VOICES FROM THE INTERNET Saudi success Saudi Arabia's economic success is no secret. During a recession that crippled countries worldwide, Alhamdulillah Saudi economy stayed strong. Rating agency Moody's Monday upgraded Saudi Arabia to its second-highest level as oil earnings and a recovering economy push the government's budget back into the black this year. The obvious explanation people may give is that Saudi Arabia is the world's largest exporter of oil. I'd like to think differently. I believe this is because of the country's regard for the poor. Basic necessities needed for a family to survive are quite cheap. Common man's food has always remained very affordable. A family can live quite comfortably here on a salary that a bachelor may not survive on in other Gulf states (think: Dubai). Agreed that not every person living in Saudi Arabia is not facing poverty. There are many. The gap between rich and poor is increasing. The rights of the poor may not be completely guaranteed. There is discrimination too. This is what Saudi Arabia needs to focus on. If it wants to please God and continue receiving His blessings, it must focus on the poor and the destitute – the rich can help themselves. – saudilife.net Dalai Lama & Obama Our fearless leader, kowtowing before China, held an off-the-record – no photo op – meeting with the Dalai Lama in a side-room at the White House, then showed him the backdoor, where Tibet's spiritual leader left by the garbage. Contrast the Dalai Lama's visit under Bush's watch, where he received the Congressional Gold Medal. And yet we're supposed to believe Obama is so much more progressive and in tune with the universe. Richard Gere, where are you now that we'd actually like to hear from you? – mommylife.net Fisk on Dubai hit Robert Fisk on the murder of a Palestinian by an Israeli death squad in Dubai notes: “The United Arab Emirates suspect – only suspect, mark you – that Europe's ‘security collaboration' with Israel has crossed a line into illegality.” He quotes his UAE source saying: “The British passports are real. They are hologram pictures with the biometric stamp. They are not forged or fake. The names were really there. If you can fake a hologram or biometric stamp, what does this mean?” Fisk adds: “He said that EU countries were cooperating with the UAE, including the UK. But ‘not one of the countries we have been speaking to has notified Interpol of the passports used in their name.' Why not?” – pulsemedia.org Browser choice In compliance with a legal agreement made between Microsoft Corp. and the European Commission, Microsoft's Windows Update service will begin sending out a “browser choice” update for Internet Explorer users in Europe. The update will be delivered to users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It gives the user an option to install, or get more information about, a different browser than Internet Explorer. Microsoft made a legally binding commitment that PC manufacturers and users will continue to be able to install any browser on the Windows operating system, and to use any browser as the default browser. It also pledged to keep it possible to turn access off to Internet Explorer. As part of Microsoft's commitments, which resolve a number of competition law issues in Europe, Microsoft offered to provide users with an opportunity to install a different web browser like Firefox or Safari. – afterdawn.com Kids hacked Google! Computer security experts and the National Security Agency have been hard at work, trying to figure out where in China recent attacks on Google originated. It turns out that Google did not suffer at the hands of the Chinese government, but, wait for it, school kids. The report said: “Tracing the attacks further back, to an elite Chinese university and a vocational school, is a breakthrough in a difficult task. Evidence acquired by a United States military contractor that faced the same attacks as Google has even led investigators to suspect a link to a specific computer science class, taught by a Ukrainian professor at the vocational school.” Did you get that? A computer science class is responsible for attacking one of the most sophisticated technology companies in the world. School kids! But, to be fair, these aren't just any old school kids. No! These are bored school kids. The report continues: “…done by one or two geek students in the school who are just keen on experimenting with their hacking skills learned from the school, since the sources in the school and network are so limited.” Seriously? When I was in a computer science class, I was taught how to get my computer to ask me if I was having a good day or not! These guys are hacking into Google for yucks! Of course, this could all be just a decoy. The hackers may have hijacked the schools' IP addresses to throw the NSA off the scent. A Mr. Shao, former dean at one of the schools, insists “it's impossible for our students to hack Google or other US companies because they are just high school graduates and not at an advanced level.” So there you have it. Young kids just don't have the skills for this sophisticated level of hacking. Which leads me to my final question: Would you like to play a game?
