Help for Katrina survivors

I believe that many of the issues facing the Muslim world revolve around questions of using intellect, and I believe intellect can only be exercised in an environment where knowledge is freely available and given. I believe education – not indoctrination passing itself off as the highest of human endeavors – is the basis for any level of positive discourse in the ummah. The Arab Human Development Report published last year came to similar conclusions, and the indication is that this year’s report will come to similar conclusions. If you look at what we call the “golden” periods of Islamic…

Happy 4th of July! 228 years old. Obligatory reading today are both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the US. There’s also a great op-ed in today’s New York Times talking about the relevance of the Constitution to today’s America. Current favorite president: FDR. Read something about his vision of America. Always remember Lincoln and what he had to say. Of course, now we are talking about a new type of slavery, a mental one. Where is our Thomas Paine?

As many of you have now heard, there were attempted bombings in London and Glasgow Airport. BBC round-up. In case we needed further proof that terrorists are idiots, these guys are doctors who apparently don’t know basic chemistry or physics, so the whole thing failed, thankfully. What have learned from this experience: Doctors are not necessarily smart people. Terrorists are stupid. Doctors who are terrorists are definitely not smart people. For brown children everywhere who are pressured into being doctors, you can now tell your parents with a straight face, doctors are stupid and people fear them. No prestige, no…