Famous British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90.

He was the author of more than 100 fiction and non-fiction books, and his writings are credited by many observers with giving science fiction a human and practical face. His most famous novel was 2001: A Space Odyssey, He collaborated on the screenplay for the 2001: A Space Odyssey Movie with Kubrick.

R.I.P Sir Arthur.

Taxi To The Dark Side is a Documentary by the BBC that takes an in-depth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing on an innocent taxi driver in Afghanistan who was tortured and killed in 2002. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2007.

This is Cindy Crawford’s Kid. is it a Boy or a Girl?

Jordan (Arabic: الأردنّ‎, transliterated as Al-Urdunn), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية), is a country in the Arab World in western Asia, bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Saudi Arabia to the east and south. It shares with Israel the coastlines of the Dead Sea, and the Gulf of Aqaba with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.

Background: Following World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the UK received a mandate to govern much of the Middle East. Britain separated out a semi-autonomous region of Transjordan from Palestine in the early 1920s, and the area gained its independence in 1946; it adopted the name of Jordan in 1950. The country’s long-time ruler was King HUSSEIN (1953-99). A pragmatic leader, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, despite several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he reinstituted parliamentary elections and gradual political liberalization; in 1994 he signed a peace treaty with Israel. King ABDALLAH II, the son of King HUSSEIN, assumed the throne following his father’s death in February 1999. Since then, he has consolidated his power and undertaken an aggressive economic reform program. Jordan acceded to the World Trade Organization in 2000, and began to participate in the European Free Trade Association in 2001. Municipal elections were held in July 2007 under a system in which 20% of seats in all municipal councils were reserved by quota for women. Parliamentary elections were held in November 2007 and saw independent pro-government candidates win the vast majority of seats. In November 2007, King Abdallah instructed his new prime minister to focus on socioeconomic reform, developing a healthcare and housing network for civilians and military personnel, and improving the educational system.

Constitution: Jordan is a constitutional monarchy based on the constitution promulgated on January 8, 1952. Executive authority is vested in the king and his council of ministers. The king signs and executes all laws. His veto power may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the National Assembly. He appoints and may dismiss all judges by decree, approves amendments to the constitution, declares war, and commands the armed forces. Cabinet decisions, court judgments, and the national currency are issued in his name. The council of ministers, led by a prime minister, is appointed by the king, who may dismiss other cabinet members at the prime minister’s request. The cabinet is responsible to the Chamber of Deputies on matters of general policy and can be forced to resign by a two-thirds vote of “no confidence” by that body.

The constitution provides for three categories of courts: civil, religious, and special. Administratively, Jordan is divided into twelve governorates, each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas.

The Royal Armed Forces and General Intelligence Department of Jordan are under the control of the king.

Economy: Jordan is a small Arab country with insufficient supplies of water, oil, and other natural resources. Poverty, unemployment, and inflation are fundamental problems, but King ABDALLAH II, since assuming the throne in 1999, has undertaken some broad economic reforms in a long-term effort to improve living standards. Since Jordan’s graduation from its most recent IMF program in 2002, Amman has continued to follow IMF guidelines, practicing careful monetary policy, making substantial headway with privatization, and opening the trade regime. Jordan’s exports have significantly increased under the free trade accord with the US and Jordanian Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZ), which allow Jordan to export goods duty free to the US. In 2006, Jordan reduced its debt-to-GDP ratio significantly. These measures have helped improve productivity and have made Jordan more attractive for foreign investment. Before the US-led war in Iraq, Jordan imported most of its oil from Iraq. Since 2003, however, Jordan has been more dependent on oil from other Gulf nations. The government ended subsidies for petroleum and other consumer goods in 2008 in an effort to control the budget. The main challenges facing Jordan are reducing dependence on foreign grants, reducing the budget deficit, attracting investments, and creating jobs.

See also: Tourism in Jordan| Foreign relations of Jordan| Demographics of Jordan| Culture of Jordan.

Sources: [1] [2]

:mrgreen:

It seems that in this digital age, with the means and ways of communication a plenty, and much better and faster than they used to be, The social ties between people are getting weaker, friends seem to take each other for granted. knowing that they can be reached at ease at any time, they don’t seem to put much importance on being in touch with the ones that are supposed to be of importance to them.

I am not talking of course about calling up a friend to go and hang out at the mall or go to the cinema or what have you, but to just call up a friend and ask how he/she is doing, how his life is and whats been going on with him/her in the days/weeks/month that has passed. only out of real true concern.

It amazes me how some people take their friends for granted, especially the ones who care about them the most, for you might never know if the last Good-Bye you said to him/her a month ago since you talked would be your final and last. Indeed, I know of some people who do not make the simple effort of talking to their supposedly “best friends” for days and weeks, they get calls and they get asked about by their friends, but the effort is not mutual. and at some point the person who cares might just stop caring if he senses that his/her friends just doesn’t show the same kind of care and concern. This though does not cross the careless one’s mind, for he/she takes his/her friends for granted.

Taking somebody, especially those who are closes to you for granted is a dangerous thing, it can lead to a serious fracture in the relationship and may lead to to a total loss of it. sometimes people will make excuses, like, oh the hardships of life are preventing me, or I just don’t have the time these days, or I don’t have credit in my mobile phone!. Lame excuses if you ask me. and as they say in an Arabic proverb: ‘othron aqbaho min thanb. which means the excuse is even more awful than the fault itself. That is true, for if you really and truely care for someone, you will most certainly find the way and means of contacting them, I cannot imagine that in this age of the Internet and mobile communications one cannot find the time or mean of checking on a friend, either by a phone call, a text message, Instant messaging, or even a simple email.

We must understand that these are the things that really matter in life, these simple things that bring us joy and pleasure, the things that bring smiles to our faces and warm our hearts. one must not take these for granted for you might never know when they will be taken away from you.

Here’s a question, is freedom of speech limitless in the Western world? is it really sacred? or is it just limitless when it comes to the defamation of Islam?

First I think we can all agree that Freedom of speech is not limitless, there are some general restrictions on freedom of speech that are accepted everywhere, as explained in this Wikipedia article, some of these practices that do not fall under freedom of speech are:
- Defamation (slander and libel).
- Obscenity.
- Profanity.
- Hate speech that is defamatory or causes incitement to violence.
and many others.

Is freedom of speech in the west really limitless? If so, why is Antisemitism a forbidden subject and is considered a crime punishable by law in many western countries? why is it that denying or even questioning the The Holocaust can land you in jail?

Now, let us imagine a scenario where a newspaper or several newspapers in a Muslim country have published offensive cartoons about Jesus (PBUH), would the west really be so open minded and cool about it? I think you can imagine what would the consequences would be for that poor country. Not that any institution in an Arab or Muslim country would every do it, simply because as Muslims they understand the concept of respect for other religions.

Attacking somebody’s religion and religious figures isn’t freedom of speech, its an act of calculated hate. which is unacceptable by any measure.