PhD

I implemented this algorithm. It's quite involved. It took me a few months to put together ... and taking even longer to prove (leaving no doubt) that it works (always and forever).

A typical meeting today's was with my supervisor (she's a nice lady, don't read me wrong)...

Supervisor: "You need to define *everything* formally." (i.e. rigidly using crazy mathematical symbols)

Me: "Sorry, I thought I'd do it in English first."

Supervisor: "Well, I'm glad it's not in French."

Excuse my increased nonsensicalness (yet to increase further) in the coming months...

[Potential Grad/PhD Student:]
"So bro, let me see if I got this right... you're saying grad school is a degrading, demoralizing experience that sucks all energy and creativity from your spirit..."

[Grad/PhD Student:]
"yeah, something like that"

(Source: Piled Higher and Deeper, by Jorge Cham, phdcomics.com)

Du'as (for me) are recommended. Have a nice day.

The good old US of A

"My name popped up on their computer. I was taken to a room for questioning. I was questioned for two hours," said [Bollywood superstar] Shah Rukh [Khan].

Source:
http://www.ndtv.com/news/world/shah_rukh_khan_detained_at_us_airport_for_2_hours.php

I wonder what algorithm they run on their computers, lol. But seriously, it's not funny. I came across this story ("Bollywood superstar detained because of Muslim name") and another similar one ("Muslim woman harassed at Dayton airport") in this month's issue of Muslim News. Very good newspaper btw.

The pope's visit to the Holy Land

... In the event, he deeply upset his Israeli hosts, and to a much milder extent his Palestinian ones too, both mainly through sins of omission...

... The trouble came when... he spoke only of 'millions' of Jewish victims, not of 'six million'...

... The pope then made things worse for himself by speaking of the 'tragedy of the Shoah [Hebrew for the Holocaust]' without attributing blame...

... And yet another mistake: the pope used the word 'killed' rather than 'murdered'...

—The Economist, May 16th 2009, Pope Benedict - A Chapter of Incidents

Change of Gym

Changed gyms last week. Was training at London Shoot Fighters (West London) for a couple of years. Now training at Spartan Vale Tudo (East London). The change was spurred by LSF moving further West but alhamdulillah for the better. SVT is a smaller setup but I should now be able to train more often insha-Allah since it's closer to home.

Umrah

Got back from Umrah last Sunday afternoon. Went for a couple of weeks with my sister - 19th July til 2nd August - one week in Makkah and one week in Madinah. Fantastic. A rare place that gets better with each visit! Kept a log of positive encounters. Might be a while before I type it up.

Letter I sent to my MP Harry Cohen:

Dear Harry,

I hope you are well.

I flew back from Suadi Arabia last Sunday afternoon landing at Heathrow Terminal 5. As usual, just before baggage collection, all those arriving from the various flights pass through the same passport/immigration check place and behind each immigration/airport officer is a well dressed (suited/booted) CID (intelligence) officer "randomly" selecting people to question. I have always questioned the "randomness" of those selected for questioning and I can understood that all young brown/Muslim looking people are stopped for questioning and profiling regardless of the fact that they are UK passport holders, as has become the trend post-2001. However, what appalled me was that even elderly people and whole families were not exempted - every single brown/Muslim passing through a free CID officer, regardless of age, gender or the fact that they are with their families was being stopped. All of those stopped that I observed appeared to feel the need to be excessively polite, which I question, and I am ashamed that we as a community have come to accept such discrimination as normal.

I wanted you to be aware that such discrimination takes place but also wanted to know if you knew who I could direct this complaint to, if anyone?

Regards,
Adil Hussain

Is Obama waffling?

"... Indeed, on the ground, interviews with recently released Guantanamo detainees and investigations by organisations such as Human Rights First in Afghanistan are providing evidence that detainee abuse and lack of due process are continuing under the Obama administration, despite the shift in rhetoric..."

(Source: aljazeera.net, Bush's torture legacy haunts the US)

Article:
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/07/20097298571341207.html

Interesting, American coverage of captured US soldier Bowe Bergdahl. Fox News showed him less love than the Taliban!

Quote: Revolutionary conduct is a mirror of revolutionary faith

A short quote and, for the more patient, a long quote:

"... We left Mexico in a leaky boat with 82 men on board. Of those 82, only 12 would survive to witness our victory."

"... Military science assumes that the bigger the army, the stronger it is. On the other hand, only vaguely do they recognise that during military combat, the final strength of an army is also its physical capacity multiplied by one unknown 'x'. This 'x' is none other than the spirit of the troops measured as their greater or lesser desire to fight and confront danger. Men with the desire to fight, who also understand why they are fighting, regardless of who they are fighting, whether under the command of military geniuses or those of normal intelligence, fighting with clubs or machine guns, ... these men will put themselves in the most advantageous positions while fighting and they will triumph."

(Source: First half-hour of the four-hour film 'Che')