A Foolish Mistake Repeats

On his big tour of Europe Barack Obama has landed in Prague, touting much the same message as the anti-nuclear protests in the 1980s did. You know, the refusal to allow a nuclear submarine into port that got us kicked out of ANZUS.

Now, I'm all for disarmament -when Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea also disarm! The fact of the matter is that America (and the European nations with a-bombs) has the right to defend itself against foreign aggressors, and that does mean the possession of nuclear bombs, if necessary (which it is). The sorry state of Western powers means that defense of non-aggressive and non-totalitarian nations rests almost entirely on US action.

I'm sick of the claim that America is an Empire -if that were so, immediately after the fall of Iraq in 2005 the nation would've been annexed by the US, and any form of self-governance banned. Instead, we saw that the Americans had no strategy after the fall of Saddam, and left Iraq in a state of anarchy for two years before peace could be restored by the troop surge. Similarly, when countries like Lebanon, Syria and Iran display an interest in the complete annihilation of Israel -the Middle East's only western democracy- they are only victims, somehow, of Western Civilisation.

That is absurd. Obama, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into.

Skyscrapers: Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab, Dubai's first mega-project stands 321 above the Persian Gulf -literally- on a small island 280 metres from the coast, linked by a bridge. It is the world's second-tallest hotel.

Construction of the Burj Al Arab began in 1994, and was completed five years later in 1999, at a cost of US$650 million. The atrium of the hotel is 180 metres tall (which may make you a bit dizzy if you're looking down!)

The Burj Al Arab is considered the world's only seven star hotel, with guests receiving complimentary butlers and chaffeur-driven Bentleys during their stays, as well as an underwater restaurant and complete views over the city and Gulf. Suites start at US$1,000 per night and the most expensive suite costs a whooping US$28,000 a night. Similarly, the largest suite is 780 square metres large -that's over three times the size of a four-bedroom, two-storey middle class home!

Israel

Israel has decided to remove its troops from Gaza. Wimps -there will be no peace in Gaza until Hamas is completely gone. All we can do is guess how long it takes for the conflict to fire up again.

In the meantime, here is an illustration that sums up the situation -what the world's media doesn't want you to see:


Instead, we keep getting stories of how civilians are dying, yet no one on the world stage raises a finger to point out that Hamas hides among its civilians, and then uses their deaths as propaganda!

Student Stupidity

The recent challenge put out to students at Auckland University granting $3,700 to any student who makes a successful citizen's arrest of Condoleezza Rice during her recent visit to New Zealand represents no more than stupidity on behalf of David Do, the President of the typical leftist student group Auckland University Students' Association.

The prize money was offered to any citizen who could arrest Rice for, according to the President of the Students' Association, "overseeing the illegal invasion and continued occupation of Iraq".

Left-wing students in New Zealand have had a long history of idiotic anti-US demonstrations. First, it was against American occupation in Vietnam -but never mind the North Vietnamese. Then it was against American nuclear submarines in NZ waters -submarines that have NEVER presented any threat to New Zealanders. Now, it is against the American occupation in Iraq.

But do any of these students recognize that the increased US presence in Iraq since the troop surge has actually led to a huge decrease in violence in Iraq? Have they considered that very little violence in Iraq is actually committed by fundamentalist Muslims -not Americans? Have they considered the effects of radical Islamism on Iraq?

The answer, as always, is no. Instead, they run a smear campaign against America -which is actually doing something right. Unfortunately for the socialist students, it's a bad cover of their true campaign against capitalism, individual rights and Western Civilisation.

Something to Celebrate

If you're at a loss trying to find anything recent to celebrate, I'll give you something: Israel's just turned sixty. Sixty years, and innumerable terrorist bombings, wars, death threats, and general violence at the hands of Islamofascists and the like. Even so, the small country continues to survive and flourish, despite its challenges from outside. It's one of the few countries that hasn't succumbed to political correctness, post-modernism, appeasement and the ideology of "moderate Islam".

Happy Birthday, Israel!

ACT for America

Some of you who look at my Libertarian and Objectivist links from time to time may have seen a link called "ACT for America". ACT for America is an American organization dedicated to fighting for American values, security and freedom against radical, militant Islamism, which has been increasingly entrenched in American society, since before 9/11. It is founded by America's answer to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Brigitte Gabriel.

Brigitte Gabriel was born in Lebanon in 1965 and immigrated to America after the Lebanese Civil War. After immigrating to America, she founded the American Congress for Truth, dedicated to repudiating lies and propaganda about Israel and America's role in the fight against radical Islamism, constantly thrown about in the media.

Gabriel has first hand experience of the violence of radical Islamism in Lebanon. She says:

"I was born in Lebanon and raised as a Christian. When the Lebanese Civil War broke out, our family and our Maronite community came under vicious attack by Islamic extremists. They promised to destroy us, and today the country is nearly all Islamic.

I was nearly killed by a mortar. Our home was destroyed. We lived in a bomb shelter for seven years. Most of my childhood friends were killed. That's how I know about this fight."

On the site, she doesn't just target radical Islamism, she also targets political correctness, which is the philosophy which allows radical Islamism in the West, unabated. She says, quite frankly:

"Political correctness will literally kill us."

She also talks about why radical Islamists are out to destroy the West and its values, how they go out it, and what will the outcome will be if it isn't stopped. She stands up for Western values, and makes it very clear what her organization is about:

"...to be a collective voice for the democratic values of Western Civilization, such as the celebration of life and liberty, as opposed to the authoritarian values of Islamofascism, such as the celebration of death, terror and tyranny."

Brigitte doesn't just oppose Islamism on practical grounds, she opposes it on moral grounds. She doesn't oppose it simply because of terrorist acts, she opposes it because of its hatred towards Western civilisation and values, and its philosophy based on death.

Brigitte Gabriel and her organisation(s) enable America to have what Europe and the UK didn't: a clear and principled voice against radical Islamism.

ACT for America-before it's too late!

For the Infidels!

A funny joke I heard today, on British weather. Turn away now if you're PC!

The Archbishop of Canterbury has partially got his way, British weather has been declared Muslim.

It's either Sunni or Shi'ite!

Bhutto Assassinated

It's the holiday season, and I don't intent to write much on my time off, but this is too important, unfortunately.

With political violence in the troubled Middle Eastern Nation of Pakistan reaching new highs, it had to happen some time -former Prime Minister, Opposition Leader and most importantly female (!) Benazir Bhutto, a popular leader in a country strife with Islamofascism was assassinated, in a bomb blast and several bullets as she was making her way from a rally for her political party.

It wouldn't be the first time an attempt on her life has been made; since she came out of exile just two months ago, somebody else blew up a bomb at another political rally. However, instead of killing her, about 90 other people were slaughtered.

This time, she was in an armoured car, like in the previous assassination attempt. The success of the attempt this time around was because Bhutto had her head out the sunroof, which made all the difference, even though the car was quite badly damaged, as well.

The assassination of Bhutto is just one of a long line of murders, assassinations, and terrorism committed in the name of Islam, by Islamofascists. She was murdered for being pro-West, being a woman doing a man's job, and wanting to downplay Islamic extremism. The sad reality of daring to speak out against Islamofascist evil: you pay with your life.

Hitler and Islamofascism

Hitler was one of the most murderous tyrants of world history. He set off a great war that killed countless millions of people, killed innocent men and women on an incredible scale, and was the centrepiece of a philosophy -fascism- that still today continues to slaughter innocent men and women. A form of this tyranny and terror beyond words is the system that exists in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Palestine.

The similarities that exist in these countries are very similar to those of Nazi Germany:

Murderous tyrants and fanatic supporters: Hitler slaughtered millions in his day. Evil men such as Ahmedinejad still hang gays in Iran, and then boast in America about there being no gays in Iran! Another example is the recent lashing of a Saudi women for being in a car with men not related to her- and then raping her! Or the "death to Denmark, death to America" placards and riots that ensued after a brave Dane dared to publish portrays of Mohammed in a magazine. 9/11, and the Madrid and later London bombings. It all hails back to an era when Nazi supports burnt down the shops, homes and livelihoods of Jews, Poles, or anyone Hilter didn't like. And the constant excuses for carrying out murderous actions.

Evil philosophies: Islam isn't a "religion of peace" (this will be discussed later). Fascism was, and continues to be, an extreme form of statism, in which all power is given to a select few in the state. It is built on Nietzsche's concept of the superman. The Islamofascist philosophy of radical Islamists is merely an Islamic twist on normal fascism. The same goes with Ahmedinejad's theocracy in Iran, which is a cross between middle ages theocracy and modern Islamofascism. As seen in the example given above, Saudi Arabia is the same.

Islam is a religion. As has been said on SOLO (and this goes for all religions), it is a "stinking superstition". Although the adjective "stinking" can certainly be used to mean events happening under Islam's name as we speak, the "superstition" part applies to all religions. Because religion - belief in what may be true to guide us in life - is in direct contrast to knowing what is true, to guide our life on this Earth. Islam, in its current post-enlightened state (the Islamic "enlightenment" of the Middle Ages was achieved by men acting in their self-interest to advance their life on Earth) resembles Christianity during the Middle Ages. Or the worship of Hitler during WWII.

Pragmatic Supporters: The great majority of Muslims, both in the West and in the Middle East, are good people. The problem with these people - and admittedly there are some people who do speak out against the atrocities committed in the name of their religion - are pragmatists. They live their lives, follow their religion, and don't think twice about Islamofascism. The same was true with the Germans in under Hitler. Although it's hard for Muslims to speak out against a regime that terrorizes them, and the same was true with the Germans, what annoys me is the lack of speaking out by free Muslims, in the West. Instead, they're too preoccupied with yelling about Mohammed cartoons, or refuting claims like mine that Islam can lead (and often will lead) to evil regimes and tyrants.

It's this pragmatism that refutes the claim that Islam is a religion of peace. If that were so, there would've been demonstrations all over the world in response to 9/11, and Ahmedinejad would've been long overthrown. It wasn't until after WWII that the Germans saw Hitler's evil. Under a true "religion of peace", that wouldn't be the case just over the horizon.

Western Appeasement: I'm not one of those people who believes in going and blowing up Iran now. But then again, Hitler hadn't invaded anyone until what, 1937? Just two years before WWII started.

However, what was disgusting during WWII was the West's complete inability to do anything. Even when he started invading, no one was smart enough to stand up to his reign of terror until Churchill came around. America didn't enter the war until it got bombed itself. This appeasement allowed Hitler to take half of Europe in weeks. There should be no such appeasement toward today's Islamofascist regimes, and if they do attempt to invade, the West should be on it in minutes.

And the other part of Western appeasement is the PC attitude towards it all. The West should have no fear in denouncing Islam and Islamic regimes, for what they have created where they have been tried. And if anyone's offended... too bad! Free speech includes the right to be offended!

It's these four things that have contributed to the barbarism committed under Islam in the Middle East today. And unless these issues are dealt with in a consistent, objective manner, things will only get worse.

The Death of the Death Penalty?

I see that Helen Clark is throwing herself behind a UN resolution which would have the death penalty banned internationally (at least in Western countries; I don't see how, for instance, African or Arabic dictatorships would abide) Although the resolution isn't something I am overly concerned about, I don't support the death penalty for the same reason as Sus at Sus's Sound-Bites: I simply don't trust the government with that much power, and mistakes can always be made.

One of my concerns though is that the US will use its veto power in this instance. Despite the fact that most American states have abolished the death penalty, Texas, which is the state George W Bush was once governor of, executes as many people as Iran (which is stupid and downright inhumane in a Western society). At least they're not for political reasons, even though the American Justice System seems more content at putting a black man in jail for a crime they have no proof he committed, than a white man who did commit the crime.

The death penalty debate is reminiscent of the slavery debate a few hundred years ago. This time, however, hopefully Americans are too civilized to start a civil war over the death penalty.

Ironically, Venezuela was the first country to abolish the death penalty about a century and a half ago. It'll probably become the latest to re-enact it, as well.

And with all the general Leftist bias, I wouldn't be surprised if they counted Cuba as a nation which has abolished the death penalty, despite the obvious claims to the contrary.

Adolf Ahmedinejad in NYC

Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has spoken his usual filth in his visit to the Big Apple yesterday, but luckily, it was to thousands of rowdy protestors.

The stupid thing about this visit is that it has been done in the name of tolerance and free speech-tolerance for an evil dictator, and the free speech for him to speak his normal filth, denying the existence of the holocaust and openly supporting sharia law and terrorism.

A trip to Iran is in order to find out what "tolerance" and "free speech" really mean to Adolf Ahmedinejad.

September 11, and Islam Versus the West

Yesterday (American Eastern Time), six years ago an act of war was committed against the West, and its underlying values of individualism and capitalism. It was committed by a group of Islamic extremists, acting in the name of Islam and the Medieval value system that it currently implies. The acts weren't just random bad acts committed for a random reason, like the Oklahoma City bombings half a decade before. This was an act of war, against the West and its incredible achievements of man's mind.

In response, America itself started a war against Afghanistan, where many Islamic extremists were hiding at the time with the help of the oppressive Taliban government (and it should be noted that not a great deal of progress has been made).

The War on Terror is not a war against religion, or particular nations per se, it's a war against the underlying values of the Islamic extremists that want us and all we stand for in the West all dead, and for a new Islamic medieval period to sweep the world.

Right now, the ideals of the West and the ideals of Islam are not compatible. Indeed, the same was true with Christianity until the Reformation and Protestantism came along, and one outdated and primitive value system was replaced with another updated and liberal value system. Christianity became more liberal, and free speech was allowed. Without this reformed Christianity and value system, there would've been no enlightenment, no industrial revolution, and the world wouldn't be particularly different today than what it was back in the 1500s.

Unfortunately, Islam has had no Reformation. It is still a religion similar to what Catholicism was in the Middle and Dark Ages, when people were burned at the stake and sacrificed daily in the name of God. Its value system is also similar. Until the Islamic value system is replaced with a new set of values, until its own little Reformation, we can expect the same outcome of the same values: torture, oppression, murder and terrorism.

The Greatness of Man's Mind in His Buildings

Man's mind, when put to use, can be a marvelous thing. We witnessed this today with the Burj Dubai overtaking Taipei 101 as the World's Tallest Building. Although it is now officially the tallest, it still has around 200-300 metres left before topping out, at about 800 metres (the official height is being kept a secret).

The greatness of the mind when put to use can produce incredible feats of engineering. This has been seen throughout the ages, from the Pyramids and the Sphinx of Ancient Egypt, to the Colosseum during Rome's heyday, the great Cathedrals of the Middle Ages, the bridges and tunnels of the Victorians and recently skyscrapers soaring several hundred metres into the air.

But these aren't just "big box" buildings, or brutalist 1960's commercial commieblocks; man's great buildings are also feats of engineering and aesthetics. They are designed to be look good and feel the same way. They are true feats of man's mind. (to the point, I think we all know why Howard Roark's career was an architect!)

Keep up the good work, architects of the future-and don't return to the 1960s!

Iran Releases Britsh hostages

The fourteen men and one woman taken hostage by Iran for allegedly tresspassing in Iranian waters have finally been released, easing international tensions between Iran and the West (for now, anyway). President Ahmedinejad of Iran said he forgave the British Perssonal, but said that Britain "was not brave enough" to admit that they'd tresspassed into Iranian waters.

The hostages boarded a plane headed for London for Tehran, being escorted onto the plane away from journalists and the media. The fifteen flew business-class to London. British Prime Minister Tony Blair welcomed them when they arrived in London.

The Iranian President also met the fifteen hostages in person. Although everybody is happy that the hostages have finally been freed, several British newspapers have been asking questions about the situation. Ahmedinejad has also defended Iran's right to develop nuclear weapons.

Globalisation, Islam, and the Skyscraper

Up until only about 20 years ago, the only places in the world where you might see a proper skyscraper were America, parts of Europe and Australia. The Asian tiger economies-Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong had managed to firmly put skyscrapers on Asian ground. But now, with the accelerating pace of Globalisation, we are starting to see the affects of skyscrapers on the worlds second largest religion-Islam.

Anyone who has been reading this blog from the start will be familiar with the construction boom in Dubai. Dubai has been reaping fantastic profits from selling oil around the world. But until very recently, it was a rarity indeed to see a skyscraper anywhere in the Middle East. Combine the Middle Easts skyscraper boom with that of ever-greater China, and the speed-up construction of tall buildings in traditional centres-Chicago, New York, and more recently, London-and, you will see that the world is just at the start of a new skyscraper boom, which has the ability to overshadow that of any past construction boom.

Let me introduce me to the Abraj Al-Bait, a 485 (take a bit of time to process that number) in Mecca. Yes, Mecca:

That's only one of the supertall (400m+) towers going up in the world today. There are huge towers planned for traditional cities, like New York, where the 517 metre Freedom Tower is eventually going to go up, and Chicago, where the 600 metre Chicago Spire is going up.

Yet you will also see towers going up in totally bizarre places. There is a 500m+ tower going up in Moscow at the moment, called the Federation Tower. Istanbul is building plenty. London is starting its skyscraper boom. Jakarta is getting new supertalls, as are several cities across Asia.

Soon, we could be living in a world where supertalls are a norm in many cities. The record for new world's tallest building could be changed in a matter of months for years on end. Even Australia is considering a 1000 metre tall "Solar Tower".

So what does this mean for the world? And for the religion of Islam?

Many Arabic countries have grown incredibly rich thanks to oil. But traditionally, these nations have been hostile to the rest of the world, and very closed and secretive. But what this means is that Arabic countries-like the UAE-are opening up to a world of globalisation. A world where everyone has a choice of where to go in the world. The Sultan of the UAE has certainly made it no secret that he wants the UAE to be a world center for tourism, commerce, industry, and almost everything, it may seem.

For the rest of the world, it means that people are no longer afraid to continually keep pushing the boundries of our buildings. Cost is, seemingly, a barrier no more. People are no longer afraid to be creative. Most importantly, it means that, in this new century, we will once again be an entrepreneural world. The only difference being that the word "world" actually applies to the entire world.

George Bush's State of the Union Address

Last night, President of the United States George W Bush made his annual State of the Union address. Of his 50 minute speech, half was devoted to the Iraq war, the war on terror, and the situation in the Middle East, including backing his choice to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq to help fight off the insurgents.

However, a poll conducted by Bloomberg News and the Los Angeles Times newspaper between January 13th and January 16th has found that sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq isn't a popular idea with the American public. 60% disagreed with the idea.

The idea was also unpopular with the Democrats. A Democrat Vietnam War veteran whose son is a marine deployed in Iraq, Senator Jim Webb had his to say about Bush's decision:

"[America] has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years. Bush took the nation into war recklessly and the country is now held hostage to the predictable, and predicted, disarray that has followed.''

He also said that Bush "must bring U.S. combat forces home from Iraq without leaving behind chaos and act to improve economic prospects for middle-class Americans".

The other half of Bush's speech was focused on more domestic issues, primarily environmental concerns, such as increasing dependence on renewable energy and decreasing dependence on foreign oil. He also spoke on issues such as making health care affordable and balancing out the budget.

Saddam Hussein Executed

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/12/29/hussein/index.html

It's true: Butcher of Baghdad Saddam Hussein has finally been hanged.

Across the world, there have been celebrations en masse celebrating his death. After Saddam died, a group of people danced around the body.

It's the end of a rather terrible era for the Iraqi people, who have lived in fear for the past 35 years, and have experienced three wars under Saddam's regime.

Good ridence, I say.

Other Dubai Projects

Reading the comments on my past post about the Burj Dubai, I've decided to add some other Dubai projects to share. NOTE: The list is VERY overwhelming. It may take a few days to get to grips with it.



The thing in the picture is the largest of three Palm-shaped islands, called the Palm Deira. The first Palm is under construction. This one, however, stretches 14 kilometres out into the Persian gulf(!)








This thing is The World. It is 8 kilometres in length, and consists of over 300 islands. Each island is a private resort, several square acres in area. If you want to buy here, be prepared to pay; islands go from $6,000,000 to $36,000,000 dollars US. Anyone for the South Island?




The Dubai Waterfront. To give you an idea of how gigantic this will be, the Palm-shaped structure that the "pincer" bends down towards is the second largest Palm. This development will have an area of 81 square kilometres, larger than Manhattan. If you look closely at the picture, you will see the largest Palm furthest away. Beside it is The World. The first and smallest Palm is along the coastline about half way between the second Palm and the World.





Hydropolis, an underwater hotel. Assembled in Germany, the price of a room will be from $500 per night.










The tower to your right, the Medinat-Al-Arab, if it gets the go-ahead, will be taller than the Burj Dubai once completed. It will be situated on the Dubai Waterfront.










Dubai Sports City. It will be 7.5 square km's in area. As well as the sports stadiums, it will have hotels and vistas. It will accommodate for nearly all sports, as well as games played indoors.







Dubailand Ski Dome, featuring 6000 tons of true snow. It is part of the Dubailand theme park, which is to be the largest in the world.









The projects you see here are only a small percentage of what's planned in Dubai. There are also plans for many of the world's largest buildings, and there are many other projects planned as well, usually based around a single theme (Airportland, Business Bay etc).

Other projects here.

Skyscrapers: Burj Dubai, 705+metres high

No better tower to kick-start my new "skyscrapers" series than the Burj Dubai.
Yes, that gigantic thing to your right is the Burj Dubai, to be world's tallest building, come 2008. It is being built by Emaar Corporation, and will, once completed, be over 200 metres tallest than the current title holder, Taipei 101. It will be more than twice as tall as the Sky Tower. Although it's official height is being kept a secret, it is going to be at least 705 metres, and the latest estimates say well over 800. This is a tower to watch.