Iraq: Law and order and NATO

Màtrix recargada: ¿bono o no?

Dowry abuse: the revenge of the real feminists

I came across a really neat story in my local paper (no link) about Nisha Sharman. Her act may just bring about a long neglected chnage in India: the enforcement of the anti-dowry payments. Nisha was betrothed to some guy that her dad found in a newspaper. Just before the cermony the the future family in law supposedly demanded the Shamin's dad the equivalent of 34 000$ Canadian.

Well you can imagine that the dad pleaded not to be shaken down any more and to be content with the dowry all ready provided: new car and 2 sets of everything. One for the husband; the other for the brother. I marvel at how the dad managed to pull this off given his modest financial situation. In any case, when he couldnm,T give them the money they demanded, that's when they began to humilate him. There was even a video of the behaviour. Nisah called the cops and they busted the ex-fiancé just before the wedding. He's charged.

Nisah is one gutsy lady because the payment of the dowry in India (always the bride's family) is so open with abuse that the brides are killed or maimed by the in laws when her family can't provide the ever escalating demands. The situation is a permenant shakedown. What's significant is how this revolutionary act of defiance didn't about because Western feminist groups pressuered the Indian government to enforce the law on the books (though to be fair there are some feminists and Western women's advocate groups that do invigilate the situation there) but because one local women was fed up at the humilation. Perhaps that Nisha's most important contribution: that the people themselves have to want to obey the law as well as do the right thing.

De l'attentant en Arabie Saoudite et la tolérance

Hier, on a eu les nouvelles des attentants en Arabie Saoudite qui ont laissés un vigntaine des morts et une centaines de blessés nous rappelle que la guerre du terrorisme n'a pas terminé de tout. Ceu qi m'outre beaucoup c'est comment nos gouvernements sont une peu lâches à ne pas dénoncer de façon privées pendant des annéees la discrimination que les occidentaux subit chaque jour

Je ne vois pas pas pourquoi on tolérait le fait que pendant 20 années on a fermé les yeux à la propagande anti-occidentale aue les imams et les écoles réligieueses prônaient- et prônent encore. En plus, le régime insultent tous les non-musulmans. Il les interdit qu'ils practique leurs rites même dans l'intimité de leur maisions. Que les non-musulmans ne peuvent même pas porter avec eux leurs livres sacrés.

Contraste tout ça avec ceci Donc quoi faire? Premièrement, que les gouvernemnts occidentaux pressionnent le régime à commencer à respecter les différences religieuses. Le Vatican peut aussi jouer un rôle. Deuxièmement, d'enquêter les liens entre les notables de la société et leurs liens avec le terrorisme. Troisèment, 'sapper' cette haine par notre exemple de tolérance ainsi comment vivre sous un état de droit.

English and French: more intertwined than computer cables

Californian craziness: banning Oreo cookis to school kids

Once again, we have an illustration of state acting stupidly and California leads the way. Surely the California Attorney general has far more important legal matters to attend to then banning Oreo cookies to school children. I resent this prepotent attitude whereby the state is preseumed to be smarter than the parents. It's not; criminalizing food and bad dietary habits isn't the state's business. Think about it law enforcement will soon be tasked with cracking down on Oreo shipments coming to California.

If we didn't read it in a legit paper, you'd think the Onion published this article

A blog for tongue lovers: Armitas