Not a good start to the new Pope's regime. A Polish monk, closely associate with the late Pope John Paul II, has been accused of being a spy for the Communists in Poland.
When new first broke, the church said they were surprised. I hope this SURPRISE will be dealt better than the previous SURPRISE. Remember the surprise to find out the American (especially) Catholic Church is filled with child molesters and pedophiles?
UPDATE: Polish monk sent back to Poland
Let's pump up macammacam's traffic today shall we? Another good post this one about the East Timor Government and the Catholic Church. Where's the typical call from my western friends on the seperation of Church and State?
One of my fav SE Asian blogs, macammacam, has found Forbe's 2004 list of South East Asian's richest people. Guess what he sees? A lot of Chinese names on the list.
Via The Star, S&P (Standard and Poor's) will start researching Bursa Malaysia companies next month. This should be a very positive move to add depth and breadth to a lacklustre market but there are still a couple of issues.
1. Governance. There's many an example of companies posting earnings and then retracting them with only an apology and no real enforcement from the SC.
2. Large number of good, quality companies. There just arent that many good quality companies listed on Bursa Malaysia. This adds to a lack of volume. Everyone (unit trusts, public investors, institutions) are already all shareholders in this small number of companies.
After giving him so much grief for being a baby and calling it quits, it is only fair that I congratulate him for coming back. Hustler Diaires.
As Benedict XVI takes his new post as Pope, the skeptics, cynics, and truth seekers come out. First up, the Pope's involvement as a member of Hitler Youth. The Pope immediately said that he was coerced into membership. I wonder how Rajan and/or LHM feel about the quote below taken from this article.
He argued that Muslim Turkey did not belong in Christian Europe and issued a document saying that Catholicism was the only true religion, questioning the validity of other religions, even Christian ones, even as his Pope John Paul II was trying to reach out to other faiths.
Now if the above statement was made by a Muslim leader, imagine the hue and cry about intolerance. Double standard at it's finest. I guess it's ok to be intolerant as long as you are Christian.
UPDATE: Was the Cardinal (at the time) talking about the economic and/or political consequences of Turkey joining the EU?
Previously, Cardinal Ratzinger had stated that Turkey's membership of the 25-nation bloc would cause a ''loss of wealth and culture'': He advises Muslim Turkey to seek alliance with other Islamic nations rather than the traditionally Christian EU
For the record, one of the flock of the Roman Catholic Church has a definition of intolerance as follows.
in·tol·er·ant: Not tolerant, especially:
a. Unwilling to tolerate differences in opinions, practices, or beliefs, especially religious beliefs.
b. Opposed to the inclusion or participation of those different from oneself, especially those of a different racial, ethnic, or social background.
c. Unable or unwilling to endure or support: intolerant of interruptions; a community intolerant of crime.
Seems that the above statement would fall under b. Opposed to the inclusion or participation of those different from oneself, especially those of a different racial, ethnic, or social background.
No?
After making all the right moves to open up financial markets, its one step forward two steps back as usual. Prime Minister Badawi today announced that 2.4 bil worth of projects will be brought forward to help the ailing construction industry. Excuse me while I shed a tear. Are the construction companies who are so well known for a lack of quality really hurting that badly?
I didn't want to do this. I really didn't. I tried looking the other way. Ignoring the headlines (here, here, and here). Repressing them deep into my memory even as my fellow Muslims argue all around the issues. In fact, Khairy (who I disagree with on a whole host of issues) has made the most sense of anybody. Don't forget he's 29. Maybe he has what it takes to be a Prime Minister.
Forgive me. I have to get this off my chest. As a Muslim, I don't think that Muslims should be drinking. Alcohol is clearly prohibited for us. That being said, the real issue of all this is enforcement. How do my fellow Muslims propose that we enforce this rule evenhandedly?
Let me clarify. If the problem is that Muslims were consuming alcohol, then the JAWI officers should have been administering breathalyzers to prove that some people were drinking alcohol. They weren't, so I can only guess that this rule is being applied to people in the VICINITY of alcohol. If that is truly the case then why aren't Muslims being picked up in each of 100+ hotels in this country? Isn't alcohol served in most if not all of these establishments?
You see I have no problem with Muslims who think that other Muslims shouldn't be in places that serve alcohol. To that I agree. However, the problem I have is how do you enforce this rule equally without restricting almost every place that Muslims congregate. Hotels, Golf Clubs, Social Clubs, etc.
Please enlighten me.
Additionally, these comments are still open for everyone but I ask that you show respect to everyone when posting your comments.