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Archive for September, 2012

ARCHIVE: REALITY CHECK ON INDIA BY AN AMERICAN IT PROFESSIONAL : India… burgeoning paper tiger?

India is corrupt. I’ve dealt with firms from India for almost two decades now. They are a pain to deal with because they rarely pay on time, in the full amount, or ever in some cases.  They also make you ship stuff through their brother’s, or nephews shipping company that you never heard of, and they invent taxes that have be paid that are really just discounts (the taxes won’t be paid)…KEN NELSON

 

 

image thumb43 India… burgeoning paper tiger?
India: corruption will limit their success

People go on about India being the next economic engine. I’m dubious.

India is corrupt. I’ve dealt with firms from India for almost two decades now. They are a pain to deal with because they rarely pay on time, in the full amount, or ever in some cases.  They also make you ship stuff through their brother’s, or nephews shipping company that you never heard of, and they invent taxes that have be paid that are really just discounts (the taxes won’t be paid).  I tell them, you pay your taxes, I’ll pay mine, until then pay my full invoice.  An exception to this pattern is American companies operating in India. They’ve paid up as expected.

Two countries make up most of our deeply in arrears receivables – India & France. We have virtually none seriously late anywhere else.  Corruption and a cultural willingness to cheat (by Western standards) explains it in India. In France’s case, a particular corrupt company no longer in business.

I’ve encountered some great minds from India. They were here though. Some entrepreneurs claim India is now a better environment for business than the US – and that could be true. I suspect, however, that it is only true if you have corruption on your side.

I was reminded to write about this by this article about how crappy Indian infrastructure building is:

If they can’t build highly visible homes for athletes during the games or stadiums without roofs that collapse, apartment buildings and homes might also be of similar weak quality.

India has great potential. But tribal/family corruption and their caste system seems a great brake on maxing that potential out.

http://www.kennelson.com/newblog/india-burgeoning-paper-tiger-10296

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TERCOM & DSMAC TECHNOLOGY: Pak test fires Cruise Missile Hatf-VII, Babur-

Pakistan on Monday conducted a successful test fire of the indigenously developed multi tube Cruise Missile Hatf-VII (Babur), having a range of 700 kilometers.

Babur Crusie Missile is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which can strike targets both at Land and Sea with pin point accuracy.

It carries stealth features. Equipped with modern cruise missile technology of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and Digital Scene Matching and Area Co-relation (DSMAC), it can carry both nuclear and conventional warheads.

The missile was launched from a state of the art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle (MLV), which significantly enhances the targeting and deployment options of Babur Weapon system.

In Monday’s test National Command Authority’s fully automated Strategic Command and Control Support System (SCCSS) was once again employed.

The system has the added capability of real time remote monitoring of missile flight path. The test consolidates and strengthens Pakistan’s deterrence capability and National security.

The successful test has also been warmly appreciated by the President, Prime Minister of Pakistan and Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, who have congratulated the scientists and engineers on their outstanding success.

The missile was launched from a state of the art Multi Tube Missile Launch Vehicle (MLV), which significantly enhances the targeting and deployment options of Babur Weapon system.

Several senior officers from the armed forces and strategic organizations including Director General Strategic Plans Division Lieutenant General (R) Khalid Ahmed Kidwai, Chairman National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) Mr. Muhammad Irfan Burney witnessed the test.

http://www.sananews.net/english/pak-test-fires-cruise-missile-hatf-vii-babur/

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ARCHIVE: Family members of slain American Muslim soldiers should testify at Rep. Pete King’s hearings

The first witnesses at Rep. Peter King’s hearings on Muslims in America should be the family and comrades of Army Spec. Azhar Ali of Queens.

The witnesses could recount how Ali came to America from Pakistan when he was 14 and died at 27 serving his country in Iraq as a member of New Yorks famous Fighting 69th.

The father, Mubarak Ali, could repeat for the House Homeland Security Committee what he said as he stood beside his son’s plain wood coffin in the Islamic Burial funeral parlor in Queens that March day in 2005.

“When I heard he was going to Iraq for America, I was proud…He died for a great cause.”

The father could also recount how he and his wife were presented at the graveside with a folded flag of their son’s adopted country along with four medals, including a Bronze Star.

The presiding imam, Zameer Sattaur, could recite the prayer he offered, the words springing from the true heart of Islam.

“The purpose of life is to do good …”

The chaplain the Army sent to the funeral, Rabbi Jacob Goldstein, a colonel in the reserves and prominent member of the Hassidic community in Crown Heights, could testify that the imam invited him to give a graveside prayer.

A host of comrades could testify to Ali’s courage and devotion to duty. Sgt. Adrian Melendez could speak of how Ali was among those who rescued him after an IED attack.

“He died a great soldier,” Melendez has said of Ali and would surely say so again.

Other witnesses could tell the committee of Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Ayman Taha of Virginia, who was killed in Iraq in 2006 and of Army Cpl. Kareem Khan of New Jersey, who was killed there in 2007.

Both received the Bronze Star. Both have headstones with crescent stars rather than crosses at Arlington National Cemetery, with a good view of the Capitol and the Cannon House office building, where King will hold his hearing.

If Taha’s father were asked to testify, he would no doubt note anew that his son was a devout Muslim who embraced the same principle set forth by the imam’s prayer beside Ali’s coffin.

The father, Abdel-Rahman Taha, has said that his son felt Islam’s essential message was “to believe in God and do good deeds…

“He believed what he was doing there was the good deeds Islam is asking for.”

Khan’s father is on record saying of his son, “His Muslim faith did not make him not want to go. It never stopped him.”

Feroze Khan added, “He looked at it that he’s American and he has a job to do.”

As recorded below the crescent star on his tombstone, Kareem Khan was born in 1987, which means he was just 14 on 9/11. He became and remained determined to demonstrate that only a tiny minority of Muslims are America-hating extremists.

Khan no sooner graduated high school in 2005 than he was taking his first plane ride, to begin basic training. He was in Iraq a year later and was to come home when his tour was extended. He voiced no complaint.

Let the committee record show that he was only 20 when he died, demonstrating that you can be a devout Muslim and give all anybody of any faith can give to America.

Let the committee take care how it proceeds, for to stoke prejudice against all Muslims is to dishonor the memory of Khan and Taha and Ali and the others of their faith who have made the supreme sacrifice in this long war.

To dishonor them is to dishonor the country King says he’s defending.

[email protected]

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American Muslims Have More Freedoms in the Melting Pot of America!

A SMALL SEGMENT OF RENOWNED AMERICAN MUSLIM ACHIEVERS IN AMERICA

Art

Shirin Neshat at theViennale 2009.

Business

Mohamed El-Erian at theWorld Economic Forum.

Entertainment

Comedy

Dean Obeidallah

Film

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Music

Rapper Ice Cubeperforming in 2006.

Television

Dr. Mehmet Oz at the 2010 Time 100 Gala

Military

Reference

All have headstones with crescent stars rather than crosses at Arlington National Cemetery

Foreign military service

Modeling and pageants

Iman

Politics and activism

Religion

Science

Sports

Boxing

Muhammad Ali in 1978

NBA

NFL

Wrestling

Mixed martial arts

Writing

Fareed Zakaria, head ofNewsweek International.

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    a “good Muslim” eager for Reform

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Islamophobia : America and Muslims to Think of Rational Dialogue

After the 9/11 tragedy, American politics is obsessed with anti-Islamic hatred and Islamophobia has assumed to become an industry to be used by the neoconservatives and continued proponents of the war on terrorism. More recently, the documentary movie reportedly made by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula or Sam Bassile 52 years old real estate developer originally from Israel (as mentioned by the NYTimes) available on the You Tube and elsewhere on the internet allegedly portraying false images of Islam and Prophet Mohammad’s life is not rare or the end in itself. Islamophobia is an organized scheme of things – an industry – an anti-Islamic institutionalized hatred campaigns and fear-mongering across the US and Western Europe. It is business as usual by entrepreneurs and lobbyists of the Military-Industrial Complex warmongering establishment. Its ultimate aims are to keep the American and European people fearful of the growing Islamic presence in these parts of the world as if Muslims were the outcome of the eye of the storm to destroy the industrial progress or to halt the Zionist perpetuated fear of Islam. America and Muslims NEED to rethink about their perceptions and inborn attitudes toward each other. Perpetuated animosity and attacks on diplomatic missions will not solve any problems but create more and dangerous ones to be unsolvable. A crisis situation requires critical thinking, not hasty actions of jumping into fireballs, killing of diplomats, verbal outbursts and burning of others flags. None of these are the rational strategies to address the problem. America as a global power must realize its moral and political responsibility in an international context. Islamophobia is not the means to deal with morally and intellectual conscientious Muslim people. Stephen Lendman (“Islamophobia in Western Media”: 3/2011, Rense.com) elaborates the Islamophobia –the institutionalized scheme of things:

Islamophobia defined

The Runnymede Trust identifies eight components, characterizing Islam as: 

— monolithic, static, and unresponsive to change; 

— having differing values from other cultures and religions; 

— being inferior to Western societies; 

— barbaric, irrational, primitive, sexist, violent, aggressive, threatening, supporting terrorism, and clashing with Western civilization; 

— an ideology used for political or military advantage; 

— irrationally criticizing Western values; 

— warranting discriminatory practices that exclude Muslims from mainstream society; and 

— believing anti-Muslim hostility is natural and normal. 

In early 90’s, Professor Samuel Huntington (the Clash of the Civilization scenarios), characterized the Muslim world as “Islam’s bloody borders.” In our communications, Dr. Huntington indicated that he had no specific knowledge of the Islamic civilization or first-hand observations shaping the Muslim moral and intellectual fabric. They call the politically active Arabs and Muslims as members of “al-Qaida” (the organization originally perceived, developed and managed by the CIA and American political leaders to fight the USSR-former Soviet Union occupation o Afghanistan. It is dead long time except its label is used when and if convenient to the warmongers. Richard Chamberlain observed: “Al Qaida” is a CIA fabricated enemy, created as an opponent for the CIA-created “neocon” supermen, intended to embed an invisible terror army amongst the people, in order to perpetually justify waging war upon the people.

Pierre-Henry Bunel, a former agent for French military intelligence: “The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al Qaida. And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity representing the ‘devil’ only in order to drive the ‘TV watcher’ to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the US and the lobbyists for the US war on terrorism are only interested in making money.”

We come to realize that politics is a game of pretension and always remains problematic. Politicians NEED problems to get public attention and to argue being the deliverers. Most often, they are not except being treacherous, cynical and deceitful to their ideas and ideals and to the public interests they claim to serve. It is an election year in the US and both presidential candidates desperately need new issues and new exciting problems – local or international to move the public passion and opinions and gain in number games. Strange as is, Arabs and Muslims of the world are providing that food for thoughts to the US politicians. This is something a planned outcome of the Islamophobia movement in the US. Last year, Terry Jones wanted to burn the copies of the Qura’an- the Divine Book of Islam. It prompted action-reaction responses and people throughout the globe got attentive why such an extreme act of ignorance against Islam, when Muslims believe and respect Judaism and Christianity as part of their indivisible faith. A Danish journalist embarked on folly and carved up a cartoon of Prophet Mohammad. The world-over reaction by Muslims and others consumed enormous time, energies and thoughts but what was the end of it? Few months earlier, American troops burned the copies of the Qura’an in Kabul. Massive protest but nothing changed on the ground. Obama and his administration cited ignorance about the vitality of the Qura’an. Thomas Jefferson had copies of the Qura’an and used it to devise the moral and intellectual injunctions for the American Constitution. Were the educated American that ignorant? Islamophobia is well organized and flourishing across the Western cultural domains, again investing in “fear-mongering” of Islam and generating sense of insecurity to peace and global harmony. There is a problem with the Arabs and Muslims at large, they are emotional people, unimaginative and often shortsighted when it comes to rational THINKING and steadfastness in situations of volatile circumstances. The Western politicians want Muslims to act like immature actors and bodies on their script originating from the Islamophobia scheme of things. This could be justified to the coming dangers to plan more wars of terrorism or terrorism of wars against the innocent people in the Islamic world. Truth speaks its own language. Islamophobia is intricately linked to the US-Western policies and foreign relations with the Arab and other Muslim countries. 

Despite having a knowledge-based culture, the Islamophobia organizations generate hatred and fear throughout the global news media. They envisage and project the Muslim people as of draconian age, violent and lacking reason, science, and intellectual foresight. On September 12, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI equated Catholicism with reason, saying violent Islam lacked it. This contradicts the European history where Islamic civilization flourished for eight hundred years in Spain (Al-Anduls) and contributed to knowledge, scientific developments and helped the Europeans to become civilized when they were species of the dark ages. Was Pope Benedict not expected to be knowledgeable of these pertinent facts of the European history? 

Hillary Clinton called the current battling scenes as “disgusting and reprehensible.” President Obama claims, he has respect for Islam and understanding of the faith. These are just abstract words lacking meaning and purpose. What if the US administration would move to arrest Sam Basile – the media described filmmaker of the controversial documentary movie and charge him with insult and injuries to the American public interest. After all America is part of the global moral and intellectual hub of the mankind, it is not out from somewhere from another planet of subhuman beings. The move maker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula is reported as a fraudulent person who was convicted in California in 2010. Several members of the film cast and crew have disavowed the movie, saying Bassile/Nakoula duped them. Actress Cindy Lee Garcia said she thought she was in a film about ancient Egypt called Desert Warriors.
“It was going to be a film based on how things were 2,000 years ago,” she told the local newspaper “It wasn’t based on anything to do with religion, it was just on how things were run in Egypt. There wasn’t anything about Mohammed or Muslims or anything.

Professor Michel Chossudovsky (“America’s Holy Crusade against the Muslim” World, Global Research: 8/2010) offers the prevalent context: 
Recent developments suggest a breaking point, a transition from “the war on terrorism” to the outright demonization of Muslims. While underscoring the freedom of religion, the Obama administration is “beating the drums” of a broader war against Islam………….   The rising tide of xenophobia, sparked by the proposed Ground Zero mosque and community center, has all the appearances of  a PSYOP (Psychological Operation) which contributes to fomenting hatred against Muslims throughout the Western World. 

After the 9/11 and incidentally on the anniversary of the 9/11 on that very day, American politicians are vengeful, paranoid and often appear to be victims of their own obsession and insanity – that all problems must be solved by power, by military interventions, killings and devastation of other nations and habitats- more so of the Arabs. The media reports that President Obama is sending warships to Libya because of the killing of its ambassador and three other diplomats. Is it not the same mindset as of George Bush to take military action in haste without rational thinking of the consequences on the US and others? Nobody has invincible armies and nobody can conquer the world on its own. Only people with monstrous mind can think that way. Not all problems require military actions but diligent and thoughtful moves to diffuse the crises. Perhaps, this is not part of the big American thinking after victimizing the mankind under the false flag of terrorism for over a decade. Likewise, the reactionary Muslim people are slipping into violent behavior on problems requiring serious thinking, attitudes and understanding to come up with peaceful and workable remedies. Muslims failed to recognize their moral precepts taught by Islam and political weaknesses and strengths within the global system of political affairs. Burning flags and denouncing the US-Israel would not solve any problems; it will enlarge the scope to more critical catastrophic incidents beyond human control. Arab rulers have no armies to defend Islam. They pump oil and enjoy living in palaces, not with people – the illusion of so called economic prosperity soon to be dismantled as is the case of change now in progress. Most Arabs are still living under the powerful shadows of authoritarian rulers who would not allow them to speak openly. People in Libya and Egypt are discovering their new freedom from the past captivity. They need to develop public institutions and encourage educated and intelligent leaders to assume the leadership role. If American policy makers were intelligent enough to envisage the contemporary priorities of global peace and relationships, they could have set-up an advisory body of Muslim scholars and American intellectuals to assist on sensitive US-Muslim relations and problem solving. America having been glued to the Zionist lobbyists lacks freedom of rational thoughts and actions to deal with the global citizens and more so with the Islamic world. Its captivity to one interest group is the real problem, not the changing landscape of the Islamic people. To Muslims, Islam teaches respect and co-existence with other religions and people of the Book. Many could be pretending as if they are doing any good for the cause of Islam or to protect the honor of Prophet Mohammad while they pursue their own ambitions of power. Prophet Mohammad life is a role model for peace and human coexistence. He was always open to communication and took initiatives to have direct communication with his worst foes in Makkah and Madinah. He was commanded by God to invite them to peace and to Islam. Have the people in all these Muslim lands reacting to the current Islamophobia conspiracies considered the teachings, morals and practices of Prophet Mohammad? Those rushing to hasty conclusions and jumping into fires and burning others national flags and symbols, when did you convey the message of Islam to your enemies? Are you rational beings and know the short-long terms consequences of your actions? What would you achieve out of this staged drama and acts of irrational behaviors and utter nuisance? Your enemies planned this way as the makers of the movie claim that Muslims will react in anger and violent behaviors and disrupt the normal life. They wanted to depict you as reactionary without THINKING as most have not seen the documentary film – a herd like move to drain out your thinking and positive energies and to make you dumb and dull in real life. You compete in shouting matches, expend your time and precious energies and simply go home to sleep. Simply, you have not encountered the real world issues and how to deal with them. 

Do you remember the paradoxes of history? Do you recall what Sultan Salahudeen Ayoubi did to free Jerusalem and drive out the Crusaders from the Muslim lands? Do you remember how Sultan Salahudeen treated his enemies – King Richard and others even in the battlefield? Do you know that for ages the European feared Salahudeen – the Conqueror of Jerusalem – the Leader of the Muslim Ummah because Allah’s help was with him. Many of you pretend like actors and have no understanding of Islam and its primary values to deal with others. None of you are serious about your own intentions and beliefs. What if you were organized as morally and intellectually conscientious people and knew the complex nature of global politics and had intelligent leaders and freedom to THINK before you act and communicate with moral strength not weaknesses to the enemies of Islam, don’t you THINK, you would have accomplished something better, something durable in dealing with some of the emotionally charged issues? In the 21st century of New World of Hope and Optimism, Men who are universally hated and feared can be approached , communicated and can be imagined to be sitting in front of you on the table to discuss the on-going problems. That is, if you are organized as an Ummah, you are confident of your moral and intellectual strength and have responsible and intelligent leaders to represent your interests and priorities. By the same token, if American leaders were intelligent and responsible, they could have avoided these violent developments and opened communication channels with the Muslim world as President Obama had originally claimed to do so. But he rescinded his promises and deceived the mankind on the war of terrorism, closing of the Guantanmobay and normalization of relationships with the Islamic world. Like the European colonists, Obama had pride and false sense of superiority that he failed to stop the bogus wars against Muslims and bring back his troops from the war zones. John Adams must have anticipated such political developments and offered this context:

“The pride and vanity of that nation is a disease, it is a delirium, it has been flattered and inflamed so long by themselves and other that it perverts everything.” 

Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including the latest: Global Peace and Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of New Thinking. Lambert Publishing Germany, May 2012

 

September 16, 2012 “Information Clearing House

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