While the first flight must demonstrate only the ability to carry five crew members, the winner will have to take at least five people up on the second flight.
And one more thing. They have to do it by Jan. 10, 2010.
Those are just some of the rules that govern who wins the $50 million “America
What We’re Up Against
Anyone who thought Bush’s second term would mean a moderation of the neoconservative agenda of perpetual war was bound to be bitterly disappointed
Firefox 1.0
Finally, version 1.0 of the Firefox browser was released today.
After playing around with all it’s releases, I officially moved to Firefox as my browser of choice over a month ago and have been enjoying it fully ever since.
It sticks to the standards, offers all needed features and accepts skins and extensions which extend it far beyond a browser.
My installation currently notifies me when I get an email in my GMail account, it gives me the weather forecast for Tunis for the next 3 days, has a built-in ftp client, feed reader, calendar and web developer kit.
It’s definitely the best and coolest browser on the internet today.
I only use Internet Explorer at work for testing purposes because that’s what most people still use but honestly, compared to Firefox, IE should rot in hell just like Netscape should have done before it.
Download your copy of Firefox 1.0 and have fun surfing again.
Arabic-style handwriting cancels flight
The plane, carrying 118 passengers and five crew members, had already pulled away from the gate at Mitchell International Airport on Sunday evening. It returned to the gate, the passengers got off, security authorities were notified, all luggage was checked and the aircraft was inspected. Nothing was found.
The passengers were put up in nearby hotels and booked on a Monday morning flight.
The writing was in Farsi, the language used in Iran, said airline spokeswoman Carol Skornycka. She said she didn’t know exactly what the writing said but was similar to a prayer, “something of a contemplative nature.”
So now not only do they start a problem because they don’t like how someone looks, but they’re ready to turn around a plane just because someone scribbled on an inflight magazine in a language that looks like Arabic?!
I think this is really stupid!
I truly can’t believe it’s gone this far!
[Source: USA Today]
[Via: Mental Mayhem]
Sorry Everybody
“Some of us
Mesut Kurtis, Salawat
A new nasheed artist by the name of Mesut Kurtis has launched his debut album called “Salawat”.
This album was produced by Sami Yusuf and a special track also features him.
This amazing album also contains the famous Burda by Imam Al-Busari. The songs on this album beautifully and seamlessly blend lyrics in Arabic, Turkish and English.
Mesut Kurtis was born in 1981 in Macedonia to parents of Turkish origins. He comes from a very religious and scholarly family. His great grandfather was a well known scholar at the time of the Ottoman Empire. He is fluent in 5 languages. He has recently finished his Islamic Law course at the European Islamic Institute in Wales.
For a sample compilation from the “Salawat” album, click here.
For more information, check out the Awakening website.
Yasser Arafat’s Condition: Dead or Alive?
There is a lot of speculation about Yasser Arafat’s condition going on these days.
The rumours and reports have been spilling out that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is clinically dead and that he’s being kept alive by machines.
Two U.S. officials are confirming these reports and saying that French, Israeli and Egyptian officials are already negotiating with Arafat’s family and aides over where he should be buried.
But the Palestinian administration and sources at the French military hospital deny these reports and say that his medical state is “complex” but reversible.
So, even in this world of media and news overload, the truth isn’t always obvious and out there.
Anyway, we’ve seen this same scenario a number of times in the past with King Hussein of Jordan and recently Sheikh Zayed of UAE, and that leads me to believe that the reports that Arafat is clinically dead are true and that it’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug and announce his death officially.
How long before they do it?
Well first they have to negotiate where he’ll be buried. He and his family have always wanted him to be buried in Jerusalem but Israel is fully against that. So a solution that is honorable to a leader of his caliber has to be found.
The Palestinian leadership will also have to organize themselves and coordinate with all Palestinian factions so that a successor to Arafat is chosen and the power transfer is flawless so that they don’t fall into a power void and maybe even some sort of civil war.
It’s a critical time for the Palestinian people and leadership, the loss of their leader and uniting figure, the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
All precautions have to be taken so that things go on smoothly.
iRaq
Man tries to convert lions to Christianity
Four More Bush Years…
“If the president is reelected, it will be seen as a mandate for war