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5 Valentines Mistakes by jacobjhon111

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:46:36 EST

1. No Present

Theres a chance you may have taken her exclamation of: Oh I dont want anything as a genuine sentiment. If so, youre now in trouble. She wanted a surprise. It didnt have to be something huge or expensive. She probably wanted something nice or homemade, something that showed effort and care. And youre empty handed, preparing to face the big couples day with nothing to placate her. Why would you ever do this to yourself? Never again. Hopefully youre reading this before the day and you dont blow your chance. Sit down, with a pen in hand and write out how you feel about her. How you really feel. Its all she wants.

2. Wrong Gift

Getting the right gift is an essential part of Valentines Day. Anything is better than nothing, but even still, getting something really inappropriate is not going to win you any favors. Youre cute as a button Catholic beau is unlikely to appreciate a Valentines escort as a present, even if she did tell you about the guilty she had after a drunken kiss with a friend. Part of Valentines is letting your loved one see that you really know her and that you could make her happy. Getting her the wrong gift is basically admitting that you dont really pay attention to what she says.

3. Forgetting

if you outright forgot about Valentines, than A) why are you reading this are you blind? Its not as if this is some obscure religious festival with little marketability: its a prime opportunity for corporations to sell their tat for vastly inflated prices. Maybe you would busy at work or there was some emergency that just made everything else. What you need to do is make it up to her, even if shes said its fine...

4. Not Doing Something Special

A card, a gift and thats it? No, this is the day to pull out all the stops her how special she is to you. This is not the time to be cutting corners or giving her any less than your best. Theres a whole plethora of options open to you, but the best is probably to take something shes always wanted and give it to her. Maybe shes dreamed of going to Paris or New York. Maybe shes always wanted to spend a little bit of time with a Valentines escort. Maybe shes just wanted a day where you both sit around in your pjs and watch terrible movies. Show her that you care, that you know her.

5. Not Saying I Love You

This should be obvious, but its amazing how many men just dont understand the value of those three words. This is the one day where showing affection and being plain is valued above everything else.

Author Information: Jacobjhon is a professional writer with experience contributing to editorial pages, online blogs and writing short articles on Valentines escort. Find more information on Asian escorts here.

Đối đáp tình yêu by tsuboiyoshiharu

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 21:41:17 EST

C gi: Anh yu, nu em nhy xung nc m em khng bit bi th anh c nhy xung cu em khng?

Chng trai: C ch em yu, sao li khng cu ngi p nh em ch?

C gi: Hi anh yu! Nu mai ny b m chng ta khng cho chng ta gp nhau th lm sao nh?

Chng trai: Th em lm g m em thch!

C gi: Nu th th em s nhy trn ng la ang chy ny!

Chng trai: Hi em yu! Em khng nn t lm hi mnh cn hn.

C gi: Anh yu i! Nu chn mt ngi, em v c hoa hu kia th anh chn ai?

Chng trai: Hi em yu! Tt nhin l anh chn em ri.

C gi: V sao li th h anh?

Chng trai: V anh ch yu mnh em thi. Anh s ly em lm v. Th em l sao?

C gi: Th th chng ta hy ci nhau i anh!

Chng trai: i em yu! Em tht l tuyt vi!

C gi: Nu c mt t ng th anh s chn g? Chn tin hay chn em?

Chng trai: Th lc anh s chn mt t ng.

C gi: i anh yu i, v sao li th? Vy l v tin m anh l b em sao?

Chng trai: Hi em yu i! Sao em li ni th? V c tin anh li c em.

C gi: Anh yu! Anh tht l ngc.

Chng trai: Em yu! Chnh v th anh mi c em.

Souce: laughsforhappy.com.vn

Invitation to join! by Lifeforms

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:37:00 EST

Hey Everybody!

I hear there's a new internet browser launching on 9th April this year - Wazzub! - and they're trying to compete with Google.

It's free and everybody is welcome to join their network, for which they are going to share the profit with pre-launching members - they're going to pay you at least 1$ per person you invite (plus how many that person invites, and so on), per month, for the rest of your life!

It doesn't take much - just sign up using your real name, verify your membership, and invite as many people as you can! Then sit back and relax!

Amazing, isn't it?

For more info and registration, please go to

It is safe and free, my family and many friends have already joined...

P.s. The email to be verified might be sent to your spam folder, according to your privacy settings!

Obama orders action to address shortages of vital drugs by griffeyshoes

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:33:18 EST

The measure will require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify drug shortages earlier and speed up reviews for companies trying to raise production and increase supply.

More than 200 essential medicines are scarce this year, the FDA has said.

Patients have been forced to delay treatment and use more expensive or second-best alternatives as a result.

Doctors say the drugs in short supply range from some chemotherapy treatments to anaesthetics and antibiotics.

Fifteen deaths have been blamed on the shortages.

Continue reading the main story

Start Quote

Congress has been trying since February to do something about this

End Quote

US President Barack Obama

'Slow-rolling problems'

Healthcare providers have also complained that because of the scarcity of crucial medicines, distributors have been selling drugs in the "grey market" at 100-fold more than their usual retail prices.

"This is one of those slow-rolling problems that could end up resulting in disaster for patients and health care facilities all over the country," President Obama said.

This is the fifth action taken by the White House in the last week to push forward social and economic measures, and reflects legislation that has stalled in Congress.

"Congress has been trying since February to do something about this. It has not yet been able to get it done. It is the belief of this administration that... we can't wait," the president said at the signing ceremony for the order.

However it could take around 18 months for new production to reach the market, the FDA has said.

Erin Fox, pharmacist at the University of Utah says just a handful of companies are the main suppliers for many of the drugs in short supply.

A number of their manufacturing facilities were recently shut for safety upgrades. Shortages of some ingredients are also behind the bottleneck in supply.

But James Speyer, medical director of the clinical cancer centre at New York University's Langone Medical Center, says the president's action does not address one key part of the problem - drug profits.

Many of the scarce drugs are cheaper generics that yield low profits to their manufacturers.

The FDA says early notification helped them to avert 137 drug shortages in the last two years.

"We can make a really meaningful difference by expanding our net of early warnings," FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg told reporters.

As life waiting for earthquake disaster relief efforts seem-Turkey by griffeyshoes

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:26:58 EST

Xinhua net Turkey every province on October 26, (reporter WangHongJiang horse research) "we won't relax your efforts. The next four days, we will still to search and rescue primarily, we waiting for life." Turkish health officials, medical aid workers Mr Bates May 26 in east el gith in a downtown rescue site to the xinhua news agency said.

26, Turkey provincial earthquake has all the past three days, rescue work was in in an orderly way. Especially in the most affected mohamed gith city, from rescue team on the move a bit does not look out, they have been fought three day and night.

Mr Bates said mei, three days after an earthquake to rescue teams has set up a file in the el gith city successful rescue nearly 50 survivors.

So far, 23, at noon happen a magnitude 7.2 earthquake has left 481 people were killed and 1352 injured. Turkey relevant departments have sent their 3346 rescue workers, the military has sent 2445 soldiers in the disaster area rescue efforts.

"Waiting for life" is not only appear to rescue the players.

In each place rescue site, reporters can see pairs of eyes to look forward to, in waiting anxiously missing their friends and relatives. From southern Turkey by the province, Dana nearly a year old Sue lehmann is a member.

After the earthquake, Sue lehmann immediately come to the old man's herge gith city looking for the whereabouts of the son. In the centre of the son work a building before the ruins of the old chop is 3 days, but still no news. The old man's still waiting for the miracle of life.

Waiting for the life of the dedicated and the media. Whenever there are survivors are rescued, waiting for the reporters on the scene immediately will pass out news, disaster affects the Turkish national that the world of people's heart.

26 days afternoon, the earthquake nearly 76 hours after, at a place of completely collapsed five stories on the ruins, when more than a dozen from Iraq this mill rescue the soldiers to listen to a middle-aged man said, under the debris may pressure was buried in his high school's nephew, the soldiers immediately tightened search and rescue rhythm, action and more discreet.

With detectors in after detection, the rescue team will overlying together of the wall remains carefully cut growth square, with the crane lift to search for signs of life. Each lift a wall before, rescue players with sponge mat aperture will tucked, lest building crumbs flake, injury and rubble possible life.

The players with a flashlight search through each hole and corner, and quick and careful to clean up the rubble and sundry, picture frames and other personal items will now and then pass the anxious wait for middle-aged people.

As night fell, the air is rain, when the rescue team carefully lifted the last piece of wall debris, though and have not found a middle-aged man said that the boy, but from beginning to end, the work of the rescue team, ready to take the handle of the people, to maintain order of police and media people are not leave, everybody is waiting for life!!!!!

Bangkok, Thailand and five days to assist the people of the flood by griffeyshoes

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:09:47 EST

October 25 day night, the floods Bangkok airport corridor, former highway, airport emergency situation, the original placed in the porch of the affected people Manchester airport evacuated the airport. The graph is the airport in the hall is evacuated people. More than SheFa Miocene show Aaron perturbation

Beijing October 26 according to Reuters reported since, Thailand Tuesday (25) announced five days off, to give people the time from flooding. The waters are now approaching the capital Bangkok, in a protection wall was destroyed, authorities have ordered at a suburban neighborhood residents to evacuate.

Thailand's cabinet announced that, in October 27-31, Bangkok and other during 20 provinces affected by the holiday. This is Thailand 50 years of the most serious flooding in this weekend, the high tide in the gulf of Thailand and could increase the Bangkok measures to avoid the guide difficulty.

The flood has forced around Bangkok Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces such as seven industrial park of closed, the scale of loss is expected to reach us $3.2 billion. Floods also caused the supply chain interruption, and leaving about 650000 temporary unemployment.

Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday announced a 225 billion baht budget plan, used in the park when floods went to help rebuild.

Since July since the floods have killed at least 366 people, and influence the nearly 2.5 million people daily life. More than 113000 people in temporary shelters, 720000 in seeking medical personnel to assist.

Bangkok airport on Tuesday two major still remains open, but cheap airlines Nok Air says, has grounded from Bangkok Don Muang airport in the domestic flights until November 1, this decided to take effect immediately. THAI airways THAI. BK hold Nok Air a majority stake.

Thai airways said, consider reducing Suvarnabhumi airport flight from Bangkok quantity, because there may be human scheduling problem.

The Thai government spokesman Thitima Chaisang says, because rising flood has declared holidays, let people can choose to leave Bangkok. Bangkok mayor Sukhumbhand says, this holiday will authorities is better able to handle a crisis.

Thai central bank officials say, has not yet decided to commercial Banks and financial market is closed for holiday. The Thai central bank headquarters is located in the chao phraya edge, but has a high walls, Tuesday has not been signs of intrusion into the flood.

Japan central bank and the bank of Thailand, said on Tuesday is considering making a mechanism to the Japanese government bonds as support, to those who have been affected by the Japanese enterprise provide the funds. The Thai central bank says it also discussed with other countries in a similar plan.

Gaddafi unburied as Libya declares "liberation" by griffeyshoes

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:30:20 EST

By Brian Rohan and Yasmine Saleh

BENGHAZI, Libya | Sun Oct 23, 2011 8:08pm EDT

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libya's new rulers declared the country freed from Muammar Gaddafi's 42 years of one-man rule Sunday, saying the "Pharaoh of the times" was in history's garbage bin and a future of democracy and reconciliation beckoned.

As thousands gathered in Benghazi to hear authorities announce "liberation," Gaddafi's rotting body remained unburied and on show in Misrata, a situation that may vex some Muslims for whom rapid burial of the dead is a religious duty.

His son Saadi, now in Niger, said he was outraged by the murders of his father and brother Mo'tassim.

There was no direct reference at the Benghazi celebrations to what some outsiders see as Misrata's ghoulish display.

In a speech, National Transitional Council (NTC) chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil renewed an earlier promise to uphold Islamic law.

"All the martyrs, the civilians and the army had waited for this moment. But now they are in the best of places ... eternal heaven," he said, shaking hands with supporters.

Some fear Jalil, a mild-mannered former justice minister, will find it hard to impose his will on his fractious revolutionary alliance, pointing to Misrata's insistence on displaying Gaddafi's body and that of Mo'tassim and to the lack of a clear account about how they met their end.

There is international disquiet about increasingly graphic and disturbing images on the Internet of abuse of a body that appears to be Gaddafi's following his capture and the fall of his hometown of Sirte Thursday.

But the immediate reaction to Sunday's announcement was jubilation.

"We are the Libyans. We have shown you who we are Gaddafi, you Pharaoh of the times. You have fallen into the garbage bin of history," said lawyer Abdel Rahman el-Qeesy, who announced the creation of a new government portfolio to deal with victims of the conflict.

"We declare to the whole world that we have liberated our beloved country, with its cities, villages, hilltops, mountains, deserts and skies," said an official who opened the ceremony in Benghazi, the place where the uprising erupted in February and which has been the headquarters for the NTC.

Cheering crowds waved the tri-color flag. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the United Nations would help build a new Libya. U.S. President Barack Obama welcomed the declaration of liberation.

VACUUM

Gaddafi, who had vowed to fight to the end, was found hiding in a drain after fleeing Sirte, the last bastion of his loyalists. He died in chaotic circumstances after video footage showed him bloodied and struggling at the hands of his captors.

With big oil and gas reserves, Libya has the potential to become very prosperous, but regional rivalries fostered by Gaddafi could erupt into yet more violence that would undermine the authority of Jalil's NTC.

In Misrata, people queueing for a chance to see Gaddafi's body saw no reason for a rapid burial, apparently heedless of concern in Tripoli about how the NTC is perceived overseas.

"We brought our children to see him today because this is a chance to see history," said a man who gave his name as Mohammed. "We want to see this arrogant person as a lifeless body. Let all the people see him."

The declaration of liberation is intended to set the clock ticking on a process to set up a multiparty democracy, a system Gaddafi railed against for most of his 42 years in power.

Some analysts fear that without strong leadership the revolution could collapse into armed infighting.

The lack of a clear plan for Gaddafi's burial suggests to some analysts that there is justification for fears of a descent into leaderless turmoil.

An autopsy has been performed, and a medical source told Reuters that Gaddafi's body had a bullet in the head and a bullet in the abdomen.

"There are multiple injuries. There is a bullet in the abdomen and in the brain," the medical source said.

The autopsy was carried out at a morgue in Misrata, about 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli.

REGIONAL INFIGHTING

The loosely disciplined militias that sprang up in each town to topple the dictator with the help of NATO air power are still armed. The places they represent will want a greater say in the future, particularly the second and third cities Benghazi and Misrata, which were starved of investment by Gaddafi.

It was fighters from Misrata who emerged from a lengthy and bloody siege to play a large part in taking Tripoli and later caught Gaddafi.

British Foreign Secretary (Minister) William Hague and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen issued separate calls for Libyans to avoid retribution and reprisals and seize a chance to build pluralism and the rule of law.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking on the NBC program "Meet the Press," said she would strongly support both a U.N. and an NTC investigation into Gaddafi's death.

"Stand for unity and reconciliation, make it absolutely clear that everyone who stood with the old regime, as long as they don't have blood on their hands should be safe and included in a new Libya," she said.

There is some unease abroad over what many believe was a summary execution of Gaddafi. U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has called for an investigation into the killing, but few Libyans share those concerns.

SECRET GRAVE

Gaddafi's surviving family, in exile, wants his body and that of Mo'tassim to be handed over to tribal kinsmen from Sirte. NTC officials said they were trying to arrange a secret resting place to avoid loyalist supporters making it a shrine. Misrata does not want his body under its soil.

Saadi Gaddafi's lawyer said he was "shocked and outraged by the vicious brutality which accompanied the murders of his father and brother.

"The contradictory statements issued by the NTC excusing these barbaric executions and the grotesque abuse of the corpses make it clear that no person affiliated with the former regime will receive a fair trial in Libya, nor will they receive justice for crimes committed against them," lawyer Nick Kaufman said in an email sent to Reuters.

Libyan leaders have approved a request to open an investigation into Saadi over the murder of a footballer in 2005.

The announcement of "liberation" sets a clock ticking on a plan for a new government and constitutional assembly leading to full democracy in 2013.

"We hope we will have an elected democratic government with broad participation," student Ali Abu Shufa said.

Gaddafi promoted tribalism to keep the country divided, he said. "But now Gaddafi is dead, all the tribes will be united."

Stacks on Decks! Skate deck show, Saturday, August 27th by blackbird2306

Tue, 2 Aug 2011 00:16:35 EST

The whole shebang goes down on Saturday, August 27th at 9pm. Nearly 70 entirely original, infinitely unique skate decks will be on display in Blackbird's Main Gallery. Workforce Rebellion, the Definitive Collection, and 42 bring live painting to the mix via a 30+ foot temporary wall built for the event, which, afterwards, will break down into smaller canvasses available for purchase. Live music kicks off at 9pm and boasting performances by DJ's Mike Vulcan, Dunwich Horror, and Ugly Lovely and local hip-hop artists Bobby Exodus, Capo, and Last of the Horsemen. The catered event features adult beverages and finger foods for a door charge of $12 in advance, $15 day of. VIP tickets are available for $50. Contact Shannon or Ross at Blackbird Tattoo and Gallery for more information: 615-891-7029 or 615-968-4846. http://stacksondecks.blogspot.com/

Touching Basees by Casperium

Fri, 20 May 2011 02:37:18 EST

Sorry I have been away for such a long time. A lot of things, both good and bad have happened over the last year. I am hoping all of the crisis are over and I can get back to doing what I love, which is making art.

Recent news May 2011: I have sold 9 artworks to Universal for use in the upcoming Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome TV series coming out later this year. Also more artwork is going to be in a movie called "The Shed" coming out of the UK this summer I hope.

On the positive side, I have been making some money freelancing. QMx, an online store that sells Licensed Merchandise from Star Trek, Serenity, BSG, etc etc etc has used quite a few of my artworks in their merchandise, making me very happy and excited about seeing my artwork in conjunction with my favorite shows. I have also had 2 of my nebula used for Book covers. Other things too. So my aim for the next while is to try and promote my artwork more as a freelancer. If anyone wants to use my artwork commercially please contact me via e-mail at myalicat@comcast.net . I am more likely to see the request via e-mail.

Thanks again for everything.

Ali

KIRIBAN: 100 Blogviews and win a commission by gifted2333

Fri, 13 May 2011 13:52:00 EST

be the first to catch the 100th blogview and win a commission of a digital photo-manip. just name the artwork and i will convey that message in the piece

Osama Bin Laden – an interview by mark ulyseas by markulyseas

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:45:54 EST

This interview was conducted in the third quarter of 2010 in Afghanistan, at a place which is a six-hour drive from Kabul airport. Many details have been omitted to safe guard those that were instrumental in setting up this interview with Osama Bin Laden. I was instructed to upload parts of the interview onto my blog sites after I had received instructions from Kabul.

The telephone call brought news from Sharif in Kabul.

As-Salmu `Alaykum bhai jaan.

Wa `alaykum s-salm, who is this?

Sharifbhai, you wrote to me that you want to visit Afghanistan, why?

Oh, I want to do a series of articles on Afghan cuisine, is this possible.

Hahahayes, very possiblebut I will suggest other interesting subject

What should I do?

I will contact our embassy in Delhi. You go there after three days, brother, with your passport. All will be arranged, wa `alaykumu s-salmu wa rahmatu l-lhi wa baraktuh.

Ten days later I arrived in Kabul with a carry bag containing some clothes, a small camera and notepads. Sharif was adamant I didnt bring a laptop.

As soon as I exited the airport two Pashtus approached and bundled me into a jeep with curtains and drove me away. Some minutes into the drive one of them tied my hands and the other put a black cloth over my head. Then they pushed me to the floor of the vehicle. No one spoke.

The smell of mobile oil and exhaust was overwhelming. I cried out to my companions, one of whom bent down and in a gruff voice told me that if I wanted to do the interview I had to comply with the conditions.

What conditions? What interview? With whom? Had Sharif sold me out to theTaliban?

The drive lasted, I think, around six hours. When the vehicle finally stopped my captors led me up some stairs and sat me down on a mat. When they removed my blindfold and untied my hands I noticed we were in a room. The walls were bare. In one corner was a bed on which rested a man with a turban and white flowing beard. The single tungsten bulb shed a warm light while the air smelt of antiseptic and sweat.

A cat sat in the green doorway looking at me. I could hear a baby crying.

Just then a man in army issue trousers but no shirt was dragged in. His body was badly bruised. Skin appeared to have been peeled off by some sharp instrument. I couldnt see his eyes for they were blood soaked. The fingers on his right hand had been crudely chopped off.

The old man rose slowly from his bed, coughed and looked at me. It was then that I realised I was face to face with the most wanted man on the planet. I was terrified. Sharif had set me up.

This man, he said pointing to the captive, came to one of the villages with his friends in the night. They shot Islam who was sleeping next to his wife. These are animals. Take him out, cut his throat and send his head as a message to those foreign troops, he said in a quiet voice and started coughing again.

The man was dragged out and a burka clad woman entered with a cloth to wipe the blood off the floor, while another entered carrying two steel mugs of water. One was handed to me. The water smelt strangely of roses and tasted a bit salty. The second was placed on a low table next to the bed.

Osama stood looking at me while playing with his prayer beads. His eyes were bright like a predator sensing his prey.

They think we are fighting for the Muslims. They are wrong. This about a new world order. For too long the USA and its friends have ruled with their foolish policies. Look at the Arab countries that do business with the West. They shall all face their own people next year (2011). What we have put in place will soon bear fruit. One by one these Arab leaders that call themselves Muslim will fall.

I replied,Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Libya, Syria and even Qatar appear to have strong leaders. How can their people rise up against them? Do you think this can be changed by your people?

Osama smiled, reached for the cup of water on the table, took a sip and flung it on the floor. The guard sitting behind me hit me on my shoulder with the butt of his gun. The pain was unbearable as I fell to the side.

You are an idiot. I made a mistake by listening to Sharif. I should hand you over to my men. Do you know what is happening in the streets in these countries you talk about? How the common people survive? And these rulers call themselves Muslim? Islam is about brotherhood. All is one and one is all. But thats not the case right now. Let me tell you, he said pointing his finger at me, the first to fall will be Egypt. Mubarak is a thief. He will be shot. And if the Army doesnt do it, we will. And Syria? Assad thinks his country is his family business. He too shall pay.

Understand one thing, Islam is our religion it is not our political agenda. In fact Iran has sent agents to discuss future arrangements. But how can we trust them? Look at their people, they want western democracy.

Why is violence necessary to bring about a new world order? Isnt there any other way that it can be done? I asked hesitantly keeping my eyes on the floor mat, too afraid to look into osamas eyes.

Do you think Gandhi could practice non-violent methods against these people today? Tell me? These governments only understand violence. When they are threatened with violence they listen. Our people have done good work and our message is loud and clear. Yes I would prefer to discuss matters but how can this happen when our Holy Land is ruled by a regime loyal to the Westbut this will not happenso violence is the only path to creating a new world order. We had begun our jihad in Pakistan. We own Pakistan. No one can change this. Afghanistan will be liberated in 2011. And when this is done a message will be sent to the West. When they receive it they will know that a new world order has come and they will have to talk to us not with bombs and guns but with folded hands.

Will Al Qaeda be the control center? I said in a low voice.

Al Qaeda is not an army. It is a political party with an agenda to create the new order through a program of networks of groups that usually work independently. We have no direct control over what they do but we supply the arms and finance their operations. And like a bank we call in our loans, sometimes when our people get too undisciplined. We too have our honor. You remember Daniel Pearl. I personally gave instructions not to kill him because we will lose sympathy with the left-wing media. Yet Omar disobeyed me and killed him. So we had him betrayed to the West.

You have mentioned a new world order. What will this order be?

Not now, at a later stage I will send for you. We will talk again. I am tired. He replied in a rasping voice, then lay on the bed and turned his face to the wall.

The guard behind me pushed me to stand up and then blindfolded me, tied my hands and led me to a vehicle waiting outside. On the drive back I kept thinking of the beheaded prison, the curious smell of antiseptic that pervaded the room and Osamas eyes. Was his vision of a new world order a myth, a dream or a violent reality in the making?

I suppose we will have to wait for 2011 for the answer.

Filed under: Osama Bin Laden interview by mark ulyseas Tagged: Activism, Afghanistan, As-Salmu `Alaykum bhai jaan, asia travel writer, Assad, Bahrain, Culture, Daniel Pearl, Democracy, Egypt, http://www.liveencounters.net, Iran, Islam, jihad, Jordan, Journalism, Kabul Taliban, Libya, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, Muslim, orson Wells, Osama Bin Laden interview by Mark Ulyseas, Pakistan, Pashtus, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sharif, Syria, torture, travel writer, USA, wa `alaykumu s-salmu wa rahmatu l-lhi wa baraktuh, War of the Worlds, West, writing

Hindu Swastika confused with Nazi Swastika! by markulyseas

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 03:35:24 EST

A few days ago,Michael Wigge of a major German TV Station knocked on my door to enquire about the Hindu Swastika painted above the entrance of my home. He was appalled by what he mistakenly assumed to be the Nazi symbol. I promised him that I would write a short explanation on the Swastika and how Hitler misused and distorted it for evil purposes.

So, Michael Wigge, here is a note which should clear your misconception. Also, I write this on behalf of over 700 million Hindus. Please pass it on to others.

The Hindu Swastika (Indus Valley Civilization and earlier)

The word Swastika came from the Sanskrit word Svastika, meaning lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to signify good luck. It is composed of su meaning good, well and asti to be svasti. The ka is probably added to intensify the meaning. Literally translated it means that which is associated with well being. The shape represents a monogram formed by interlacing of the letters of the auspicious words su-asti written in Brahmi.

It is one of the 108 symbols of Lord Vishnu (of the Hindu Trinity Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva), which resembles the rays of the sun and the four directions North, South, East, West. This auspicious symbol is used in all Hindu Yantras, religious ceremonies etc.

Some historical facts

- The Swastika is used in Buddhism and Jainism. In fact, the Buddhist Tibetan Swastika (anti-clockwise) (which originated from India) is known was known in ancient Tibet as a yung drung a graphic representation of eternity.

- Native America Swastika motifs on objects have been found in excavations of Mississippian-era sites in the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys. It was used as a motif by the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (S.E.C.C.). And Southwestern Tribes like the Navajo. The Swastika was a symbol for a whirling log, a sacred image representing a legend that was used in healing rituals. On learning of the Nazi association the Navajos discontinued use of the Swastika. A brightly colored First Nations saddles featuring the Swastika is on display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Canada.

- China Tang Dynasty, Empress Wu Zetian decreed that the Swastika be used as an alternative symbol of the sun.

- Japan Coat of arms of the Tsugaru Clan, Hachisuka Clan and many others. On Japanese maps a Swastika (anti-clockwise) is used to mark the location of a Buddhist temple. In Chinese and Japanese art the Swastika is used as a patter.

- Bronze Age Europe, the sun cross appears frequently. Swastika shapes have been found on numerous artifacts from Iron Age Europe Greco-Roman, ILLyrian, Etruscan, Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Georgian Bordjgali, Slavic. This prehistoric use is reflected in the appearance of the symbol in various folk cultures of Europe.

So why did Hitler distort the sacred Hindu Swastika and use it for the most hated Nazi symbol that became the scourge of the world?

According to the Nordicist version of the Aryan Invasion Theory, the Nazis claimed that the early Aryans of India, from whose Vedic tradition the Swastika sprang, were the archetypal white invaders. The concept of racial purity was an ideology central to Nazism. Thus the Nazis saw fit to co-opt the Swastika as a symbol of the Aryan Master race.

Message for all Readers

In this world where religions collide everyday; and people become puppets in the hands of politicians and religious leaders; and violence is the rule rather than the exception, it is crucial that knowledge is shared freely to clear misconceptions and to create bridges between peoples of all color, race and religion.

Michael Wigges confusion is a classic case of misinformation. It is sad that this can still happen even after more than 60 years since the end of the genocide and devastation of World War II. We have still to share our knowledge!

I leave you with the words of the Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up

into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason

has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

Filed under: Hindu Swastika confused with Nazi Swastika! Tagged: asia travel writer, Baltic, Brahma, Brahmi, Buddhist Tibetan Swastika, Celtic, Culture, Empress Wu Zetian, Etruscan, Georgian Bordjgali, German TV Station, Germanic, Greco-Roman, Hindu Swastika, Hindu Swastika confused with Nazi Swastika!, Hinduism, ILLyrian, Journalism, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, Michael Wigge, Navajo, Nazi symbol., Nobel Laureate, paradox in paradise, Rabindranath Tagore, religion, Shiva, Slavic, Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, Svastika, Tang Dynasty, travel writer, Vishnu, World War Two genocide, writing

Jews in Israel – Natalie Wood speaks from Galilee by markulyseas

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 02:09:10 EST

This is Part One in a series of interviews with a cross section of Jews living in Israel. It is an attempt to break through the barrier of disinformation, misinformation and putrefying incestuous politics of the Middle East. This is dedicated to some fine young people I met, last year, on Havelock island Aharon, Gelad, Sarah, Hargal, Doris and Omer.

Natalie Wood, Galilee

Shukreya Natalie for agreeing to this interview. Your candid answers are informative and refreshingly truthful.

(The rules of engagement are simple. Eight questions are presented and these have to be answered in writing. The answers are NOT edited).

Why is antisemitism taboo in the West, whereas anti- Muslim or anti-Christian appear to be acceptable, generally speaking?

You must be joking! Antisemitism is alive, well and bites you on the cheek!

For a short time after World War 2 in Britain it was considered well mannered to be nice to the Jews. The community had acculturated without losing its identity and had already done much to make its mark in society. However when I was child in the 50s and early 60s, it was thought correct to be a Jew at home and an English person elsewhere. There may have been a sense of the friendliness being superficial and this has been proven many times since the 1967 Six Day War when opinion formers like The Guardian newspaper overturned a previously ardent pro-Israel policy in favour of the Arab world.

The same story has been repeated elsewhere in Europe and in the United States despite its massive Jewish population. Even in Germany where Nazism and antisemitism are officially outlawed there continue to be dozens of examples of the vilest anti-Jewish behaviour.

I dont believe there is real anti-Christian sentiment, except among radical Islamists who hate everyone who does not follow their form of Sharia Law. Many people in the west appear vaguely apathetic to Christianity whereas their loathing of Islam is generated largely by radical Islamistss gross behaviour. This has grown increasingly with the constant and increasing spate of terror attacks worldwide since 2001. Until recently I accepted the view that the situation would be corrected only by a modern version of the Medieval Battle of Tours but seeing whats happening within the Arab world even as I write, I believe the Arabs exquisitely wrought house of cards will eventually implode. The genie, all differences considered, is well and truly out of the bottle!

Do you think that outsiders confuse the Jews with the politics of the State of Israel? And why so?

Of course outsiders confuse Jews with the politics of State of Israel. It is natural that they should do so. It was established as the Jewish state and offers a near-total Right of Return to all Jews wishing to live here. If I were a disinterested non-biased non-Jew reviewing the situation I suspect I would also confuse the two.

It has been said that Jews are Gods chosen people, please clarify.

I could reply with a smart Jewish joke but under the circumstances Ill treat the question with the serious respect it deserves! Rabbis and Jewish scholars explain that we were not chosen by the Almighty but that we elected to follow the teachings of His Torah (the body of Jewish sacred writings and tradition including the oral tradition); to become a Kingdom of Priests, holy and separate from other peoples and to be a light unto the nations. Too often we fall sadly short of this ideal.

Is Israel the sole democratic State in the Middle East? (Please expand on percentage of different faiths in the state as well as freedom of speech, civil rights etc. in Israel).

Even before I check the facts I insist that Israel is still the sole truly democratic state in the M.E. albeit sorely flawed. Until the recent flood of local revolutions, despots and villains ran the regimes on and near Israels borders without fear of reckoning or redress unless they were overthrown by equally unpleasant personalities. I am unsure whether any current regime changes will alter the situation as I fear that the radical Islamist Muslim Brotherhood will rush to fill the various vacuums.

In Israel there continue to be risibly awful instances of corruption and worse even among its highest officers of state but most of them are apprehended and punished. This is true democracy in action. This same energy is shown by the happy existence of many extreme left-wingers fighting for civil rights and conversely by the racism espoused by others on the right.

According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the population in 2008 was 75.4% Jewish, 20.6% Arab, and 4% minority groups. The religious affiliation of the Israeli population as of 2005 was 76.2% Jewish, 16.1% Muslim, 2.1% Christian, and 1.6% Druze, with the remaining 4.0% not classified by religion.

There are gaps in Civil Rights, largely because the Orthodox rabbinate holds so much influence but organisations like the Progressive Israel Religious Action Centre campaign for social justice and have won many battles both for individuals and groups.

Further, Israel permits entry to thousands of non-Jewish refugees and is the only country in the area where there is full freedom for gays, bisexuals and trans-genders.

Does a Class System prevail in Jewish Society? For instance are Yiddish speaking Poles lesser then those that speak Hebrew? And is there a preference for Ashkenazis over Jews from Yemen or Iraq?

Do you mean Jewish or Israeli society? If you mean both, the short answer must be that the class system prevails in Israel just as it does in Jewish society, despite any contrary protests.

Jewish people and their Arab neighbours prize knowledge as much as material success. I was surprised to learn recently for example, that a modern Bedouin sheik now values a womans scholarship and much as a traditional dowry.

But while many of the traditional prejudices like those you cite are fading, others are taking their place. Israel, a society under semi-permanent siege, can be both harsh and driven. People work long hours for low wages while food and goods are often ridiculously expensive.

A fellow immigrant has observed that in employment-terms, there are many layers with native Israelis at the top. Surprisingly, it is often new Jewish immigrants not Arabs who are at the bottom and the theory is that they must wait their turn to be accepted in order to gain work. Certainly immigrants are often dismissed erroneously as fools. This is due to problems of communication and acculturation.

How do Israeli Jews who are multinational and multicultural in nature blend into a cohesive force? For example, an Indian Jewish family as compared to a family from Russia?

This may be your most important question. I am only six years younger than the State of Israel and while my family was never actively Zionist, its existence was burned into my brain from earliest childhood. Indeed that my maternal great-grandfather made a failed attempt to settle in Palestine from England during the 1930s is part of family lore.

Nonetheless I feel quite different from, if most respectful towards those immigrants from other countries. But Israeli society is beginning to cohere slowly but strongly. This will happen more swiftly as people from separate backgrounds marry and also as the Hebrew language continues to develop. Even now, less than a century since his death, I am sure that Eliezer Ben-Yehuda would find it hard to recognise the pure Hebrew he pioneered as a modern language. I think it will take at least another 60 years for Israel to cohere in full and I must reflect most sadly that several more wars will help to solidify that congruity.

Are there any cultural exchanges between Israel and the Arab world? Do you feel people to people cultural exchanges can bring about a change in the mindset of your neighbours?

Mark, that is an absolutely wonderful idea! But first, we have to persuade too many of our Arab neighbours that Jews are neither dhimmi (second class) nor animals to be loathed and slaughtered. I am delighted to have made personal friends with a couple from an Arab village next to Karmiel and also to have been acquainted with a non-Jewish European who has married a local Arab. It is from such personal contacts that wider understanding grows.

I maintain that writing in broad strokes Jews and Arabs have far more in common than either of us do with our gentile counterparts. There are the life-cycle customs like circumcision, swift burials and the similarities between the kosher and halal dietary laws. Both traditions have a form of religious marriage contract and there are many Middle Eastern delicacies we both enjoy

Lastly, do women have equal rights in socio-economic and religious spheres of your society?

I have a feeling this will be a bone of contention long after the Arab-Israel conflict is healed! Israel is a M.E. society and therefore still most patriarchal. While Israeli law prohibits discrimination, (Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law, 1988 ) too many men, Jewish or not, still see women as adjuncts, despite all the women who have reached the top in Israeli society. Perhaps this is why a man like the cashiered former President Moshe Katsav thought most naively that he would escape justice for his crimes of rape, sexual assault and other sexual abuse.

As yet women do not have full rights across the board as they are known in the west, both in the workplace where the battle for complete equal rights and equal pay continues, nor religiously, where they are treated as inferiors no matter how much Orthodox women may deny this.

I belong to a Masorti congregation whose religious customs are Orthodox but which is run on egalitarian principles. This means that women take a full part in synagogue life, helping to lead services and serving also on management committee. Indeed a woman recently became the congregations chairman.

Natalie Wood was born in Birmingham, England, U.K. and began working in journalism a month prior to the outbreak of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. She continued in regional Jewish journalism for more than 20 years and left full time writing to assist her husband open a bargain books business. Later she launched WoodPerfect, offering a full range of home based virtual office services. A year ago, Natalie emigrated from Manchester to Israel where she works from her home in Karmiel, Galilee.

She can be contacted on any of her following blogs :
http://www.alwayswriteagain.blogspot.com
http://www.perfectlywriteasrain.blogspot.com
http://www.perfectlywriteingodsvineyard.blogspot.com
http://my.telegraph.co.uk/perfectlywriteinisrael/

Filed under: Jews in Israel - Natalie Wood speaks from Galilee Tagged: 1967 Six Day War, 1988, acculturated, Aharon, Arab, Ashkenazi, asia travel writer, Battle of Tours, Birmingham, bisexuals, Britain, Christian, Culture, dhimmi, Doris, Druze, Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law, England, gays, Gelad, Hargal, http://my.telegraph.co.uk/perfectlywriteinisrael/, http://www.alwayswriteagain.blogspot.com, http://www.masorti.org/, http://www.perfectlywriteasrain.blogspot.com, http://www.perfectlywriteingodsvineyard.blogspot.com, Indian Jews, IRAC, Iraq, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Jews in Israel - Natalie Wood speaks from Galilee, Journalism, Judaism, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, Masorti, middle east, Moshe Katsav, Muslim, Muslim Brotherhood, Nazism and antisemitism, non-Jewish refugees, Omer, Orthodox rabbinate, Progressive Israel Religious Action Centre, religion, Russian Jews, Sarah, State of Israel, The Guardian, trans-genders, Ubud, UK, World War 2, writing, Yemen, Yiddish, Zionist

Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden? And then the USA? by markulyseas

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:39:19 EST

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/2/24/1298544014528/Julian-Assange-007.jpg

So what happens now?

How long will it take to get Julian Assange to Sweden?

And how long will it take for the USA to get him to Guantanamo?

Legalities, Laws, accusations, Mis-information has been the order of the day.

With the Middle East burning would it be prudent for the USA to push this case through vindictiveness?

Will it backfire and bring more ridicule on governments of UK, Sweden and USA?

And where will Australia, the home country of Assange, fit into the grotesque picture of international skullduggery?

Maybe it is time to call off the dogs.

Maybe it is time that the USA puts its own house in order.

Maybe it is time to take a roll call of all those that stand for Freedom of Speech.

Maybe it is time the USA is seen as the bastion of the First Amendment.

God Bless all those that seek to bring peace to this world, which is presently being torn asunder by petty politics, rampaging rancid religious retards and mindless military machinations.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

Filed under: Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden? Tagged: asia travel writer, Civil rights, Culture, First Amendment, free speech, Guantanamo, guardian.co.uk, http://www.liveencounters.net, human rights, Journalism, Julian Assange to be extradited to Sweden?, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, middle east, nytimes wikileaks, Sweden rape charges, travel writer, UK Julian, USA Assange, writing

Best Wishes by romankrimker

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 06:34:36 EST

Roman Krimker, artist and philosopher from Israel, wishes Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the whole Christian world!

The Devil’s Advocate for President Obama by markulyseas

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:43:15 EST

I am the Devils Advocate for President Obama.

2010 has been a year of humiliation with the Republicans thrashing his party at the hustings and other incidentals like security leaks that have trickled into a raging stream of column space, a media blitzkrieg; The ongoing revelations igniting hatred and warped nationalism that continues to mingle with the debris of happenings of yesteryear, rewriting chapters of history that were assumed to be sacrosanct. And as torrents of data keep spewing out into the world-wide web contaminating the rarefied atmosphere of movers and shakers the recriminations begin to surface like piranhas snapping at prey.

Amidst this mayhem stands a Black man, a president of a country that refuses to accept the daunting reality that it is palpably on the verge of becoming a second class nation. It was barely a few years ago that Obamas election impregnated the nation with hope for a better future. His detractors across the globe grudgingly acknowledged his presence. Citizens believed that this Black man was a shaman with a magic wand who could cure all ills by merely waving away the past Terms of his predecessor and its devastating effect on the countrys socio-economic- political infrastructure, where religion lurks menacingly in the cracks and crevices of a suspicious society.

The new broom swept despondency away, only to have it blown back by disillusionment by a people with a short memory and a penchant for quick fixes. A people living a dreama day dream.

So who is this man, a Black who usurped a whites only prerogative?

Is he really a Black man with a White heart, as some have quipped?

Or is he the great Black Hope for a White America?

His Party thought him a safe bet to win the election and he did. The Blacks perceived him as the great Black Hope, giving them a sense of exclusivity. And the rest of the world, in parts, imagined that Obama would redraw the profile of a nation that had assumed the unsolicited and self-righteous role of an international gendarme with its unilateral diplomatic and military actions.

All this didnt fructify as envisaged.

Admittedly he didnt deserve the Nobel Peace Prize. And the acceptance speech justifying war as a means to an end one of peace was unpalatable for many who were aware of the fact that Obama is a self professed admirer of Mahatma Gandhi and his belief in Ahimsa (non-violence). It is also an accepted fact that platitudes and conciliatory overtures do not win wars or enemies in this age of deep-rooted septic religious fundamentalism.

My client has become a prisoner of his own party and people. The belief that there is no such thing as a Free Lunch is apparent Obama being coerced into approving sweet tax cuts for the Haves while making the average American sweat for the basics. Joblessness is the order of the day. And young soldiers continue to die on a foreign battlefield fighting for an alien cause.

Obama is a self made man who is attempting to make a sea change but is being held prisoner by the very system that installed him in the whitehouse all pervasive influence of Corporations and their sidekicks, politicians.

Some compare him to JFK and the Vietnam fiasco. But this is not so for he is an adroit funambulist who reckons that humanity is basically good and that with statemanship and negotiation situations can be controlled and improved upon. He believes in an America that is morally solvent, a country that can rise pheonix like from the ashes of past deeds and coexist harmoniously with the rest of the world. But the wolves around hold him responsible for the inheritance of bad faith and the effects of a consumer society run amuck. They pinion his beliefs and attempted acts of goodwill to that which is going horribly wrong whilst conveniently overlooking reality that all this and more has been paased down to his presidency.

The masters of spin have successfully interpreted events to entrap Obama with a history he has played no part in.

History will absolve him.

In the meantime, I have advised my client to stay on the path of acceptance, forgiveness and understanding even when new revelations hit the newstands depicting the lies of truth. For without truth how can we discern a lie?

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

Filed under: The Devils Advocate for President Obama Tagged: 2010, 2011, asia travel writer, democracts, Devils' Advocate, http://www.liveencounters.net, Journalism, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, mayhem, paradox in paradise, President Obama, republicans, telegraph, travel writer, USA, War, Wikileaks, writing

In defense of Julian Assange by markulyseas

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 01:02:35 EST

http://www.pisqa.com/11/the-founder-of-wikileaks

What is the truth behind the leaks?
Why does Julian Assange do what he does?
Who is responsible for the leaks and what will be the repercussions?
Is this manifestation of the Ego, self-destruction or colon cleansing of society?

I suppose history always decides this in hindsight but in the meantime let us speak in defense of Julian Assange, a knight out of Camelot, seeking the right to expose the truth thereby endangering his life for the sake of cyberspace freedom.

The publication of embassy cables, secret communication between politicians and government officials across the globe has come as a ray of hope for those who seek the truth in world affairs. Interestingly, it has impacted individual pride, exposed skewered government directives, and enlightened all to the prevalent political septicemia e.g. politicians appearing in the media saying one thing while missives to their respective governments reflecting the opposite. The mask is off. The pantomime has become a parody of puerile political shenanigans.

Julian Assange is not a criminal though he has been a wayward computer hacker in the past. This should not be held against him or used as an excuse to brand him a spy, traitor or a thief. For want of a better word he is the sorcerer of revelations unfettered by social structures and conditioned perspectives of a modern society. Assange is the new age gladiator fighting against overwhelming odds; his sword being Wikileaks that delivers the message of truth in the macrocosm of the internet. He probably knows he is a dead man walking.

Those against this knight who cannot refute the damning evidence seek to discredit him by attempting to incarcerate this harbinger of truth on charges that have no bearing in the realm of exposures; And through his prosecution hope to enforce the laws of an alien land. Many hyper ventilating citizens of this alien land have shouted for his assassination and have suggested unspeakable retribution. This attempt at enforcing world domination is thinly disguised as concern for national security. Sadly, it emanates from a land that is often perceived as the personification of Freedom and the First Amendment.

Humanity has spoken in a devastating manner to deliver the message that a new world is dawning and it is for the people, by the people and with the people. We are witnessing a revolution in the ongoing evolution of cyberspace and individual freedom. The frontiers of Free Speech are pushing further towards a brave new world that could lead to a Village Earth i.e. humanity as one, living in peace, without the unnatural warped boundaries of countries and heady political concoctions.

But before this can happen, we are all on trial and the outcome depends on the acquittal of Julian Assange.

Please let truth prevail.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

Filed under: In defense of Julian Assange Tagged: asia travel writer, Australian citizen, Australian Hacker, colon cleansing, First Amendment, Freedom of speech, guardian.co.uk, hacker, In defense of Julian Assange, internet freedom, Journalism, Julian Assange rape charges, Life in danger, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, pisqa.com, Press freedom, secret files, septicemia, telegraph.co.uk, travel writer, Wikileaks, writing

Trans Fugutive from dA by Melanthios

Thu, 4 Nov 2010 05:40:56 EST

I'm here from dA after they pulled some seriously transphobic bullshit. I haven't updated my art in a while, cos I haven't been drawing. I might start doing more drawing in the future, it goes in cycles. I'm more a writer than any other kind of artist, though.

Update! Facebook, Calendar, Collaboration by Surrealizer

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:33:36 EST

I created my own Facebook page. Im a total facebook noob so please forgive me for that And yes I will update it soon.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sander-Jansen-Art/167674546576049

In the meanwhile Im busy with putting a new 2011 Calender together existing of drawings from the last year. So I have to rescan some and take some decisions on that part. Although I only sold 2 Calenders of Perfection in Chaos last year to friends Im still driven to put effort in a new one hoping to break the record of 2

The print quality of the last calendar was amazing which was created by Redbubble. When the new one is ready I will annoy you with a new journal

And Im working on my first collaboration which will be with the great artist Deborah Valentine http://a-neon-devil-breath.deviantart.com/

Thanks for reading this journal! I dont like promoting myself and rather create stuff but I guess its sometimes necessary.

http://www.sanderjansen.net

FREE Erwin Arnada ex-Editor of Playboy, Indonesia by markulyseas

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:03:16 EST

Free Erwin Arnada !

To the Honourable Justices
Supreme Court of Indonesia

Your Honours,

I respectfully present my unsolicited objections to the conviction of Erwin Arnada, ex editor of Playboy Indonesia. Your judgment incarcerating him for two years for the crime of publishing photographs of scantily clad women in the edition of Playboy Indonesia is an aberration of justice. Sadly the honourable court has succumbed to the power of warped religious hardliners and interpreted the Law of the Land selectively to appease those who seek to drag the modern state of Indonesia back to the medieval age.

Erwin Arnada did not commit a crime that many other glossies havent donedepict women in little or nothing. Walk down some streets of Jakarta and you can buy publications that are smutty and blatantly sexualone well known publication had even printed detailed illustrations of sexual positions. Further, if Erwin is guilty of printing indecent photographs then you would have to jail most of the people in Bali. Why just those from Jakarta? Is it because the hardliners cannot influence the Balinese?

Your Honours, I present my defense of Erwin Arnada, a victim of blinkered justice.

It is evident that the Pornography Law has been applied. If this is so then most glossies, advertisements, massage parlours and tourists on the beaches of Bali would also have to be jailed.

The independent judiciary has been subject to influence by hardliners who have become the self appointed guardians of morality. They (hardliners) have subverted justice by claiming that the icon of American culture, Playboy, was harmful to the morals of the Muslim population of Indonesia. This is pathetic and downright absurd. One has only to view the glossies in Bali, the TV programs and more to know that the hardliners objections have no Locus Standi.

Erwins version of Playboy was not immoral nor was it XXX.

Indonesia has struggled to shrug off its Dark and turbulent Past and has emerged as a vibrant, modern and progressive State a Republic that has the largest Muslim population in the world under the dynamic leadership of President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. This is a miracle. Unfortunately, your ruling has given the impression that Muslim hardliners control Indonesia and that their diktat rules supreme in Java but thankfully not in Bali!

If Erwin had been Balinese and had published Playboy from Bali, I wonder what the hardliners would have done.

In Bali, old black and white photographs of topless Balinese women are sold. One can purchase coffee table art books with these pictures taken many decades taken ago; Beautiful, haunting and reflective of a vibrant ethos. My question is Do we convict the photographers, sellers, publishers and seize all this material? Why not? If we can convict Erwin Arnada for the crime of showing scantily clad females then the aforementioned offenders should be given life sentences as per the views of the lobotomized hardliners.

For me and many other friends of Indonesia this is truly a sad day when we have to witness justice dispensed selectively. It is a message to the world that the Republic of Indonesia is under threat from hardliners where free speech is subject to their interpretation and that freethinkers in Indonesia now live under this Sword of Damocles.

On the eve of the visit of The President of the United States of America, His Excellency Barack Hussein Obama II, to Indonesia, this judgment will most likely give the world the impression that the country is slipping back into the Dark Ages. And who do we blame for this?

On behalf of the freethinkers in Indonesia and elsewhere I appeal to your true sense of justice - FREE Erwin Arnada ex-Editor of Playboy, Indonesia And show the world that Indonesia has an independent and liberal judiciary.

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om

Filed under: FREE Erwin Arnada ex-Editor of Playboy Indonesia Tagged: art, asia travel writer, Bali, Culture, FREE Erwin Arnada ex-Editor of Playboy Indonesia, free speech, free thinkers, friends of indonesia, Hardliners in Indonesia, Hinduism, http://www.liveencounters.net, indonesia, Inonesian Media, jihad, Journalism, marculyseas, mark ulyseas, muslim fundamentalists, paradox in paradise, pornography law, President Barack Hussein Obama II, President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, religion, USA, writing

Yo have got a new comment baby e3e by Nairu-Chan

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:45:01 EST

Yay, got mai first userpage comment 4 hours ago!!Why im writin about it?I dont knu, but im very happy.On sites like this, im hopeless about comments.I never get comments, especially at my membership's 2nd dai!!!

SPECIAL THANKS TO CHIBI-SAN!GO AND VISIT HER PAGE! <----- lol advertising her

My Articles by timsmth95

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:28:04 EST

Hi!I'm exited to be part of this forum.I regularly update my articles regarding my interests,opinions and other facts in the internet.Come! Brows,read it and be knowledgeable.

woah by SociopathicDesigns

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 00:26:35 EST

amadeus here with a special update on me

blah

have been getting lazy with the art, low economy = less commissions = less $ for art supplies and food

ah but the life of a starving artist has its own rewards

on new medicine! dont hear them as much, but theyre still around lurking in the shadows of my maybe empty skull. brains dont exist btw.

patched things up w my gf!

oh

we went thru some shit

but now its better

$500 away from new apartment! yeahyeahyeah!!!

thats kinda it.

drop a comment or even a txt sometime fools 6365443719 accepting cheap commissions for all

this is amadeus signing off, saying u stay round planet earth.

SLASHTHREE XII by edlo

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:58:15 EST

Exerpt from S3 PAGE:

Thick, billowing smoke fills the midnight sky as the thunderous roar of pistons moving in unison resonates across the countryside. The deeply piercing whistle of the engine's horn announces its highly anticipated arrival. Ladies and gentlemen, all aboard slashTHREE's Steampunk, the collective's 12th exhibition. Enjoy the ride!

As we celebrate yet another release, we would like to take this time to congratulate Neil Hanvey (neil_akoga) on being this pack's featured artist. He has submitted several spectacular pieces showcasing his unique illustration style. Be sure to visit the release page and read the interview between Neil and Saad Moosajee with this extremely talented artist.

We just can't thank everyone enough for sticking with slashTHREE over its life span, you've largely contributed to the success of our projects! Thanks a lot!

See the art!!

Mail Art Project!!! by super-aska

Sun, 8 Nov 2009 05:09:34 EST

I am an artist working on a MASSIVE artwork which involves the post office and YOUR participation.

If you want to let me know your postal address or a PO Box, I can send you a very special, Aska-made postcard, straight from Australia!!!

(You can email it to: aska.doll AT gmail DOT com)

And if you might know someone who's interested, let them know!

There is also a Facebook group : Mail Art Project

Thanks heaps! You rock!