rubik's cube part two

yesterday I finished another rubik's cube. Now I'm really finished cubing for a while...

genocide and democide

from: Millstein Library
and 'Power kills;, absolute power kills absolutely.'

some terminology

Genocide: among other things, the killing of people by a government because of their indelible group membership (race, ethnicity, religion, language).
Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

• (a) Killing members of the group;
  
• (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
  
• (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
  
• (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
  
• (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Politicide: the murder of any person or people by a government because of their politics or for political purposes.

Mass Murder: the indiscriminate killing of any person or people by a government.

Democide: The murder of any person or people by a government, including genocide, politicide, and mass murder.

link:
prevent genocide international
http://www.genocidewatch.org/

Rubik's Cube

YOUHOU! Today I solved Rubik's cube!
For the third time in my life, as far as I can remember. The other two times were about one or two years ago. And just like then, it took me quite a long time now.
And a long time is something like weeks or months. But hey, I made it!

I started my latest Rubik's cube about two months ago, and the last few weeks I was pretty posessed by solving it. I even got a querrel about it with my boyfriend, who found it useless and a waste of time. So what? A lot of things we do are useless. Like sleeping! I only wish sleeping were not necessary! That would save so much time, during which you can do so much!

Anyway, I can remember that last time I used the strategy of solving a triangle, then solving all edges, then positioning some corners, solving again all edges, positioning new corners, solving again the edges, etc. In the end I kept undoing what I had, because each time there were about 2 or 4 block in the wrong place.

This time I used the strategy of solving a 2x2x3 block, adding a square to that, and then positioning the rest, until I kept three block wrong all the time. About two weeks ago I started wondering what there would be on the internet on Rubik's cube and I found the following site By Lars Petrus.
Even this site could not help me much further, but it did increase my skills in looking a few turns farther. So in the end, I solved the cube by using my noodles, as a certain professor would say.

on the bald Muslima

the following text is inspired by a short article in the newspaper.

A few weeks ago I read in the newspaper that a French girl had shaven all her hair off, to be allowed to go to school. In France, high-school pupils are no longer allowed to attend school while wearing a veil or other prominent religious signs. The girl’s mother declared that her daughter believed that showing her hair was against her religion. The girl wanted desperately to attend school and to her this was the only way to stay faithful to her beliefs and be allowed to attend school.

• 
  IOL - news
  
• a French Forum with a picture of the girl. (I did not find this forum until after having written this text)

Why do Islamic women go hidden under their veil and is going bald an acceptable alternative? I am not a Muslim, so I do not know why those women wear a veil. I sometimes wonder whether they really know it themselves, or simply do it, because other (older) people told them to do so. The Islam religion does not allow people to criticise the Islam. The Qur’an is perfect, and whoever questions the book, or Allah, is a sinner.
However, I know the Qur’an prescribes women to cover their chest, and believe this is interpreted as ‘to cover their hair (and chest).’ As I understand it, the goal of the veil is to hide the beauty of the woman. This beauty will turn the heads of men, who cannot contain their lust. Women are therefore bad creatures, who try to lure the men away from the right path. And men are sexual beasts, who stop thinking straight the moment they see a woman. Since we cannot change the nature of men, the Islam wants to hide the beauty of women, and punishes them for their beauty. All women that show their hair and skin (other than face and hands) are therefore hores.
In this context, I do not think going bald has the same effect as hiding one’s hair. It is not just the hair that makes a woman beautiful and attractive. And it is not just hair that arouses lust. I find bare skin much more sexual than hair.
Though most men will not find a bald woman attractive, there are some very beautiful bald ladies. And there are probably some men that will only fall for bald women.

Finally I wondered whether strangers would now consider her to be a skinhead, with all prejudice that goes along with this entitlement. The following French Forum has a picture of her.

The last thing I would like to say is that I find this girl very courageous and hope that a lot of girls will follow her example. I hope Muslim men will show their compassion and shave their heads as well. I would applaud it if bald would become the trend, because it would eliminate all differences.
Though shaving her hair could have been an act of despair, it also strikes me as an act of protest. I see it as a protest against this discriminating law (even though there are good intentions behind it), which does not allow freedom of expressing one's religion, and as a protest against the rigid nature of her own religion, which does not allow a lot of things which are normal for Western people.

After having read an article in which the attitude of Dutch and French people towards the Islam is considered, I came to the conclusion that the people in these countries have totally different perspectives. It is therefore unlikely that I share the view of the French, or that they share mine. I do not know the exact reasoning of this girl, or her motives to shave off her hair.

She is probably just a girl that tries to be faithful to herself (her own culture and religion) and to the Law of the French Democracy. She proves herself a French citizen with dignity.

on slavery

from: http://www.hoffman-info.com/forgottenslaves.html

an interesting website on slavery before the era of black slaves in America. It made me realise that slavery is of all times, of all races and that it still exists. People in Asia and Africa are still being kidnapped and transported to europe, the filipines and other countries, where they are sold or forsed in labour (in the sex industry). Even the chances of dying during transport are still high!