The StoryofStuff
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Ethics, Interesting, Random Thoughts
This is the StoryofStuff, an encounter with the real story of how everday things come to fall into your hands:
George Galloway
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Ethics, Interesting, Politics, Random Thoughts
I love this guy.
I really do. For the reason that he is the ONLY Western politician that actually stands up for the truth and sticks to it eloquently through thin and thick. This is a true Man who stands for his ideals and says ’screw it’ to the lot of them that aims harm at him.
Here’s my Youtube playlist of some of my favorite clips on him; most are from his radio show, talkSPORT Radio.:
Sprucing Up/Blog Work
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under LunchTime, Random Thoughts, Technology
Yes, you all might have noticed that although my Blogroll is helpful, it could use some more links; esp since I’ve got a ton of ‘em.–they’ll be coming inshAllah.
Also, the RSS feed for some isn’t working on this blog. I use GoogleReader and simply subscribed to the RSS feed location of my blog here.
On the topic of what ya see when ya visit: you might of noticed that this site’s CSS integration with some of the other elements of my blog such as videos, audio files, etc. doesn’t come out so well. That’s because you’re using Internet Explorer or some other crappy browser…
Get Firefox now!
ah, let’s see….nothing else I can think of..if you think of anything, comment this post.
Blog About Palestine Day
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Ethics, Interesting, Politics
Right, so last Thursday was ‘Blog About Palestine Day’ and I was supposed to:
….and I didn’t..
Soooo…I’ll do so now and try to make it up with a huge list of stats on the conflict.
Nota Bene: These statistics are from July 2006…so they’re a bit dated..but I think that they still give a good picture in the great bias that goes into the reporting of the numbers of both sides.
Who’s Killing Who?
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s major sources of instability. Americans are directly connected to this conflict, and increasingly imperiled by its devastation.
It is the goal of this post to provide full and accurate information about who is getting killed in this conflict, and how that contradicts with how it is being reported.
Below are charts of nine little-known statistics.
Please click on any statistic for the source and more information.
Last Updated: July 17, 2006
| Israeli and Palestinian Children Killed Since September 29, 2000 | 121 Israeli children have been killed by Palestinians and 734 Palestinian children have been killed by Israelis since September 29, 2000. |  |
| Israelis and Palestinians Killed Since September 29, 2000 |  |
1,084 Israelis and 4,064 Palestinians have been killed since September 29, 2000. |
| Israelis and Palestinians Injured Since September 29, 2000 | 7,633 Israelis and 30,376 Palestinians have been injured since September 29, 2000. |  |
| Daily U.S. Assistance to Israel and the Palestinians |  |
The U.S. gives $15,139,178 per day to the Israeli government and military and $232,290 per day to Palestinian NGO’s. |
| UN Resolutions Targeting Israel and the Palestinians | Israel has been targeted by at least 65 UN resolutions and the Palestinians have been targeted by none. |  |
| Political Prisoners and Detainees |  |
1 Israeli is being held prisoner by Palestinians, while 9,599 Palestinians are currently imprisoned by Israel. |
| Demolitions of Israeli and Palestinian Homes | 0 Israeli homes have been demolished by Palestinians and 4,170 Palestinian homes have been demolished by Israel since September 29, 2000. |  |
| Israeli and Palestinian Unemployment Rates |  |
The Israeli unemployment rate is 8.9%, while the Palestinian unemployment is estimated at 25-31%. |
| New Settlements Built (March 2001 - July 2003) | 60+ new Jewish-only settlements have been built on confiscated Palestinian land between March 2001 and July 11, 2003. There have been 0 cases of Palestinians confiscating Israeli land and building settlements. |  |
Media Coverage of All Deaths
We found a significant correlation between the likelihood of a death receiving coverage and the nationality of the person killed.
In 2004, there were 141 reports in AP headlines or first paragraphs of Israeli deaths. During this time, there had actually been 108 Israelis killed (the discrepancy is due to the fact that a number of Israeli deaths were reported multiple times).
 |
During the same period, 543 Palestinian deaths were reported in headlines or first paragraphs. During this time, 821 Palestinians had actually been killed.4
In other words, 131% of Israeli deaths and 66% of Palestinian deaths were reported in AP headlines or first paragraphs.
That is, AP reported prominently on Israeli deaths at a rate 2.0 times greater than Palestinian deaths.
In reality, 7.6 times more Palestinians were killed than Israelis in 2004.
II. Coverage of Children’s Deaths
| 9 Israeli children’s deaths were reported in the headlines or first paragraphs of AP articles on the Israel/Palestine conflict in 2004, when 8 had actually occurred. During the same period only 27 out of 179 Palestinian children’s deaths were reported. (Children are defined by international law as those who are 17 and younger.)Additionally, Palestinian children made up a disproportionately large number of Palestinian deaths in general. Children’s deaths accounted for 21.8% of the Palestinians killed, while children’s deaths accounted for only 7.4% of Israelis killed during this period. |  |
 |
22 times more Palestinian children were killed than Israeli children.AP reported on 113% of Israeli children’s deaths in headlines or first paragraphs, while reporting on only 15% of Palestinian children’s deaths.That is, Israeli children’s deaths were reported at a rate 7.5 times greater than Palestinian children’s deaths. |
 |
 |
Comparing running totals for actual deaths and reported deaths once again reveals that while AP’s reporting on Israeli children’s deaths closely tracks the reality, the reporting on Palestinian children’s deaths lags far behind the actual number, following a path similar to Israeli children’s deaths. This is in stark contradiction to the reality, in which Palestinian children were being killed at a rate over 22 times greater than Israeli children.
In order to discover the impact of repetitions on the study, we examined AP’s coverage of children’s deaths without counting repetitions. We found that AP repeated two Israeli children’s deaths once, and one Palestinian child’s death three times. Hence, not counting repetitions, AP covered 88% of Israeli children’s deaths – a rate of coverage 6.5 times greater than their coverage of Palestinian children’s deaths (of which AP covered 13%.)
III. “Clashes” – A Case Study of AP’s Diction
| Many qualitative observations may be made about bias in news coverage. One interesting aspect is the terminology used by a news source in reporting on this conflict. We examined AP’s usage of the words “clash” and “clashes”. Of all the conflict deaths AP reported in 2004, 47 deaths were stated to have taken place during a clash. Every one of those 47 was a Palestinian death, which suggests a more unilateral violence than the word is commonly understood to convey. |  |
Additional Notes: Context
While gathering the data for this study, our analysts looked at hundreds of articles that AP published on topics relating to the Israel/Palestine issue, and noted a number of additional patterns that merit further examination. (The daily reports from the International Middle East Media Center, imemc.org, are useful in evaluating AP’s coverage.)
- There appeared to be differentiation in the amount and type of contextual information provided regarding the people killed and the circumstances of their deaths. While Israeli deaths were often depicted as innocent victims of Palestinian aggression, Palestinian deaths seemed more often to be portrayed as a necessary result of conflict.
- We noticed that several pertinent subject areas had been minimally covered by AP. For example:
- Palestinian prisoners. Torture in Israeli prisons is listed as a concern in the first paragraph of Amnesty International’s report on Israel covering the year 2004.5 It was first exposed by the London Times in 1977 and is continually noted by the US State Department, numerous human rights organizations and others.6 Over 9,000 Palestinians are currently incarcerated by Israel (over 4,000 have not had a trial),7 with the number of Palestinian political prisoners per capita among the highest in the world.8 Torture of Americans of Palestinian descent was detailed by Foreign Service Journal in 2002.9
- Israeli Refusers. During 2004 numerous Israelis refused to serve in the Israeli armed forces in the occupied territories.10 By year’s end there were 1,392 such “refuseniks” and 37 had gone to prison. This movement was a topic of increasing discussion in Israel and the subject of numerous news reports. Yet AP had only one story on this.
- Nonviolence movement. Palestinian resistance efforts have included numerous nonviolent marches and other activities, many joined by international participants, Israeli citizens, and faith-based groups. This nonviolence movement has been an important topic in the Palestinian territories, with growing numbers of people taking part – in 2004 the Palestinian News Network reported on 79 major demonstrations that were exclusively nonviolent. Yet, we did not find any reports in which AP had described a Palestinian demonstration or other activity as nonviolent or utilizing nonviolence.
Yet, apart from four stories on a prisoner hunger strike, we could find only two stories that described Israeli prison conditions for Palestinians. Only one AP headline from the area mentioned torture – and this one was about Lebanese, not Palestinian, prisoners.
- We noticed significant stories that, perplexingly, were sent only on the Worldstream wire, disseminated internationally, but that were not sent to U.S. editors. For example, on May 11, an AP story reported: “The Geneva-based Defense for Children International and Save the Children, based in Sweden, said that as of May 2004, 373 Palestinians under 18 were being held in Israeli detention centers and prisons. At least three of the detainees are under 14…The groups charged that the treatment of Palestinian child prisoners by Israeli authorities amounts to a pattern of violence that has gone unchecked for years…” This story was not sent to U.S. newspapers.
It is unclear to us why this story would be considered newsworthy for readers in other parts of the world but not for readers in the U.S., Israel’s primary ally. A study comparing AP reports sent to U.S. papers to AP reports sent to international papers might be of interest.
Previous studies have shown newspaper coverage often to be significantly more distorted than the pattern we have found for AP,11 and we wonder if AP’s system for alerting newspapers to the top stories of the day may play a role in this differential. We urge newspapers and AP itself to examine this system. We hypothesize that such an investigation would reveal increased distortion.
Conclusions
We are concerned about the results of this study. As the primary newswire, newspapers across the country rely on AP. Since most newspapers cannot afford to send their own correspondents abroad, AP is often one of only a few sources of international news. We believe the readers of these papers, as well as all Americans, are entitled to full and accurate reporting on all issues, including the topic of Israel/Palestine.
Given that AP had ample coverage of this issue (over 700 news stories on deaths alone), it is troubling that so much critical information for American readers was omitted. Further, our findings suggest a pattern of distortion in AP coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict inconsistent with normal journalistic standards. Such a pattern of distortion, in which readers were given the impression that the Israeli death rate was greater than it was, and that the Palestinian death rate was considerably smaller than its reality, may serve to misinform readers rather than inform them.
In particular, our study shows immense distortion in the coverage of children’s deaths. By covering such a large proportion of Israeli children’s deaths in headlines or first paragraphs and such a low proportion of Palestinian children’s deaths, AP’s coverage obfuscated the fact that in actuality over 22 times more Palestinian children were killed than Israeli children.
Now that AP has been alerted to the distortions in its Israel/Palestine coverage, we encourage it to undertake whatever changes are necessary to provide accurate news coverage of this vital issue.
It would be valuable to examine AP’s structure of reporting from the region, its editorial direction from the international desk in New York, and the specific mechanisms AP has in place, if any, to ensure that bias does not intrude on its reporting on this issue.
Finally, in the interest of full and accurate reporting, we urge AP to inform its readers of the findings of this study. In addition, we encourage AP to report the strategies it intends to use in remedying the significant flaws this study has discovered in its coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Summary of Data
|
2004 |
||
|
Israeli |
Palestinian |
|
|
Actual Number of Deaths (All Ages) |
108 |
821 |
|
Deaths Reported |
141 |
543 |
|
Percentage of DeathsReported |
130.6% |
66.1% |
|
Ratio (Israeli % : Palestinian %) |
2.0 : 1 |
|
|
|
||
|
Actual Number of Children’s Deaths |
8 |
179 |
|
Children’s Deaths Reported |
9 |
27 |
|
Percentage of Children’s Deaths Reported |
112.5% |
15.1% |
|
Ratio (Israeli % : Palestinian %) |
7.5 : 1 |
|
Source:Luv4Buddha’s Blog
Expression of the Heart
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Interesting, Random Thoughts
“Every vessel, every container, will only pour out what is contained in it, and that’ s very obvious. And so, your tongue, is your ability to express what lies in your spirit. Television, movies, the friends you hang out with, the music you listen too, everything around you is environmental forces that shape how your being is and how your heart is, and when you open your mouth to speak, it’s like your heart is a sponge that absorbs all of this material from around you. Essentially, what you’re doing is squeezing what is in you, and what comes out is going to be what has been compiled in your mind and in your memory. Obviously you can only express what in your heart what has been placed in it. And so in order for the outcome and the output from the tongue to be positive, the input in that needs to be positive; in spirit, in silence, in talking, and throughout our lives.
Iqra !
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Interesting, Quran, Random Thoughts
Surat Al-Alaq, the first revelation of the Glorious Quran, that book that guides the faithful and is a testament against the disbelievers.
I decided to post a little nasheed about it from Enshad.net (love their site).
Here’s Wikipedia’s take on the first 5 ayat of Surat Al-Alaq:
“The first five verses of this sura are believed by nearly all sources, both traditional and modern, to be the first verses of the Qur’an to be revealed to Muhammad. A few commentators disagree with this account, claiming that the first revelation was the beginning of surat al-Muddaththir or surat al-Fatiha, but theirs is a minority position.
Those verses state that God created man from a “clot of congealed blood” and give him knowledge. The fetus in the womb in the primary stage before creation of a heart looks like a clot of blood. But al-‘Alaq also means leech-like form, which is similar to primary stage of an embryo and overall a fetus or a child in the womb which sucks its nutrition like a leech from its mother. Another meaning of ‘Alaq is sensitive drop of blood.
Muhammad is first commanded: Iqra!. The literal translation is “recite” or “read”.
Web 2.0 The Web is Us
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Interesting, Random Thoughts
I just had to post this video after seeing it (if a bit belatedly) on Youtube. It mainly discusses the history of the internet, how it functions, some of the concepts behind it and the languages it uses, how those languages developed from a form that was together in form and content and transformed to separate the two in a language we now call XML. At the end, some key questions, problems, and points are referenced. One of the fundamental things in this video is how it states that we, the users are shaping it to what it is and what it will be.
Halo
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Interesting, Random Thoughts
Man, that was fun. Last night was just a huge torrent of Halo pwnage, in practically every map you could think of, with any weapon, with more playing styles than your fingers. Halo really is an awesome game. The ingenious plans you have to think of, the whole teamwork idea you have to implement in order to pwn the opposing team, the sense of honor during the fighting (although this fluctuated quite a bit, esp during times of über pwnage), and the utter valor and glory of the whole experience was and is enthralling. Aaahh, Halo.
Love in Islam
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Interesting, Random Thoughts
Just screwing around with some flash, good stuff, that Adobe CS3.:
“And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put Love and mercy between your (hearts) verily in that are signs for those who reflect.”
- ArRum 30:21
“Of Love–may God exalt you!–the first part is jesting, and the last part is right earnestness. So majestic are its diverse aspects, they are too subtle to be described; their reality can only be apprehended by personal experience. Love is neither disapproved by Religion, nor prohibited by the Law; for every heart is in God’s hands.”
- Ibn Hazm
Tired of being the bachelor or bachelorette of your town? Do you want to get married but are unsure of how to start things off in the proper Islamic way?
Or, you’re already married, but you don’t know why you’re not enjoying it. Your husband doesn’t listen. Your wife doesn’t understand you. Do you both claim the same thing as your right and the other’s responsibility? And does it seem that you’re both confused and shy about what’s permissible and what’s prohibited in your bedroom? What are Islamic etiquettes of marriage?
Then listen to this!!
Yaser Birjas is originally from the holy land of Palestine and was born in Kuwait. He graduated as class valedictorian with the highest honors from University of Madinah’s College of Shariah (Fiqh and Usul) in 1996. He had the honor to interact and learn from a number of highly respected scholars such as Shaikh Ash-Shanqitee and Shaikh Al-Uthaimeen (rahimahu Allah).
After graduating from the University of Madinah, Yaser Birjas went on to work as a youth counselor and relief program aide in war-torn Bosnia. Thereafter, he immigrated to the U.S. where he is presently an Imam (spiritual leader and advisor) at The Islamic Center in El Paso, Texas. He is also an instructor at AlMaghrib Institute, an organization that provides trademark double-weekend seminars leading its students towards a bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies.
His two most recent courses of instruction with AlMaghrib Institute are The Code Evolved: The Evolution of Fiqh, which focuses on learning the historical development of Islamic law; and the Fiqh of Love: Marriage in Islam which deals primarily with the etiquettes of engagement and marriage as well as the means of developing a deeper, more fulfilling and loving relationship with one’s spouse.
Dua4me
Posted by genieyclo | Filed under Interesting, LunchTime
You guys/gals might have noticed I’ve been gone for awhile, been a bit busy;school, masjid, library to run, and in general a life. Not saying that yall don’t have one, :D.
Anyway, I just wanted to write about this new innovative site by a friend of mine, and a brother in Islam; Safi Shareef. Dua4me.com.
Ok, so it’s basically like the Digg concept, post something, in this case Duas, and you vote to make dua for it. You can only make Dua for it though or leave it alone..you can’t like un-Dua someone (which would have been the “bury” equivalent of Digg), or like, curse them(LOl).
It has a very nice layout, very Web2.0, looks fresh, easyily navigativable, and above all, very innovative.
That’s the key, atleast I think, and experts in this field do too(don’t know why you’d trust me only,lol).
Innovative ideas in the techworld, and especially the Internet, are the key ticket. Who else thought of this kindof idea, having a Dua based voting system?
I say it’s pure genius. Plus think about the good of the whole enterprise…yah, awesome idea. Well, Safi, double thumbs up to you!
