A funny short joke :) ( Bad day )

 

There was a guy at a cafe, just looking at his drink, he keep looking at it for half of an hour.

Then a big man steps next to him, he takes the drink from the guy and just drink it all down. the poor guy starts crying. The big man says: "Come on man I was just joking, I'll bye you another drink. I just can't stand to see a man cry."

And the guy says :"No, it's not that. This is the worst day in my life. First, I fall asleep, and I go late to my office and my boss fires me and I lost my job. When I went back to my car I found it stolen. And I remembred also that my wallet and credit cards were stolen. My wife left me. I come to this cofe and just when I was thinking about putting an end to my life, you show up and drink my poison."

Real danger of global warming

Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans, which began to increase in the late 19th century and is projected to continue rising. Since the early 20th century, Earth's average surface temperature has increased by about 0.8 °C (1.4 °F), with about two thirds of the increase occurring since 1980.^[2] Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and scientists are more than 90% certain that most of it is caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases produced by human activities such as deforestation and the burning of fossil fuels.^[3][4][5][6] These findings are recognized by the national science academies of all major industrialized nations.^[7][A]
Climate model projections are summarized in the 2007 Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). They indicate that during the 21st century the global surface temperature is likely to rise a further 1.1 to 2.9 °C (2 to 5.2 °F) for their lowest emissions scenario and 2.4 to 6.4 °C (4.3 to 11.5 °F) for their highest.^[8] The ranges of these estimates arise from the use of models with differing sensitivity to greenhouse gas concentrations.^[9][10]
An increase in global temperature will cause sea levels to rise and will change the amount and pattern of precipitation, and a probable expansion of subtropical deserts.^[11] Warming is expected to be strongest in the Arctic and would be associated with continuing retreat of glaciers, permafrost and sea ice. Other likely effects of the warming include more frequent occurrence of extreme-weather events including heat waves, droughts and heavy rainfall, species extinctions due to shifting temperature regimes, and changes in crop yields. Warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe, with projections being more robust in some areas than others.^[12] If global mean temperature increases to 4 °C (7.2 °F) above preindustrial levels, the limits for human adaptation are likely to be exceeded in many parts of the world, while the limits for adaptation for natural systems would largely be exceeded throughout the world. Hence, the ecosystem services upon which human livelihoods depend would not be preserved.^[13]
Most countries are parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),^[14] whose ultimate objective is to prevent "dangerous" anthropogenic (i.e., human-induced) climate change.^[15] Parties to the UNFCCC have adopted a range of policies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions^{[16]:10[17][18][19]:9} and to assist in adaptation to global warming.^{[16]:13[19]:10[20][21]} Parties to the UNFCCC have agreed that deep cuts in emissions are required,^[22] and that future global warming should be limited to below 2.0 °C (3.6 °F) relative to the pre-industrial level.^[22][B] A 2011 report of analyses by the United Nations Environment Programme^[23] and International Energy Agency^[24] suggest that efforts as of the early 21st century to reduce emissions may be inadequately stringent to meet the UNFCCC's 2 °C target.



Source: wiki

How to get the yellow honey pot from the tree ?

It's easy, just wear some kind of helmet, you can even use your bicycle's helmet then wear gloves and climb that tree and get it :D, but make sure you ran away from bees.




You may wonder how can you open it then, it's easy open it with a knife or use your own hands.



Okay know and I think it's the first question to ask is where you can find yellow pot of honey?
It's usually in white boxes or in trees :D

What is happiness ?

Happiness is life.

What is a table ??

That's seems like a stupide question but it's really a large topic even if it's just a thing, so let's began :d. First there table is made of wood or metal or glass or marble or plastic like the toilet, and there's a different shapes of tables, there's tables like cercls, squares, dauphines, lions... All of this just for money maybae or maybe for creativity, i don't know this really a big topic..

American History X

American History X is a 1998 American drama film directed by Tony Kaye and starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. It was distributed by New Line Cinema.
The film tells the story of two brothers, Derek Vinyard (Norton) and Daniel "Danny" Vinyard (Furlong) of Venice Beach in Los Angeles, California. Both are intelligent and charismatic students. Their father, a firefighter, is murdered by a black drug dealer while trying to extinguish a fire in a South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles, and Derek is drawn into the neo-Nazi movement. Derek brutally kills two black gang members whom he catches in the act of breaking into the truck left to him by his father, and is sentenced to three years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. The story shows how Danny is influenced by his older brother's actions and ideology and how Derek, now radically changed by his experience in incarceration, which includes violent rape by white inmates, tries to prevent his brother from going down the same path as he did. The film is told in the style of nonlinear narrative.
David McKenna scripted the film and shooting took place in Los Angeles, California. The film was released in the United States on October 30, 1998 and went on to gross over $23 million at the international box office. It was given an "R" rating by the MPAA for "graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity."
Critics mostly praised the film and Edward Norton was given an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. It was also named by Empire magazine in September 2008 as the 311th Greatest Movie of All Time.


Source : Wiki

American Eagle Outfitters Continues International Expansion in Three New Markets

Published: December 21, 2011

Stores Now Open in Jordan, Morocco and Egypt

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 2011-- American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) today announced the opening of stores in three new international markets—Morocco, Jordan and Egypt. The company also opened its third store in Saudi Arabia, and has plans for a second store in Lebanon in early 2012. The leading lifestyle brand, with a fleet of more than 1,000 stores worldwide, currently operates in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE through its franchise partner, M.H. Alshaya, one of the most experienced retailers in the world.
American Eagle Outfitters opened in Jordan on November 30 in Taj Mall. Morocco’s store opened in Casablanca at Morocco Mall on December 1. The Egypt store is located in Cairo’s City Stars Mall, and opened on December 10. The partnership with Alshaya, signed in May 2009, was AEO’s first foray into bricks-and-mortar stores outside of North America. Since then, AEO has opened stores in Russia, China and Hong Kong, and signed franchise agreements for stores in Japan and Israel as well, working with various franchise partners.
“American Eagle Outfitters’ ongoing international expansion is evidence of the success and positive customer response, as well as the expertise of our valued partner, M.H. Alshaya,” said Simon Nankervis, vice president of global business development, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. “We are continuously delighted by consumers’ excitement and passion for the American Eagle Outfitters brand as we pursue our international expansion strategy around the globe. We look forward to announcing new stores and additional countries in the coming months.”
Even before American Eagle Outfitters began opening stores abroad, customers around the world were fans of the brand. The company’s e-commerce site shipped internationally beginning in 2004, and today ships to 77 countries, with Italy being the latest to join. All American Eagle Outfitters international stores offer a similar product assortment as those in the U.S., which is well known for being high-quality, on-trend fashion at affordable prices. Most stores also feature the company’s Aerie brand, a confident, sexy intimates and apparel line for young women in their twenties.
About American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., through its subsidiaries, (“AEO, Inc.”) offers high-quality, on-trend clothing, accessories and personal care products at affordable prices. The American Eagle Outfitters® brand targets 15 to 25 year old girls and guys, with 937 stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at www.ae.com. aerie® by american eagle offers Dormwear® and intimates collections for the AE® girl, with 158 standalone stores in the U.S. and Canada and online at www.aerie.com. The latest brand, 77kids® by american eagle®, is available online at www.77kids.com, as well as at 21 stores across the nation. The 77kids brand offers “kid cool,” durable clothing and accessories for kids ages zero to 14. AE.COM®, the online home of the brands of AEO, Inc. ships to 77 countries worldwide.

Source: American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

A Day to Toast ‘The Godfather,’ and New York

By CLYDE HABERMAN

Some of you may consider this an offer you can refuse, but others will want to note an event of enduring cultural import that took place 40 years ago Thursday. “The Godfather,” a film as firmly rooted in New York as Manhattan schist, opened that day in five theaters around the city.

The Day

Clyde Haberman offers his take on the news.

Ever since, a significant portion of the American population, certainly the male component, has gone around talking about how it’s time to go to the mattresses; how this or that is strictly business, not personal; and how it’s advisable to leave the gun and take the cannoli.
Catch phrases aside, the anniversary of the 1972 Francis Ford Coppola masterpiece is a moment to appreciate New York’s centrality in American cinema. No other place compares, not by a long shot.
Relying on the collective judgment of movie historians and critics, the American Film Institute compiled what it calls the 100 greatest movies ever. Lists of this sort always provide fuel for barroom and dining-table arguments. Nonetheless, more than a quarter of the movies, 27, were set in this city, entirely or in part. They include three of the top four: “Citizen Kane” (eternally No. 1), “The Godfather” (No. 2) and “Raging Bull” (No. 4).
(No. 3 is “Casablanca,” which is being revived for its 70th anniversary. Some 500 theaters across the country, including several in the city, plan special showings next Wednesday. Though set in Morocco, it has its own New York element — when the Bogart character tells a Nazi officer, “There are certain sections of New York, major, that I wouldn’t advise you to try to invade.” It was sound advice in 1942. Still is.)
Some of the 27 films set in the city were produced on sound stages, but most were shot on location. Our streets are visually irresistible, even as all too many of them become Duane Readed, Starbucksed and Chase Banked.
Mr. Coppola certainly used them to advantage.
The Corleone family compound, supposedly on Long Island, was actually in the Emerson Hill section of Staten Island. Luca Brasi, he who winds up sleeping with the you-know-what, is stabbed in the Edison Hotel. Michael Corleone makes his bones as a hitman at a restaurant in the Bronx. He and Kay stay at the St. Regis Hotel. There are shots of East Harlem, Mott Street, Radio City Music Hall and the old Best & Co. store on Fifth Avenue.
For sure, not everyone loves “The Godfather.” Some Italian-American groups hate it for having given rise to a deluge of Mafia-themed movies and television shows that, they say, defame everyone of Italian origin. Even 40 years ago, feelings of that sort were voiced by plenty of New York politicians and businessmen. They almost sank the Coppola film.
Those people wanted you to believe that the Mafia didn’t exist, that it was an invention of law enforcement, Hollywood and the news media. No group pushed that line harder than the Italian-American Civil Rights League, an organization that embodied public-relations genius. Civil-rights league? It was the creation of Joseph A. Colombo Sr., boss of one of New York’s five Mafia families.
Mr. Colombo, who was later shot while leading a league rally in 1971, made life impossible for the movie’s producers — that is, until certain unrefusable offers were made and deals were struck. The filmmakers eliminated terms like “Mafia” and “Cosa Nostra.” Colombo loyalists were signed on as extras and bit players. Presto change-o, the producers’ troubles were over.
The writer Nicholas Pileggi recounted how weird things became at times. Some “Godfather” actors began to think they were Mafiosi, while a few mobsters thought of themselves as actors.
“One supporting player,” Mr. Pileggi wrote in an absorbing article in The New York Times in 1971, “got so confused about who he was that he joined a carload of enforcers on a trip to Jersey to beat up scabs in a labor dispute (as it turned out, they had the wrong address and couldn’t find the strikebreakers).”
Even so, the final product was a New York-based classic. If you want to toast it, Thursday is the day to do so. It’s one bit of business that will definitely be personal.

Morocco, a kingdom on the western edge of North Africa, has been touched by the so-called Arab Spring, the surge in popular agitation that brought down dictators in Tunisia and Egypt and has challenged many others. But the calls for change sweeping the region have been muted in Morocco by a fear of chaos, a prevalent security apparatus and genuine respect for the king, Mohammed VI.
Since he took the throne in 1999 at the age of 35, the king has done much to soften the harsh and often brutal rule of his father, Hassan II. Mohammed VI is considered by many to be a reformer on the side of the poor. Demonstrators have pushed for his ministers to be replaced but have not challenged his rule. Their demands include a desire for a more legitimate democracy, with limits on the power of the king, who together with his close advisers controls most of the real power in the country.
On Feb. 20, 2011, in response to a “February 20 Movement for Change” that began on Facebook, more than 10,000 people turned out in cities across the country to call for democratic change, lower food prices, freedom for Islamist prisoners, rights for Berbers and a variety of causes, including pan-Arab nationalism.
The government had tried to blunt the movement’s impact, first by trying to demonize its young leaders as enemies of the state, and then, when that failed, announcing that the demonstration was canceled. That did not work either. Instead, traditional opposition parties that initially shunned the upstart movement jumped in, trying to ride the wave churned up by the young.
King Mohammed VI apparently got the message, and in a rare nationally televised speech announced that he intended to meet some of the group’s core demands — without ever actually acknowledging that the group existed.
In June, the king announced proposed constitutional changes that would reduce his own nearly absolute powers and create a system in which the prime minister would be the leader of the party with the most seats in Parliament.
The proposals were approved in a July 1 referendum, but two days later the February 20 Movement turned out thousands of youthful demonstrators pushing for more sweeping changes.
Under the new Constitution, the prime minister, who would be formally called “president of the government,” will be able to appoint government officials and ministers and will have the power to dissolve Parliament. The judiciary will be an independent branch; previously, the king headed a council that approved all judges.
The first parliamentary elections under the new system were held on Nov. 25, 2011. Many young Moroccans stayed home, disenchanted. But the change here may still be significant. The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) was expected to do well, it could even become the country’s largest party and, in a coalition government, provide the next prime minister, who will have the power to appoint ministers and dissolve Parliament.

Source: The New York Times

Moroccan Protests One Year On

CASABLANCA — Protesters are set to mark the first anniversary of Morocco’s February 20 pro-democracy movement with demonstrations and strikes across the country starting Sunday. But activists say that, rather than a celebration, the protests will be a reminder to the regime that they will not give up before their calls for reform are answered.

“We are advocating for a democratic constitution that will give real power to a government that currently still doesn’t have enough weight to respond to our demands,” said Youness Bensaid, 23, a Casablanca-based activist.

When the unrest that swept the Arab world after the fall of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia on Jan. 14, 2011, reached Morocco, King Mohammed VI responded quickly, introducing a new constitution to grant greater freedoms with a limited redistribution of power. Protesters scoffed, calling the changes “cosmetic.”

A year later and with a new government in office, Morocco still faces huge economic and social challenges. There are frequent cases of self-immolation such as the one that set off the revolution in Tunisia. In the northeastern city of Taza, protesters demanding relief from soaring prices clashed with the authorities in recent days.

Nabila Mounib, secretary general of the Unified Socialist Party — which is not part of the new government after boycotting elections last year but which supports the protest movement — went to Taza to evaluate the situation after about 150 people, including police officers, were hurt. She said there was an urgent need for the government to improve the lives of ordinary citizens and to give the young hope for a better future.

“Morocco’s stability is threatened,” Mrs. Mounib said. “It is absolutely necessary to take emergency measures at all levels. We need a real reform of all institutions. The country does not have any self-respecting economic policy and has a failing education system. The constitution needs to be reformed and meet international democratic standards.”

Analysts say the protest movement failed to galvanize large sectors of society because, after the initial euphoria inspired by the Tunisian revolution, people were deterred by the chaos in Libya, Syria, Yemen and Bahrain and by difficulties in Egypt. The Moroccans, they say, are anxious to preserve stability.

Still, while the uprising of Morocco’s youth brought concessions that unions and human rights groups had failed to obtain in the previous decade, observers say that the real victory is a widespread awakening of political awareness.

“For the first time there is clearly a counterbalance to power — the people,” said Abdellah Tourabi, a researcher at the Paris Institute of Political Studies who specializes in Islamic movements in Morocco. “The ‘street’ has become a true political player.”

On Feb. 20, 2011, Mr. Bensaid, a finance student at the Hassan II University in Casablanca, joined the thousands who took to the streets to protest the same problems that cripple many Arab countries: social injustice, corruption and a lack of personal freedoms.

A year later, he feels frustrated, he says. “The communication stunt was successful,” said Mr. Bensaid, referring to the new constitution. “Everything that followed was a farce. The king appointed an undemocratic commission, with members committed to the conservative nature of the absolute monarchy.”

Observers say that the key difference between Morocco’s uprising and those in other Arab Spring countries is that the population, deeply attached to its 1,200-year-old tradition of monarchy, never called for regime change.

Still, Sunday protests have become a weekly ritual. Except for the occasional police crackdown, most are peaceful, well organized and almost celebratory, with cheerful marchers waving placards and chanting the ills of their country.

Last July, a referendum on the new constitution won 98.5 percent of the vote. Elections followed on Nov. 25, allowing the moderate Islamists of the Justice and Development Party to form a new government under Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane.

“The government is taking the necessary measures to implement the new constitution and to consolidate the rule of law in our country,” the government spokesman, Mustapha Khalfi, said recently, insisting that major economic reforms would be pushed through.

“The first question is whether there is going to be a shift in the balance of power between the king and political institutions,” said Marina Ottaway, a senior associate at the Middle East Program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

“It is not clear to me yet how forceful the Benkirane government will be,” she said. “The king has taken an exceptional position in the sense that he has decided to respond to unrest with reforms rather than repression, but he is no different from other Arab rulers in the sense that he is determined to keep his power intact. He is just going about it in a smarter way.”

Meanwhile, the new justice minister, Mustapha Ramid, has started cracking down on corruption. But protesters say this is not enough and fear that the government won’t effect radical reforms.

Ms. Ottaway said: “With all the problems of the Arab world, Morocco does not seem to be a particularly worrisome place. I do not expect an upheaval now. The question is whether there will be sufficient gradual reform to prevent an upheaval later on. It depends on the king, but also on the new government.” 

By AIDA ALAMI

Published: February 15, 2012

Ramzi bin al-Shibh

Ramzi bin al-Shibh, also known as Ramzi Omar, is believed to have played a central role in the planning of the Sept. 11 attacks. Mr. bin al-Shibh, who was captured in Pakistan in 2002 by American and Pakistani operatives, has been held at the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Mr. bin al-Shibh was secretly detained in Morocco after Central Intelligence Agency operatives took him there in 2002.
While detained in a prison near Rabat, Moroccan officials videotaped several of his interrogation sessions and gave the recordings to the C.I.A. The existence of the tapes of his interrogations was revealed in 2007 in a filing to a federal judge, although Mr. bin al-Shibh's name had been redacted from the documents at that time.
According to court documents, two videotapes and one audiotape, were found separately under a desk at the C.I.A. American officials said the tapes of Mr. bin al-Shibh did not depict harsh interrogation techniques.
But the new details about Mr. bin al-Shibh's detention shed light on Morocco's role as a holding site for suspected members of Al Qaeda captured by the United States. The C.I.A. began building a prison in Morocco in 2003, but it is unclear whether any detainees were kept there.
Mr. Binalshibh was born in Yemen in May 1972, and worked as a clerk at the International Bank of Yemen from 1987 to 1995. His first application for a United States visa was rejected in 1995. He subsequently applied for asylum in Germany under the name Ramzi Omar, but was rejected in 1997. In the meantime, he met Mohamed Atta, the leader of the hijackers, in a mosque in Hamburg in 1995, and the two later became roommates, according to the 9/11 Commission Report.
Mr. Binalshibh was to have been one of the hijackers. He sent the Florida Flight Training School a $2,350 deposit, but he did not attend because he was turned down four times for a United States visa. Instead, he served as a coordinator between Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is accused of planning the 9/11 attacks, and the operatives based in the United States.
On Nov. 13, 2009, a federal official said that Mr. bin al-Shibh, Mr. Mohammed and two other men would be tried in New York City for the attacks.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn

 

Updated: Feb. 22, 2012
Dominique Strauss-Kahn was the director of the International Monetary Fund and a likely candidate for the presidency of France. On May 14, 2011 he was arrested on a plane at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport and charged with sexually assaulting a hotel chambermaid, Nafissatou Diallo. He resigned from his I.M.F. post and pleaded not guilty. The case was dismissed in August after prosecutors developed doubts about the maid’s credibility, although forensic evidence showed that a sexual encounter had taken place.
A month later, during a televised interview, Mr. Strauss-Kahn stated that his sexual encounter with Ms. Diallo was “an error” and “a moral failure” he would regret his whole life, but not a criminal act. Mr. Strauss-Kahn also stated that he had wanted to run for the French presidency and had missed his “appointment with the French people” because of his own actions.
He returned to France in early September but still faces a civil lawsuit in the United States brought by the hotel maid.
Every step of the case created shock waves on both sides of the Atlantic, from the first news that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had been removed from a plane and handcuffed. On May 19, a Manhattan judge granted him $1 million cash bail, which allowed him to stay under house arrest in a Manhattan apartment while his case was pending. He was required to wear an ankle monitor and remained under 24-hour home confinement, with an armed guard posted outside. At the hearing, his lawyers suggested that any sexual encounter was consensual, and he pleaded not guilty. The same day a Manhattan grand jury indicted Mr. Strauss-Kahn on charges that included several first-degree felony counts, including committing a criminal sex act, attempted rape and sexual abuse. Prosecutors said that after locking the maid, Ms. Diallo, in his room he tried to rape her and forced her to perform oral sex.
Test results showed that DNA evidence from the maid’s workclothes matched samples taken from Mr. Strauss-Kahn.
In October 2011, prosecutors in France dropped an investigation into a complaint of attempted rape made against him by a novelist, Tristane Banon, for an encounter that took place in 2003. Although Mr. Strauss-Kahn admitted to what prosecutors said amounted to sexual assault — trying to kiss Ms. Banon without her consent — but said the case could not be pursued because of the statute of limitations
Detained in Northern France
In February 2012, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was detained by police officials in the northern French city of Lille for two days of questioning in connection with an investigation into an prostitution ring accused of operating in France and Belgium.
Mr. Strauss-Kahn presented himself voluntarily to the Lille investigators, who wanted to question him about accusations of complicity in activities related to prostitution in Paris and Washington, where two businessmen are accused of paying for orgies in 2010 and 2011.
Mr. Strauss-Kahn was held overnight in a detention cell and was released on Feb. 22. A source close to the investigation said that he would be summoned again in March.
French law allows a person to be detained for questioning without charge for 24 hours, with a possible extension to 48 hours.
While prostitution is legal in France, the investigating magistrates were trying to determine whether the women were paid with funds the men might have embezzled. The magistrates were attempting  to discover whether Mr. Strauss-Kahn knew of any such payments.
Eight people have been charged in the case, including a prominent lawyer, a local police official in Lille and three executives of the Hotel Carlton.
A lawyer for Mr. Strauss-Kahn appeared to confirm that he had attended the events, saying that his client would not have been aware if the women who entertained him were prostitutes.
More Background on the New York Case
At the end of June 2011, law enforcement officials said investigators had uncovered major holes in the credibility of the hotel chambermaid, Nafissatou Diallo. Although forensic tests found unambiguous evidence of a sexual encounter between Mr. Strauss-Kahn and Ms. Diallo, prosecutors no longer believed much of what she had told them about the circumstances or about herself.
Since her initial allegation on May 14, Ms. Diallo had repeatedly lied, officials said. Within a day of the incident, she was recorded discussing the possible benefits of the case with an incarcerated man who was part of a group that had deposited about $100,000 in bank accounts controlled by the accuser.
On July 1, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was released on his own recognizance after a hearing in State Supreme Court in Manhattan in which prosecutors acknowledged weaknesses in the case. The news set off a furor in France, where speculation began over whether his political career would be revived.
In late July, Ms. Diallo appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, in a tearful interview, urging the prosecution to go forward and defending her account. The appearance came a day after the publication of an interview with Newsweek magazine and seemed to be part of a strategy intended to put pressure on the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., to prosecute the case.
In both accounts, Ms. Diallo said that when she entered the 28th-floor hotel suite, intending to clean, she apologized when she happened upon Mr. Strauss-Kahn, who was naked. Much of her account tracked news reports about what she told the authorities. Some details were new, like her account of their dialogue and her movements immediately after the attack. But they were also contradictory: She later told counselors at the hospital, for example, that Mr. Strauss-Kahn had not spoken at all.
Civil Lawsuit
With the criminal case still unresolved, Ms. Diallo filed a civil suit against Mr. Strauss-Kahn on Aug. 8 in State Supreme Court in the Bronx, seeking unspecified damages for a “violent and sadistic attack” that humiliated and degraded her and robbed her “of her dignity as a woman.” The timing of the lawsuit was unusual for cases that involve criminal prosecutions; typically, accusers wait until a criminal matter is resolved before proceeding with a civil action, which can interfere with a pending criminal case.
Ms. Diallo’s lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, indicated in court papers that he was prepared to introduce testimony from other women who say they were attacked by Mr. Strauss-Kahn in “hotel rooms around the world,” and in apartments specifically used by him “for the purpose of covering up his crimes.”
Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers said in a statement that they had always maintained that the motivation of Mr. Thompson and his client was to make money. “The filing of this lawsuit ends any doubt on that question,” the statement said. “The civil suit has no merit and Mr. Strauss-Kahn will defend it vigorously.”
Criminal Case Dismissed
On Aug. 22, convinced that Ms. Diallo’s credibility was compromised, prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney’s office moved to dismiss the three-month-old sexual assault case against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, filing a 25-page motion that served as an anatomy of a case collapsing.
The document laid out how prosecutors went from characterizing Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s accuser, Ms. Diallo, as a credible woman whose account was “unwavering” to one who was “persistently, and at times inexplicably, untruthful in describing matters of both great and small significance.” Because eventually prosecutors could no longer believe her, they wrote, they could not ask a jury to do so.
Ms. Diallo’s account of what happened during and after the alleged assault had inconsistencies, prosecutors said. Even more troubling was what they said was a “pattern of untruthfulness” about her past. That included a convincingly delivered story of being gang raped by soldiers in her native Guinea; she later acknowledged that she had fabricated the story, and prosecutors characterized her ability to recount a fictionalized sexual assault with complete conviction as being “fatal” to her credibility. Another issue was that she had denied that she was interested in making money from the case, despite a recorded conversation that prosecutors said captured her discussing just that with her fiancé, a detainee in an immigration jail in Arizona.
On Aug. 23, Justice Michael J. Obus of State Supreme Court in Manhattan formally ordered the dismissal of all criminal charges against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, but he said his order would be stayed until an appellate court decides whether a special prosecutor should be appointed. Prosecutors told the judge that they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt because of serious credibility issues with Ms. Diallo.
After the hearing, Mr. Strauss-Kahn issued a statement, characterizing the past two and a half months as “a nightmare for me and my family,” and thanking the judge, his wife and family and other supporters.
The dismissal left Ms. Diallo with no recourse to pursue criminal charges against Mr. Strauss-Kahn, though her civil lawsuit against him is still pending. Her lawyer, Kenneth P. Thompson, has been relentless in his assertion that Mr. Strauss-Kahn sexually assaulted his client and that Mr. Vance’s office abandoned the case too soon.
Return to France and an Uncertain Future
Though Mr. Strauss-Kahn was cleared of all charges in New York, and prominent members of his Socialist Party expressed their support, his homecoming evoked mixed reactions. After months of notoriety, his political career has clearly been damaged.
On Sept. 4, 2011 he returned to a country that was still shocked and mystified that a potential president on the verge of a planned political campaign could have been so reckless as to have had a sexual encounter, consensual or otherwise, with a hotel chambermaid.
His return left his Socialist Party uneasy. He came back at a time when the party was deep into the presidential primary campaign and most of his closest allies had joined with other politicians. Even the party secretary, Martine Aubry, a candidate who would not have run if Mr. Strauss-Kahn had done so, distanced herself from him for the first time, telling French television, “I think the same thing as many women regarding Strauss-Kahn’s attitude to women.”
But Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s legal troubles are not over. He faces a civil trial in the United States brought by the hotel maid.
The unease around Mr. Strauss-Kahn will not go away soon. Whatever his accomplishments, his name is now associated with scandal and more tales of promiscuity that have emerged since then. A former Socialist prime minister, Michel Rocard, caused a ruckus when he said that Mr. Strauss-Kahn “obviously has a mental illness, trouble controlling his impulses.” Mr. Rocard added: “He’s out of the game. It’s a shame, he had real talent.”
However, Mr. Strauss-Kahn may yet have a role to play. As a former finance minister and managing director of the I.M.F., he continues to command respect for his economic knowledge. And his endorsement of another candidate may carry weight in the Socialist primary. It is highly likely that his voice will be important during the presidential campaign itself, as an adviser to the candidate and as a critic of the policies of President Nicolas Sarkozy.
A Socialist victory next year could bring Mr. Strauss-Kahn into government as a minister, and a Socialist defeat might make him even more important in a party that would be seeking a new rationale.
Personal Life
Mr. Strauss-Kahn managed to rise to the corridors of power in France even though he did not graduate from the elite Ecole Nationale d’Administration — he failed the entrance examination — though he later taught there after graduating from another French university. He met his first wife in high school in Monaco and married her when he was 18. They had three children before divorcing. In 1986, he married his second wife, with whom he had one child. Since 1991 he has been married to American-born French journalist Anne Sinclair, and they have no children.
Ms. Sinclair, who inherited a fortune from her grandfather, an art merchant who had exclusive contracts with Matisse and Picasso, was a famous television interviewer in France, a kind of Barbara Walters, before moving to Washington with Mr. Strauss-Kahn.
They live in a five-bedroom, five-bath brick home in fashionable Georgetown, bought in 2007 for $4 million. They own two apartments in France, one that cost 4 million euros ($5.7 million) that was bought with cash, and a penthouse bought by Ms. Sinclair in 1990 for 2.5 million euros ($3.5 million), the year before they married. They also own a house in Marrakesh, Morocco, bought for 500,000 euros ($706,000) in 2000.
The couple’s wealth enabled them to live well beyond Mr. Strauss-Kahn’s I.M.F. salary of about $442,000 — tax-free, as are salaries for many employees at international agencies — and an expense allowance of $79,120, according to the 2010 I.M.F. annual report. His marriage to Ms. Sinclair and their lifestyle have led to Mr. Strauss-Kahn being called a caviar socialist (a term used in France), an image that was reinforced with the publication of a photo of him stepping into a Porsche in Paris.
Before his arrest, Mr. Strauss-Kahn was characteristically blunt about public perception of his private life.
In an interview with the newspaper Libération, held on April 28 but published while he was in jail, he listed three possible obstacles to his aspirations. “Money, women and my Jewishness,” he said. “Yes, I like women,” he went on. “So what?”
Mr. Strauss-Kahn added, “For years they’ve been talking about photos of giant orgies, but I’ve never seen anything come out.”

March 14, 2012, 3:11 am

India’s Billionaires Hit by Weak Economy

By NEHA THIRANI

 

 Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal during a press conference at the company headquarters in Luxembourg, Feb. 8, 2011. The number of Indian billionaires fell substantially in the past year, according to Forbes magazine’s recently released list of the world’s billionaires, while the numbers in emerging market rival Brazil rose dramatically. Increased transparency in Brazil and a slowing economy in India have contributed to this shift.
There are 48 Indians in the Forbes list, with a net worth of $ 194.6 billion. That compares to the previous year, when the Forbes list featured 55 billionaires from India with a net worth of $246.5 billion. Mukesh Ambani continues to be India’s wealthiest individual, despite losing $4.7 billion in the past year, coming in 19th in the global ranking with a net worth of $22.3 billion. His brother Anil Ambani, on the other hand, is listed in the 118th position, with a net worth of $7.8 billion, down a billion dollars from 2011. In 1994, the Ambani family were included in the Forbes list for the first time.
Azim Premji, the 66-year-old Wipro chairman, is ranked 41st, making him the third-richest Indian on the Forbes list. Mr. Premji has a net worth of $15.9 billion.
Indians were not the only ones whose net worth sank in the 2012 Forbes rankings; more than a third of all the billionaires internationally experienced a drop in their net worth.
Steel mogul Lakshmi Mittal suffered the biggest loss of all the world’s billionaires in the list, as his fortune dropped by $10.4 billion, to $20.7 billion. Mr. Mittal took the second spot among Indians, finishing 21st on the ranking, the first time since 2004 that he did make it to the world’s top ten. According to Forbes the drop was caused by a fall in the shares of ArcelorMittal, thanks to surging costs and sluggish demand in Europe.
Brothers Shashi and Ravi Ruia of the Essar Group sustained the second largest loss of the year, losing $8.8 billion according to Forbes. They were placed 133 on the rankings, with a net worth of $7 billion.
Other Indians who made it to the rankings include Kumar Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group (116th), chairman of Sun Pharmaceuticals Dilip Shanghvi (124), Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Mittal and family (113th) and DLF’s Kushal Pal Singh (153rd).
The list featured only two women billionaires from India; Savitri Jindal of the Jindal group, who was ranked 80th and Indu Jain of the Bennet Coleman group, ranked 578th.
When Forbes began to put together its list of the world’s billionaires in 1987, there were 140 names on the list, 44 of which were from the United States.
This year, the list is up to a record 1,226 with the U.S. still leading the list with 425 billionaires. The 2012 list has billionaires from 58 countries, including new addition Morocco. The total net worth of the billionaires listed by Forbes is $4.6 trillion, an increase of $100 billion from 2011. Mexico’s Carlos Slim retains his position at the top of the rankings with a fortune estimated at $69 billion. Brazilian oil magnate Eike Batista, currently placed at No. 7, vows to one day overtake him.
In the 2011 Forbes list, the BRIC nations were home to 25 percent of the world’s billionaires. In this year’s list, India, China and Russia collectively have 30 fewer billionaires, with Brazil being the only nation to see an increase in its numbers. While India lost seven billionaires in comparison to 2011, Brazil saw an increase of six new billionaires, bringing the countries tally to 36.
Among the newly ranked billionaires in Brazil is Nevaldo Rocha, who built his fortune in the apparel industry with his company Guararapes Confeccoes. Jose Isaac Peres joins the list because of a rise in the value of his stake in the shopping mall developer Multiplan while Francisco Dias Branco controls cookie and pasta maker M. Dias Branco and owns $1 billion worth of real estate.
One of factors that added billionaires from Brazil to the list is increased transparency in the country. Brazil has recently enacted stricter disclosure regulations for the ownership of publicly traded companies. Officials at Forbes say that there is a good chance that they will unearth more billionaires in Brazil in the coming years.

March 1, 2012, 4:00 pm

A Wild-Card Snub and the Expectation of Local Preference

By BEN ROTHENBERG

 

 Malek Jaziri of Tunisia at the United States Open last year. While the nomadic nature of the professional tennis tours does not allow for any player to establish a firm home-court advantage, preference to native players in terms of wild cards and scheduling has become an accepted and expected part of the sport.
But with each tournament largely functioning as an independent governing body, the rules and settings change week to week.
Malek Jaziri of Tunisia, who at No. 104 is the highest-ranked Arab player in men’s or women’s tennis, said he had been told he would receive a wild card to the recent Dubai Tennis Championships, the biggest men’s tennis tournament in the region. Instead, a wild card went to 867th-ranked Marko Djokovic, the younger brother of the tournament’s top seed, Novak Djokovic.
Jaziri, who missed direct entry into the Dubai tournament on the strength of his ranking by two spots, said he was told that he would have to compete in the qualifying draw only 14 hours before his first qualifying match. Jaziri won that match, but lost in the second, and final, round of qualifying in three sets to Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan, who, as it turned out, went on to beat Marko Djokovic in the first round of the main draw.
As the highest-ranked player to lose in the final round of qualifying in Dubai, Jaziri had a good chance of entering the main draw as a “lucky loser,” if one of the directly entered players had withdrawn from the first round of the tournament. But none did.
By not getting into the main draw, Jaziri missed out not only on the chance at the ranking points available, but also on the guaranteed $11,825 in prize money for playing in the first round, far more than the $1,330 he earned for winning one match in the qualifying draw.
“In Europe the countries’ federations help their own players,” Jaziri told the Emirati Web site Sport360°. “As the No. 1 Arab player, I expected a little bit more.”
Jaziri’s expectation of local preference may initially seem surprising, given that Tunis, his hometown, is over 2,700 miles west of Dubai, in another country but also on another continent. But such regionality has become commonplace and expected for tournaments in the Middle East, which often have to reach beyond their own borders to find Arab players deserving of wild-card opportunities.
Jaziri, who qualified and won a round at the 2011 United States Open, had proved worthy of the wild card he received in January at a smaller tournament in Doha, Qatar, winning a set from the eventual champion, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, ranked sixth at the time.
Jaziri’s 17-year-old Tunisian compatriot Ons Jabeur recently made a similarly strong showing after being given a wild-card opportunity in Doha. Jabeur, whose success at the junior level has her poised to become perhaps the most successful Arab player ever, pushed the former top-20 player Virginie Razzano of France to three sets last month at a WTA tournament in Doha. The other two wild cards in the main draw at Doha, who came from Morocco and Oman, both failed to win a set, and lost three of their combined four sets by 6-0.
The tradition of spreading wild cards across the region is largely unique to the ATP and WTA tournaments in Doha and Dubai, which, since adding WTA events in 2001, have given passes into the main draw of their singles competitions to men and women from Arab countries including Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates (as well as to Sania Mirza of India, who is Muslim).
This sort of cross-border inclusiveness is rarely seen outside the Middle East. The week of Jabeur’s battle in Doha, all three wild cards at the other WTA tournament being played, the Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas in Bogota, went to Colombians. Two of the three ATP tournaments this week followed the same approach, with the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam and the SAP Open in San Jose, Calif., giving all of their wild cards to Dutch and American players, respectively. The third, the Brasil Open in São Paulo, ignored its own completely, giving two of its three wild cards to Spaniards and the other to the retiring Chilean Fernando González. Nine of the 11 Brazilians entered in the tournament never made it out of qualifying.
Tournaments in Morocco (the only other Arabic-speaking country to host an ATP or WTA event) rarely reach beyond their borders to reward neighbors with wild cards. Since 2001, only six wild cards have gone to other players in the region, with four going to Algerians and two to the Tunisian Selima Sfar.
The Moroccans’ relative unwilligness to share the wild-card wealth is likely rooted in a tennis tradition that is vastly superior to any other in the Arab world. The 2000 Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca perhaps represented the pinnacle of what was the golden age of Moroccan tennis, as the top three seeds in the ATP tournament were all Moroccan; 16th-ranked Younes El Aynaoui was the top seed, 27th-ranked Karim Alami the second and 30th-ranked Hicham Arazi the third. None of the three reached the semifinals that year, but El Aynaoui would go on to win the tournament in 2002 (as Arazi had in 1997).
With no Qatari or Emirati players having ever achieved similar success, the need to be inclusive is far greater, even though there are not as many Arab contenders in 2012 as there have been in years past. Currently, the highest-ranked man from the region is 104th-ranked Jaziri, while the Moroccan Nadia Lalami is the highest-ranked woman at No. 334.
In 2007, the Asian Tennis Federation demanded that 25 percent of spots in the main draws of all tournaments in Asia be allocated to Asian players, a request quickly quashed by Brad Drewett of the ATP.
“We have rules in place based on merit, and we have no plans to change them,” Drewett said.
“We can give countries more wild cards for big events, but their players will just get beaten very easily,” he added. “That’s not good in terms of developing players’ ability.”
As would be expected of low-ranked players stepping up to high-caliber events, the “locals” from near and far have not found great success at the Arab tournaments. Since 2001, Arab players needing wild cards to enter the main draw of tournaments in Morocco, Doha and Dubai have a 21-85 record in their first-round matches, with four of the 85 losses being of the 6-0, 6-0 “double-bagel” variety. When they do win their first matches, the wild cards have a 5-16 record in the second round. None of the Arab wild cards have won three matches in a row at one of the tournaments during this span.
Though the Doha, Dubai and Morocco tournaments have been almost entirely loyal to their own, there have been exceptions. In 2008, all three wild cards in the WTA tournament in Doha were German women, a decision probably  related to the strong economic ties between Germany and Qatar in tennis; the WTA tournament in Berlin was called the Qatar Total German Open or the Qatar Telecom German Open from 2005 until its demise in 2008.

Binyam Mohamed

Updated: Sept. 9, 2010


Binyam Mohamed, an Ethiopian citizen, was held at Guantánamo from late 2004 until his release on Feb. 23, 2009, ending an 18-month standoff with Britain, which had been seeking his release since August 2007.
In February 2010, the British government lost a protracted court battle to protect secret American intelligence information about the treatment of Mr. Mohamed and immediately published details of what it called the "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" administered to the detainee by American officials.
The summary said that while Mr. Mohamed had been in American custody before reaching the detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, he had been subjected to "continuous sleep deprivation," shackled during interrogations and exposed to "threats and inducements" that included playing on his fears of being "removed from United States custody and ‘disappearing.' " The document said he had been kept on a suicide watch and cited that as evidence that the treatment was causing him "significant mental stress and suffering."
Mr. Mohammed was also the lead plaintiff in a case against a subsidiary of Boeing accused of arranging flights for the Central Intelligence Agency to transfer prisoners to other countries for imprisonment and interrogation. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the case, arguing that Jeppesen was complicit in that alleged abuse. But in September 2010 a federal appeals court ruled against the plaintiffs, saying that a trial might expose secret government information.
Mr. Mohamed, the son of an Ethiopian Airlines official, moved to Britain as a teenager and left for Pakistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He was arrested there on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks on targets in the United States.
Mr. Mohamed was taken to Morocco, where he was held for 18 months, according to court rulings and American and British officials. He has said he was tortured during the American interrogation and photographs were taken of his injuries. The United States told the British Foreign Office that Mr. Mohamed was in good health when he arrived at Guantánamo, in late 2004.
After Mr. Mohamed was captured, then Attorney General John Ashcroft said he had been complicit with Jose Padilla to detonate a "dirty bomb" in the United States. In 2008, the Justice Department said it was dropping the dirty-bomb charges against Mr. Mohamed, and in October all charges against him were dropped.
Details of negotiations on a highly restrictive plea bargain for Mr. Mohamed were revealed in a legal document released by a British court on March 23, 2009.  The measures proposed by the United States included a prison term of at least three years more than the seven he had already been detained, a gag order, an end to his efforts to obtain documents that might bolster his claims that he was tortured while in C.I.A. custody, and an agreement not to file lawsuits against the United States government or any of its officials. Mr. Mohamed rejected the offer.
His lawyers have filed lawsuits to obtain photographs, as well as 42 other classified documents, which the British court said lent credence to Mr. Mohamed's allegations that he had been tortured.


                                                                                                                                     Source: NYTIMES

Morocco mall

It's the biggest mall in the world .

Morocco Mall, first Mall in Africa and the Mediterranean region, granted 5-star Award for best retail development of the year in Africa and World Nomination Award by the International Commercial Property Awards

Casablanca, November 22nd 2011 – On the eve of its official opening in early December in Casablanca, Morocco Mall has been granted a 5-star Award in the Best Retail Development category in Africa and a World Nomination Award in the same category, at a ceremony organised by the International Commercial Property Awards organisation, which took place in Dubai from the 16th to the 17th of November 2011.

Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch, Chairman of the AKSAL Group, who initiated the project, commented: “The award for best retail development in the African region for 2011 underlines the importance of Morocco Mall, its size, its innovation and its ability to keep in line with the market trends and all this even before it has officially opened. Morocco Mall is a major development in Morocco that will quickly establish itself as the largest tourist attraction as well as being the first of its kind in Africa and the Mediterranean region. We are thrilled by our World Nomination Award which, beyond the recognition, enables us to enter the next stage and compete with the finest developments in the world, in line with our original vision and strategy”.

Ranked in the top 5 Malls in its class worldwide thanks to its new age concept of merging retail, leisure and food & beverage offering its future visitors a unique “retailtainment” experience. Morocco Mall, first destination Mall in the Mediterranean region and Africa, will offer its visitors a concept merging indoors and outdoors, enhanced by its contemporary architectural design by Design International, inspired by its surrounding marine environment, coupled with an exclusive level of customer service equal to that of palace hotels.

Bordering the Atlantic Ocean on the prestigious Casablanca Corniche, Morocco Mall stretches over 10 hectares with 250,000m² of construction, 30,000m² of outdoor space and 14,000m² of landscaped gardens. With an investment of 200 million Euros and 70,000m² of commercial space Morocco Mall brings together 600 brands of infinite variety from luxury fashion, culture, gastronomy, entertainment and leisure of which many will be opening in Africa for the first time such as: Galeries Lafayette, FNAC, IMAX cinema but also astonishing attractions such as the 3rd musical fountain in the world as well as a giant aquarium crossed by a panoramic lift…

Organised by the International Commercial Property Awards, the award for “Best Retail Development” in Africa was awarded by an international panel of independent judges selected for their expertise in their respective fields such as design, development and real estate marketing. Awards are granted on the basis of various criteria including quality of design and architecture, construction, interior design or the marketing and commercialisation of a development.


About Morocco Mall

Located on the Casablanca Corniche by the Atlantic Ocean, Morocco Mall will be ranked in the top 5 destination malls of the world at its opening. Morocco Mall is the first and only destination Mall in the Mediterranean region and Africa. Stretching over 10 hectares (24,700 acres) and with an investment of 200 million Euros, Morocco Mall offers a diverse shopping experience combining retail, leisure and food & beverage inviting everyone to enjoy their own unique and magical experience, with family or with friends, in a truly original and contemporary architectural design.

With 70,000m² (753,500 sq.feet) of commercial space and 350 stores, Morocco Mall brings together 600 brands of infinite variety from luxury fashion to culture, gastronomy, entertainment and leisure, many of which will be opening a store in Africa for the first time.

With the opening of Morocco Mall, 21,000 indirect jobs and 5,000 direct jobs will be created. Morocco Mall is an ambitious project carried out by AKSAL and Al Jedaie Groups which is creating a positive and sustainable change to the landscape of Casablanca and Morocco as well as the consumption patterns of the region.

http://www.moroccomall.com