I was walking past City Hall, looking conspicuously affluent, en route to the Airport.

The wafting aroma of salvation and steak on the grill enticed me to see what was happening out front.

A street church (wanting to go un-named) was providing Boxing Day lunch for one and all. Hey … I’m both homeless and unemployed.

Close enough I reckon.

Recently I find myself defending organized religion, especially Islam. This was a perfect example.

Everyone who attended this holiday dinner would agree it was a win-win-win for God.

The meal was fantastic. Highest quality. That set a festive tone.

Young people walked the line offering Christmas presents. (I declined.)

The volunteers, most new Canadians, were endearing. I spoke a long time with a Russian lady who lived for Jesus. This was one of her favourite events of the year.

Me too.

This event was likely the highlight of my very quiet weekend.

Merry Christmas. Happy holidays to everyone.

Paris, France (CNN) — France’s lower house of parliament Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a ban on any veils that cover the face — including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women.

The vote was 335 to 1.

The measure must still go to the French Senate before it becomes law. The Senate is expected to vote on it in the week of September 20.

Amnesty International immediately condemned the vote.

“A complete ban on the covering of the face would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who wear the burqa or the niqab in public as an expression of their identity or beliefs,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination in Europe.

French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey this spring.

Some 82 percent of people polled approved of a ban, while 17 percent disapproved. That was the widest support the Washington-based think tank found in any of the five countries it surveyed.

Clear majorities also backed burqa bans in Germany, Britain and Spain, while two out of three Americans opposed it, the survey found. …

CNN – Burqa ban passes French lower house overwhelmingly

Proponents argue that it’s a security issue. Opponents say it’s a veiled slur against freedom of Religion.

I should say that even I was startled at the number of ladies wearing burqa in Germany last summer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in public in Canada.

Businessman Rachid Nekkaz has committed to a €1m fund to fight the French ban.

Despite the much reported financial crisis in Dubai, some investors are already predicting a turnaround. My guess is that Dubai’s still a great long term investment.

The Burj Dubai – which means Dubai Tower – opens Monday with a fun-filled ceremony complete with fireworks and a hair-raising parachute jump.

The skyscraper, now the world’s tallest building, soars a half mile into the air, can be seen from 59 miles away and has 160 floors. …

Read more

The first thing people talk about in the capital Dhaka, is the traffic.

You might average 20km/hr. Walking is sometimes faster.

Actually, if you can get off the road, the countryside is green and lush. It’s one giant flood plain.

Bangladesh is a fast growing economy (growth 6-7%/yr), devoutly Muslim … but with few security problems. The nation is focused on economic growth, looking to bring millions out of poverty. Agriculture and clothing manufacture are the main industries.

It’s surprisingly progressive, the first Muslim-majority country to establish an all-women United Nations peacekeeping force. They have a woman Prime Minister.

Instead of blaming problems on the U.S.A. as a distraction, leaders in Bangladesh are “seeking five billion dollars of foreign investment for power and gas projects to end a chronic energy crisis”.

I think they’ll get 5-10 billion. Bangladesh is a good long term investment.

Happy Victory Day, Bangladesh!

Bangladesh celebrated Victory Day Wednesday, heralded by a 21 cannon salute that rang through the capital at dawn, while the president laid a wreath at the National Memorial in Savar to commemorate those who gave their lives for independence.

On this day in 1971, the Pakistan army surrendered to the allied forces of Bangladesh and India at Ramna Racecourse Maidan in Dhaka, ending the painful nine-month war that saw a new nation emerge.

National Parliament building (Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban)

more Bangladesh photos

Updike chose to write an important book on an important subject.

The central character is age-18, the son of an Egyptian exchange student who married a working-class Irish-American girl. The young man agrees to become a suicide bomber for Allah. He will blow up the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River in New York.

Of course the novel is skillful. Insightful.

I learned more about Islam from this short novel than from anything else I’ve ever read.

Amazon

I’d read other Updike books and expected not to enjoy this one.

Like most Updike novels, most other literature, this book is depressing. With a very negative world view.

American culture in the eyes of a devout Muslim is disgusting. (The terrorist has some very good arguments.)

The ending surprised me. It was not what I expected.

That surprise redeemed the book for me. Somewhat.

I still don’t recommend you read Terrorist, unless you want to better understand what might motivate an intelligent, thoughtful fellow human being … to want to kill you.

America would have been better off, and safer, if they had never invaded.

The legacy of George W Bush:

… the journalist stood up and threw a shoe from about 20 feet away. Bush ducked, and it narrowly missed his head. The second shoe came quickly, and Bush ducked again while several Iraqis grabbed the man and dragged him to the floor.

In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam with their shoes after U.S. marines toppled it to the ground following the 2003 invasion. …

Associated Press

This is a farewell kiss, you dog!

No doubt Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt, is a hero now in the Middle East.

Once the Americans quit, they’ll be blamed for decades for not staying.

Saudi author and cleric, “Dr.” Muhammad Al-’Arifi advises men on how to beat their wives.

“Admonish them — once, twice, three times, four times, ten times,” he advised. “If this doesn’t help, refuse to share their beds.”

And if that doesn’t work? He asks.

“Beat them,” one of the 3 responded.

“That’s right,” Al-’Arifi said.

Corporal punishment was the norm in Canada in my lifetime. (I never did get “The Strap” in school, but many of my pals did.)

Today teachers would be jailed for it.

But in many cultures, especially Islam, it’s still considered correct tough love.

The treatment of women in Muslim countries is horrible, overall.

When I was in Buddhist Sri Lanka a few years ago, teachers and parents were astonished that you could not hit kids. “How do you teach them anything?”, one gymnastics coach asked me.

Pat Condell (born 1 November 1951) is an English stand-up comedian, writer, and Internet personality. An outspoken atheist, Condell hosts a series of widely-viewed short video monologues denouncing religion.

Wikipedia

He’s actually an unpaid internet sensation, racking up over over 15 million hits on videos like this.

… some profanity

I’ve often taken a pro-Islam stance on this blog … as a reaction to the unfair demonization of all Muslims everywhere. Over 99% of anti-Islam rhetoric is over-the-top.

But in this case, I’m happy that Pat Condell has a platform to speak his piece. Saudi Arabia is a fair target. Why did George Bush invade Iraq instead of the homeland of the bin Laden family?

Almost all of the plane hijackers were Saudi Arabian.

Saudi oil money protects that backward nation. It will be interesting to see what happens when the oil money runs out.

Pretty blah. Just a mall. Few special attractions. A surprising lack of variety in stores.

Statistics on the biggest and best malls of the world are contested:

The title of the largest enclosed shopping mall remains with the West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada since 1986. West Edmonton Mall is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the “largest shopping centre in the world” and “world’s largest parking lot”.

One of the world’s largest shopping complexes at one location is the two-mall agglomeration of the Plaza at King of Prussia and the Court at King of Prussia in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA. The King of Prussia mall has the most shopping per square foot in the US. The most visited shopping mall in the world and largest mall in the United States is the Mall of America, located near the Twin Cities in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA. However, several Asian malls are advertised as having more visitors, including Taman Anggrek Mal, Kelapa Gading Mall and Megamal Pluit, all in Jakarta-Indonesia, Berjaya Times Square in Malaysia and SM Megamall in the Philippines.

Beijing’s (Peking) Golden Resources Mall, opened in October 2004, is the world’s second largest mall, at 600,000 m² (approximately 6 million square ft). Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is advertised at 700,000 square metres (7,530,000 sq ft). SM Mall of Asia in the Philippines, opened in May 2006, is the world’s third largest at 386,000 square metres (4,154,900 sq ft) of gross floor area. The Mall of Arabia inside Dubailand in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which will open in 2008, will become the largest mall in the world, at 929,000 square metres (9,999,700 sq ft).

Wikipedia

Actually, the Mall of Arabia does not open until 2010 according to the official website.

Not sure what the dinosaur is doing there …

The Dubai Mall may eclipse West Edmonton first when it opens late 2008:

Kahled Hosseini – The Kite Runner. 2003. Books set in Afghanistan are hot in 2006. This critically acclaimed example is a great eye-opener for those who do not know that part of the world, like myself. It is intense. Painful to read. It reminded me of A Separate Peace, by Knowles. By the last page, however, I was disappointed. Far too cliché and predictable. It is lame in the way formulaic TV movies are lame.

Still, I am very keen to see this important movie.

Author Khaled Hosseini has come out in support of a decision to delay the film version of his novel The Kite Runner over fears for the stars’ safety.

Studio Paramount Vantage has put the film back by six weeks, after three young Afghan actors said they could be targeted over a homosexual rape scene.

The studio has also arranged for three families to go and live abroad.

Hosseini said he “applauded” the decision. “Afghanistan has become a pretty violent place,” he added.

The overall message of the film is tolerance, love, friendship and forgiveness …

“If the boys and their families think there is a reasonable risk of threat to them, then you have to take all of the steps that you can to make sure they are okay,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

“I applaud the studio for delaying the release of the film even though it goes against whatever commercial wisdom there is.”

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Kite Runner author supports delay

To see the movie trailer click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.