Planck's Constant

The literacy rate for Muslim countries is not very high. Click on the map for a larger view - the dark blue indicates a high literacy rate and the dark brown a pathetic literacy rate. If you are geographically savvy you will note that most Muslim countries have low literacy rates.

Of course, many Muslims who know how to read only read the Quran and no other book. After all, if it's not in the Quran it's not from Allah and so cannot be important. Sadly in these cases literacy means nothing since knowing only one book is practically equivalent to being illiterate.

So I was thrilled to come across this list of 13 new book titles for Muslim children. Hopefully if they read something other than the Quran there is the slightest possibility that they won't blow grow up to be ignorant Jihadists.

Full Story: "13 Top Books for Muslim Children" »

I use the World Wide Web to get my news, listen to music, balance my checkbook, pay my bills, get directions, play games, and write my blog. In all these good things I sometimes have to trek through dreck because websites, their designers, and end-users are either sluggards, idiots, or scoundrels.

Here are 13 things that annoy me when I surf the Internet:

Full Story: "13 Annoying Things On the Web" »

Virtual Colonoscopy
Photo by: MagaMaga

My wife and I have our colonoscopies done at the same time - we don't get a discount although I asked the doc if we can get a better price - answer: no. I don't understand, Dominoes will send you coupons to your email, why can't doctors give me a coupon good for one colonoscopy for every two I get at the same time? What's wrong with modern medicine?

The worst part of the whole thing is drinking a couple of gallons of salty water, even worse than the actual procedure although we were both under anesthesia. I am told there are some people who stay awake for the thing and feel just minor discomfort. I don't know - I'm not comfortable with the idea of someone rooting around down there with a small camera - perhaps I'm just too anal-retentive a personality.

But I digress, for your reading enjoyment, just in case you decide to stay awake, here are 13 comments you can relay to your physician (hopefully he has a sense of humor) while he's performing a colonoscopy on you:

Full Story: "13 Colonoscopy Comments" »

I have previously posted an article regarding the problem Islam finds with the sending of Valentine's Day cards because celebrating that day could be interpreted as recognising the enemies of Islam since Valentine or Valentinus took part in planning and attacking Cordoba, once a well-known centre of Islam in Spain, causing its downfall.

I noted as well the paucity of Islamic Greeting Cards at my local stationery store. It happens that having a birthday celebration is not forbidden in Islam, strictly speaking, as long as it is an expression of gratitude to Allah for His bounties, sustenance and blessings in the celebrant's life, as long as that celebration does not include anything that may displease Allah, the Almighty and nothing is emulated of filthy Western traditions or following the Jews and Christians in matters of their false claims and beliefs in relation to religion.

As a public service to Muslims in America, I offer the following 13 Shariah-Compliant Greeting Cards:

Full Story: "13 Muslim Greeting Cards" »

Last week I posted the last words of some of our more famous fellow human beings involving food or drink before they died. Some of the comments indicated that more on themes like this would be appreciated and so this week's Thursday 13 is a collection of last words by unfamous people. The last words that no doubt were spoken by millions of anonymous souls before they went to meet their maker.

Most Americans die peacefully in their beds, but as I reported in I see dead people in mydeathspace, one quickly discovers that myspace habitues die violently and in some Final Destination sort of way: falling off of moving vehicles, slipping off bridges, getting stabbed, shot, and so on. One can only guess what their final words must have been.

Now while it is true that no one was around to record these ending phrases, I think that after you read them you will have to agree that these 13 do indeed sound like they very well might have been the last words of those who did not go peacefully into the night.

Full Story: "13 Not So Famous Last Words" »