“Questa iniziativa ha come unico scopo quello di rendere ancora più difficile la vita di Taoufik e la sua famiglia. Perché mai infatti un trasferimento in una prigione così lontana? Sua moglie, i suoi figli e i suoi avvocati avranno tutte le difficoltà di questo mondo per fargli visita. Le autorità tunisine si sono dichiarate pronte a tutte le ingiustizie. Dopo aver condannato Taoufik Ben Brik senza ragione, la giustizia gli ha imposto delle condizioni d’allontanamento ingiustificate. “E’ veramente ripugnante”, ha dichiarato Jean-François Julliard, segretario generale di Reporters sans frontières. “Le autorità hanno tra l’altro aspettato 10 giorni, dopo l’udienza del 19 novembre, prima di informare la famiglia di tale provvedimento. Di nuovo, questa persecuzione è insopportabile. Già da diversi giorni decine di poliziotti stazionano permanentemente dinnanzi all’abitazione di Taoufik Ben Brik. I suoi due figli sono terrorizzati. Le diplomazie occidentali, a cominciare da quella francese, si devono sincerare che la famiglia di Taoufik Ben Brik non corra alcun rischio. Il giornalista ha collaborato per parecchi anni con alcuni media francesi. Sarebbe ora di dimostrargli maggiore solidarietà” ha aggiunto il segretario generale. Azza Zarrad, la moglie di Taoufik Ben Brik, ha dichiarato a fine di giornata: “In quest’istante apprendo da una semplice telefonata che mio marito è stato trasferito a 200 km, lontano dalla propria famiglia, presso la prigione civile di Siliana. L’amministrazione penitenziaria ha impiegato dunque 11 giorni per informarmi del luogo esatto dove si trova mio marito. Questa decisione è stata presa per rendere più difficili le visite a mio marito da parte dei suoi avvocati e della sua famiglia. (…) Qualcuno bussa alla mia porta, si presenta come commissario di Polizia di Al-Manar. Non fidandomi e avendo paura di un pestaggio, rifiuto di aprire la porta ed esigo un documento ufficiale. Il commissario si mette a bestemmiare e ad insultarmi. I miei bambini e mia madre sono terrorizzati.”. Taoufik Ben Brik, giornalista tunisino il 26 novembre è stato condannato a sei mesi di prigione dura per una supposta aggressione.

Última semana de tests para quase todas as seleções, com vitórias expressivas de Nova Zelândia, Irlanda e Austrália. Pelas Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo, a Namíbia passou pela Tunísia e está em seu quarto mundial consecutivo! Tivemos também rodadas na Guinness Premiership inglesa e no Top 14 francês. Vamos aos Resultados do Final de Semana!

A rodada de Test Matches (Amistoso) começou na sexta-feira, com a Austrália derrotando por 31 x 3 o Cardiff Blues, do País de Gales, e com a Irlanda A batendo os Jaguares Argentinos, por 31 x 0.  No sábado tivemos os grandes jogos. Na cidade de Ascoli, a Itália quebrou uma péssima sequência de 13 derrotadas consecutivas, vencendo bem a seleção de Samoa, antigo algoz azzurro. 24 x 3.

No Croke Park de Dublin, Jonathan Sexton deu uma lavada em Morné Steyn no quesito chutes. Os dois aberturas – grandes promessas do rugby mundial – protagonizaram um duelo a parte na batalha entre os campeões do Six Nations, Irlanda, e os campeões mundiais e do Tri Nations, a África do Sul. Os Springboks realmente mostraram que estão em baixa. Jogando com força máxima, não foram capazes de superar a equipe esmeralda, que viu Sexton em dia inspiradissimo. 15 x 10 e festa em Dublin.

Em partida fraca tecnicamente, a Escócia não conseguiu embalar a segunda vitória consecutiva nos tests de fim de ano. Os azuis receberam os Pumas da Argentina e deixaram a vitória escapar no fim da partida. Um bem bem chutado e um drop goal preciso do centro Martín Rodrígues deram a vitória aos porteños.

Nas outras duas grandes partidas do dia, lavadas de Austrália e Nova Zelândia sobre País de Gales e França, respectivamente. No Millenium Stadium de Cardiff, os Wallabies dominaram completamente a equipe galesa. Com tries de Ioane, Horwill, Pocock e Polota-Nau, a Austrália encerrou de cabeça erguida seu ano, se aproveitando de um País de Gales desfalcado, sem Mike Phillips, Ryan Jones e Tom Shanklin. Matt Giteau se reencontrou com seu melhor rugby, coordenou muito bem a linha aussie e garantiu os 33 x 12. Aos galeses, restou assistir à boa partida da promessa Leigh Halfpenny, que anotou os 12 pontos da equipe. E em Marselha, jogo de uma equipe só. Os All Blacks arrasaram os Les Bleus. 5 x 0 em tries diz tudo. A França simplesmente não conseguiu coordenar suas ações ofensivas, padecendo de organização e liderança em campo. O resultado dessa somatória de deficiências foi a fácil vitória All Black. Sivivatu, que jogou um grande rugby, anotou o primeiro try. Muliaina, Kaino, Cory Jane e Corad Smith anotaram os outros quatro tries neozelandeses, enquanto Daniel Carter esteve brilhante nos chutes e no comando ofensivo da equipe. All Black na melhor das formas no sábado em Marselha! 39 x 12.

Nas demais partidas, Fiji e Tonga terminaram seus giros pela Europa com, finalmente, vitórias. Os fijianos bateram a Romênia, em Bucareste, por 29 x 18, e os tonganeses derrotaram Portugal, em Lisboa, por 24 x 19. Já o Canadá recebeu, em Vancouver, a ascendente Rússia e conseguiu ótima vitória, por 22 x 6. O triunfo canadense caiu em hora muito necessária, já que a equipe vinha de duas péssimas apresentações em solo japonês, com duas derrotas expressivas. Vencer a Rússia serviu para salvar a honra da equipe.

Na cidade de Windhoek, a Namíbia garantiu a sua classificação para a Copa do Mundo de 2011 – a quarta participação consecutiva da equipe em mundiais. Vitória merecida sobre a brava Tunísia, por 22 x 10. O agregado em 40 x 23 foi mais do que suficiente para os namibianos, que se favorecem dos excessivos penais cometidos pelos tunisianos na partida de volta. A Namíbia jogará a Copa do Mundo no Grupo 4, ao lado de África do Sul (duelo africano!), País de Gales, Fiji e Samoa, um dos chamados grupos da morte. O Grupo 4 é o único grupo que já tem todas as equipes definidas. A Tunísia, por sua vez, terá uma segunda chance, na repescagem mundial. A equipe enfrentará o terceiro colocado das eliminatórias européias. Caso vença a partida, disputará a última vaga na Copa do Mundo contra o vencedor da partida entre Uruguai e o segundo colocado da zona asiática.

Pela Terceira Divisão A  (3A) do Europeu de Nações (European Nations Cup), a Suíça bateu a Armênia por 18 x 0, na cidade suíça cde Yverdon. E Andorra, em casa, derrotou a Sérvia por 21 x 7. Mas, apesar dos esforços de suíços e andorranos, a liderança ainda é da invicta Lituânia.

Classificação, após 6 jogos:

1 – Lituânia – 18 pontos

2 – Sérvia – 12 p.

3 – Suíça – 10 p.

4 – Andorra – 10 p.

5 – Armênia – 9 p.

Enquanto as seleções jogavam, a Guinneess Premiership rolava, com sua nona rodada. A primeira partida, entre Sale Sharks e London Wasps, foi cancelada devido às condições climáticas. Em Newcastle, os Falcons foram derrotados pelo Northampton Saints, de excelente campanha, com um verdadeiro show do ponto dos Saints, Chris Ashton, que marcou os três únicos tries de sua equipe e da partida. Saints 28 x 8 8 Falcons e terceiro lugar na tabela para os santos.

Em Worcester, os Warriors obtiveram um grande feito. Barraram os poderosos Saracens, com um duro empate de 12 x 12 (o segundo 12 x 12 consecutivo dos guerreiros) no Sixways. O que se assistiu foi uma heróica e valente defesa do time da casa aguentando de todas as manieras a pressão dos visitantes. Willie Walker, do Worcester, anotou quatro penais, o mesmo número de Derick Hougaard, dos Sarries, quebrando a série de 8 vitórias em 8 jogos da equipe londrina. Mesmo com o tropeço, os Saracens continuam na liderança da competição. A vice-liderança é do London Irish, que passou bem pelo agonizante Bath, fora de casa. 16 x 0 no placar, com Ryan Lamb anotoando um try e todos os demais pontos da equipe, em noite chuvosa no Recreation Ground. Mesmo com Matt Banahan em campo, o Bath não ofereceu perigo à defesa dos exilados. A sorte do Bath é que, em Leicester, os Tigers passaram muito fácil sobre o lanterna Leeds, com tries de Anthony Allen, Brett Deacon, Toby Flood (com bela jogada de Tuqiri) e Lewis Moody , . Fáceis 39 x 6, e quarto lugar na tabela.

Em Londres, Harlequins e Gloucester fizeram a melhor partida do dia. Uma emocionante batalha de 7 tries (4 para os Quins, 3 para os Cherry and Whites). O centro George Lowe fez o primeiro try para os anfitriões, mas que foi logo respondido pelo valente Gloucester – buscando reencontrar seu melhor rugby – com dois tries: do oitavo Delves e do ponta Sharples. Um try de Nick Evans, no fim da primeira etapa, recolocou os Quins na frente de novo. O segundo tempo prosseguiu emocionante, George Lowe marcando mais um try para os donos da rspondido, prontamente respondido pelo ponta Sharples, que manteve o Gloucester no páreo. Mas a vitória foi mesmo dos Harlequins, 35 x 29, e ponto-bônus para o bravo Gloucester.

Resultados:

Sale Sharks x London Wasps, em Stockport – adiado

Newcastle Falcons 8 x 28 Northampton Saints, em Newcastle

Worcester Warriors 12 x 12 Saracens, em Worcester

Harlequins 35 x 29 Gloucester, em Londres

Leicester Tigers 39 x 6 Leeds Carnegie, em Leicester

Bath 0 x 16 London Irish, em Bath

Classificação, após 9 rodadas:

1 – Saracens – 34 pontos

2 – London Irish – 30 p.

3 – Northampton Saints – 27 p.

4 – Leicester Tigers – 26 p.

5 – London Wasps – 8 jogos, 22 p.

6 – Newcastle Falcons – 20 p.

7 – Harlequins – 18 p.

8 – Sale Sharks – 8 jogos, 17 p.

9 – Gloucester – 15 p.

10 – Worcester Warriors – 15 p.

11 – Bath – 11 p.

12 – Leeds Carnegie – 8 p.

O Top 14 francês tem um dono: o Castres. A surpreendente equipe do Tarn lidera isoladamente a competição nacional, após excelente triunfo sobre o Biarritz. No confronto dos “Olympiques”, o Castres teve ampla vantagem . Dominou a partida toda, obteve 3 tries e, com muita serenidade, conquistou a vitória sobre um tímido Biarritz. 34 x 6. A segunda posição é do Perpignan, que não jogou nesta rodada. A partida entre Perpignan e Bayonne, no País Basco, foi cancelada após a confirmação de 3 casos de gripe H1N1 no elenco catalão.

Junto do Perpignan, no segundo posto, está o Clermont, que passou tranquilamente sobre o vice-lanterna e desesperado Bourgoin. A vitória dos amarelos por 32 x 3, com quatro tries anotados, mantém a equipe na caça ao Castres. O quarto lugar é do Toulouse, que se recuperou da tenebrosa derrota frente o Castres, com vitória suada sobre o Montauban. O jogo foi em Toulouse, e mesmo assim os afritriões não conseguiram, de forma alguma, impor seu jogo. O Montauban foi valente, fez mais tries (2 x 1) e quase arranca uma vitória. Mas pecou ao cometer penais excessivos. A desculpa para o sofrimento no jogo em casa pode ter sido a ausência de muitos selecionáveis, servindo os Les Bleus, mas o elenco ainda assim não deixa de ser estrelado, e precisa, urgentemente, começar a jogar um rugby muito melhor. 17 x 12, no Ernst Wallon.

Em Paris, o desfalcado Stade Français recebeu o Toulon, de Jonny Wilkinson. E o inglês foi novamente decisivo. Anotou 4 penais, 1 conversão – do try de Loamanu – e 1 drop goal, garantindo a apertada vitória de sua equipe por 22 x 18. Bem que Oelschig tentou fazer frente a Wilko, mas essa é sempre uma tarefa dificílima. Nem os tries de Ollie Philips e Bastareud – voltando à boa forma – salvaram o Stade da derrota. 22 x 18, e os parisiense agora estão fora da zona de classificação para o mata-mata final.

A outra equipe da Cidade Luz conseguiu mais uma vitória, mas jogando mal. O Racing Métro terminou o primeiro tempo da partida perdendo por 3 x 0 para o lanterna Albi. Andrew Mehrtens tratou de converter três penais na segunda etapa, e deu a vitória de 9 x 6 para sua equipe. Por fim, o Brive conseguiu uma fenomenal e vital vitória sobre o Montpellier, que jogou sem seu maior no me, Trinh-Duc. A equipe de Corrèze ia muito mal na tabela, e estava estava seriamente arriscada de entrar na zona de rebaixamento. Mas finalmente tudo deu certo para a equipe preta-e-branca. O full-back Palisson anotou dois tries e dois penais e assegurou a grande vitória de 25 x 3 para sua equipe.

Resultados:

Stade Français 18 x 22 Toulon, em Paris

Castres 34 x 6 Biarritz, em Castres

Racing Métro 9 x 6 Albi, em Paris

Toulouse 17 x 12 Montauban, em Toulouse

Montpellier 3 x 25 Brive, em Montpellier

Clermont 32 x 3 Bourgoin, em Clermont-Ferrand

Bayonne x Perpignan, em Bayonne – adiado

Classificação, após 14 rodadas:

1 – Castres – 46 pontos

2 – Clermont – 41 p.

3 – Perpignan – 13 jogos, 41 p.

4 – Toulouse – 40 p.

5 – Toulon – 38 p.

6 – Racing Métro – 35 p.

7 – Stade Français – 33 p.

8 – Biarritz – 32 p.

9 – Brive – 29 p.

10 – Montpellier – 29 p.

11 – Montauban – 26 p.

12 – Bayonne – 13 j, 23 p.

13 – Bourgoin – 23 p.

14 – Albi – 15 p.

Pepla Pro D2, a segundona francesa, a liderança isolada é do Agen, que passou fácil pelo Aix-en-Provence. O Lyon Olympique Universitaire se manteve em segundo, com o empate contra o Grenoble no derby local, mas deixou o Agen desgarrar e Oyonnax e Narbonne se aproximarem.

Resultados:

Pau x Colomiers, em Pau – adiado

Agen 29 x 3 Aix-en-Provence, em Agen

Aurillac 25 x 22 La Rochelle, em Aurillac

Dax 19 x 16 Tarbes, em Dax

Grenoble 9 x 9 Lyon OU, em Grenoble

Auch 27 x 32 Narbonne, em Auch

Lannemezan 9 x 16 Union Bordeaux, em Lannemezan

Oyonnax 36 x 10 Mont de Marsan, em Oyonnax

Classificação, após 12 rodadas:

1 – Agen – 47 pontos

2 – Lyon OU – 39 p.

3 – Oyonnax – 39 p.

4 – Narbonne – 37 p.

5 – Grenoble – 34 p.

6 – La Rochelle – 30 p.

7 – Aurillac – 30 p.

8 – Union Bordeaux – 29 p.

9 – Pau – 11 jogos, 27 p.

10 – Tarbes – 25 p.

11 – Dax – 25 p.

12 – Mont de Marsan – 24 p.

13 – Auch – 21 p.

14 – Colomiers – 11 j, 17 p.

15 – Aix-en-Provence – 14 p.

16 – Lannemezan – 5 p.

Test Matches – masculino

Irlanda 15 X 10 África do Sul

Itália 24 X 6 Samoa

Escócia 6 X 9 Argentina

Portugal 19 X 24 Tonga

País de Gales 12 X 33 Austrália 

França X Nova Zelândia 

Eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo

Namíbia 22 X 10 Tunísia – com a vitória, a Namíbia garante a vaga para o mundial de 2011

Well, five at the last count and given the burgeoning numbers of bloggers and activists being censored it seemed the natural next step to start a catalogue, nay, a scrapbook of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s illustrious forays into ‘democracy’.

This week’s case invariably involves a critique of the President, a questionable trial and a subsequent jail sentence:

A prominent critic of Tunisian leader President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been jailed for six months after a trial criticised by rights groups.

Taoufik Ben Brik was convicted of assaulting a woman in public.

But he claimed he had been framed and Amnesty International has described him as a “prisoner of conscience” and condemned his sentence.

The 49-year-old journalist was said to be ill and in need of medical treatment after his arrest in October. [Source]

Censorship is bad enough; when scurrilous charges are trumped up to consolidate an otherwise baseless case it becomes all the more abhorrent.

And still the West sees little reason to comment; rather, a slight wrinkling of the nose before turning the head away.

‘It’s only little Tunisia, after all; what of the rights of its people?’ seems to be the sentiment du jour.

See also: Dirty Business in Tunisia, Of Ben Ali and “Special Attention”, Blogger Abdallah Zouari Rearrested, and Slim Boukhdhir: the Plucky Blogger.

VACATION RENTAL OF MY holidayhome at DJERBA MIDOUN(TUNISIA)  for 1 to 4 persons (prehaps even 6)
In the villa, a garden level and a first floor flat:
200€  to 350€ according to the season for one week.

The garden level and the second ( first in us)  floor have separate entrances, own garden for the garden level and a yard for the other,  and for each of them: 2 bedrooms , kitchen, and  sitting room, and terrace

closed to the beaches, the village of midoun, golf, casino, shops and so on

pics and informations by clicking here

you can read my travel book (in french)  by clicking here

The Ribat of Monastir, Tunisia will be familiar to any Monty Python fan as the scene for Brian’s latin lesson in The Life of Brian.

Originally built in AD 796, the ribat was a military lookout post, watching for hostile ships approaching across the Mediterranean. While some of the original building has gone, the main prayer room remains in very good condition.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new global version of Amazon’s Kindle for Christmas, be aware that there are still quite a few places that the global version will NOT work.  I was disappointed to find that the new version still will not work in my country.

Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.   I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in (below).

It’s also interesting to note the PATTERN of groups of countries where the Kindle doesn’t work–some countries probably lack satellite coverage or delivery systems, while others probably don’t WANT readers to be able to download whatever they want by satellite.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka,  Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S.,  Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009) the following countries:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan,  Yemen.

Nature and Animal Conservation

 

     Preserving species and their habitats is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. Yet, the pressures to destroy habitat for logging, illegal hunting, and other challenges are making conservation a struggle.

Visit : http://www.globalissues.org/article/1…

 What is Biodiversity ?

 

    The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.

   

    Appropriate conservation and sustainable development strategies attempt to recognize this as being integral to any approach. Almost all cultures have in some way or form recognized the importance that nature, and its biological diversity has had upon them and the need to maintain it. Yet, power, greed and politics have affected the precarious balance.

Does it really matter if there arent so many species?

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.

For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.

Who Cares?

  Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

And so, while we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife.

Loss of Biodiversity and Extinctions

It is feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. From various animal species, forests and the ecosystems that forests support, marine life. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems will be high. However, sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems.

 

  

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The white ribbon has become the symbol for the day.

Click on the picture to join the Community

I just discovered this delightfully-entertaining, half-hour episode comedy series about a diverse group of Muslims, set in a small Canadian town on on the prairie.  The 20-minute video above is the first episode.

The diverse group of Muslims in the town have the same disagreements among themselves that different groups of Muslims have in their own home countries, or even that different Muslim countries have with each other (between conservative and liberal views of Islam)–but all in an entertaining way.  Of course everyone in the town misunderstands things, in the same ways people misunderstand in real life.

Try this first video.  It’s a very cleverly done Canadian sitcom, filmed in Toronto, Ontario, and Indian Head, Saskatchewan.   The first episode (above) was filmed in Regina.  Little Mosque is the most popular sitcom in Canada and has been syndicated in France, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Turkey, Israel, the West Bank, and African countries.  It is light-hearted, and family-oriented.  Expats who have lived in Muslim countries will especially enjoy this humorous series!

Links to all Little Mosque on the Prairie episodes (Seasons 1 – 4) can be viewed HERE (scroll down the page).   The links are free.

Você é apaixonado por Futebol? Então não deixe de conferir a super promoção da Netshoes para as camisas Puma.

Pensando em presentear seus clientes neste Natal, a loja preparou preços imperdíveis para as camisas de seleções da marca.

Nesta categoria você encontrará as mais variadas camisas, como a famosa camisa azurra da seleção italiana ou as mais difíceis de se encontrar no mercado como as das seleções do Togo, Israel, Tunísia, Angola, Bulgária, entre outras.

Lá você encontrará modelos a partir de R$79,90.

Esta é uma boa oportunidade para você que coleciona camisas, ou até mesmo para presentear alguém, e por que não a si mesmo?

Aproveite a promoção das Camisas Puma da Netshoes! Acesse aqui!

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Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science – there would be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.

For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by learning and obsessed with science.

From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists. This is the part three (The Power of Doubt) of three parts series.

RunTime: 1 hour

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The Power of Doubt

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[ Full Screen (HQ) ]

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The second hearing in the trial of imprisoned online journalist and human rights activist Zouhaïer Makhlouf is due to take place tomorrow in Grombalia, in the northeastern province of Nabeul. He faces a possible two-year jail sentence on a charge of “causing harm to another person by means of public communication networks” under article 86 of the telecommunications law.

Makhlouf was arrested on 20 October after posting a video report on the Internet about environmental, economic and social problems in an industrial area of Nabeul. His conditional release was rejected during the first hearing on 3 November, which lasted just eight minutes.

“We call on the authorities to abandon this trial, which makes no sense,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The prosecution case has been completely fabricated, as it was in journalist Taoufik Ben Brik’s trial, the verdict of which is to be issued on 26 November. The charges against Makhlouf are absurd and contradictory.”

The police initially charged Makhlouf with pretending to be a journalist and making an unauthorised report in the Nabeul industrial area. In fact, Makhlouf obtained the consent of all the people he filmed and, since he did not film any military area, he did not need an official permit.

The authorities held the 3 November hearing behind closed doors and told the police to keep journalists out of the courtroom. Makhlouf tried to raise the real reason for the trial, namely a political desire to silence opposition journalists, but the presiding judge insisted that the case should limit itself to the substance of the charges, namely whether he had permission to film and a complaint filed by one of the interviewees, a local potter called Mourad Ladhib.

Although it is clear from the video that Ladhib was interviewed willing, he subsequently filed a complaint claiming that he was filmed without his consent and that the video defamed him. But the court will not view the video as the prosecution has not included in its evidence despite the fact that it is the alleged cause of the “harm” to Ladhib.

Reporters Without Borders is surprised by the speed with which this case is being heard as hundreds of others have taken ages to come to trial. “This reinforces the impression that the case is being manipulated politically.”

Makhlouf has been contacted and threatened several times by Ladhib and has filed a complaint against him. His lawyers have been having difficulty visiting him in Mornaguia prison since his arrest. The latest instance of this was on 21 November, when one of his lawyers, Najet Labidi, was denied the right of visit under “directives” received by the prison authorities.

Makhlouf went on hunger strike the day after his arrest in protest against his detention but fortunately called it off on 10 November. But his health deteriorated during the hunger strike as a result of his diabetes and Mornaguia prison’s refusal to allow him proper medical treatment.

His wife also went on hunger strike to draw attention to the fact that the police had surrounded their home.

Here is the text of a letter (in French) that Makhlouf has written from prison:http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34836

The Tunisian authorities meanwhile blocked access to the website of the Doha-based satellite TV station Al Jazeera on 26 October after it posted a report about arrests of government opponents during the previous day’s presidential and parliamentary elections.

On 28 October, three days after the elections, several attempts were made to break into the home of Moudi Zouabi, the correspondent of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi and the website of the Dubai-based satellite TV station Al Arabiya.

“Sono ancora molto scarse le relazioni e gli incontri che abbiamo con le persone straniere e di conseguenza la conoscenza diretta, e non mediata dai giornali e dalle tv, che abbiamo delle loro tradizioni e culture”. Con queste considerazioni di Mons. Giuseppe Anfossi, Vescovo di Aosta e Presidente della Caritas diocesana si è aperta ieri, mercoledì 28 ottobre, la presentazione Dossier Immigrazione 2009 curato da Caritas e Migrantes. L’indagine fotografa l’andamento del fenomeno dell’immigrazione in Italia e nelle singole regioni. Il capitolo dedicato alla Valle d’Aosta, curato da William Bonapace, docente di Relazioni Interculturali presso l’ateneo valdostano, evidenzia la capacità attrattiva della Regione nei confronti delle persone immigrate. Sono, infatti, 7.509 gli stranieri regolari residenti o soggiornanti in Valle d’Aosta alla fine del 2008 con incidenza del 6% sulla popolazione locale ed una crescita del 13% rispetto all’anno precedente. Il 53,5% di questi sono donne. Ma il dato che colpisce più di tutti è l’andamento del fenomeno: tra il 2000 e il 2008 l’incremento della popolazione straniera in Valle d’Aosta è stato di oltre il 200%, con “un accelerazione che corrisponde alla tendenza osservata anche a livello nazionale”. Secondo ciò che si legge nel dossier “la popolazione straniera riequilibra la struttura per età della popolazione autoctona in favore delle classi più giovani”. In parole semplici gli stranieri – con un età media di 30,9 anni contro la media dei residenti italiani di 43,8 – contribuiscono a rendere la popolazione della Valle d’Aosta più giovane. Ciò si spiega anche con il fatto che le donne straniere fanno più figli: il tasso di natalità pari al 10,2% che è uno dei più alti d’Italia e nel 2008 il 15,3% dei nuovi nati al Beauregard hanno almeno un genitore straniero. Il paese di provenienza più rappresentato è il Marocco con il 40 % del totale degli immigrati, seguono Romania (26%), Albania (16%) e Tunisia (10%). A dispetto dei pregiudizi più comuni, gli stranieri, in Italia come nella nostra Regione, sono fortemente attivi nel mercato del lavoro con un tasso di occupazione che si attesta intorno al 67,9% al di sopra della media del Nord Ovest (66,2%). Gli stranieri in Valle d’Aosta sono impiegati per lo più nel settore dei servizi (60%), e in particolare nel comparto alberghiero e della ristorazione, nel settore industriale all’interno del quale è compreso il comparto delle costruzioni (29,3%) e, infine, nel settore agricolo (8,8%). La stabilizzazione del fenomeno migratorio ha effetti importanti anche sulla presenza di minori nella scuola. Sono 1.276, alla fine del 2008, gli alunni stranieri in Valle ed incidono per il 7,3% sulla popolazione scolastica della regione.

Amazon's Global Kindle Reader

I heard that Amazon now has a global version of Kindle. I was disappointed to find this morning that the new version still will not work in my country.

Since I’ve wanted one for some time, but have been waiting until they got a version that would work in my country, I checked out their website this morning, only to be disappointed again. Apparently the new global version will only work in SOME countries.

In case you are thinking of purchasing the new Global Kindle for a Christmas gift this year, since the new version will only work in SOME countries, I thought it would be helpful to most expats to have a complete list of which countries it will, or will not work in.

STARRED (*) countries marked below indicate that Kindle needs to be ordered from a SPECIAL PAGE on the Amazon site.

The Global Kindle version DOES work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Aland Islands, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Australia*, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Boznia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Liberia, Leichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldovia, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozembique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Serbia, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Virgin Islands – British, Virgin Islands – U.S., Wallis and Futuna, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

The Global Kindle version does NOT work in (as of Dec. 2009):

Afghanistan, Algeria, Antarctica, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bouvet Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, Chad, China, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, French Southern Territories, Gambia, Guinea, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Isle of Man, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea – Democratic People’s Republic of, Korea – Republic of, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco (including the Western Sahara), New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Pitcairn, Qatar, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, Sudan, Svalbard and Jan Mayan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tokelau, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

The word for today is Ergophobia, with good reason.

So, today I give you:

Three funny things that have happened in other countries:

Spain: Back in the nineties, on the road across the Baix Emporda area of Catalunya we (my parents, granfather and myself) killed a car. We had a hire car; a dark green Seat Cordoba. It may not have been new, but it was of good quality. And we went for a day out round the villages up to Toroella de Montgri and Empuries. Now, to get back from that area down to the coast around Lloret, one can take a main road to join a larger main road and travel with all the rush-hour traffic. Or one can (yours truly as navigator discovered this) take a road that goes pretty much straight across. Ok, I’ll grant you that this isn’t a ‘red road’ on the map. This wasn’t even a ‘yellow road’. It struggled to achieve ‘white road’ even… It was more like ‘dotted line indicating where a road might be found one day’. My father driving, me battling with a large, fold-out Michelin map in the passenger seat and periodically cursing, and mother and grandfather in the back, we turned onto said road. After a mile the nice surface disappeared and left a more gravel-look road. But we kept going past villages with cars parked, so the road must still be navigable, eh? Ooh, barely. We dropped the speed from 50mph to 40 due to the slightly uneven surface. And then the uneven surface disappeared. It gave way to one lane of gravel with grass growing down the centre. We slowed to 30mph. And then large rocks started appearing, littering the road. I remember my father saying “well it’s not worth turning round now… there can’t be far to go.” I remember looking at the map, realising we’d only come a third of the way along it and burying my face in the map while I laughed hysterically. It took hours and hours to go a mere 28 miles. In the end we were hardly moving. I could have got out and overtaken the car on foot. We finally reached Lloret and took the car back, leaving it in the hir place car park. It was now grey rather than green. One of the windows now rattled and would not wind fully closed. When my dad slammed his door, the front right wing popped up and the headlight fell out. I laughed almost until I was sick. All the way back to the hotel all I could see in my mind was dad, holding the headlight in while sitting on the wing to pop it back together.

Tunisia: Again with a hire car. This time, wifey and I. Again, she driving and I navigating. We were making our way from Hammamet where we were staying, to the ancient Roman city of Dougga. The signs for the site send you off the main road and into a small provincial town called Teboursouk. In Teboursouk, it was market day. I could probably have bought a sheep, a sword or a tree if I’d wanted there. Everything was for sale. And everything was on the street. And everyone. It was chaos. There was so little room on the road that even bicycles were having to stop and wait for a break in the general melee, let alone a reasonably sized car. So we drove through, looking for signs until we rached the other end of town and found the sign pointing back the way we came to the ruins. So, with a deep breath, we turned and headed back through the chaos. Still no signs. Needless to say, we did another trip each way. Four times through that! And finally with a bit of working out, we figured where the road must actually go from the town to the site. So back in again and we looked for the road. And it was behind all the market stalls. They had completely blocked the road off. Now this is Dougga. It’s the most famous and visited historical site in Tunisia. It’s like the Tower of London in England, or maybe the Statue of Liberty in the USA. And they’ve blocked off access for a market?!?! So we decide to be adventurous and try a different turning that we hope we can get back to that other road from. And we get a little lost. The first person we ask sends us up a road, round a bend, down a road and brings us down to a dead end where we can see the road we want but, guess what? There’s a market in the way! And we try another road out and ask a small wizened creature like a brown Yoda if this is the way to Dougga. He stares at me like I have a rhodedendron bush growing out of my ear. So we left town again and pootled along the main road and found… lo and behold… the back entrance to Dougga. Thank God. With excitement I clambered out of the car and grabbed my camera. And then it began to rain on me! On the way back from Dougga, leaving the small town of El Krib and heading for El Fahs – a roadworks sign. The road surface has been ripped up for works. Well, one reasons, we’ll shortly get past that and there’s no traffic jam or anything… Nope! 42 miles of barren, red, rocky, surfaceless road. The dust cloud kicking up behind us looked like a small sandstorm. Add to this that the road is only really wide enough for one vehicle and you’re on to a winning time. 30mph for 40 miles of red rock. And we switched on the radio to pass the time. Now I have nothing against the ‘Call to Prayer’. In fact, I rather like it. It’s quite evocative and exotic to a Yorkshireman. But an hour of it while faced with the same view of red road was a little too much. Wifey and I found ourselves laughing hysterically and alternately singing Chris Rea’s ‘Road to Hell’ and A-Ha’s ‘Road to Nowhere’.

And thirdly: France, caravanning back in the 1980s. I vividly remember how I woke up each morning. My parents slept at one end of the caravan. The other end was a single bed with a canvas pull-out bunk above it. My grandad slept on the bottom and I on the top. So every other morning I would be woken by my grandad sitting upright to get out of bed. His head would then thump me in the small of the back through the thin canvas. The other half of the time I would be woken by the rhythmic thump of my father kicking the caravan tyres (presumably to check that some goblin had not let them down in the night.) But the funny thing I remember by far from those days was the arrival at the campsite of Le Puy en Velay. I would be around 14 years old I think. While my dad levelled the legs of the caravan and my mum monitored a saucer of water to check it, I would get water. My grandad, bless him forever, went round the caravan, it being stiflingly hot, opening the four windows. He opened the one by the door, then the front, then the other side and then the back, finishing by walking round to where he started and, as he rounded the corner, he walked straight into the first window he’d opened and almost scooped off the top of his head. Knocked himself silly and cut his forehead. Of course we’d have worried, but he immediately started roaring with laughter, so we knew he was alright. It’s been over twenty years and I remember that so clearly. Wonderful.

And that made me miss my grandfather all over again.

Ah well. On with the business of Monday.

Ciao folks.

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Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science – there would be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.

For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by learning and obsessed with science.

From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists. This is the part two (The Empire of Reason) of three parts series.

RunTime: 1 hour

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The Empire of Reason

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[ Full Screen (HQ) ]

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Physicist Jim Al-Khalili travels through Syria, Iran, Tunisia and Spain to tell the story of the great leap in scientific knowledge that took place in the Islamic world between the 8th and 14th centuries.

Its legacy is tangible, with terms like algebra, algorithm and alkali all being Arabic in origin and at the very heart of modern science – there would be no modern mathematics or physics without algebra, no computers without algorithms and no chemistry without alkalis.

For Baghdad-born Al-Khalili this is also a personal journey and on his travels he uncovers a diverse and outward-looking culture, fascinated by learning and obsessed with science.

From the great mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, who did much to establish the mathematical tradition we now know as algebra, to Ibn Sina, a pioneer of early medicine whose Canon of Medicine was still in use as recently as the 19th century, he pieces together a remarkable story of the often-overlooked achievements of the early medieval Islamic scientists.

RunTime: 56 min

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The Language of Science

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Letter from Umm Ibrahim, Wife of an Italian Terror Suspect

Source : Helptheprisoners.org

Date : 19th November 2009

Asalam alaykum. My name is umm ibrahim and I pray that this letter finds you in good health and imaan and high spirits. I am writing to you to tell you some problems that wives of accused muslims face.

My husband is in prison at the moment facing terrorism charges. From the moment they arrested him, everything changed for me and my family, and the kids as well. I always praise Allah(swt) still though for the favours he has given to me. I am your sister, wearing the niqab, and already this is a big problem in this country. Everyone looks at you with suspicion and prejudice. I didn’t mind too much before, but since my husband was arrested they start to shout at me and insult me, in front of my kids on the street or on the bus. The Italian authorities are trying to take my children away from me because their father is in prison. The landlord also wants to kick us out of the house, as soon as he heard my husband was arrested. We are also entitled to some state benefits, but they refuse to provide any help whatsoever.

In Italy, there is no organisation to help us, because anyone who does help is threatened by the government. We have four children, aged 10,7,6 and 4, 3 boys one girl. My husbands family in his country (Tunisia) suffer a lot of persecution from the Tunisian government. One of his brothers has been tortured and humiliated by the Tunisian security services. His whole family are under stress continuously.

My husband has the same nationality as me, Bosnian, but the Bosnian government took away his citizenship, so that they can deport him to Tunisia. In Tunisia he has already been sentenced to 50 years imprisonment in absentenia.

Every day is a hard day for me in this country (Italy). The neighbours, the state are all against me and my family in every way. It’s a lot of oppression against me and my family, and only for reason : that I am a muslim.

My brother I have many battles to fight in this country every day, may Allah(st) help me. I am just writing to you so that other muslims around the world may know my story, and if they can help in any way whatsoever. Imagine I had a court hearing with the government, they tried to take my children away from me because I was wearing the niqab! With my husband in prison it is so hard to fight this by myself.

May Allah(swt) give us all the patience to continue, ameen.

Wa Salamu Alaikum, may Allah(swt) give the good end, ameen.

Umm Ibrahim

p.s. If any of the sisters wish to write to Umm Ibrahim, please send an email to helptheprisoners@yahoo.co.uk