all I’ve got, until everyone is singing along … ´f-f-fade away´,“ Daltrey promises.

International VW Bus Meeting - Go to the Gallery for some great Type 2 photos.

How to renovate a VW bus in just 73 complicated steps

Ailments and Antidotes

SHUDDERING Acuras and grease oozing from the dashboards of Mazda CX-9s are among the latest technical service bulletins compiled by alldatapro.com.

Technical service bulletins, or T.S.B.’s, offer insights into some recurring problems. The bulletins are not recalls; they are notices provided by manufacturers to the service departments and mechanics of their dealerships. Except where noted, manufacturers did not mention in the reports whether the repairs would be covered outside of the warranty.

VOLKSWAGEN Owners of some 2004-8 Volkswagen Touareg S.U.V.’s may find their door handles stuck open. In TSB 5707-06 issued May 3, Volkswagen officials noted that while the handle may become stuck, the latch remained operative. Adding a metal retaining clip inside the door trim should snap things back into place.

How many times have I heard the Boss Man say, "That car is a piece of shit?" (aka P.O.S.)

Well, from TIME Magazine, here's an official list of The 50 Worst Cars Of Al Time, with emphasis on The Edsel.


Maybe some the new Chinese made cars will make the list eventually. Germans See Imitation in Chinese Cars,

FRANKFURT, Sept. 11 — It’s hardly surprising that a car that bills itself as the “ultimate driving machine” would inspire imitation. But to BMW, the CEO, a Chinese sport utility vehicle, is less respectful homage than brazen knockoff.

“We did not like it,” BMW chief executive, Norbert Reithofer, said curtly in an interview here.

Neither did DaimlerChrysler, which is taking legal action against Shuanghuan to prevent it from selling the Noble, a subcompact that bears an uncanny resemblance to Daimler’s Smart minicar. The Noble did not appear at the show, though the importer, China Automobile Deutschland, insisted that it decided on its own not to distribute the car in Germany.

“Naturally, our cars are inspired by European carmakers,” said Karl Schlössl, a German who is the chief executive of China Automobile. “But we reject the charge that they are copies.”

At a circuslike news conference, Mr. Schlössl refused to speak the name BMW, instead referring to it as “that company.” He spoke of having a southern German accent that would make him at home in the hallways of the Munich-based BMW, and he introduced a tall blond woman as his companion.

Mr. Maxton said Chinese carmakers sometimes copied the exterior of a car from one model, and the interior from another. In the case of the CEO, for instance, it is not clear that the BMW X5 was the sole inspiration for its design. Auto critics have said that while the rear end of the vehicle is a dead ringer for the X5, the front end looks more like a Toyota Land Cruiser.

BMW emphasized that under the hood, the CEO is no X5. Small wonder: the X5 starts at 59,000 euros ($86,830) in Europe; the twin-turbo diesel model on display here goes for 92,000 euros ($126,040). Mr. Schlössl said the CEO would sell for a base price of 25,900 euros ($35,483).

For now, the Chinese are struggling with more basic issues, like designing a safe car. Two carmakers, Brilliance and Landwind, suffered when their cars performed abysmally in crash tests conducted by the German automobile club ADAC.

Landwind has stopped selling while it retools its cars to improve their safety, according to Peter Bijvelds, a Dutch car dealer who holds the distribution license for the brand.

Brilliance, which collaborates with BMW in assembling cars in China, insisted it had improved its safety standards, though it still received only a middling score in a subsequent crash test. It presented its new compact, the BS2, as a low-cost alternative to the Volkswagen Golf.

Little Britain - Carol Beer

Funkengroovin Wednesday - The Car Souk

Bring your umbrellas, hats, and icy cold drinks (you can buy them there too,) cause we're goin' to the local car souk!





Friday, the Boss Man and I went to two car souks in the Cairo area.


(Left) - the crowd. (Below) - Hats and water for sale, and a drink stand (background - Friday Prayers.)

















(Left) - a common scene. This is at the "Taxi Market". In order to drive a taxi in Cairo, you need a license and current law states you buy the license, when you buy the taxi. (In other words, the license comes with the car.)

(Left) - A small lot of cars for sale. Yes, three bugs and a VW Van in this small area.

In order to sell your car, you need to pay an entry fee of 10 Egyptian Pounds, about $1.70. If the spaces are full, you get into a line. When a car is sold, a slot opens, and you wait your turn to get a real parking space.

They pack 'em in like sardines in a tin.

It's a pretty big souk, as you can see. With two tall guys, and Vagabondblogger, we were able to ferret out a few interesting cars, which I will post on later. One, a VW Bus, has got us all stumped - can't find it nowhere, but I'll keep looking for information, or post it with the hopes that someone who reads this will know WTF it is!

Last Thursday night, everyone here (in Egypt) was supposed to turn their clocks back one hour. Yes, I know, for those of us from The U.S. this is a bit early. I understand this is for Ramadan only, so that the sun sets an hour earlier, and the daily fasts end sooner, as well. Of course, daylight comes earlier also, meaning fasting starts an hour sooner in the morning - hey, I don't make the rules here! I just try to live with them. Then (from what I hear) we will have to face another time change at the end of Ramadan.

Apparently, Egyptians try to live "normal" lives during Ramadan, as opposed to the folks from the U.A.E. who: shut down shops early, open shops late, and operate them until 2 AM in the morning, switch days with nights, forbid even the chewing of fingernails (understand that if you can't chew your fingernails, you can't do much of anything else, either - at least in public. Or you will face a hefty fine.) Needless to say, the Egyptians truly try to persue the virtues of Ramadan, while the folks in the U.A.E. try to find a way to get around it all. Even though westerners / non-Muslims can eat, drink, smoke, etc. in public, here during Ramadan, it's considered - you know - rude!  Kudos to the Egyptians - again!  

Back to the freaking time change here. Well, on Friday, when they have all of these various "markets," such as "Friday Market," Nasr City "Car Market," and all that, we were waiting around for our friend, Ali, to come pick us up. We started stewing, and blaming each other for the the fuck up (actually I made the appointment, so I got the blame - let's pretend things are equal here, though), when about twenty past eleven we figured out we were running one hour earlier than everyone else! (No, the Boss Man does not get credit for that either.) So, the video today is "Waiting On A Friend" (one of Boss Man's faves) in recognition of our waiting for our friend last Friday. Needless to say, Ali thought it was hysterical. He also wants to buy the Borgward - yeah, he's into cars too - he drives by the Borgward every morning to admire it. Who else would take us to a car market? He's from Aswan, and is an encyclopedia of information about cars. He was a totally excellent host for the day.

BTW, the "Funkengroovin Preview" will be posted tomorrow.  (I know - that means it's not a "Preview." - Let's not get technical, okay?)


Waiting On A Friend