KEMASKINI:
Sms diterima memaklumkan:
“Kpd Semua PEJUANG2 UMNO – Jemaah Prihatin Rakyat Kelantan akan mengadakan Perhimpunan Penyerahan Memorandum Bantahan kepada Nik Aziz kerana berdoa supaya Allah SWT melaknati YAB PM & Pengikutnya sekiranya royalti minyak tak diberi. Perhimpunan akan diadakan pada esok 1 Disember 2009(Selasa) jam 10 pagi di depan Kota Darul Naim.

Setiap pejuang dijemput hadir dan diminta hantar semua rangkaian sahabat ke perhimpunan ini. Mohon tindakan segera. T/Kasih”. Drp SUK UMNO Kelantan

Doa Tok Guru dalam Khutbah Hari Raya Korban, 10 Zulhijjah 1430/ 27 November 2009

“Saya hanya doa kepada Allah minta Allah perbetulkan fikiran Perdana Menteri Malaysia iaitu beri (royalti) gas petrol kepada Kelantan … kalau tidak beri sah ada mala fide… niat yang tak baik, itu saya minta musnahkan. Sebab jahat … salah apa saya,” kata Tok Guru.

“Saya tetap mempertahankan doanya dan menyifatkan tindakannya itu tidak bersalah kerana tindakan itu dan Nabi Muhammad SAW diantara orang yang doa balas bela terhadap orang zalim.”

Pemimpin dan penyokong Umno Kelantan kena fikir dan renung juga kenyataan YBM Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Ku Li menegaskan bahawa Petronas terikat dengan perjanjian di bawah Akta pembangunan Petroleum negara dan Kerajaan Pusat tidak seharusnya mengganggu perjanjian itu kerana perjanjian itu dibuat dengan amat ringkas sehinggakan budak sekolahpun memahaminya.

“Keengganan Kerajaan Pusat membuat pengumuman secara jujur mengenai Petronas perlu membayar wang royalti sebanyak 5 peratus kepada Kelantan boleh menyebabkan negeri yang mempunyai aktiviti petroleum lain mempersoalkan status pembayatran mereka,” katanya.

Hari ini, PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad dan Tobago): Datuk Seri Najib Razak tidak akan meminta Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat menarik balik kenyataan atau memohon maaf selepas mahu berdoa supaya Allah menghapuskan masa depan Perdana Menteri jika tidak memberi royalti minyak kepada negeri itu.

Perdana Menteri berkata, beliau berharap Mursyidul Am Pas itu sedar sendiri kerana ramai umat Islam merasakan kenyataannya keterlaluan dan tidak melambangkan semangat keislaman yang dituntut agama.

“Apapun kita perlu berbincang untuk mencari penyelesaian dan bukan cari pergaduhan. Berbalah sesama sendiri dikutuk dalam Islam, malah untuk kita mengutuk orang lain pun tidak dibolehkan Islam,” katanya pada sidang media pada hari terakhir Mesyuarat Ketua-Ketua Kerajaan Komanwel (CHOGM) di sini, hari ini.

Hari ini juga Berita Harian melaporkan Nik Aziz guna agama untuk politik: Muhyiddin
KUALA LUMPUR: Niat Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat berdoa kepada Allah supaya memusnahkan masa depan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan Umno jika Kerajaan Pusat enggan memberi royalti minyak kepada Kelantan adalah kesalahan besar daripada segi agama.

Beliau berkata sudah menjadi lumrah pemimpin Pas menggunakan agama untuk kepentingan politik dan dalam hal ini, rakyat harus sedar mengenai parti yang menggunakan agama serta menyeleweng daripada ajaran agama Islam. – Bernama/ Berita Harian 30 Nov. 2009

Trecho tirado do livro “Este sexo é feminino” de Patricia Travassos

Belinha acordou às seis, arrumou as crianças, levou-as para o colégio e voltou para casa a tempo de dar um beijo burocrático em Artur, o marido, e de trocarem cheques, afazeres e reclamações.

Fez um supermercado rápido, brigou com a empregada que manchou seu vestido de seda, saiu como sempre apressada, levou uma multa por estar dirigindo com o celular no ouvido e uma advertência por estacionar em lugar proibido, enquanto ia, por um minuto, ao caixa automático tirar dinheiro.

No caminho do trabalho batucava ansiedade no volante, num congestionamento monstro, e pensava quando teria tempo de fazer a unha e pintar o cabelo antes que se transformasse numa mulher grisalha.

Chegando ao escritório, foi quase atropelada por uma gata escultural que, segundo soube, era a nova contratada da empresa para o cargo que ela, Belinha, fez de tudo para pegar, mas que, apesar do currículo excelente e de seus anos de experiência e dedicação, não conseguiu.

Pensou se abdômen definido contaria ponto, mas logo esqueceu a gata, porque no meio de uma reunião ligaram do colégio de Clarinha, sua filha mais nova, dizendo que ela estava com dor de ouvido e febre.

Tentou em vão achar o marido e, como não conseguiu, resolveu ela mesma ir até o colégio, depois do encontro com o novo cliente, que se revelou um chato, neurótico, desconfiado e com quem teria que lidar nos próximos meses.

Saiu esbaforida e encontrou seu carro com pneu furado.

Pensou em tudo que ainda ia ter que fazer antes de fechar os olhos e sonhar com um mundo melhor.

Abandonou a droga do carro avariado, pegou um táxi e as crianças.

Quando chegou em casa, descobriu que tinha deixado a porra da pasta com o relatório que precisava ler para o dia seguinte no escritório!

Telefonou para o celular do marido com a esperança que ele pudesse pegar os malditos papéis na empresa, mas a bosta continuava fora de área.

Conseguiu, depois de vários telefonemas, que um motoboy lhe trouxesse a porra dos documentos.
Tomou uma merda de banho, deu a droga do jantar para as crianças, fez a porcaria dos deveres com os dispersos e botou os monstros para dormir.

Artur chegou puto de uma reunião em São Paulo, reclamando de tudo. Jantaram em silêncio.

Na cama ela leu metade do relatório e começou a cabecear de sono. Artur a acordou com tesão, a fim de jogo. Como aqueles momentos estavam cada vez mais raros no casamento deles, ela resolveu fazer um último esforço de reportagem e transar.

Deram uma meio rápida, meio mais ou menos, e, quando estava quase pegando no sono de novo, sentiu uma apalpadinha no seu traseiro com o seguinte comentário:

- Tá ficando com a bundinha mole, Belinha… deixa de preguiça e começa a se cuidar..

Belinha olhou para o abajur de metal e se imaginou martelando a cabeça de Artur até ver seus miolos espalhados pelo travesseiro!

Depois se viu pulando sobre o tórax dele até quebrar todas as costelas! Com um alicate de unha arrancou um a um todos os seus dentes depois deu-lhe um chute tão brutal no saco, que voou espermatozóide para todos os lados!

Em seguida usou a técnica que aprendeu num livro de auto-ajuda: como controlar as emoções negativas.

Respirou três vezes profundamente, mentalizando a cor azul, e ponderou. Não ia valer a pena, não estamos nos EUA, não conseguiria uma advogada feminista caríssima que fizesse sua defesa alegando que assassinou o marido cega de tensão pré-menstrual…

Resolveu agir com sabedoria.

No dia seguinte, não levou as crianças ao colégio, não fez um supermercado rápido, nem brigou com a empregada. Foi para uma academia e malhou duas horas.

De lá foi para o cabeleireiro pintar os cabelos de acaju e as unhas de vermelho. Ligou para o cliente novo insuportável e disse tudo que achava dele, da mulher dele e do projeto dele.

E aguardou os resultados da sua péssima conduta, fazendo uma massagem estética que jura eliminar, em dez sessões, a gordura localizada.

Enquanto se hospedava num spa, ouviu o marido desesperado tentar localiza-lá pelo celular e descobrir por que ela havia sumido. Pacientemente não atendeu.

E, como vingança é um prato que se come frio, mandou um recado lacônico para a caixa postal dele.

- A bunda ainda está mole. Só volto quando estiver dura.

Um beijo da preguiçosa…

(Eu tenho vivido dias assim, dias que quero chutar o cachorro porque ele latiu e que quero gritar com quem me disse alô. Mas o mal é achar que a gente é otária. Dentro de mim tem um vulcão prestes e eclodir em lava. O problema é que quando a lava derrama não sabe o que vai queimar. No fim, o estrago sempre é grande)

#prontofalei

روز يک شنبه دوم آذر و دو شنبه سوم آذر اين هفته در تهران شرکت ساپکو دوره آموزش نگهداري و تعميرات PM داشتم .اين آخرين دوره آموزشي نت در فصل پاييز بود.هر فصل دوره هاي آموزشي اثر بخشي کلي تجهيزات OEE ، نگهداري و تعميرات بهره ور فراگير  TPM و برنامه ريزي نگهداري و تعميرات PM در شرکت ساپکو ارائه مي گردد.

فقط فصل زمستان بدليل بارندگي ها و تکرار نقص هاي فني هواپيماها برنامه کلاسهاي نت به بهار سال 1389 موکول شده است.در سال آتي دوره آموزشي شاخص هاي نگهداري و تعميرات KPI Maintenance نيز در شرکت ساپکو ارائه خواهد گرديد و در تابستان بروي دوره آموزش نرم افزار هاي نگهداري تعميرات برنامه ريزي خواهد شد.

در واقع يک بکيچ کامل از دوره هاي آموزشي مرتبط به سيستم مديريت نگهداري و تعميرات در ساپکو طراحي شده است که به شکل سريالي و پيوسته مخاطبين با نيازهاي کليد و ضروري نگهداري و تعميرات آشنا خواهند شد.اميدوار هستم اين دوره ها بتواند تاثير مثبتي در رشد فرهنگي و سيستمي واحدهاي نگهداري و تعميرات کارخانجات داشته باشد.کلاس اين هفته خيلي شلوغ بود و بيش از 20 نفر شرکت کننده بود در حالي در ابتداي سال کلاسها کمتر از 14 نفر تشکيل مي شد.بابت لغو برنامه زمستان متاسفم مثل اينکه دو دوره OEE و PM از همين الان ظرفيت درخواستشان تکميل شده بود.انشالله سال 89 جبران کنيم.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Mathews conduct of this interview and it brings up an important trend: the proud and willful rejection of any reference to facts and rationality in preference for stridently reactionary emotionalism.

Chris Mathews actually came down pretty hard on Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence Rhode Island over his refusal to allow Rep Kennedy to take communion. Mathews asked him if abortion is murder, what should the penalties be and Tobin dodged the question.

Mathews said Tobin must either make specific recommendations or stay out of “law making,” which the Bishop has “transgressed” into. Pretty strong stuff about separation of church and state, saying the church needs to stick to moral suasion.

Mathews notes that, although he shares the Bishop’s views on abortion, Tobin is reluctant to advise “even a minute in jail” for women and girls who have abortions because Americans, Catholics and others, don’t view abortion as a crime.

The piece began with a clip of JFK, still a presidential candidate in Houston, seeking to allay fears that he would be beholden to the Pope as President:

I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish. Where no public official, either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of churches or any other ecclesiastical source. Where no religious body seeks to impose its will, directly or indirectly, upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials.

Mathews repeated the quote, asking Tobin what he thinks of it. Tobin replies that JFK was talking about “establishing a national religion.” Incredulous, Mathews asked how he can assert such a transparently untrue assertion.

You think he meant something different from what he said?

The short answer is yes, he probably does. Although he could be cynically manipulating the faithful, it’s also entirely likely that the good bishop has deluded himself enough that he can purposely accept a ridiculous interpretation of Kennedy’s meaning.

It happens so often that it can become hard to notice. Here is just a short selection from today’s toobnetz:

• New Left Media (via HuffPo) has a great video showing the vacuousness of Palin autograph seekers:
  
• Via TPM, the RNC thinks they lost the last two elections because they were just too leftist, so they think it’s a good idea to implement a purity test.
• Via Think Progress, teabaggers think it’s just a hoot to jeer a woman whose uninsured pregnant daughter in law died.
  
• Via Crooks and Liars, Tucker Carlson, in all seriousness, asserts that Palin is “as smart as” Al Gore and “more experienced than” Obama.
• Via Plumline, Cheney slams Obama for bowing the the Japanese Emperor despite serving two presidents who did exactly the same thing.
• Via TPM, Crist spells it out:

  “It’s hard to be more conservative than I am on issues — though there are different ways stylistically to communicate that — I’m pro-life, I’m pro-gun, I’m pro-family, and I”m anti tax.” … “I don’t know what else you’re supposed to be, except maybe angry too.” [Emphasis added]

• And last, via Political Animal at The Washington Monthly, Steve Benin, addressing the issue, quotes Isaac Chotiner at TNR

  The first problem with this argument is that … Palin is unlikely to become a policy wonk because she is not very smart. What’s more, Douthat’s argument is tautological. Sure, it would be nice for the GOP if Palin and Huckabee were interested in policy. But if they were interested in policy, then they would not be so appealing to the GOP base.

  In other words, the problem is that a large part of the right has no interest in a policy wonk, and sneers at intellectuals and elites and the types of people Douthat would like to see running the party. A candidate who was interested in learning the ins and outs of the welfare state and health care policy is unlikely to ever achieve Palin/Huckabee levels of popularity with the grassroots.

These examples illustrate the views and psyches of a fairly large segment of our society. Recent polls estimate this group to comprise around 20 to 25 percent of the general populace.

That means, assuming you live in an average place, demographically speaking, and you’re in a room or on a bus with 19 other people, four or five of them believe things that are demonstrably untrue and act on those beliefs politically and socially.

In some areas the percentage of your 20 busmates or roomates will be lower; but in other areas, it will be higher — and in some of those areas, very, very much higher.

The web, along with older media like talk radio and Fox News, help fan the flames of such irrationality. But, like printing presses and cans of spray paint, this specific technology is still neutral. Barring further corporate intrusion, it is not in and of itself responsible for the ignorance spread through its reaches.

It just as readily carries counter arguments and refutations. But to do so, it must be peopled with those who are ready and willing to counter the ignorance. Thankfully, it is.

And after coming of age doing so much to fight the spread of misinformation during eight years of rightwing Republican misrule under Bush and Cheney et al, progressives and liberals on the web are well positioned to keep banging on the outside walls of the rightwing echo chamber.

[This post has been changed since original publication to correct the wording of the final paragraph and to acknowledge that emphasis was added to the Crist quote from TPM.]

This bit of news has been traveling around the Internet today…

The poll asked this question: “Do you think that Barack Obama legitimately won the Presidential election last year, or do you think that ACORN stole it for him?” The overall top-line is legitimately won 62%, ACORN stole it 26%.

Among Republicans, however, only 27% say Obama actually won the race, with 52% — an outright majority — saying that ACORN stole it, and 21% are undecided. Among McCain voters, the breakdown is 31%-49%-20%. By comparison, independents weigh in at 72%-18%-10%, and Democrats are 86%-9%-4%.

It seems Republicans believe all sorts of things these days. Additionally, thanks in large part to Fox News no one’s ever accused the GOP or large parts of the Republican base of being well-informed. Or you know, even based in reality. Obama won cause George W. Bush and the Republican majorities he enjoyed in Congress for 6 of his 8 years in office managed to screw up damn near everything. Plus his opponent chose that vapid lady from Alaska to be his running mate and completely flubbed his response to the economic crisis. Plus he won despite the first legitimate African-American candidate for the Presidency and being portrayed as a racist-communist-socialist-anarchist-Nazi.

So let’s just call this what it is: a majority of Republicans are so self-deluded that  they can’t wrap their minds around the fact that their form of government brought our country to the brink of ruin and would rather blame a scapegoat that practically  no one had heard of before last year’s election than take responsibility for the fact that they screwed up.

Welcome to America, we have excuses.

A team of researchers has implemented support for ‘trusted computing’ in a commercially available version of the open source operating system Linux, breaking new ground in the global drive toward more secure computing environments.

The latest release of openSUSE, a Linux version sponsored by software maker Novell, comes packaged with software that allows users to set up a trusted computing (TC) environment on their computer, enhancing security beyond the antivirus programs and firewalls that frequently prove inadequate at keeping bugs, viruses and spyware at bay.

Promoted and developed by major chipmakers and software companies in the international Trusted Computing Group, trusted computing uses both hardware and software to create a trusted and secure environment, whether on a home PC, a web server, in a data centre or over a corporate network. At the core of the technology is the trusted platform module (TPM), which is a chip that, among other security-boosting features, generates and manages cryptographic keys, verifies the identity of the computer on a network and protects software and data from malicious changes.

Awakening the dormant chip

Many new laptops and increasing numbers of desktop PCs and servers already have TPM chips as standard, while chipmakers such as Intel and AMD have started incorporating the technology directly into their latest generation of processors. However, most TPM chips are currently lying dormant, awaiting activation with the arrival of software that can make use of their enhanced security features.

“The hardware is there… what is needed are operating systems and software to exploit it,” says Herbert Petautschnig, a researcher at Austrian technology group Technikon.

Technikon led a consortium of 23 research and business partners, including AMD, IBM, HP, Infineon and Novell, in developing open source software and applications for TC environments as part of the EU-funded OpenTC project. The group’s implementation of TC support in openSUSE version 11.2 involved building a trusted software stack (TSS) for Linux, developing universal virtualisation layers (including improvements to the Xen hypervisor virtual machine monitor) and creating TC and TPM management software. It constitutes a pioneering implementation of TC technology.

“openSUSE is now the first operating system to offer full TC support,” Petautschnig notes. “Until now, TC had been implemented for specific applications, such as Microsoft’s BitLocker hard drive encryption in Windows Vista and Windows 7 or the fingerprint reader on some HP laptops… With the OpenTC platform we are extending the TC environment to the full operating system and beyond,” the project manager adds.

Unlike traditional security technology that operates only at the software level and only starts protecting a computer after it is loaded, TC technology provides security from the moment the power button is pressed. As the system boots and runs, the OpenTC platform continually monitors the computer for changes and ensures that only trusted, verified software is functioning. In a networked environment, it verifies the identity and integrity of the computer. And it allows different pieces of software and data to be “compartmentalised” so there is no exchange between them even as they share the same computing and/or network resources.

Safer online transactions, trusted corporate networking

OpenTC developed several proof-of-concept applications for the technology. In one, called private electronic transaction (PET), the team showed how it can verify and secure online transactions, such as accessing a bank account. In another, they showed how TC compartments can provide secure remote access to corporate networks, both keeping company information safe on an employee’s home PC and ensuring that the employee’s personal information, photos and games are not visible to their employer.

The ability of TC technology to keep data and processes safely isolated from each other can be extended to enable virtual data centres. As demonstrated by IBM in the OpenTC project, TC software could be used by data centre operators to provide virtualised resources to different clients while sharing the underlying physical infrastructure, thereby ensuring different companies’ data remain separate and secure.

The logical next step, which members of the OpenTC consortium plan to explore in a new project, is to extend TC to cloud computing to enhance the security of services and computational resources provided over the internet. Another project, TECOM, a follow-up initiative to OpenTC that has also received EU funding, will aim to develop TC solutions for embedded platforms, focusing particularly on smart phones and mobile computing applications.

Several of the project partners are commercially exploiting the results of the OpenTC project internally. Petautschnig says they are also open to investor interest to support further development of TC technology. Consortium members are also active in standardisation efforts, helping to extend trusted computing to mobile platforms and the Java programming language, for example.

Despite controversy, a bright future

In the past, TC technology has stirred controversy, not least over its potential for abuse by software and hardware makers to restrict what computer users can do and its applications for digital rights management. However, Petautschnig believes the future for trusted computing systems is bright as the technology starts to be seen as an essential tool in the fight against an intensifying onslaught of hack attacks, viruses and spyware bombarding the world’s computer users.

“Most people will not know that TC components are running on their computers keeping them safe. Conversely, at present most do not know what information is being leaked and stolen by spyware and viruses running on their machines,” Petautschnig notes.

Greenwald, Hullabaloo, TPM, along with many other sane people, as well as some not so sane people, are trying to figure out the right wing and republican freak out over terror trials.

Of course, the Trike Force, aka the redstate 101s Fighting Keyboarders, are barely keeping it together.

The snake is eating its tail. This will not end well for the rightwingers and Republicans. They have surrendered their party to the most rabid, damaging — and damaged — elements of “the movement.”

At a time when reasoned discourse and sober opposition might buy them some independents disillusioned with Obama’s punch pulling, they are making the strategic decision to embrace the message and people who drive independents and moderates away in droves.

It is spectacle politics at its worst and only serves to make the already enthralled more ecstatic. Everyone else turns away in disgust from the spectacle, as well as from those who try to pull off and manipulate it for their own short term gain.

Mulherada reunida discutindo assuntos de mulheres. Esta foi uma ação feita pela marca de higiene feminina Sym, que foi publicada na Brainstorm #9. Interessante até para nós acompanharmos e sabermos o que fazer em situações de risco.

Reunindo conteúdo e algumas das mentes femininas mais influenciadoras da internet, a Sym, marca de higiene íntima feminina, estreou o hotsite A Maior TPM do Mundo, com brincadeiras relacionadas a TPM e, dentro dele, o projeto #pronto_falei.

São 12 blogueiras convidadas para conversar sobre temas do universo feminino, trazendo para a discussão a assinatura da marca: “Ser mulher é uma delícia”. Serão 6 programas no total, com cerca de 10 minutos de duração cada. Além disso, cada episódio será exibido em diversas versões reduzidas na MTV.

Os programas podem ser assistidos no site amaiortpmdomundo.com.br, ou nos canais no  YouTube e no Vimeo.

A criação é da Fischer+Fala!, com produção da Conspiração Filmes, Estúdio Mellancia e D3.

Escrevo esse texto para fins de desabafo.

Por motivos de segurança, querer aproveitar mais (!) e menstruação desregulada, o que é pessimo, quem sofre com isso sabe: é só namorar, mesmo que tenha feito tudo certo, vem a preocupação. Menstruação é uma merda, se ela não vem para te foder, é porque alguém já fez isso antes. (Perdoem o palavreado). Voltando… Por esses motivos resolvi tomar uma pílula.

Quando fui compra-la, o farmacêutico me contou de como ela era maravilhosa, além de não deixar ter bebes (o essencial!), regular sua menstruação, ainda acaba com cravos e espinhas, caspas, mau humor, tpm, enfim, parecia aqueles produtos da Polishop de tantas utilidades!

 Aquilo não era uma pílula, era uma mãe!

Comprei feliz e voltei para casa me questionando porque nunca tinha feito isso antes.

Descobriria, na seqüência…

Comecei a ter cólicas infernais (não é à toa que o nome do texto é ‘pílula do demônio’), e meus dias começaram a ficar estranhos, mais chatos, as pessoas então…De uma hora para outra ficaram tão burras, irritantes e falantes, aí, como falavam!

 Meu cabelo começou a cair, para ajudar, trabalho em uma clinica médica, toda hora um fio pelo chão e olha só, adivinha quem inchou feito um balão?

Picos de humor, com o atraso dos materiais da construção de casa e a vendedora que era tão demoníaca quanto à pílula, cheguei a sair andando no temporal para ver se me acalmava, não me lembro de na vida ter ficado tão brava quanto aquele dia.

Resolvi ler a bula, estava escrito que essas alterações eram comuns e que tudo voltaria ao normal em três ciclos! Três meses!

Até lá minha mãe trocaria as fechaduras de casa.

Bom, estou trocando a paz mundial por quatro dias de festa.

 Afinal, agora que enfim vou ver o namorado, não vou desistir, depois troco o método anticoncepcional, resta saber se ele vai sobreviver ao meu lado.

Até descobrirmos, minha mãe, todos os dias, ao meio dia continuará choramingando: ‘Pílula do demônio outra vez filha?’

Como contei bem rapidinho por aqui anteriormente, final de semana passado eu fui pra Sydney, conhecer a cidade que estava no meu caderno de sonhos desde que eu era mais nova.

Valeu a pena: mesmo acordando às quatro da madrugada em pleno domingo pra pegar o vôo, mesmo desbravando a cidade debaixo de chuva, mesmo ficando de TPM em plena viagem… Ah, como valeu a pena! Visitar o Opera House? Conhecer a Hillsong? Ir na gravação do CD novo deles? Subir num farol de verdade e ver a Darling Harbour inteira? Andar de monotrilho? Ver uma árvore de Natal quilométrica coberta de cristais Swarovski no shopping mais lindo do mundo? Visitar um aquário onde você anda debaixo do mar? Com uma amiga brasileira que  mora lá e nos serviu de guia, ainda por cima? Ah, deixe-me dizer: tudo isso não tem preço. Tanto é que num post só não daria nem pra sequer começar a contar tudo o que foram aqueles dois dias. 800 fotos (e não, eu não estou exagerando), muitas filmagens e diversos momentos inesquecíveis depois, cheguei à conclusão, no avião mesmo, de que teria que escrever uma série de posts sobre Sydney pra vocês.

Então é isso: não deixem de conferir uma semana inteirinha de textos sobre aquela cidade encantadora que todo mundo deveria ter o privilégio de visitar pelo menos uma vez na vida! Vou escrever sobre os meus cantinhos preferidos, sobre a gravação da Hillsong, umas reflexões que me ocorreram naqueles dias e muito mais. Espero mesmo que vocês gostem e se sintam encorajados a se planejarem pra vir pra cá!

Brenda Nepomuceno

“Muslim Mafia” author, “time for a backlash”

The loony David Gaubatz who co-authored the book “Muslim Mafia,” has gone on record calling for a “backlash against the Muslim community.”

First, he said he found Saddam’s WMD bunkers. Then, he claimed that the U.S. military was zapping animals to death with real-life ray guns. Now, full-time kook and former Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent Dave Gaubatz is calling for a “professional and legal backlash against the Muslim community and their leaders,” following the Ft. Hood massacre. Which plays right into the hands of America’s opponents.

For years, Gaubatz has warned that Muslims in this country form a kind of Fifth Column — and that President Barack Obama is part of this seditious group. (He’s also called Obama a “self admitted ‘crack-head.’”) Gaubatz’s book detailing these claims recently became an Amazon bestseller, its conclusions endorsed by a handful of Republican Congressmen.

When Maj. Nidal Hasan — a Muslim-American with links to religious radicals — killed 13 at Ft. Hood last week, Gaubatz renewed his call for a purge within the U.S. Islamic community:

Muslims know what materials are being taught in their mosques and they know many of the materials instruct young Muslims to kill innocent people who do not adhere to Sharia law. If Muslims do not want a backlash, then I would recommend a “house cleaning.” Stack every Saudi, al Qaeda, Pakistani, Taliban, Hamas, and Muslim Brotherhood piece of material from their mosque and have a bonfire. Tell the American, Jewish, and Muslim community this hatred will no longer be allowed in their mosques.

The fevered language shouldn’t a surprise. Gaubatz continued to peddle claims that Saddam’s chemical and biological arms had been shipped to Syria — long after such conspiracy theories were dismissed as bogus. His accusation that the U.S. military has a killer ray gun, disguised as a non-lethal weapon has gone uncorroborated.  And the man has a long-standing and large problem with Muslims on American soil. He’s connected to a group, Society of Americans for National Existence, which calls for the United States “to develop the notion and legal infrastructure to restrict non-Western and non-Christian immigration so that alien cultures and peoples should never come to threaten the national character of this nation.” Other extremists are going even further than Gaubatz, demanding a “stop [to] the practice of allowing Muslims to serve in the U.S. military. “

Of course, most U.S. Muslims don’t shoot up their fellow soldiers. Fine… You invent a jihadi-detector that works every time it’s used, and we’ll welcome you back with open arms.

Ironically, Hasan, the Ft. Hood shooter, made a similar argument in a 2007 presentation. In order to avoid “adverse events,” like Muslim troops deserting or turning on their fellow serrvicemembers, Hasan recommended giving “Muslim soldiers the option of being released as ‘conscientious objectors.’”

The U.S. military’s failure to understand the cultural and religious landscapes in Iraq and Afghanistan directly contributed to setbacks in those war efforts, top generals say. You can’t conduct a proper counterinsurgency if you don’t understand how the society you’re trying to protect. Purge the American armed forces of its Muslims, and that cultural isolation becomes only more acute. Hard-to-win campaigns become almost impossible. It kind of makes you wonder who the real Fifth Columnists are around here.

After TPM originally reported this story, the neo-Conservative Family Security Matters who ran the interview with Gaubatz scrubbed the sentence that said, “it is time for a backlash against the Muslim community” and replaced it with “it is time for a backlash against the Muslim Brotherhood.” TPM reports in a piece titled, Scrubbed: Call For a Backlash Against Muslims Embarrasses even Right-Wing Think-Tank,

Já tem alguns dias que, os chutes estão mais fortes, é algo assustador mais ao mesmo tempo muito gostoso de viver, talvez porque não seja na minha barriga mas, sentir o chute por fora é igualmente bom e, repetindo, assustador. Ta chegando a hora, o tempo passa voando e daqui a pouco além dos chutes virão os choros e as assaduras. (risos) Hoje recebi de minha namorada a justificativa de que o distanciamento é por virtude dos enjôos, eu entendo, realmente entendo mais não posso aceitar que, nestes últimos cinco meses não teve em nenhum momento a chance de simplesmente dizer que sente algo por mim. Não nutriu isso de uma forma natural e, mesmo a gente não gostando de falar, as vezes é de bom nos atentarmos a isso. Bom, outra explicação é que, os embrulhos estomacais estão passando e, espera-se que dentro dos próximos meses tudo volte a ser como era, segundo ela, “a gestação é como uma TPM de nove meses.”, então então que, deveria ter comprado mais chocolate… se eu soubesse. Mais o fato é que, se pretende haver uma mudança de comportamento e, realmente for da vontade dela retomar nosso harmonioso dia-a-dia, espero um pouco de dedicação, não será fácil e talvez não seja do dia pra noite mas, assim como eu estive aqui durante estes cinco meses, desejo sorte pra que ela me conquiste novamente, prometo não me fazer de dificil mais aprendi que dar valor mesmo a quem está por baixo, e diariamente revalidar os votos de amor, é algo que não podemos esquecer numa relação, e nesse ponto eu fui semi-esquecido. Árdua tarefa, encaro esse diálogo como uma suposta hipótese pra uma quem-sabe-lá mudança. O meu medo do início, tornou-se em esquecimento próprio, anulação e, motivo pra enjôo. Agora, o que eu posso fazer é continuar de braços abertos e, aqui. Basta ela querer e, fazer a parte dela pra ter de volta os 50% de harmonia que, depende dela.!

Crises de choro, nervosismo exacerbado, mau humor e impaciência gritante. Leia +

Link via TPM: How low can a person’s credibility sink? If the answer is lower than Fox’s minimum required truthiness, then may the flying spaghetti monster have mercy on your soul.

Se tem uma coisa difícil de encarar na vida conjugal são as épocas do mês em que a bendita tensão pré-menstrual se instala.

O menor suspiro do marido me incomoda e sobe em mim uma vontade enlouquecida de gritar, xingar e maldizer o coitado.

Lógico que não chego aos finalmentes. Seria impossível manter um relacionamento com esse nível de estresse.

Ontem, enquanto eu estava (e estou) em meio a uma crise dessas, o marido comunicou que ia fazer uma reuniãozinha com a família dele aqui em casa na minha ausência. Coitado! Foi vítima de um milhão de acusações de minha parte: que ele queria me excluir da vida dele, que ele não se importava comigo, e por aí vai.

A minha sorte é que casei com um homem que não gosta de briga. Ele se calou e ficou zangado. Eu, na minha estupidez hormonal, depois da crise, agi como se nada tivesse acontecido, mas ele continuava zangado. Acreditem… perguntei a ele o que ele tinha. Não, não era pirraça, mas minha intempestividade não olha pra trás… eu simplesmente não via motivo para ele estar zangado, mas sim, eu.

Lógico que ele me deu uma baixa com toda elegância e insuportável senso de racionalidade que só ele consegue ter… e eu, fiquei com cara de bunda mole.

Passado o episódio fiquei pensando como é que uma pessoa consegue suportar essas minhas crises mensais de TPM. Perdoei ele, a mim mesma, mas não os meus hormônios – ele ainda me farão uma assassina!

The GOP electing Michael Steele as one of their leaders in this climate.

Dead man walking.

UPDATE

Today, ABC came out with a story attributed to “a senior lawmaker” accusing the CIA of having evidence Hasan attempted to contact the al Qaeda earlier this year, although by what means and what level of contact was unknown. From the report:

One senior lawmaker on the House Intelligence Committee, said that he requested the CIA and other intelligence agencies brief the committee on what was known, if anything, about Hasan by the U.S. intelligence community, only to be refused.

That story was later changed to identify the “senior lawmaker” to be Republican Rep. Pete Hoekstra, a frequent critic of the Obama administration.

Not long after release of the ABC report, Hoekstra spoke:

“President Obama said people should not jump to conclusions about what happened at Fort Hood, but the administration is in possession of critical information related to the attack that they are refusing to release to Congress or the American people,” Hoekstra said. “I intend to push for intense review of this and other issues related to the performance of the intelligence community and whether or not information necessary for military, state and local officials to provide for the security of the post was provided to them.” Hoekstra said he was concerned that more information had been provided, piecemeal, to the news media by anonymous sources than had yet been provided to the Committee.

Since publication of ABC’s report, the CIA has dismissed Hoekstra’s claim as “bogus” .

The CIA is denying an ABC News report that the agency has refused to brief Congress on any knowledge it has about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army major suspected in the shootings at Fort Hood last week. “This is a law enforcement investigation, in which other agencies — not the CIA — have the lead. Any suggestion that the CIA refused to brief Congress is flat wrong,” CIA spokesman George Little tells TPMmuckraker in a statement.

It’s apparent another slippery threshold has been passed – and another concerted effort by the right wing Republicans to tie, somehow, this massacre to the Obama Administration.

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A note of thanks to VetVoice for giving this blog the national attention needed to spread my word!