sounds like holiday spirit

The conflicts in the middle east are not settling down for the winter holidays. After all, they (like me) do not celebrate Christmas. But still, you might think (unless you are a little pessimistic)
the Israelis would give the palistinians a break, but, of course, they didn't. This is the latest bbc heading:

Israeli F-16 bombers have launched a series of air strikes against key targets in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 195 people, medical chiefs say.

see here

my favorite emoticon

my equation

 My equation:

A/B=Ax10/Bx10

 Example:

4/1=4x10/1x10
4/1=40/10
4=4

Geneology of conspiracy theories

agw-conspiracy-20081030.png (PNG Image, 1606x2524 pixels)

http://frankbi.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/agw-conspiracy-20081030.png

my equation

 My equation:

A/B=Ax10/Bx10

 Example:

4/1=4x10/1x10
4/1=40/10
4=4

Israel diary

October 23rd, 2008 Thursday in  plane, over the great basin.

 I am uncomfortable as always in an airplane (going to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. The noise is very, very annoying. It and the fact that it is stuffy in here is giving me a head-ache. The little boy in front of me is not helping.

October 25th added: PS: Dutch Ketchup is weird. I know because I had a sausage roll at Schiphol airport in-between hurrying, getting lost, and getting very, very confused.


October 25th, 2008 Saturday
Writing for October 24.

 Yesterday started for me in the plane, where I was very uncomfortable. In that plane I watched the movie Hancock. Then we reached Tel-Aviv airport. We went to baggage. At baggage claim we waited and waited untill When in the shuttle to Jerusalem I had trouble not going to sleep.


October 25, 2008 Saturday
Jaffa gate hostel, Old City, Jerusalem

 Here is what happened:
4:30ish Am: breakfast
12 ish: write previous article
1 ish: Eat out and chess with mom
After that: Try to do the ram-part walk but arn't allowed.
So we try to go to the dome of the rock, end up in a market-place where we were treated well by two shopkeepers and bought a few things including a hand-done chess set and played chess over dinner.


October 28th, 2008 Monday for October 26, 27, and 29

Oct 26
 I woke up at 2 AM. I couldn't sleep until 3 AM. But I wasn't asleep.
We got up at 5 AM. We finished packing. After that we went out.
We got a $200 private tour. Then the tour guide showed us his families store...

 To put it simple:
 Mom could not chose which piece of jewelry to buy and always when it's like that she decides that she doesn't want to buy anything. They interpret that as hard bargaining.
Miriam took us to the bus station. I don't remember what happened after that.

Oct 27
 Here is what we did.
1) Wake up.
2) have free breakfast at Rutenburg
3) Go to PRC (the Baha'i pilgrim reception center)
4) Get pilgrim badges
5) Go to bank for money to get health insurance
6) get sushi
7) go to presentation
8) listen to it.
9) Go back to Molada guesthouse.
10) Try to use internet while mom gets her coat at PRC.

Oct 28
 Yesterday I woke up at 8:30. We went to breakfast at Rutenburg. I don't remember what happened next.

 
Oct 31, 2008

I went to Bahji (Baha'i owned mansion) today.

In the morning mom brought breakfast to me.

Speaker tonight: Cooper Dunbar


Nov 5, 2008

 Let me see if I can write anything. OK, do not feel like I can. Let me try again. OK, tired, excited, and can't remember a thing.
 Looking out at the clouds I remember something. It is the names of the mansions. They are Bahji (probably misspelled) and Masraih (also probably misspelled).
 Wait a second. Now I remember some stuff. Now I forgot it again because mom had to start arguing with me just when I was remembering.
 OK, I am remembering it again. Arrrgh, Mom has interrupted me again!! This is sooo annoying!! She seems to have a thing against me remembering.
 We are above the Davis strait. We passed South of Nuuk (major city in Greenland). I got to see part of Greenland. It was totally covered in white. I got several pictures of the view. I am probably going to take a break from writing. I might write later. I will try to write on the next flight.

Nov 7, 2008 added: PS. the flight was 11 hours.


Nov 7, 2008
Ok, I give up. I can remember virtually nothing.

Going to israel

Yup, going there. Hoping that I don't get arrested (yes they arrest kids).
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Now, that I am in Israel I'd like to say that it is not as everyone thinks it is.

Mod releases UFO files

The British ministry of defense has released some of its UFO files. (see here for more)

weather

1:09 pm Oakland, California, USA

tendency: sunny
pressure: 29.9inHg
temp:78.9F
humidity:18%
wind:6.4mph to the NNE (22 degrees)

Perimeter and area

Figure perimeter area


square P=4s A=SxS

rectangle P=2l+2w A=lxW

parallelogram P=2b+2s A=BxH

triangle P=s1+s2+s3 A=BxH/2

Some compound probability advice

From Saxon math 8/7 (home school):

"The probability of independent events occurring in a specified order is the product of the probabilities of each event."

and:

"The probability of dependent events occurring in a specified order is the product of the first event and the recalculated probabilities of each subsequent event."

My mom likes to cencor clerihews

I did a clerihew earlier. I did it because I was board. It was about Ken Ham:

There is a man named Ken Ham.
He is such a ham.
His brain is so small
he could fit in a crowded hall.

My mom Instantly labeled it "Backbiting". Unless it is in the dictionary I won't listen to the word.
Oh it is. Waaaaaaaaaa.

My Vote

Being a minor, I can't vote. But if I did what I voted would be influenced by my mom,
the nice, caring, social worker. However, (and this is important) It is not what she would vote.
Prop. 1: YES, I care about our climate.
Prop. 2: YES, I want animals to be treated well.
Prop. 3: (further research needed)
Prop. 4: YES, but maybe NO (depends on circumstances).
Prop. 5: YES, our prisons are overcrowded.
Prop. 6: NO, (see previous)
Prop. 7: YES, I support solar, wind, etc.
Prop. 8: NO.
Prop. 9: YES.
Prop. 10: YES.
Prop. 11: ?
Prop. 12: YES.

I have settled it

Atomic number is the number of protons.
Atomic mass is the mass of an atom.

Big Bang poem

The Thing
(censored) (censored)
There was once a thing,
it was the only thing,
at least in it's universe.

Don't ask what it was.
I don't know.
All I know is that it was something,
who, what, where, I don't know.

The thing was small
and very hot
and not to mention,
unstable.

After I don't know how long,
it exploded.

When it exploded
it created everything,
from time and space
to the building blocks
of matter.

In the seconds after
the quarks came together
forming the protons
and the neutrons.

In those few seconds
there were things
that don't exist now
such as negative protons.
But by less than
a minute after
the big explosion
they didn't exist.

And thats how
the universe
may have started,
but theories
can be proven wrong.

The (cencored) Statement

Part one

People take their beliefs personally so it is only natural that people will feel like they are the ones being challenged when their beliefs are what is being challenged and will act accordingly.

Part two

It is preventable. If the person whose beliefs are being challenged takes into consideration the fact that his beliefs, not him, are being challenged he can bypass the first part of the statement. A Baha'ullah (the

Bahai prophet) quote say how to avoid the effects of the first part of the statement.

“Should any one among you be incapable of grasping a certain truth, or be striving to comprehend it,

show forth, when conversing with him, a spirit of extreme kindliness and good-will. Help him to see and recognize the truth, without esteeming yourself to be, in the least, superior to him, or to be possessed of greater endowments.”

Nearly one of seeds science blogs

Here is an email I got today:


Hi (censored),

Thanks for reading ScienceBlogs! The site depends on feedback from our engaged and loyal readers. Thanks, too, for sending along your blog's information. Rodent's Blog has now been added to our official inquiry list. We'll certainly give it a look in the coming days and weeks.

At our inception just two years ago, ScienceBlogs included 14 blogs. Happily, that's since increased by fivefold. Our larger blogging family generates more dynamic discussions and higher traffic. At the same time, because we want to maintain the site's accessibility, appeal, and general feeling of community, the number of blogs we feature is ultimately limited.

We receive several dozen inquiries a month from science enthusiasts like you who want to join us, and many -— if not most —- are informative and well-written. But because of our fantastic growth, the few newbies we take on now are often picked based on how they might complement (and distinguish themselves from!) the others in the Sb community.

If we find your blog fits into such a niche, we'll be in touch soon.


Thanks for your interest and happy reading!

Grrrrrrrrrr

Today I was having trouble with my blog. Google blogger wasnt letting me get on my blog with the password that I use for my gmail account. This passord obviously happens my only google password.

my profile note

Here is my current profile note:

Rachazy
Oakland, California, United States
My real name is (censored). I am (censored) years old. I also got advanced in every subject on my 5th grade star test. View my complete profile

Tell me if you think it is not very good. (in comments please)

a little depressing news

An airplane crashed in western spain. It killed 150 people.

Astrology

In the paper I saw the astrology section. I looked at the part titled Gemini. I saw a really acurate piece of information. But the rest was wrong.

rain in Florida.

Hello readers (if there are any) I am writing from Florida. I got on my great-grandmother's (Ruth) computer. The wether is unpredictable. It rains for a minute then suddenly stops. Also, it rains five times a day. The rain is warm too. To me (I am from Oakland which is close to San Francisco and much drier and colder than Florida or at least the part I am in.) warm-wetness with all my clothes on is a totally weard and alien sensation. I am used to it in the shower, but outside with all my clothes on (different temperture, too) feals totally wrong.

Gummy Bear

"Gummy Bear" by Zachary Zimmerle (aka Rachazy)

Gummy Bear sits in the candy tree,
merry merry king of candy is he,
laugh Gummy Bear,
laugh Gummy Bear,
how gay (happy) your life must be.

Gummy Bear sits in the candy tree,
counting all the candy he can see,
wait Gummy Bear,
wait Gummy Bear,
thats not candy, that's me!

Gummy Bear sits in the candy tree,
eating all the candy he can see,
wait Gummy Bear,
wait Gummy Bear,
save some candy for me.



This song was based on Marion Sinclair's "Kookaburra"

John Freshwater: abusive (anti)Science teacher (Part 1)

Here is the first part.


There's an ugly case brewing in Ohio. A popular middle school science teacher has been ordered to remove his copy of the bible from his desk. On the face of it, I think letting a teacher have a bible on his desk or on his person should not be a problem — it's nothing but a personal tchotchke, and it's not worth fighting over. John Freshwater, though, has made it more than an expression of personal preference. He is proselytizing in the public school classroom. Freshwater is responsible for turning this into a church-state separation case; he's one of those particularly obnoxious Christians who wrap themselves in sanctimony and loudly demand that they have more than a right to believe (a right I would defend), they have a right to tell their students what they must believe, and who uses every opportunity to evangelize in defiance of his professional responsibilities.

The school has a right and an obligation to tell him to knock it off, and if he won't comply, they should hold him in violation of his contract and fire him. But I wouldn't have him fired for being a pretentious Christian, only for refusal to do his job.

There's another reason he should be fired, however, and the school district should take advantage of his intransigence over his stupid bible to kick his sorry ass off the faculty. He's an incompetent science teacher.

In one class, Freshwater used Lego pieces to describe the beginning of the world. He dumped the pieces, then asked students if the Legos could assemble by themselves, said Joe Stuart, 18, assistant editor of the high-school newspaper.

When Freshwater taught students about electrical current, he used a device to leave a red mark in the shape of a cross on the forearms of some students, Stuart said.

"If it were just about the Bible, I don't think people would have a problem with it," Stuart said.

In his evaluations through the 21 years he's worked for the district, Freshwater has drawn consistent praise for his strong rapport with students, broad knowledge of his subject matter and engaging teaching style.

In 2006, he was instructed to remove from his curriculum a handout titled "Darwin's Theory of Evolution — The Premise and the Problem." A parent had questioned its validity and use in a science classroom.

Mr Stuart is wise. It's not the bible at all. It's that he's a deluded creationist teaching lies to students in a science class. Unfortunately, there's little recourse for expelling bad teachers (and his popularity is not an indication that he's a good teacher, don't make that mistake) on the basis of incompetence.

And the cross thing is just plain bizarre. Burning religious symbols into students' flesh is not a way to teach them about the physics of electricity; what next, will he teach about the chemistry of oxidation reactions by burning heretical students at a stake? Even religious parents in the community are disturbed by this kook:

The fax stated, "We are religious people, but we were offended when Mr. Freshwater burned a cross onto the arm of our child. This was done in science class in December 2007, where an electric shock machine was used to burn our child. The burn was severe enough that our child awoke that night with severe pain, and the cross remained there for several weeks. ... We have tried to keep this a private matter and hesitate to tell the whole story to the media for fear that we will be retaliated against."

These same parents also expressed the key issue in separation of church and state:

Short said it is alleged that Freshwater used his classroom to advance religion and that he teaches his own beliefs from the Bible and not the approved curriculum. In the fax, the parents also said, "We are Christians who practice our faith where it belongs, at church and in our home and, most importantly, outside the public classroom, where the law requires a separation of church and state."

Freshwater can believe whatever he wants. When he decides to use his public school classroom to shove his beliefs down student throats, he's in the wrong and should obey the order to keep his class secular. And when his personal beliefs so scramble his judgment that he can't even teach the evidence and logic of science, his professional duty, fire him.

Here is a new one.

DNA (to the tune of TNT by ACDC)

Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi!

See me divide up in your nucleus on your micro-screen
I'm all of you that you can get
If you know what I mean
Proteins to the left of me, lipids to the right
Aint got no oxy, but I got moxy
Don't you start a fight

"Cus I'm DNA
I'm Dynamite
(DNA) I'm wound up tight
(DNA) I have secrets to tell
(DNA) I'm in your cells!!!!

I'm Adenine! Guanine! Cytosine!
And Thymine man!
Nitrogen bases, a phosphate group
Understand?
G binds to C
A binds to T
A double helix plan
I run your life!
I control your cells!
So don't you mess me around!

Cus I'm DNA!
I'm dynamite
(DNA) And I'm wound up tight!
(DNA) I have secrets to tell
(DNA)I'm in your cells!

Reptile 'First time' dad at 111.

That is the headline. A reptile has, for the first time become a dad. Here is a little excerpt of the BBC article on it.


A rare 111-year-old New Zealand reptile is set to become a father, possibly for the first time.

Here is some more.

Henry, a tuatara with prehistoric origins, had previously shown no interest in females during nearly 40 years in captivity, say keepers.

But his 80-year-old partner, Mildred, laid 12 eggs in mid-July, 11 of which are due to hatch in about six months.

the p53rd psalm

Here it is, the p53rd psalm. I found it at Pharyngula.

The p53rd Psalm

p53 is my shepherd, I shall not cycle
It maketh me to lie down in G1
It leadeth me beside still nucleotide pools
It restoreth my genome
It leadeth me past the restriction point for replication's sake
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the cobalt irradiator
I shall fear no gamma rays, for thou art Guardian of the Genome
Thy amino and thy carboxy termini, they comfort me
Thou maintainest my genomic stability in the presence of mine enemies
Thou annointest my nucleus with p21/WAF1/Cip1/Sdi1/Pic1
my cyclin dependent kinases overflow
Surely pRb phosphorylation and E2F activation shall follow me
all the cycles of my life
and I shall dwell in a non-tumorigenic state until senescence.

John Freshwater: abusive (anti)Science teacher (Part 2)

Here it is.




John Freshwater, the Ohio science teacher who uses his classroom to proselytize and promote creationism, is following a familiar tactic: LIE.

Supporters of a middle school science teacher facing firing for burning crosses into students' arms were in the majority at a central Ohio school board meeting.

They gave John Freshwater a standing ovation when he rose to speak Monday night during the two-hour Mount Vernon school board meeting. He attended the meeting to say he has never branded or burned anyone.

This reminded me of chapter 5, "Never said it", in Lauri Lebo's excellent book on the Dover trial, The Devil in Dover^{(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll)}. This is the part of the book where the lawyers for the prosecution are trying to get an injunction to prevent the school board from going through with their attempts to promote ID in the classroom, and they bring in the defendants, Buckingham, Bonsell, and others, to corroborate the arguments documented in the press that they were looking for textbooks that blended evolution and creationism. And to the obvious consternation of the lawyers, they all simply lied and claimed that they'd never said it and the reporters had all made everything up. It was patently dishonest, but it essentially blocked the injunction and let them go ahead with their scheme.

Don't worry, the chapter ends on a good note: Lebo gets footage from a local television that shows they lied, which will later come to good use in the actual trial.

It's always disturbing to see how readily these creationists will lie for their own ends, and how happily their supporters will cheer for the lie.

The clones of Booger.

A pet owner has payed US$50,000 for a firm to make five clones of her dog booger. The BBC has an article on it.

This is just totally wrong.

A Pastor murdered his own wife after she caught him sexually abusing his own children. He then stuffed her in a freezer. The police found the filthy hypocrite at his church. He was doing a sermon on love and Christ. So what do the police do? They wait until he is finished!

Kidnapping crackers.

I read a blog article. It is painfully long. Here it is:





There are days when it is agony to read the news, because people are so goddamned stupid. Petty and stupid. Hateful and stupid. Just plain stupid. And nothing makes them stupider than religion.

Here's a story that will destroy your hopes for a reasonable humanity.

Webster Cook says he smuggled a Eucharist, a small bread wafer that to Catholics symbolic of the Body of Christ after a priest blesses it, out of mass, didn't eat it as he was supposed to do, but instead walked with it.

This isn't the stupid part yet. He walked off with a cracker that was put in his mouth, and people in the church fought with him to get it back. It is just a cracker!

Catholics worldwide became furious.

Would you believe this isn't hyperbole? People around the world are actually extremely angry about this — Webster Cook has been sent death threats over his cracker. Those are just kooks, you might say, but here is the considered, measured response of the local diocese:

"We don't know 100% what Mr. Cooks motivation was," said Susan Fani a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese. "However, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it."

We just expect the University to take this seriously," she added "To send a message to not just Mr. Cook but the whole community that this kind of really complete sacrilege will not be tolerated."

Wait, what? Holding a cracker hostage is now a hate crime? The murder of Matthew Shephard was a hate crime. The murder of James Byrd Jr. was a hate crime. This is a goddamned cracker. Can you possibly diminish the abuse of real human beings any further?

Well, you could have a priest compare this event to a kidnapping.

"It is hurtful," said Father Migeul Gonzalez with the Diocese. "Imagine if they kidnapped somebody and you make a plea for that individual to please return that loved one to the family."

Gonzalez said the Diocese is willing to meet with Cook and help him understand the importance of the Eucharist in hopes of him returning it. The Diocese is dispatching a nun to UCF's campus to oversee the next mass, protect the Eucharist and in hopes Cook will return it.

I like the idea of sending a scary nun to guard the ceremony at the next mass. But even better…let's send Webster Cook to hell!

Gonzalez said intentionally abusing the Eucharist is classified as a mortal sin in the Catholic church, the most severe possible. If it's not returned, the community of faith will have to ask for forgiveness.

"We have to make acts of reparation," Gonzalez said. "The whole community is going to turn to prayer. We'll ask the Lord for pardon, forgiveness, peace, not only for the whole community affected by it, but also for [Cook], we offer prayers for him as well."

Get some perspective, man. IT'S A CRACKER.

And of course, Bill Donohue is outraged (I know, Donohue is going to die of apoplexy someday when a gnat violates his oatmeal, so this isn't saying much).

For a student to disrupt Mass by taking the Body of Christ hostage--regardless of the alleged nature of his grievance--is beyond hate speech. That is why the UCF administration needs to act swiftly and decisively in seeing that justice is done. All options should be on the table, including expulsion.

Oh, beyond hate speech. Where does this fit on the Shoah scale, Bill? It shouldn't even register, but here is Wild-Eyed Bill the Offended calling for the expulsion of a student…for not swallowing a cracker.

Would you believe that the mealy-mouthed president of the university, John Hitt, is avoiding defending his student is instead playing up the importance of the Catholic church to the university? Of course you would. That's what university presidents do. Bugger the students, keep the donors and the state reps happy.

Unfortunately, Webster Cook has now returned the cracker. Why?

Webster just wants all of this to go away. Especially now that he feels his life is in danger.

That's right. Crazy Christian fanatics right here in our own country have been threatening to kill a young man over a cracker. This is insane. These people are demented fuckwits. And Cook is not out of the fire yet — that Fox News story ends with an open incitement to cause him further misery.

University officials said, that as for right now, Webster Cook is not in trouble. If anyone or any group wants to file a formal complaint with the University through the student judicial system, they can. If that happens, Webster will go through a hearing either in front of an administrative panel or a panel of his peers.

Got that? If you don't like what Webster Cook did, all you have to do is complain to the university, and they will do the dirty work for you of making his college experience miserable. And don't assume the university would support Cook; the college is now having armed university police officers standing guard during mass.

I find this all utterly unbelievable. It's like Dark Age superstition and malice, all thriving with the endorsement of secular institutions here in 21st century America. It is a culture of deluded lunatics calling the shots and making human beings dance to their mythical bunkum.

So, what to do. I have an idea. Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers? There's no way I can personally get them — my local churches have stakes prepared for me, I'm sure — but if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I'll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won't be tempted to hold it hostage (no, not even if I have a choice between returning the Eucharist and watching Bill Donohue kick the pope in the balls, which would apparently be a more humane act than desecrating a goddamned cracker), but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart. If you can smuggle some out from under the armed guards and grim nuns hovering over your local communion ceremony, just write to me and I'll send you my home address.

Just wait. Now there'll be a team of Jesuits assigned to rifle through my mail every day.

Something I need to do.

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah




ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I needed to do that.

mercury shrinkes.

MERCURY SHRANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My mom's annoying habit of..............................singing

Yes, That's right singing. My mom practices singing. To her it doesn't matter where or when. She once did it in the bathroom while I was trying to read.

on the last one (Recent Round-up (Part 3))

Sorry if you haven't been listening to the news and have no idea what I was talking about.

Robert Mugabe is a dictator in the country of Zimbabwe. He is ruling by bullying people into submission. Also he is generally a bad leader (For instance he ruined the Zimbabwean economy.)

Recent round-up (Part 3)

I am sooooooooooooooooooooo surprised. Robert Mugabe (Bully/Dictator on 6th term) has won the
Zimbabwe election.


HE DID NOT EVEN HAVE ANY COMPETITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That was sooooooooooooooo pointless!!!!!!!!!!!

Recent round-up (Part 2)

There is something interesting at (@#$%&@#) National Geographic.com. (see here) So apparently humans wore shoes 40,000 years ago.

Recent round-up (Part 1)

Sorry that I haven't been writing on my blog. I have had trouble with my Google Email address. I had to finally change my password.

The bad alphabet

The BAD Alphabet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


A: @#$

B: @#$%&

C: @#$%

D: @#$%&

F:@#$% ...

Yeah its really bad.

Cyclone Nargis and the myanmar generals

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has condemned Burma's military government for not allowing international aid to reach the victims of Cyclone Nargis.*

Not very surprising.





*from BBC

Electric cat and mouse

Now here is something interesting. (From the BBC)

The country's main electricity company says a cat chasing a mouse caused a 72-hour blackout in parts of the capital, Tirana.

Something new.

The animals ran into an area of high-voltage cables and were electrocuted, a spokeswoman for the firm - Kesh - told Reuters news agency.

Wow.
_________________________________________________________________
Sorry I for got. The country is Albania.

John McCain and the troops

This is what the BBC said:

US Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has said that, if elected, he would aim to remove most US troops from Iraq by 2013.

Ethnic homework

I have some homework for readers...

Ethnic Group: Pashtu

Where are they found?

What language/languages are spoken by this group?

What religion/religions are they?

Any sort of conflict involving this group?

That last one (A whole book of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) had a bit of a problem.

Answers.com

I have found a super search engine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A whole book of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check this out. It's from the CIA World Factbook.

This page was last updated on 15 April, 2008

Legend: Definition Field Listing Rank Order Introduction Egypt Top of Page Background: The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood, coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east and west, allowed for the development of one of the world's great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose circa 3200 B.C., and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines. It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries. A local military caste, the Mamluks took control about 1250 and continued to govern after the conquest of Egypt by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy in 1952. The completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored place of the Nile River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world), limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue to overtax resources and stress society. The government has struggled to meet the demands of Egypt's growing population through economic reform and massive investment in communications and physical infrastructure. Geography Egypt Top of Page Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E Map references: Africa Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km land: 995,450 sq km water: 6,000 sq km Area - comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico Land boundaries: total: 2,665 km border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 266 km, Libya 1,115 km, Sudan 1,273 km Coastline: 2,450 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta Elevation extremes: lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc Land use: arable land: 2.92% permanent crops: 0.5% other: 96.58% (2005) Irrigated land: 34,220 sq km (2003) Total renewable water resources: 86.8 cu km (1997) Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 68.3 cu km/yr (8%/6%/86%) per capita: 923 cu m/yr (2000) Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods, landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms Environment - current issues: agricultural land being lost to urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile, which is the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population overstraining the Nile and natural resources Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements Geography - note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, a sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea; size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics; dependence on upstream neighbors; dominance of Nile basin issues; prone to influxes of refugees People Egypt Top of Page Population: 81,713,517 (July 2008 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.8% (male 13,292,961/female 12,690,711) 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 26,257,440/female 25,627,390) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 1,636,560/female 2,208,455) (2008 est.) Median age: total: 24.5 years male: 24.1 years female: 24.9 years (2008 est.) Population growth rate: 1.682% (2008 est.) Birth rate: 22.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) Death rate: 5.09 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) Net migration rate: -0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2008 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 28.36 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.85 years male: 69.3 years female: 74.52 years (2008 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.72 children born/woman (2008 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - deaths: 700 (2003 est.) Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008) Nationality: noun: Egyptian(s) adjective: Egyptian Ethnic groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1% Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1% Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 71.4% male: 83% female: 59.4% (2005 est.) Government Egypt Top of Page Country name: conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt conventional short form: Egypt local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah local short form: Misr former: United Arab Republic (with Syria) Government type: republic Capital: name: Cairo geographic coordinates: 30 03 N, 31 15 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Friday in April; ends last Thursday in September Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, As Suways, Ash Sharqiyah, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id, Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina', Suhaj Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK) National holiday: Revolution Day, 23 July (1952) Constitution: 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980, 25 May 2005, and 26 March 2007 Legal system: based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic codes); judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory Executive branch: chief of state: President Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October 1981) head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed NAZIF (since 9 July 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for six-year term (no term limits); note - a national referendum in May 2005 approved a constitutional amendment that changed the presidential election to a multicandidate popular vote; previously the president was nominated by the People's Assembly and the nomination was validated by a national, popular referendum; last referendum held 26 September 1999; first election under terms of constitutional amendment held 7 September 2005; next election scheduled for 2011 election results: Hosni MUBARAK reelected president; percent of vote - Hosni MUBARAK 88.6%, Ayman NOUR 7.6%, Noman GOMAA 2.9% Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura that traditionally functions only in a consultative role but 2007 constitutional amendments could grant the Council new powers (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections for half of the elected members) elections: People's Assembly - three-phase voting - last held 7 and 20 November, 1 December 2005;(next to be held November-December 2010); Advisory Council - last held June 2007 (next to be held May-June 2010) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 311, NWP 6, Tagammu 2, Tomorrow Party 1, independents 112 (12 seats to be determined by rerun elections, 10 seats appointed by President); Advisory Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 84, Tagammu 1, independents 3 Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Party or NDP (governing party) [Mohamed Hosni MUBARAK]; National Progressive Unionist Grouping or Tagammu [Rifaat EL-SAID]; New Wafd Party or NWP [Mahmoud ABAZA]; Tomorrow Party [Moussa Mustafa MOUSSA] note: formation of political parties must be approved by the government; only parties with representation in elected bodies are listed Political pressure groups and leaders: despite a constitutional ban against religious-based parties and political activity, the technically illegal Muslim Brotherhood constitutes Hosni MUBARAK's potentially most significant political opposition; MUBARAK has alternated between tolerating limited political activity by the Brotherhood and blocking its influence; civic society groups are sanctioned, but constrained in practical terms; only trade unions and professional associations affiliated with the government are officially sanctioned International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AU, BSEC (observer), CAEU, COMESA, EBRD, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nabil FAHMY chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 895-5400 FAX: [1] (202) 244-4319 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Francis J. RICCIARDONE, Jr. embassy: 8 Kamal El Din Salah St., Garden City, Cairo mailing address: Unit 64900, Box 15, APO AE 09839-4900 telephone: [20] (2) 2797-3300 FAX: [20] (2) 2797-3200 Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the national emblem (a gold Eagle of Saladin facing the hoist side with a shield superimposed on its chest above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; design is based on the Arab Liberation flag and similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band, and Yemen, which has a plain white band Economy Egypt Top of Page Economy - overview: Occupying the northeast corner of the African continent, Egypt is bisected by the highly fertile Nile valley, where most economic activity takes place. In the last 30 years, the government has reformed the highly centralized economy it inherited from President Gamel Abdel NASSER. In 2005, Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF's government reduced personal and corporate tax rates, reduced energy subsidies, and privatized several enterprises. The stock market boomed, and GDP grew about 5% per year in 2005-06, and topped 7% in 2007. Despite these achievements, the government has failed to raise living standards for the average Egyptian, and has had to continue providing subsidies for basic necessities. The subsidies have contributed to a sizeable budget deficit - roughly 7.5% of GDP in 2007 - and represent a significant drain on the economy. Foreign direct investment has increased significantly in the past two years, but the NAZIF government will need to continue its aggressive pursuit of reforms in order to sustain the spike in investment and growth and begin to improve economic conditions for the broader population. Egypt's export sectors - particularly natural gas - have bright prospects. GDP (purchasing power parity): $431.9 billion (2007 est.) GDP (official exchange rate): $127.9 billion (2007 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 7.2% (2007 est.) GDP - per capita (PPP): $5,400 (2007 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.8% industry: 41.1% services: 45.1% (2007 est.) Labor force: 22.49 million (2007 est.) Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 32% industry: 17% services: 51% (2001 est.) Unemployment rate: 10.1% (2007 est.) Population below poverty line: 20% (2005 est.) Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 29.5% (2000) Distribution of family income - Gini index: 34.4 (2001) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (2007 est.) Investment (gross fixed): 21.8% of GDP (2007 est.) Budget: revenues: $37.47 billion expenditures: $44.48 billion (2007 est.) Public debt: 105.1% of GDP (2007 est.) Agriculture - products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures Industrial production growth rate: 13.8% (2007 est.) Electricity - production: 102.5 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - consumption: 84.49 billion kWh (2005) Electricity - exports: 946 million kWh (2005) Electricity - imports: 168 million kWh (2005) Oil - production: 688,100 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - consumption: 635,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) Oil - exports: 152,600 bbl/day (2004 est.) Oil - imports: 69,860 bbl/day (2004) Oil - proved reserves: 3.7 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) Natural gas - production: 40.76 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - consumption: 32.81 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - exports: 7.951 billion cu m (2005 est.) Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2005) Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.589 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) Current account balance: $3.115 billion (2007 est.) Exports: $27.42 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.) Exports - commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals Exports - partners: Italy 12.1%, US 11.3%, Spain 8.7%, UK 5.5%, France 5.4%, Syria 5.1%, Saudi Arabia 4.3%, Germany 4.2% (2006) Imports: $40.48 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.) Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, wood products, fuels Imports - partners: US 11.4%, China 8.3%, Germany 6.6%, Italy 5.4%, Saudi Arabia 5%, France 4.6% (2006) Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $925.9 million (2005) Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $31.14 billion (31 December 2007 est.) Debt - external: $29.9 billion (30 June 2007) Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $37.66 billion (2006 est.) Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $1.115 billion (2006 est.) Market value of publicly traded shares: $93.48 billion (2006) Currency (code): Egyptian pound (EGP) Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds per US dollar - 5.67 (2007), 5.725 (2006), 5.78 (2005), 6.1962 (2004), 5.8509 (2003) Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June Communications Egypt Top of Page Telephones - main lines in use: 10.808 million (2006) Telephones - mobile cellular: 18.001 million (2006) Telephone system: general assessment: large system; underwent extensive upgrading during 1990s and is reasonably modern; Telecom Egypt, the landline monopoly, has been increasing service availability and in 2006 fixed-line density stood at 14 per 100 persons; as of 2007 there were three mobile-cellular networks and service is expanding rapidly domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 20; landing point for both the SEA-ME-WE-3 AND SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable networks; linked to the international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean, 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat); tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to Israel; a participant in Medarabtel Radio broadcast stations: AM 42 (plus 15 repeaters), FM 14, shortwave 3 (1999) Television broadcast stations: 98 (September 1995) Internet country code: .eg Internet hosts: 5,363 (2007) Internet users: 6 million (2006) Transportation Egypt Top of Page Airports: 88 (2007) Airports - with paved runways: total: 72 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 under 914 m: 5 (2007) Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2007) Heliports: 3 (2007) Pipelines: condensate 483 km; condensate/gas 74 km; gas 6,466 km; liquid petroleum gas 957 km; oil 5,518 km; oil/gas/water 37 km; refined products 895 km (2007) Railways: total: 5,063 km standard gauge: 5,063 km 1.435-m gauge (62 km electrified) (2006) Roadways: total: 92,370 km paved: 74,820 km unpaved: 17,550 km (2004) Waterways: 3,500 km note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2006) Merchant marine: total: 77 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,032,116 GRT/1,553,065 DWT by type: bulk carrier 13, cargo 33, container 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 10 foreign-owned: 10 (Denmark 1, Greece 8, Lebanon 1) registered in other countries: 55 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 14, Georgia 14, Honduras 4, North Korea 1, Panama 13, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 1, St Kitts and Nevis 2, St Vincent and The Grenadines 4) (2007) Ports and terminals: Ayn Sukhnah, Alexandria, Damietta, El Dekheila, Sidi Kurayr, Suez Military Egypt Top of Page Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for male conscript military service; service obligation 12-36 months, followed by a 9-year reserve obligation (2006) Manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 18,347,560 females age 18-49: 17,683,904 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 15,540,234 females age 18-49: 14,939,378 (2005 est.) Manpower reaching military service age annually: males age 18-49: 802,920 females age 18-49: 764,176 (2005 est.) Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Egypt Top of Page Disputes - international: while Sudan retains claim to the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 1899 Treaty boundary along the 22nd Parallel, both states withdrew their military presence in the 1990s and Egypt has invested in and effectively administers the area; Egypt vigilantly monitors the Sinai and borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip to deter terrorist, smuggling, and other illegal activities; Egypt does not extend domestic asylum to some 70,000 persons who identify themselves as Palestinians but who largely lack UNRWA assistance and, until recently, UNHCR recognition as refugees Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 60,000 - 80,000 (Iraq), 70,255 (Palestinian Territories), 13,446 (Sudan) (2006) Trafficking in persons: current situation: Egypt is a transit country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe to Israel for the purpose of sexual exploitation; these women generally arrive as tourists and are subsequently trafficked through the Sinai Desert by Bedouin tribes; men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia are believed to be trafficked through the Sinai Desert to Israel and Europe for labor exploitation; some Egyptian children from rural areas are trafficked within the country to work as domestic servants or laborers in the agriculture industry tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Egypt is placed on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to address trafficking over the past year, particularly in the area of law enforcement Illicit drugs: transit point for cannabis, heroin, and opium moving to Europe, Israel, and North Africa; transit stop for Nigerian drug couriers; concern as money laundering site due to lax enforcement of financial regulations This page was last updated on 15 April, 2008