Use caution at all time....but this is embarrassing, they're all in Atlanta

They just might have a warrant out there for me by now....the only reason I ignore them is because of the reason Baashi gave...waste of my time,really.

Your intentions are good, but in this case, you'll win the battle, not the war.

Not to long ago when news came of the war waged against Christmas, my husband and I had a discussion (i.e: argument) about whether it was offensive to get a 'Merry Christmas' from strangers? And personally, I have mixed feelings. I'm not offended when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas, but I feel the need to explain that Im Muslim and dont celebrate. But Ironically, I dont have a problem with cards, or invitations to the gazillion "Holiday" Parties/Open house's- and in fact, I attend a majority of them. Maybe it's the free food, and all around good mood (w/ the help of the egg nog) that entices me. In fact, after a week of receiving holiday treats/gift from my boss and co-workers, I decided to join the bunch and bake my special cheesecake cups for the office- 'Tis the season, right?

If I didnt see the proof myself, I wouldnt believe it either. My father went to St. Maartin last year and brought similar personal photos.

LOL, it's like high school again. That was a funny story, a bit doubtful at times though. I once had my eyebrows threaded, and had to stop half way. Its always painful the first time. You really have to get use to it. Try numbing your eyebrows with ice cubes next time. p.s. Its worth having it clean as a whistle

Originally posted by Haniif: Am at the store yesterday, and I had to give the nice lady my ID to make a purchase. So she sees my name (which is one of those very clearly Islamic names). And after she's done ringing me up, I say “Thank you, and have a marry Christmasâ€, to which she replies, “Good night and Marry Chris.... um I mean Happy Holidays to you tooâ€. I couldn't help laughing. Why is everyone wishing everyone else happy holiday when the only holiday anyone is celebrating is Christmas? Because it isnt the only holiday people are celebrating. I'm working in retail for the school break, and you wouldnt believe the hositlity I get from saying "Happy Holidays".Well, if you've been watching the news, and O'Reilly, then you might Though over 200 million celebrate Christmas in the US, there are millions celebrating Hannukah, Kwanzaa(well only a few nowadays), Bohdi Day(which is the Buddhist holiday Mini ) ,etc. Its not offensive in the least. Just an acknowledgement of the other holidays being celebrated in December.

Of course it’s better to be safe than sorry, but the controversy over the Bird Flu is leaving me more cautious than ever. We should all keep in mind that the theories and beliefs these ‘medical experts’ have differ. And also bear in mind that there just isn’t much evidence/proof to work with in determining a true outlook of what the Bird Flu is capable of. But the controversy should be raising even more eyebrows for those of us in the US. I don’t know how many of you have seen Pres. Bush’s press conference over the Bird Flu, but he basically said that a potential bird flu “vaccine†would/should be made available for millions of Americans. Now for some of you who have done their research, did you notice which corporations carries the rights to the “vaccine� GILEAD. And if you’ve dug a bit deeper in your research, you’d find that a certain Defense Secretary was once their chairman. Doesn’t this remind you of Halliburton in Iraq? It’s sad, but we all need to question these policy-making decisions.

My question to you is, What do you think of this? Women are now part of bombing and exploding! I think that this incident will hurt Palestinian Women going through checkpoints. These muslim women will probably endure more agonizing and awkward security searches

This article raised more questions for me then answers. The article hints at the fighting being politicized, but only bases it on an attack of a house? Could we assume further that one of the conflicting parties were loyal to the Transitional Government? Or do the allegations hold no water? We also can't strike out the possibility of coincidence. The article also fails to adequately describe the sides involved. On the one hand you have the Islamic Court loyalists. On the other you have the "local militia defending the densely populated Yaqshid district". This gives the impression that the Islamic Court loyalists were rebels/insurgents to the area. proof of biasism? All in all, this article doesnt give us enough information that will allow for an acceptable assesment.

Reports have shown that piracy activites have been going on for more than a year. So it should come as no surprise that this only made headlines b/c the Cruise ship was American. I've read that such activities are justified by the Ilegal fishing,and illegal toxic waste dumpings taken place on our coast. However, the hijackings of UN food aid & luxury lines prove these justifications false. Besides the hope that the pirates will give up, Im having a hard time figuring out how the situation can be resolved. The transitional government is already facing enough challenges,and I dont think the African Union has the authority to control coastal activities? Unless the piracy is controlled and eradicated, we could undoubtedly see an increase in American or European forces along the coast, a UN imposed embargo on Somali exports, or a possible reduction in food aid to prevent future attacks/hijackings.

^^ You would notice that ^^ I'm enjoying the personal snapshots. Especially the ones in black&white. It has always amazed me how converting a picture to B&W can express feelings of wonder and fascination. Do keep them coming.... I might just take you up on the photo offer

Ahh, good-ol' Conspiracy theories. They can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. It doesnt surprise me to hear about Operation Northwood. Though it prides itself in being a moral authority, the US is not immune from corruption. However, Kashafa, you raise an interesting point. On the one hand, I'd like to believe that transparency issues wouldnt allow for such. Yet, on the other hand, I could see 40-50 years from now de-classified information stating US's involvement in 9/11, or 'true motives' behing Iraq War.

good point, but lets not forget Sweden was not a colonial power and therefore will nerver have the same sense of superiority over 3rd world immigrants as say France, Belgium or even Britain. Not necessarily. The United States never held the Colonial Power badge either the same way Britain, Belgium, France, Portugal, Italy, etc did. And you would have a hard case arguing that their policies in the past/present werent as you've stated carried "a sense of superiority over 3rd world countries." On another point, isnt it funny how people are shocked to hear about the situations the immigrants and children of immigrants are going through in France? As if the French and other European governments woke up one morning and decided to enact policies that were inherently discriminatory and possibly racist! Many of us are quickly forgetting that these nations were once Colonial powers that practiced institutionalized racism. It doesnt matter what century were living in now. The post-colonial era is only 50+ yrs strong. Sometimes its just to hard to teach an old dog new tricks... French national football team should appeal for calm as they are the only ones the youth would listen to - ie Zidane and co. It took this incident to happen for some to realize the situation Immigrant descendants in France were going through.

Will the disadvantaged muslim/Black youth in countries like the UK and USA do the same thing? The apathethic mindset englufed in Americans today would allow me to answer No. It's not surprising that the French are racists, Europeans are more racists than Americans I wouldnt go so far as to say that. Its very tricky to compare the Americans to the Europeans, or more specifically the French. The mutli-cultural societies pervasive in many of the major European communities today has not lasted as long as the United States. When high immigration waves struck the US in the 1800's and early 1900's, Europeans were continuing to deal with their Colonial matters. Only after nations were granted independence from these powers were we beginning to see large numbers of immigrants/regugees fleeing to their respective Imperial powers. Blacks were fighting racism for over a century before the Civil rights movement in the US finally got attention. The Europeans have only spent a third of that time dealing with its racial issues. Modesty, we are talking about France, not Sweden. The Swedes are one of the most hospitable people you will ever meet. Under 14% of the population is either foreign-born, or children of foreign-born parents. And only half of that population is non-white. So essentially, were looking at a population of less than 8% that is non-white. It easy to point to Sweden as this succesful representation of democracy when they aren't dealing with percentages comparable to other Multi-racial societies. Let's see if the statement holds true when say,its percentages tip over 20% non-white. What we are seeing is a French society unable to accomodate its multi-racial/ethnic groups. Until this is solved, the unrest will only escalate

What were seeing is new laws/policies that are slowly decreasing the civil liberties of the Aussies, and at the same time increasing the authority/powers of the government, from the national levels to local levels. We can question the timing of the laws, we can support/deny 'scare-tactic' allegations, and we can question the alleged accusations of the 17 suspects, but one thing for sure is that an amendment has been adopted, and future proposals are being considered that will not ask for evidence suggesting specifics in targets, etc. It's also not surprising to find particular groups falling victim to these new laws. Civil liberties are being sacrificed for pre-emptive strike tactics..

^^Good Point^^ My Ramadhan this year will be an interesting one! I've become a vegetarian, and reading a few of the posts reminds me of the discomfort I'll endure at the dinner table this month. Oh well! p.s. Ramadan Karim p.s.s. My decision to be a vegetarian is not in any way against the killing of animals. Its just a healthy alternative :cool:

^^^They are saying it could take months for the city to run properly. University system are even thinking about canceling the semester. Im a little impatient with how the federal goverment is handling things, however. On wednesday morning ( two days after the tragedy), they stated that they were still assessing the situation, befor they take drastic recovery measures! I assessed the situation the minute i turned on the television. It goes to show, there weren't many lessons learned after the tsunami hit Asia. :rolleyes: And dont even start with those gas prices! :mad: Georgia is on high surveillance with price gauging. Can you guys believe there was an area her with a $6.09 price on premium!!!! :eek: It was like a scene from War of the Worlds. The lines, and the tempers.......ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!

So there have been US meetups? :confused: Or are you guys ( the ones who mentioned this of course) talking about the Mnpls meetups?

This is awful news....but thank goodness no casualties have been confirmed as of yet. LOL@ Northerner. You know I saw this Somali guy on CNN, behind another fellow who was being interviewed. Looked rather anxious, if not frustrated to want to talk as well.... Could this be.....

^^LOL @ kanif^^ I went to Djibouti a few yrs ago, and my sister and I were in shock to see such beautiful women with fabulous skin!! That heat had my face in so many colours, not to mention the breakouts :eek:

Hehehe I knew that Heifa didnt have anything on me! and besides, I heard about girls like her.....who couldnt work it And as for you! Come to Mama!

^^Haha@Rahima My Dad swears that the house will burn down one of these days, all thanks to me! I don't wear rings or watches because I always take them off when washing my hands or performing wudu and forget them in public lavatories up and down the city. I still wear them, but I think I've lost about 5 watches and bracelets ....oh, how I miss my Guess watch..

The good thing abt it is that even if i dnt understand it, i can always go rent the film Along with the Harry Potter book, im also reading Beloved by Toni Morrison. And the movie is coming back home with me, after I return the book back at the library I must say Foxy, the Da vinci Code has swept the country like a storm! Before the summer is over, I'll have to see what the fuss is!!

I've been contemplating the same. What Lander has pointed out is totally on the money: The school you decide to go to plays a huge factor. But Lander, im not sure if you know or not, but many of the top 100 schools have online MBA course's available! So Harvard, you'd be able to work your 9-5 and take those classes in your convenience. An MBA is the way to go, nowadays! The average salary of a person with an MBA is about 97,000 a year! :eek: :eek: ..