Monday, April 30, 2007

Life in the Green Zone

Green zone Checkpoint
Green Zone Checkpoint

The 'Green Zone' or the 'Emerald City' is the moniker for the heavily fortified 4 sq.mile area in Central Baghdad wherein sat the erstwhile Republican Palace of Saddam Hussein. It is home to the American and British Embassies,many members of the Iraqi Government,the Coalition Forces, Civilian and military contractors and many original inhabitants of the place and some homeless Iraqis.It is completely surrounded by high concrete blast walls and barbed wires.

US Embassy in the Green Zone
US Embassy in the Green Zone

Inside the Green Zone is the Baghdad Country Club which rocks the most on a saturday night. It is the place to go for your spirits, Cuban cigars and beef. The liquor store nearby, aptly named, the Winery, is doing such booming business that during Ramadan,the roof began to bow inward with the weight of the beer cases! All this in the world's most dangerous city.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Catholicism on the decline in Europe

With the advent of reason and education, Europe is becoming increasingly aware of the ills of the Catholic religion and the authority of the Papal See. However, the Evangelicals are making sure that it is well and thriving in third world and developing countries where the converts are mostly illiterate and poor and easily swayed by the monetary and so-called beyond life benefits spouted out by the men of collar.
Check out this interesting article

The Wall of Adhamiya !!!

The U.S Army is building a 3 mile long wall in the Sunni district of Adhamiya in Baghdad. The construction has been stalled after public protests and Prime Minister Nouri-Al-Maliki's call for its ceasing. Watch what Jon has to say about it!



Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Friday, the Islamic rest day

Friday,according to the Moslems is a day of rest. However, traditionally, Friday was a day of congregating for prayer, not a day of rest! The whole idea of Friday as Sabbath is alien to the vehemently monotheistic spirit of Islam, bringing into play the notion of God needing a day of rest. The Quran instructs Moslems to "leave off business" only while praying; once finished, they should "disperse through the land and seek God's bounty"- in other words,engage in commerce. In the olden days, Moslems were discouraged to take Fridays off and were asked to work, save only for interruptions during prayer and community service.
In modern times, by keeping Friday as a day of rest, Muslim States are mirroring the Judeo-Christian practices by adopting the weekly day of rest. Jews observe Saturday as their Shabbat and the Christians and by association, the European calendar, denotes Sunday as a rest day.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Kate Middleton Lookalikes

The lookalike industry is certainly a lucrative one. But with the Prince William-Kate Middleton romance going the splitsville way, the Kate Middleton lookalikes are out of their paying jobs. Check out the broken hearts

Monday, April 16, 2007

Who needs animals ?

Factory grown meat will soon become a reality and storm our delis. Scientists are growing lab meat using pig stem cells. It takes just two weeks to turn pig stem cells into muscle fiber. This designer meat unlike genetically modified animal meat would be free from hormones, antibiotics and the threat of mad cow disease, bird flu,and the like. To give it a better taste and make it healthier, omega3 fatty acids, vitamins and flavourings would be blasted into the meat. No surprise if visually appealing color too is added!

Friday, April 13, 2007

Popeye the Sailor: I Don't Scare

Friday the 13th is here! See popeye in action!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

New York International Automobile Show




The New York International Automobile Show is on. The hottest new SUV is definitely the Lexus LX570 possessing such cool new features as Intuitive Park Assist, first-in-its-class Pre-Collision System with Adaptive Cruise Control, new blind corner monitor not available on any other SUV.
Check out more at this!

Monday, April 9, 2007

Toxic diesel fumes

Did you know that diesel fumes can be extremely damaging to our health? The particles in it are coated with toxic chemicals increasing the incidence of lung cancer risks. The US EPA (Environment Protection Agency) has also accepted diesel particles as carcinogens.
Going by particulate emissions, the carcinogenic effect of one diesel car is equal to two dozen petrol cars. Need we say more?

“Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army”

Most of us have not heard of this and would be absolutely astounded about its existence. This path-breaking book tells us about the rise of a powerful mercenary brand of private contractors. Read about the interview with Jeremy Scahill, the author of the controversial book.
http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20070330_jeremy_scahill_on_soldiers_of_fortune/