Canada is No.1 Source for US Oil Import

October 16th, 2008

Source: US Government web site

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

August 2008 Import Highlights: October 14, 2008
Preliminary monthly data on the origins of crude oil imports in August 2008 has been released and it shows that two countries exported more than 1.40 million barrels per day to the United States. Including those countries, five countries exported over 1.00 million barrels per day of crude oil to the United State s (see table below). The top five exporting countries accounted for 66 percent of United States crude oil imports in August while the top ten sources accounted for approximately 86 percent of all U.S. crude oil imports. The top sources of US crude oil imports for August were Canada (1.833 million barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1.533 million barrels per day), Mexico (1.292 million barrels per day), Venezuela (1.146 million barrels per day), and Nigeria (1.035 million barrels per day). The rest of the top ten sources, in order, were Iraq (0.663 million barrels per day), Angola (0.483 million barrels per day), Algeria (0.348 million barrels per day), Ecuador (0.291 million barrels per day), and Colombia (0.247 million barrels per day). Total crude oil imports averaged 10.284 million barrels per day in August, which is an increase of (0.183) million barrels per day from July 2008.

Canada remained the largest exporter of total petroleum in August, exporting 2.198 million barrels per day to the United States, which is a decrease from last month (2.390 thousand barrels per day). The second largest exporter of total petroleum was Saudi Arabia with 1.573 million barrels per day.

Source: US Government web site

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html

85 Nations in Dubai Quran Recitation Contest

August 29th, 2008

Dubai, Aug 29 : Contestants from 85 countries will participate in a Quran recitation competition here to mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The 12th edition of the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) starts on the first day of Ramadan, which falls Sep 1 this year.

Ibrahim Bumelha, chairman of the award organising committee, said that Quran memorisers from countries like Switzerland, Uzbekistan, Botswana and Zanzibar are taking part in the event for the first time, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

“Upon their arrival to Dubai, memorisers will be subjected to initial tests to gauge their memorisation ability of the holy book and rules of recitation,” he said.

Women on two wheels: A Middle East dialogue tour

May 13th, 2008

‘Follow the Women’ is a group of 250 female cyclists, from 26 countries, seeking to lay a foundation for peace.’

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0512/p04s01-wome.html

The “Follow the Women” bike tour kicked off in the mountains outside of Beirut on May 4 with women pedaling from nearly 30 countries, including Turkey, Iran, Europe, and the US. The group is cycling through Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and the West Bank. The tour ends in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem on Thursday, May 15.

“We’re hoping to dispel the myth that this region is only full of conflicts. We want to tell stories of the hospitality and the love of the people,” says the tour’s founder, Detta Regan of Berkshire, England. This year she’s cycling with her two grown daughters, Pippa and Becky. “Meeting the people and watching how welcoming they are is always the best part.”

Making its fourth annual tour of the Middle East, “Follow the Women” is not a race. It’s not even about cycling for many participants – some learned to ride just to come on the trip.

It’s become a means of intercultural dialogue, a forum on two-wheels allowing women to learn firsthand about life in the Middle East. As there are no Israeli cyclists, some participants say it should not be marketed as a solidarity ride, or peace tour, because it’s not bringing women from different sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict together.

But three-time tour veteran Wiaam Youssef couldn’t wait for the group to wheel into her home country of Syria. “Americans and Westerners have stereotypes about women here. They think they don’t participate in any social activities. I’m part of changing those stereotypes and providing a new image. This bike ride is a form of peaceful protest against such stereotypes.”

Ms. Youssef, who like many of the Arab participants biked in the 75-degree F. heat wearing long sleeves and a head scarf, sees empowerment of women as crucial to helping the region.

“I believe in women taking a role to make peace in the area,” Youssef adds. It’s a perspective shared by most in the group: that dialogue by people like themselves, and not politicians behind closed doors, is the key to improving relations between countries and laying a foundation for peace.

As a youth organizer, Ms. Regan schedules conferences and exchanges between Arab and European students. This tour is an unpaid project, but, according to her daughter Becky, it is what she lives “24/7.”

The next step for Regan is a conference, possibly held in Turkey, which would focus on women and conflict in the Middle East. The Turkish team is one of the largest, with 20 riders. Their ride is sponsored by the wife of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ermine.

The Turkish women are cycling not only in the name of dialogue but in the memory of an Italian artist, Pippa Bacca, who was found raped and murdered in Turkey last month. Ms. Bacca was hitchhiking from Italy to Israel wearing a wedding dress, as part of her own “Brides on Tour” campaign. The cyclists have tied strips of wedding veils to their helmets and one woman will ride the last leg of the trip in a wedding dress “symbolically” finishing Bacca’s trip.

“‘Follow the Women’ doesn’t end with the last day of biking,” Regan says. “Our hope is that it will inspire women to return home and actively work to end the conflicts of the region.”

History proves Muslims, Jews can coexist in peace

May 13th, 2008

Editor,In a recent letter, Mae Eye stated an incorrect quote from Quran: “So, when you clash with the unbelieving infidels in battle, smite their necks until you overpower them, killing and wounding many of them. Thus you are commanded by Allah to continue carrying out Jihad against the unbelieving infidels until they submit to Islam.”

The correct translation of the Arabic verse is: “So, when you meet the unbelievers in war, smite at their necks. At length, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly on them. Thereafter is the time for either generosity or ransom. Until the war lays down its burdens.”

Obviously, the verse talks about the conduct of Muslim soldiers in war at a time when swords were the weapons used by combatants. Modern civilizations, including ours, do not instruct their soldiers to act differently in war.

The Quran is very specific about the prohibition of forcing or even pressuring people to change their faith. In one verse, it states, “There shall be no compulsion in faith.”

In another verse, it states, “If it had been the Lord’s will they would all have believed all who are on Earth. Wilt thou then compel mankind against their will to believe?”

The Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years in response to incidents that took place during that period. The translation and interpretation of verses from Quran should be by Muslim scholars who are proficient about the history of the Arabic language and the Quran as a whole, and not by people who are fishing for incriminating language and translate as they desire.

The letter may give the impression that Muslims and Jews were in constant hostilities since Islam came into existence 14 centuries ago. In reality, there were only few years of hostilities at the beginning of Islam, when the Muslims formed a federation with the Jews, Christians and Pagans in Medina.

The Jews of Medina miscalculated and sided with the Pagans of Mecca, who attacked Medina. Afterwards, for more than 1,400 years, Jews lived peacefully among Muslims in the Muslim Empire until the state of Israel was formed in 1948.

As a matter of fact, Jewish historians state that during this 1,400 years, Jews flourished when Muslims did and suffered when Muslims suffered. An example is the history of crusades, where both Muslims and Jews were massacred together by the crusaders every time they conquered Palestine.

The golden age of Judaic scholarship took place among Muslims, as exemplified by the celebrated Arab Jew Memonides.

In effect, the modern state of hostilities between Muslims and Jews is an aberration and not the historical norm. It is true though, that there is a pent up emotional current of mutual hatred that is shared by many Muslims and Jews today.

There are extremists on both sides who insist on denying the other their human rights.

Sami Shakir
Daily Lobo reader

http://media.www.dailylobo.com