DUBLIN, September 5 (Compass Direct News) – Beijing Christian bookstore owner Shi Weihan is awaiting the outcome of an August 19 court appearance and may be back in court within 10 days, according to Compass sources.

Denied proper medication and diet for his diabetes, Shi is almost “unrecognizable” due to severe weight loss, according to family members.

Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers initially arrested Shi on November 28, charging him with “illegal business practices” after he allegedly published Christian literature without authorization for distribution to house churches. Court officials ordered his release on January 4, citing insufficient evidence.

Officers arrested him again on March 19 and reportedly forced him to sign a “confession” convicting him of engaging in the printing and distribution of a large number of illegal publications.

They also forced Shi’s Antioch Eternal Life Church to close in June.

Shi’s bookstore, located near the Olympic Village, continued to operate during the Games.

Secretive Legal Process

Initially the Beijing PSB denied having Shi in custody, with officials claiming they did not know his whereabouts.

After Shi’s attorney Zhang Xingshui applied pressure, officers finally admitted having him and allowed a single visit with his attorney. They also labeled Shi a “dangerous religious element.”

Shi’s family and friends expected a trial would take place on June 19, the date that marked the end of three months of detention without charges. Chinese law prohibits the PSB from holding Chinese citizens for more than two months without formal charges, and Shi’s family and friends thought the three-month mark might have been significant. (See Compass Direct News, “Christian Bookstore Owner Still Without Trial,” June 20.)

No trial, however, took place on that day.

Authorities recently moved Shi from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau back to the Haidian District Detention Center where he was held after his first arrest in November 2007.

Shi may have been held virtually “incommunicado” during the Games because of fears that he would use foreign connections to embarrass China during the event, one source who preferred to go unnamed told Compass. Shi has many foreign clients and friends.

“Perhaps the government regarded him as a potential organizer of public dissent, although many who know Shi affirm that he is a peaceful, patriotic and gentle man, not given to drawing attention to himself,” the source added.

Shi’s store operated legally and sold only books for which he had obtained government permission. Under his Holy Spirit Trading Co., however, Shi printed Bibles and Christian literature without authorization for distribution to local house churches, according to Asia Times Online.

Shi’s wife and two daughters are under great strain as a result of his arrest. Sources have asked for prayer that the family’s “strength and faith will not falter.”  

Report from Compass Direct News

APPLICATION FOR PERMISSION TO DATE MY DAUGHTER

NOTE: This application will be incomplete and rejected unless accompanied by a complete financial statement, job history, lineage, and current medical report from your doctor.

NAME____________________________________  DATE OF BIRTH_____________

HEIGHT___________  WEIGHT____________  IQ__________  GPA Grid_____________

INCOME TAX FILE NUMBER _________________  DRIVERS LICENSE ________________

BOY SCOUT RANK AND BADGES__________________________________________

HOME ADDRESS_______________________  CITY/STATE___________  POSTODE______

Do you have parents?                     ___Yes  ___No
Is one male and the other female?  ___Yes  ___No
If No, explain: _____________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________________

Number of years they have been married ______________________________

If less than your age, explain
     ____________________________________________________________________

ACCESSORIES SECTION:

A. Do you own or have access to a van?        __Yes  __No

B. A truck with oversized tires?                     __Yes  __No

C. A waterbed?                                           __Yes  __No

D. A pickup with a mattress in the back?         __Yes  __No

E. A tattoo?                                                 __Yes  __No

F. Do you have an earring, nose ring,             __Yes  __No
pierced tongue, pierced cheek or a belly button ring?

(IF YOU ANSWERED 'YES' TO ANY OF THE ABOVE, DISCONTINUE APPLICATION
AND LEAVE PREMISES IMMEDIATELY.  I SUGGEST RUNNING.)

ESSAY SECTION:

In 50 words or less, what does 'LATE' mean to you?

     ______________________________________________________________

     ______________________________________________________________

In 50 words or less, what does 'DON'T TOUCH MY DAUGHTER' mean to you?

     ______________________________________________________________

     ______________________________________________________________

In 50 words or less, what does 'ABSTINENCE' mean to you?

     ______________________________________________________________

     ______________________________________________________________

REFERENCES SECTION:

Temple you attend ___________________________________________________

How often you attend ________________________________________________

When would be the best time to interview your:

Father?  _____________

Mother?_____________

Priest ? _____________

SHORT-ANSWER SECTION:

Answer by filling in the blank.  Please answer freely, all answers are confidential.

A: If I were shot, the last place I would want shot would be:

     ______________________________________________________________

B: If I were beaten, the last bone I would want broken is my:

     ______________________________________________________________

C: A woman's place is in the:

     ______________________________________________________________

D: The one thing I hope this application does not ask me about is:

     ______________________________________________________________

E. What do you want to be IF you grow up?  _______________________________

     ______________________________________________________________

     ______________________________________________________________

F:  When I meet a girl, the thing I always notice about her first is:

     ______________________________________________________________

G:  What is the current going rate of a hotel room?  __________________________

I SWEAR THAT ALL INFORMATION SUPPLIED ABOVE IS TRUE AND CORRECT TO
THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE UNDER PENALTY OF DEATH, DISMEMBERMENT,
INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN BULL ANT TORTURE, CRUCIFIXION, ELECTROCUTION,
CHINESE WATER TORTURE and RED HOT POKERS

_________________________________________________________
Applicant's Signature (that means sign your name, moron!)

_______________________________      ________________________________
Mother's Signature                                              Father's Signature

_______________________________      ________________________________
Pastor/Priest/Rabbi                                            State or Federal Government Representative
_______________________________      (Their stamp goes here )
Notary Public

You will be contacted in writing if you are approved.  Please do not try to call or write.  If your application is rejected, you will be notified by two gentleman wearing white ties carrying violin cases.  (You might watch your back)

To prepare yourself, start studying Daddy's Rules for Dating.

Daddy's Rules for Dating
Your dad's rules for your boyfriend (or for you if you're a guy):

Rule One:  If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure not picking anything up.

Rule Two:
You do not touch my daughter in front of me.  You may glance at her so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck.  If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.  

Rule Three:
I am aware that it is considered fashionable for boys of your age to wear their trousers so loosely that they appear to be falling off their hips.  Please don't take this as an insult, but you and all of your friends are complete idiots.  Still, I want to be fair and open minded about this issue, so I propose this compromise: You may come to the door with your underwear showing and your pants ten sizes too big, and I will not object. However, in order to ensure that your clothes do not, in fact come off during the course of your date with my daughter, I will take my electric nail gun and fasten your trousers securely in place to your waist.  

Rule Four:
I'm sure you've been told that in today's world sex without utilizing a 'Barrier method' of some kind can kill you.  Let me elaborate, when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.

Rule Five:
It is usually understood that in order for us to get to know each other, we should talk about sports, politics, and other issues of the day.  Please do not do this.  The only information I require from you is an indication of when you expect to have my daughter safely back at my house, and the only word I need from you on this subject is: 'early.'

Rule Six:
I have no doubt you are a popular fellow, with many opportunities to date other girls.  This is fine with me as long as it is okay with my daughter.  Otherwise, once you have gone out with my little girl, you will continue to date no one but her until she is finished with you.  If you make her cry, I will make you cry.  

I haven't forgotten the clip of the horses
treading the asphalt. The buggies
arced through the cornfields, tipped
their brims toward us. The little ones,
facing backwards, watching the road
disappear, will never forget their origins.

I marvel, still, at the way those baby
hummingbirds nested in that tiny
soft lump, at the way the kittens became one
ball of fur each night, at the way,
each morning, the spider's web was rebuilt,
unchanged, spanning the handlebars between
our bikes.

I can't help but remember these things:
the tilt of the shed with the chimney,
the tilt of the windwhipped cornstalks,
the tilt of the doe's head, noticing me.

In time, I know,
I will forget. I will lose
these things, no matter how dear.
But lend me your hand now, while
a tilt is just a tilt. Let me marvel
while I still remember. Let me stagger,
reeling.

JAKARTA, August 28 (Compass Direct News) –The manager of a campground in East Jakarta this week asked staff members and 600 female students from a theological college who had taken refuge there to leave and pay stiff fees.

Officials had sent the students to the facility after a violent mob attacked the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology (SETIA) in East Jakarta on July 25. Principal Matheus Mangentang refused to leave, saying that Fauzi Bowo, governor of Jakarta, had ordered them to stay at the campground.

He further asked that the manager send the bill, amounting to 268 million rupiah (US$29,000) for four weeks of accommodation, to the governor’s office. The governor then suggested moving the staff and students to an old building once used as the office for the mayor of West Jakarta.

Mangentang again refused, as the building would accommodate only 100 students and has very limited water and bathroom facilities.

Protestors first attacked the SETIA campus in Kampung Pulo, East Jakarta, on July 25. When police intervention failed, staff members and students were evacuated on July 26 and 27, even as protestors armed with swords, machetes, bamboo stakes and acid continued to attack them.

At least 20 students were injured in the attack, some with sword slashes.

Following the evacuation, some students were temporarily billeted in church offices, while others slept in the lobby of Indonesia’s parliament building. Officials then moved the female students to the Bumi Perkemahan Cibubur (BUPERTA) campground in East Jakarta, while the 500 male students were sent to a transmigrant accommodation facility in Bekasi.

At press time, police had still not arrested anyone in relation to the attack nor carried out an investigation.

The school, founded 21 years ago, has full legal permission and registration to operate. While now sitting in the middle of a populated area, when originally established the college was surrounded only by cornfields and banana plantations. (See Compass Direct News, “Students Demand Safe Return to College in Indonesia,” July 31.)

Mobs Still Active

When a rumor spread that SETIA students would return to the campus on Sunday (August 24), a mob assembled at the entrance gate, equipped with swords, knives and sharpened bamboo stakes. The rumor, however, was false, and the mob eventually dispersed.

On August 21, when staff member Miryo Suripati returned to her home near the campus to collect some clothing, a crowd of young people carrying swords and other weapons gathered outside the building. A local public order official explained that Suripati was not a student but a resident of the community and quickly escorted her out of the housing estate.

A handful of men who declared themselves spokesmen for the Kampung Pulo area have since claimed that residents object to the presence of the college. Compass sources refuted this claim, pointing out that students were welcome customers at area photocopying facilities, snack shops and other retail outlets, while residents were employed at the college as kitchen hands, cooks and security personnel.

The mobs were mostly composed of people from neighboring communities, not local residents, sources said.

Female Students in Tents

The BUPERTA campground is about a 90-minute drive from Jakarta, far from snack shops or stores selling daily necessities.

The female students are accommodated in large tents, with their belongings stacked against the tent walls, limited laundry and toilet facilities and a makeshift open-air kitchen. Some students expressed concern that the rainy season might begin soon, turning the flat campground into a swamp.

Church leaders who recently visited BUPERTA and took note of conditions said they would lobby the governor for permission for the students to return to their campus.

Several students, including Julidana Reva and Lasse (who has only a single name), who traveled from distant Nias Island to study at SETIA, told Compass that study was extremely difficult under these circumstances and that their lives were virtually “on hold” until they returned to campus.  

Report from Compass Direct News

ACL's also include extended permissions. An accessor can be assigned a subset of Change Location, Change Ownership, Change Permission, Execute Procedure, Change State, and Extended Delete. All of these values are independent and they can be assigned in any combination to one accessor in an ACL. However, there is only one field to store the extended permissions for one accessor. The obvious way to store such information is using bit fields and, indeed, that is how it is stored in the repository. There is only one catch though - the details are hard to find until you hit the DFC Javadocs for IDfACL. There you can find the specs under the method getAccessorXPermit().

You would think that that's the whole story but it isn't. It's very easy to get it wrong like this post did. The bits at position 0 and 1 are interpreted in a reverse manner compared to the rest of the bits - 0 means has permission and 1 means doesn't. That is why "no extended permissions" is encoded as 3!

That's about it. The only additional piece is that D6 has added a new extended permission - Change Folder Links. The Javadoc for bit-encoding hasn't been updated to reflect this change. However, it will be pretty easy to figure out by dumping an ACL object containing that extended permission.

[UPDATE] Here is the obvious way to implement it using the bit-wise AND operator (&).
// assuming that R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT contains the integer value to be decoded
boolean execProc = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT & 1) == 0;
boolean chgLoc = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT & 2) == 0;
boolean chgState = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT & 65536) != 0;
boolean chgPerm = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT & 131072) != 0;
boolean chgOwner = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT & 262144) != 0;
boolean extDelete = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT & 524288) != 0;


And just for fun, here is another way to implement this decoding without using bit-wise operations. The % is the mod operator which takes the remainder after division.
// assuming that R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT contains the integer value to be decoded
boolean execProc = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%2) == 0;
boolean chgLoc = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%4) - (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%2) == 0;
boolean chgState = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%131072) - (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%65536) != 0;
boolean chgPerm = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%262144) - (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%131072) != 0;
boolean chgOwner = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%524288) - (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%262144) != 0;
boolean extDelete = (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%1048576) - (R_ACCESSOR_XPERMIT%524288) != 0;


Talking of my dad, Bear followed tradition & asked permission for my hand in marriage. I've been going on all day about how he gave me away!! :P I know how much both of them appreciated such a thing though, & it makes me happy to know we have my Father's blessing.

I mentioned before about how my dad wondered if we shouldn't ask my step-father too. Well, we didn't. Go figure. I mean so much has gone down between the two of us that well, it just wasn't something I wanted, not to mention, I haven't exactly heard of the "Never mind the father, ask the mothers second husband" tradition.

Talking of my mother...

I rang her today to break the news. I think she was pretty surprised. There were lots of "ooooohs" & "oh right's". In fact I joked that I had said "no", & she actually believed me.. "but you said no first?" Guess she was so overcome she didn't have her funny hat on...

Talking of failed SOH's, I wasn't sure if my step-father was there, but she did repeat a lot of what I was saying, "So you're wearing an engagement ring", so I'm inclined to believe he was. However, he didn't say anything & he hasn't phoned. But I guess none of this is really a surprise. Disappointing yes, but what's new. The point is, that my father gave his blessing & wrote a wonderful email to Bear backing it up even further. Not to mention his own parents are over the moon too.

Hopefully I can whip out the camera just in time to get some candid shots of peoples reactions when I tell them, boy will there be some corkers. I had one message on a networking site today, actually from a (step)cousin saying "Officially engaged...? Whats this? I thought you were already engaged!"

Well, seeing as you actually took the time to type "officially", surely you didn't really miss the message there right?! But I guess so. I digress. So there I am, feeling like a bit of an idiot having to explain what the heck "officially engaged" means to this obviously dense (& yes she is blond) woman who I haven't seen nor spoken to in 5 years. I mean, it's not that hard is it? Neither a congratulations the first time she spotted the fact nor this time either may I add.

Talking of dense, & I should have put money on this being her main interest, but my father told my step-mother the news & her reaction was only in interest of the ring. Yeah, a ring on a finger, on the hand of a person who isn't planning on ever seeing her again. Oh, & lets not forget "she'd rather have met Bear first". And how exactly was she planning on doing that since we haven't spoken since Christmas last year? Again, were we asking for her permission? NO.

Anyway, naysayers aside. I've spent the whole day grinning. I'm so aware of my ring it's getting to the point of obsession. It's so beautiful, with a fiery diamond that catches the light spectacularly. I love it. And I love him.

I've seen our relationship move up a whole other level in the past 24 hours. I can feel it. Sure, we already considered ourselves engaged but last night we actually made the commitment & today I'm wearing a symbol of that.

I look at my left hand today & see something I never thought I'd have. I see a hand of a woman, a woman who is loved & wanted. A woman who is embarking on yet another new chapter in her life, hand in hand with the man she wants to spend the rest of her days with. Something that will be very prevalent in the next few months will be that this is the hand of a woman who cannot be controlled nor treated as a child.

Something I mentioned to Bear today was the fact that I hope seeing this ring in the tough times to come will give me the strength not to falter with my self injury. I'm optimistic that seeing it there in those dark moments will give me courage.

===

What happens next?

Well, I'll be coming back to Bear in November. I'll experience my first ever Thanksgiving, spend Christmas & my Birthday here. Then, if finances are what they should be, Bear will come back to Scotland with me in February to meet my family & see my home & the places I love & miss. We really want that, plus it's only right he meets everyone before we marry. During those months we'll apply for the K1 (Fiancé) Visa (which will include interviews with the Consulate) that I'll return on, which then gives us 90 days to get hitched. When that happens, I become a permanent resident. Our wedding truly will be our union. There's a lot to do, but it is doable.

So we're talking a Spring wedding. I missed Springtime here this year, so I'm really looking forward to seeing my new home in bloom. But really, it's time to start some serious planning right now!!

JAKARTA, August 19 (Compass Direct News) – On Sunday (August 17) a Muslim mob stormed a church service in Cipayung, East Jakarta, forcing Christians to flee and then erecting banners in the street declaring a ban on “churches and religious services.”

As about 20 church members were celebrating the nation’s Independence Day at the service, the angry assailants arrived at the Pentecostal Church of Indonesia in Pondok Rangon village, Cipayung, at 9:30 a.m. shouting “Allahu Akbar!” or “God is greater!” Some in the mob were neighbors, but the majority were not local residents, according to pastor Chris Ambessa.

Church members tried to close the gate leading into the church compound, but the mob forced its way in, storming into the welcoming room of the church and overturning furniture.

Ambessa managed to close a roller door protecting the room where services were held. But the attackers then chased church members out into the street, warning them not to return for future services.

The intruders then erected large banners in the street declaring a ban on “churches and religious services” in the village. Technically prior approval from district officials is required to erect such banners, but Public Order official Hadi Sumantri and plainclothes policemen present made no attempt to intervene or remove them.

Two days prior to this incident, Ambessa sought permission from district officials to hold a special thanksgiving service on Independence Day. Officials gave verbal approval, despite contention over the existence of the church.

Demolition Order

Ambessa has been in the middle of a dispute over his house church. On July 3 the Cipayung civil engineering department had ordered Ambessa to dismantle the second floor of his home, and on July 13 it ordered him to cease religious activity for an indefinite period following neighborhood protests against the house church. Neighbors had demanded that Ambessa completely demolish the building.

Ambessa, whose home has functioned as a legally recognized house church for the past 12 years, built the second floor extension to accommodate his growing congregation. Realizing the prohibitive cost and difficulty of obtaining a Religious Building Permit (IMB), and on grounds that the building was a residential home, Ambessa had proceeded with the extension without applying for the IMB.

Ambessa’s lawyer, August Pasaribu, told Compass he planned to challenge the demolition order, since the demand was in breach of local regulations.

Construction of the extension was completed on May 17. On May 21, a neighborhood group threatened Ambessa and forced him to sign a document stating that he would cease holding church services in his home. Ambessa told Compass that he had signed the document under duress, fearing attacks on his wife and daughters.

Ambessa had planned to rent a separate building for church services in another location, at a cost of 8 million rupiah per year (US$862). After Sunday’s attack, however, Ambessa said he felt disheartened and saw little point in reporting the incident to the local police station since he did not expect positive intervention.  

Report from Compass Direct News

It is my understanding that in the USA, UK and probably most other countries I am allowed to photograph anyone and anything as long as I am standing on public ground.  I am then allowed to call any such photograph "art" and publish it on the Internet or in a book.  Finally I'm allowed to sell my photographs or books for profit (even thousands of euros) as long as their value stems purely from their artistic content.

Surprised?  Well, I'm not a lawyer, so don't take my word on it --- go and research for yourself!  It's difficult to find any definitive sources, but I think that I am right on this.  But I'm still not going to try to convince the general public or some security guard watching over a building.

So even though it seems that I neither have to ask for permission nor possess model releases, I guess it's nonetheless prudent to do so.  You know --- law suits are so expensive and such a hassle nowadays...

OK, so I'll try to ask before I click.  But this pretty much guarantees that I won't get the image that I want, doesn't it?  Say someone has fallen asleep on a bench or in a bus.  Wake them up and ask?  I don't think so.  A couple making out in the subway?  No, not cool.  How about two big guys getting on each-other's nerves and getting ready to check out who' stronger?  Negative also...

So, should I give up my newly-found interest in people photography?  Without even trying it out?  I hope not!

I can think of a few ways to go about this, at least in the beginning.  I could start with wanna-be models, artists or musicians.  These people want exposure, so they want to be photographed.  But wait, what about street performers?  They too want wider exposure, so it shouldn't be too hard to get permission.  I can start by photographing the artist and the viewers will soon get accustomed to my presence and my photographing.  I then could alternate between photographing the artist and the audience.  Since their attention will be directed toward the performance, they might not notice me and they might even make interesting poses: watch with open mouths, cringe if the performance does not go well, etc.  Oh, wow, good idea!

I might also try photographing in the area of festivals, gatherings, etc.  On these, people are usually more relaxed and accepting of photographers.  For example, photographing in St. Pauli, Hamburg's party mile, should not be that hard.  Some people wear very elaborate and eye-catching make-up and clothing, so they might even want to be photographed.  If I find one or two people whose pictures I take in close succession, it might turn out that everyone wants to have their picture taken.

And I think it's a good idea to carry my new business cards, give those out and ask the people to contact me if they want the photos.  If course, not all will write, but my chances are probably still better than asking someone to take their photo and also asking for a phone number or an e-mail address.

Do you have any further ideas?

Homeless in Hamburg, Copyright by G.M.B. Akash

Kingfisher Airlines is run by Vijay Mallya who seems to be the Sir Richard Branson of India.

From Wikipedia - "Kingfisher is one of six airlines in the world to have a five-star rating from Skytrax, along with Asiana Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways."

From Press Trust of India -

"According to guidelines an Indian
carrier can fly abroad only after serving the domestic market for five
years and having a fleet of 20 aircraft.


Kingfisher Airlines was merged into Deccan Aviation with the
sanction of the Karnataka High Court. Following this, all the 43
aircraft on the Scheduled Operators Permit (SOP) of Kingfisher were
transferred and endorsed on the SOP of Deccan Aviation with the
approval of the DGCA."

At least 5 people are thought to have died in a mid-air collision above Warickshire, near Coventry. It is not yet known how the planes came to collide minutes away from landing at 11.40 this morning.

A joint investigation is underway by Warickshire Fire & Rescue service and Air Accident Investigations, who are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information about the circumstances of the collision.

The aircrafts involved in the collision are thought to be a MicroLite Aircraft which landed more than a mile away from the other plane, a Cessna. The main area where the Cessna Aircraft has landed is in a wooded area and services are struggling to reach the crash site.

The planes are understood to have been in contact with Air Traffic Control.

Next of kin have been informed.

Reconnaissance Ventures, a Cessna Aircraft company have released a statement confirming that 4 staff have been killed while on a routine aerial survey trip. They had been given permission to land minutes before the crash occurred.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, August 15 (Compass Direct News) – A civil court on Aug. 5 denied a woman’s appeal to renounce Islam in favor of Christianity, highlighting the jurisdictional disputes in Malaysia’s dual legal system.

Lim Yoke Khoon had filed a suit in her original ethnic Chinese name to renounce Islam and embrace Christianity. In a 2-1 majority ruling, the Shah Alam Court of Appeal denied her case on a technicality: According to judges Tengku Baharudin Shah Tengku Mahmud and Sulong Mat Jeraie, Lim had ceased to exist under her original name when she converted to Islam and assumed a new name, Noorashikin Lim binti Abdullah.

The 35-year-old Lim is reportedly expected to appeal to the country’s top civil court.

After marrying a Muslim man in 1994, Lim converted to Islam and obtained a new identity card with her Muslim name. She divorced three years later. In 2003, she applied for a change to her name and religion on her identity card, but the National Registration Department told her she must get permission from the Islamic sharia court to renounce Islam.

She sought a declaration from the high court that she was no longer a Muslim, but it ruled in 2006 that it had no jurisdiction to hear the case.

Malaysia’s civil courts have not been known to rule in favor of non-Muslims in conversion cases in recent years. Many, such as Lina Joy, have been directed to obtain an exit certificate from the sharia court in order to leave Islam. But Lina – and others like her – are reluctant to subject themselves to a religious court that has no jurisdiction over them since they are no longer professing Muslims.

Quelling Discussion

A public forum to discuss such jurisdictional disputes, in this case the dual court system’s effect on families of people who convert to Islam, was scheduled for Saturday (Aug. 9) but Muslim protestors succeeded in halting it after only one hour.

Sponsored by a body of legal practitioners called the Malaysian Bar Council, the public forum that began at 9 a.m. was scheduled to last until 1 p.m., but police advised organizers to end it at 10 a.m. as protestors outside the council headquarters shouting “Allahu Akbar [God is greater],” “Destroy Bar Council” and “Long Live Islam” became rowdy. A handful of protestors flanked by police officers marched into the building shouting for the meeting to end immediately.

The protestors included members from several Malay-Muslim movements, including the Malaysian Islamic Propagation and Welfare Organization and the Federation of Malay Students Union, as well as members of political parties such as the United Malays National Organization, the People’s Justice Party (PKR) and Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS).

The forum had been widely criticized by various Malay-Muslim groups and individuals for raising the ire of Muslims by touching on issues sensitive to Islam. Among those critical were cabinet ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Prior to the event, the Bar Council had been urged to either cancel the forum or hold the event behind closed doors, but the organizers decided to proceed albeit with the cautionary measure of requiring participants at the open forum to register.

A day prior to the forum, the Bar Council issued a press release to clarify the purpose of the forum through council Vice President Ragunath Kesavan. Ragunath made clear that the forum would not question the provisions of Article 121(1A), which confer jurisdiction over Muslims in personal, religious and family matters on the sharia courts, and that the forum would not question Islam or its status as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Rather, Ragunath said, the purpose of the meeting was to address issues affecting families of those who convert to Islam and were caught between the separate jurisdiction of the civil and sharia courts.

The morning of the forum, two unidentified men on motorcycles threw kerosene bombs into the compound of a residence formerly occupied by the president of the Bar Council, Ambiga Sreenevasan. Many believed the incident was linked to the Bar Council’s forum on conversion.

Other Muslim Responses

Not all Muslims agreed with the protestors’ actions.

Leaders of the Muslim political party PAS and Muslim-led multi-racial party, PKR, have distanced themselves from members who participated in the raucous disruption of the Bar Council forum.

Dr. Dzulkifli Ahmad, director of the PAS Research Centre, told The Star daily on Wednesday (Aug. 13), “We were unanimous that [the forum] should have been allowed to proceed,” and that “those who had united to oppose the forum had no understanding of the issue at hand.”

PKR Deputy President Syed Husin Ali reportedly also condemned the “rough action” of the protestors, although he said the party agreed with its adviser Anwar Ibrahim that the meeting should have been held behind closed doors “in view of the sensitive reactions and wrong perception among a section of the Malay-Muslim community.”

Karim Raslan, a Malay-Muslim columnist at The Star argued that “we can’t achieve any sense of mutual agreement unless we are willing to talk – and openly – to one another about the issues that matter.”

Non-Muslim Reactions

Civil society groups and members of the non-Muslim community, including those from the ruling coalition government, have also criticized the Muslim protestors’ actions for failing to acknowledge long-standing problems non-Muslims caught in jurisdictional conflict situations have had to face and endure.

Others have urged the government to take decisive and immediate steps to address the problems arising from the country’s dual legal system. In Malaysia, sharia laws are binding on Muslims in personal, religious and family matters while civil laws apply to all citizens.

Joint Action Group for Gender Equality, representing five different women’s groups, reportedly called on the government “to act against mob rule and to allow citizens more democratic space for open dialogue.”

T. Mohan, youth coordinator of the Malaysian Indian Congress, a party within the ruling coalition, told online news agency Malaysiakini on Monday (Aug. 11), “[The protestors] should have come out with their proposals in addressing the issue of non-Muslim husbands who abandon their spouses and their families and convert into Islam, rather than stop a legitimate forum.”

Dr. Koh Tsu Koon, acting president of Gerakan, a party within the ruling coalition government, was quoted in local media as calling for the government to convene a joint committee of civil and sharia lawyers “to formulate, clarify and rectify procedures related to marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims, conversion, custody of children and burial rituals.”  

Report from Compass Direct News

mood: aggravated

I have just seen the news story about the woman who has lost her fight to use fertilised eggs without the permission of her ex-partner. I feel sick for her. I quite honestly hope that this sicko guy is in some sort of horrible car accident and loses his testicles. That would be justice.

OK i know that is really harsh and I can see a red rash of anger appear on your neck but come on...to deny the woman her right to have a child that is biologically her own is simply barbaric. The law might have it right in this case but the man is evil to do this. He could have allowed her to have a child and then gave up his parental rights to the child and gave up his financial responsibilities. Was the woman asking HIM to carry it for nine months, no! Give birth to it?no! how about pay any support? no? see it? no.......in fact he could have washed his hands completely like many men do anyway.

ok i see his point about wanting to choose when he becomes a parent but many men dont get that choice anyway. Whats next? fighting to get an unborn child aborted from its mothers womb because you dont want the 'financial and emotional burden of having a child that your not going to raise? I think that will probably be next.

This guy obviously has no heart because anybody with half a brain can see its inhumane to say to this woman oh yeah lets get ALL the eggs fertalised it will be so much easier later....then saying later errr no it doesnt matter I dont want to be with you anymore and see those people we created that are frozen waiting in that clinic...id like to get them destroyed coz your not using them.

as i say, I hope he gets his nads burnt in a horrible smelting accident the dirty evil fucker

Alanna

SL Photography is a whole industry in itself in Second Life, with thousands of residents having Flickr streams and Koinup accounts, and businesses in world which make their trade from the viewer's snapshot function.

But how ethically are these businesses behaving? When you take a photograph for financial gain, are you not making a direct profit from other people's creations in that picture? For example, you're doing a modelling shoot for a client who wants a series of pictures done for a portfolio. You quote a price to them, but will any of that money go to the designer of the skin/eyes/hair/accessories/clothes/shoes?

If you take a nice scenic shot of a beautiful sim, and then frame it and put it up for sale in a gallery, shouldn't the owner/builder of the sim get a cut? Should you not at least ask permission to use the land for a commercial artwork?

Lets look at this from a legal point of view according to US Law. If a photographer creates photographs in their own interest, in their own time with their own equipment from public land (or private land where they have the required permission), the resulting photographs are clearly morally and ethically the photographers property.

So it's okay to take pics and sell them on?

Not quite.. we need to bring "copyright" into this. In the past, you had to specifically state a copyright. However, since 1989, almost everything created originally and privately is subject to copyright by default, regardless of notice. Additionally, it doesn't matter if you charge for it or not - by giving it away for free, you're still attaching a value to the work, albeit a null one.

The section of copyright that concerns us is that the copyright owner has exclusive rights to reproduce their content, and photographing this content is considered a reproduction.

Read the rest of the entry here..

SL Photography is a whole industry in itself in Second Life, with thousands of residents having Flickr streams and Koinup accounts, and businesses in world which make their trade from the viewer's snapshot function.

But how ethically are these businesses behaving? When you take a photograph for financial gain, are you not making a direct profit from other people's creations in that picture? For example, you're doing a modelling shoot for a client who wants a series of pictures done for a portfolio. You quote a price to them, but will any of that money go to the designer of the skin/eyes/hair/accessories/clothes/shoes?

If you take a nice scenic shot of a beautiful sim, and then frame it and put it up for sale in a gallery, shouldn't the owner/builder of the sim get a cut? Should you not at least ask permission to use the land for a commercial artwork?

Lets look at this from a legal point of view according to US Law. If a photographer creates photographs in their own interest, in their own time with their own equipment from public land (or private land where they have the required permission), the resulting photographs are clearly morally and ethically the photographers property.

So it's okay to take pics and sell them on?

Not quite.. we need to bring "copyright" into this. In the past, you had to specifically state a copyright. However, since 1989, almost everything created originally and privately is subject to copyright by default, regardless of notice. Additionally, it doesn't matter if you charge for it or not - by giving it away for free, you're still attaching a value to the work, albeit a null one.

The section of copyright that concerns us is that the copyright owner has exclusive rights to reproduce their content, and photographing this content is considered a reproduction.

But don't assume the copyright owner is the content creator.. that needs checking out too. A lot of people think that all content in Second Life is owned by the creators of the platform - Linden Labs. However, the Terms of Conditions state:

3.2 You retain copyright and other intellectual property rights with respect to Content you create in Second Life, to the extent that you have such rights under applicable law. However, you must make certain representations and warranties, and provide certain license rights, forbearances and indemnification, to Linden Lab and to other users of Second Life.

Hmmm.. that's rather vague. Lets read on:

Notwithstanding the foregoing, you understand and agree that by submitting your Content to any area of the service, you automatically grant (and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant) to Linden Lab: (a) a royalty-free, worldwide, fully paid-up, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to (i) use, reproduce and distribute your Content within the Service as permitted by you through your interactions on the Service.

Okay, so apparently Linden Labs are allowed to reproduce our content and use it however they wish. So if you work for Linden Labs, you're allowed to take pics and sell them on. But what about the rest of us?

(ii) use and reproduce (and to authorize third parties to use and reproduce) any of your Content in any or all media for marketing and/or promotional purposes in connection with the Service, provided that in the event that your Content appears publicly in material under the control of Linden Lab, and you provide written notice to Linden Lab of your desire to discontinue the distribution of such Content in such material (with sufficient specificity to allow Linden Lab, in its sole discretion, to identify the relevant Content and materials), Linden Lab will make commercially reasonable efforts to cease its distribution of such Content following the receipt of such notice, although Linden Lab cannot provide any assurances regarding materials produced or distributed prior to the receipt of such notice.

Okay - the term "third parties" is pretty vague again, but it could be argued that that includes other SL residents. So while other SL residents have the right to sell photography which may feature the works of content creators, it's within the copyright holder's power to notify Linden Labs to stop the works being distributed.

You also understand and agree that by submitting your Content to any area of the Service, you automatically grant (or you warrant that the owner of such Content has expressly granted) to Linden Lab and to all other users of the Service a non-exclusive, worldwide, fully paid-up, transferable, irrevocable, royalty-free and perpetual License, under any and all patent rights you may have or obtain with respect to your Content, to use your Content for all purposes within the Service.

By about this stage, my head exploded and there are huge red stains across my bedroom wall. This paragraph seems to undermine everything we thought was protecting the copyright holder's content, by opening it up to a royalty-free license to all other users of the "Service". That basically means that SL residents can take photographs of creator's works and sell them within Second Life, without the need to pay royalties.

However, automatically granting a user permission to use the copyright holder's content does not mean that it can't be withdrawn.

4.3 You will comply with the processes of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act regarding copyright infringement claims covered under such Act.

I'm pretty familiar with the DMCA, so I pulled this paragraph out of it:

Section 1201 divides technological measures into two categories: measures that prevent unauthorized access to a copyrighted work and measures that prevent unauthorized copying (“Copying” is used in this context as a short-hand for the exercise of any of the exclusive rights of an author under section 106 of the Copyright Act.

Consequently, a technological measure that prevents unauthorized distribution or public performance of a work would fall in this second category.) of a copyrighted work. Making or selling devices or services that are used to circumvent either category of technological measure is prohibited in certain circumstances, described below. As to the act of circumvention in itself, the provision prohibits circumventing the first category of technological measures, but not the second.

That's right - the content creator can file a DMCA and give Linden Labs notification to take down the infringing work, which would be the photographs up for sale. I'd imagine it would be a lot more difficult for a content creator to file a DMCA against a user who does photography for a model's portfolio, or something which is not sold as an object in world, or stored in inventory.

So there you have it - unless a content creator specifically files a DMCA to take down infringing content, you are fully within your rights as an SL photographer to sell your works in world without having to pay any royalties.

Disclaimer: This article is the author's personal interpretation and should not be taken as a legal clarification. The author is not a qualified attorney and will not be held liable for statements made in this article. The article is simply a personal interpretation. This article is not endorsed by Linden Labs, and has no legal value or significance. Basically, if you get sued, don't bother trying to blame me.

References and Interesting reading on this topic:

10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained

The Law For Photographers

Second Life Terms of Conditions

Digital Millennium Copyright Act

ü  Shoes should be polished or wiped with a damp cloth.

ü  Don’t let your hair loose. They trouble a lot on a windy day and spoil the fun.

ü  A belt looks impressive.

ü  Take permission of your parent to carry a wallet. Little money helps a lot in case of an emergency.

ü  Avoid stuffing your pockets with things (toy car, play figure, tissue, coins or a ball). It looks awkward and gives an uncomfortable feeling.

ü  Carry a tissue or a napkin. It is one of the most important things.

ü  Matching all the accessories with your dress is not always important. Be carefree because you are loved for what you are.

ü  Confirm your appointment before leaving and inform your invitee about your arrival.

ü  Look at the mirror and smile. Appreciate yourself.

The Friday Class article is published in Young Times.

ISTANBUL, August 12 (Compass Direct News) – Amid pressure from radical Muslim clerics, a medical board is expected to determine the age of a Christian Pakistani girl allegedly forced to convert to Islam. The medical report on 13-year-old Saba Masih, who married a Muslim man, is due by her Aug. 20 custody hearing.

The custody battle over her and her 10-year-old sister, Aneela Masih – two girls raised as Christians who were kidnapped and allegedly converted to Islam – may be decided on their testimonies even though they contradict court evidence. Saba Masih, married off to the Muslim man after the kidnapping, has twice claimed in court that she is 17 years old – Pakistani law requires females to be at least 16 to marry without permission of legal guardians.

At a hearing last Wednesday (Aug. 6), the Lahore High Court’s Multan branch ruled that the district medical board of Multan will examine Saba Masih to determine if she is old enough to marry of her own volition. Aneela Masih claims to have embraced Islam, though as a minor she cannot legally do so.

The court has refused to accept the girls’ birth certificates or baptism records as evidence for their ages. Under Pakistani law a minor cannot marry regardless of his or her religion.

The two sisters were kidnapped on June 26 while traveling to visit their uncle in Sarwar Shaheed, northwest of Multan. Saba Masih was married to Amjad Ali, a Muslim, the next day, and the kidnappers filed for custody of the girls on June 28 based on their conversion.

In a July 12 ruling, District and Sessions Court Judge Main Naeem Sardar awarded custody of the girls to the kidnappers based on Saba Masih’s testimony that she was 17 and had converted to Islam. He did not accept the girls’ birth certificates as evidence of their ages.

In a July 29 hearing, Judge Saghir Ahmed said he did not believe the girls converted to Islam of their own volition and ordered them to be sent to a government women’s shelter, so that they could think freely until the Aug. 6 hearing.

At that hearing, however, both girls claimed to have embraced Islam, and Saba Masih claimed once again to be 17 and thus able to marry. Judge Saeed Ejaz ordered that she be sent to a medical examination to determine her real age.

Muslim clerics are already threatening the medical board, claiming that since the girls have embraced Islam they should not be returned to the custody of their Christian parents, said Khalid Raheel, the kidnapped girls’ uncle.

“Muslim clerics are threatening the judge. [Saba] said she was 17 because she was threatened,” he said. “[The judge] told the medical officer to get her age checked by the medical board ... [but] Muslim clerics are threatening the medical board.”

The medical board will submit its report at the next hearing on Aug. 20.

Rashid Rehman, a lawyer representing the Christian parents, said that if the report says Saba Masih has reached puberty or is between the ages of 16 and 17, then the court will likely award her Muslim husband custody over her – even though her marriage is invalid since she is a minor.

“The law has been amended, and no minor can be contracted into marriage with [guardian or parental] permission or without permission,” he said. “But because of religious pressure, the court can decide otherwise.”

The court cannot grant custody of Aneela Masih to the kidnappers since both sides agree she is 10. Because she reiterated at the August 6 hearing that she had converted to Islam, however, it is not clear if she will be returned to her Christian parents.

According to a strict interpretation of Islamic law, a non-Muslim cannot have custody of a Muslim child.

“I think Aneela will not be given to the parents but sent to a shelter or child protection care bureau,” said Rehman, a member of the Human Rights Commission in Pakistan. “She can’t reside with the parents, who are Christians.”

After the hearing, the sisters were returned to the government-run Dar-Ul-Aman women’s shelter, where they have stayed since July 29. They have been forbidden from seeing their parents or the Muslim kidnappers.

Threats Continue

The kidnappers, however, continue to intimidate the girls, said Raheel, their uncle.

“Even in the women’s shelter run by the government, they keep on calling them on the phone,” he said. “They keep on threatening them there also. That’s why they can’t change their minds.”

He said the kidnappers are threatening the girls’ parents to stop trying to regain custody of their daughters.

“They told them not to go to court, or they would kill them,” Raheel said.

Attorney Rehman said the courthouse at the Aug. 20 hearing could be a charged environment, since the local press has published stories advocating the kidnappers’ claims.

Raheel noted that the local Urdu papers, Jang and Xpress, quoted the kidnappers as saying the Christian family was threatening them for the return of their daughters even though they had freely chosen to become Muslims.

A priest at the Masih family’s parish known only as Father Asab said many Muslims have expressed their sympathy to the Christian family but are afraid of speaking out against the perpetrators.

“Many Muslims are also with us, those who understand,” he said. “But the majority is afraid to tell the truth. In this case many people in our area, many Muslims, know that those who kidnapped the girls … have a bad name in society. But even Muslim families are frightened to tell the truth.”

Report from Compass Direct News

EDITED AUG 15TH: MANDERS MUSINGS POSTED A LINK WITH INFORMATION. BLOG LINK REMOVED.

DUBLIN, August 8 (Compass Direct News) – Authorities in Laos have detained or arrested at least 90 Christians in three provinces in recent weeks, including an arrest last Sunday (Aug. 3) of a pastor and two other believers from a house church in Boukham village, Savannakhet province.

Arrests were reported in the southern provinces of Saravan and Savannakhet and in Luang Prabang province in the north.

In one incident on July 21, Compass sources said officials detained 80 Christians in Katin village, in the Tah Oih district of Saravan province, after residents seized a Christian neighbor identified only as Pew and poured rice wine down his throat. The wine flooded his lungs and killed him, according to the sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.

When mourning family members buried him – an immediate necessity because of the warm climate – and put a wooden cross on the grave, village officials accused them of “practicing the rituals of the enemy of the state” and seized a buffalo and pig from the family as a fine.

A few days later, on July 25, officials rounded up 17 of the 20 Christian families in the village – a total of 80 men, women and children – and detained them in a local school compound, denying them food for three days in an attempt to force the adults to sign documents renouncing their faith.

Three other Christian families in the village had already renounced their faith under increasing pressure from authorities, according to a report from Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF).

As their children grew weaker, 10 families signed the documents and on July 30 were allowed to return home. The remaining seven families, however, were evicted from the village and have since settled in an open field outside the village, building small shelters and surviving on food found in the nearby jungle.

Arrests in Boukham

The most recent arrests occurred last Sunday (August 3) in Boukham village, Savannakhet. Officials arrested a leader of a house church identified only as Pastor Sompong, during a Sunday worship service at his home, along with two young people identified only as Boot and Khamvan.

HRWLRF reported they were detained at an area police station. On August 2, authorities arrested another villager in Boukham, identified only as Menoy, charging her with “believing in Jesus and worshiping God.”

They handcuffed Menoy and took her to a prison in Ad-Sapangthong district, where she joined two other believers, identified as Kantalee and Loong Peng, who had been arrested the previous day and charged with the same religious offense.

Authorities had previously arrested Pastor Sompong and four other believers from the Boukham church on July 20, detaining them for two days in a prison in nearby Dong Haen. Police stormed into the church that Sunday and ordered the 63 Christians present to cease worshiping or they would face arrest and imprisonment for “believing and worshiping God.”

When the Christians refused to comply, stating that Sunday was a Christian holy day and they must continue worshiping, the police arrested Pastor Sompong and two other church leaders identified only as Kai and Phuphet.

While some of the officers handcuffed the three church leaders and took them to a prison in Dong Haen, other policemen stayed in the village. When the service continued, police entered the house again and arrested a man identified only as Sisompu.

When the believers again failed to cease worshiping, police arrested a 17-year-old girl, identified only as Kunkham, who was actively leading the group. All five Christians were detained in Dong Haen prison with their feet secured in wooden stocks.

Officials charged the five with spreading the gospel and holding a religious meeting without permission. Although the Lao constitution “guarantees” freedom of religion and worship, church fellowships must be registered with government-approved institutions. Such registration comes with strict limitations on the activity of the church, however, and many Christians prefer not to register.

On July 22, three Christians approached the provincial religious affairs office in Savannakhet to challenge the arrest of Pastor Sompong and his fellow church members, asking how the five Christians could be charged for “spreading the gospel” during a worship service.

Officials then released the five on condition that they would cease holding worship meetings. They ordered them to seek permission from village authorities if they wanted to continue meeting together.

Elsewhere, in late July authorities in Saiphuthong district of Savannakhet summoned the pastor of a church in Nachan village and questioned him about the increasing number of villagers who had elected to believe in God.

Compass sources also reported that officials on July 27 detained a family of Hmong Christians in northern Luang Prabang province.

More arrests were reported, but details have yet to be confirmed.

Report from Compass Direct News

As we talked about the book Who Cares? and presented our fears and our hopes, a sense of purpose came through.  Caring for students and parents wasn't just something we were supposed to do -- it was THE thing we were going to be doing.  The phrase our principal, Mr. Wilmurth, drove home to us was "Be the kind of teacher that you want your kids to have.  Be the kind of teacher I want my kids to have."

And I know as a teacher that I care deeply for my students, but for an administrator to give me "permission" to care as part of my attempt to teach rigorous content, it was liberating.  To have caring defined as a way for us to raise test scores.  To have caring spelled out as calling parents, giving students every available option for success, and to believe in the student's potential even when no one else does -- those things are rarely pointed out or discussed by "professionals."  Teachers know those things are important, but the PD we usually get tells us how to teach our content or how to assess better the things we want our students to learn.

I'm pumped.  And the students will notice.