Monday, August 27, 2007

Arabic

He's leaving again, but this time he is older and wiser. Thus he openly admits that he will miss me!

If you can read Arabic, check this out: Al-Madinah

And please keep my family in your duas.

Miss Teen South Carolina



"Some people in our nation don't have maps." HaHa.
Props to Mario Lopez for keeping a straight face!

(Brought to my attention by: Ahmed, Sawsan, Mohammad and Rose!)

Saturday, August 25, 2007

America to the Rescue



(Hat tip to Muslim Matters! I saw it there first.)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Top Traffic Myths

If you know anything about me, it's likely you know about my sad-sad driving record. Furthermore, a few of my clients this summer were individuals who had fallen victim to some of these myths resulting in hundreds of dollars in penalties and suspended driver licenses.

It should be no surprise then that I found this MSN Money article on the 8 Top Traffic Myths to be both funny and interesting.

8 Top Traffic Myths
1. If the officer makes a single mistake on your ticket, the case will be dropped.
2. If the officer doesn't show up in court, you automatically win.
3. Red cars get more tickets.
4. You need a lawyer to beat a ticket.
5. If you get a ticket in another state, your home state won't find out about it.
6. You can make up an excuse to get out of the ticket.
7. A radar detector will ensure that you never get pulled over.
8. If you don't sign the ticket, it will be dismissed.

Check out the full article at: MSN Money

RE: Mural on 24th & Capp

Ellen Shershow: ellen.shershow@sfgov.org
Jill Manton: jill.manton@sfgov.org

Public Art Program, SF Arts Commission
25 Van Ness Ave, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94103

Dear SF Arts Commission,

I am writing to express my support of the mural on 24th and Capp in its entirety, including the positive images of Palestinian liberation struggles. I applaud the SF Arts Commission for their encouragement of self-expression and youth leadership development, and want to ensure that the Commission continues to allow for and insist on the artistic freedom of the HOMEY artists.

This mural represents the united struggles of people of color in the Mission, including the Palestinian and Arab community working with, living amongst, and supporting the young people of this neighborhood. The mural depicts self-determination for all and breaking down barriers as major themes. Just as residents of the Mission are fighting displacement locally and walls separating them from their homelands, so too are Palestinians.

As artists, you know the importance of freedom of creativity and the right to express strongly your beliefs and experiences. The muralist tradition has always been rooted in its depiction of popular history and struggle as experienced by the artist and the community the mural is being made in. To censor this narrative dismisses the central function, purpose, and power of the medium and the communities it speaks to. I hope this mural can not only visually represent self-determination, but also embody the self-determination of young artists and Mission residents through your help maintaining the integrity of the mural and the traditions and lived experiences which have inspired it.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Zahra Billoo

cc: admin@homeysf.org

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

"What if Prince Charming had never shown up? Would Snow White have laid in that glass box forever? Or would she have gotten up, spit out the apple, gotten a job and a health care plan and moved on with her life?"

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Let the Countdown Begin . . .

. . . Ramadan is just a little over a month away!

10 Great Goals to Set for This Ramadan

1. Eat, drink and be moderate

Almost all of us do it - once Iftar time hits, we just keep plowing food and drink into our mouths till it's hard to move afterwards. And those of us who do it know this is totally contrary to the spirit of Ramadan, through which we're supposed to learn self-control not self-indulgence. Let's try to stick to the Prophetic rule on eating: fill our stomachs with one-third food, one-third water and one-third breathing space, even in Ramadan.

2. Give a dollar a day in charity...or five or ten

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was always generous but even more so in Ramadan. Let's open our hearts and dig a little deeper in our wallets this year. Even less than a dollar a day adds up. Whatever you can give, it's the intention that counts.

3. Memorize 4 new Surahs

Memorizing the Quran often seems like a daunting task. But the key is doing it in small bites. Since there are four weeks in Ramadan, try to memorize one new Surah a week. Start off with a short, easy one. Once you've started, you'll build momentum and may even want to memorize a longer one the following week.

4. Go to Tarawih prayers

Post-Iftar, the first urge is to sleep after an exhausting day. But try your best to head out to the mosque for Tarawih prayers. Praying alone is wonderful, but doing it in congregation is fantastic. The community spirit is part of Ramadan's blessings. Don't miss it this year. If going every day is not possible, try going at least one week.

Read on at: Sound Vision

Monday, August 06, 2007

So Why Hasn’t Iran Started by Wiping Its Own Jews Off the Map?

Israel's Jewish Problem in Tehran

By Jonathan Cook

Iran is the new Nazi Germany and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the new Hitler. Or so Israeli officials have been declaring for months as they and their American allies try to persuade the doubters in Washington that an attack on Tehran is essential. And if the latest media reports are to be trusted, it looks like they may again be winning the battle for hearts and minds: Vice-President Dick Cheney is said to be diverting the White House back on track to launch a military strike.

Earlier this year Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s opposition leader and the man who appears to be styling himself scaremonger-in-chief, told us: “It’s 1938 and Iran is Germany. And Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs.” Of Ahmadinejad, he said: “He is preparing another Holocaust for the Jewish state.”

A few weeks ago, as Israel’s military intelligence claimed -- as it has been doing regularly since the early 1990s -- that Iran is only a year or so away from the “point of no return” on developing a nuclear warhead, Netanyahu was at it again. “Iran could be the first undeterrable nuclear power,” he warned, adding: “This is a Jewish problem like Hitler was a Jewish problem … The future of the Jewish people depends on the future of Israel.”


Read on at: Counterpunch