C L O S E R

Open Source Research Tools

Posted on October 12th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Research Tools.

This is not a blog about research tools, software and so on. I would like to make an exception in this post however since I have come across two excellent open source tools.

First of all there is Zotero. Zotero is a Firefox extension reference manager. Most people will probably use Endnote or the version of Open Office; both work quite will but I think Zotero beats them every way possible. It is faster, just as reliable as Endnote, can be used in Word. Also just as Endnote it has a little strange way of saving PDF’s and it seems to have a little trouble with really large libraries (I haven’t noticed it yet).

With Zotero you can take notes, store websites (and screenshots), annotate files and so on.The note taking system is good, easy to use but could be a little more flexible and easier to search through. Strange thing (in the beginning anyway) is also that when you want to work with Zotero in your Word text, Firefox has to be running also: as noted it is a Firefox plugin.

Notwithstandig these qualifications Zotero is a must for everyone doing research. I switched from Endnote to Zotero a few months ago and written quite a lot since then without even thinking about switching back. Not only because it is a free and easy to use reference manager but has much more and has the potential to become a real research manager/program with a lot of extras already built in. Zotero has great features such as:

• Automatic capture of citation information from web pages
• Flexible notetaking with autosave
• Automatic saving of the PDF of several sites
• Storage of PDFs, files, images, links, and whole web pages
• Formatted citation export

I think it is a must have, and since firefox has also a simple to use version for (for example) on a usb-stick, you can actually carry it everywhere you want.

• Zotero can be downloaded HERE.
• For Zotero you need:Firefox 2.0.* or 3.0, Netscape Navigator 9.0, or Flock 0.9.1 for Windows, Mac, or Linux.
• Help on how to embed Zotero in Word you can find HERE.
• Zotero is being sued by Thompson because of the easy switch for Endnote libraries to Zotero.
• How to switch to Zotero.
• Zotero saves the library and notes in the Firefox user settings. I don’t really like this and in the options of Zotero (you can find via the add ons window in Firefox) you can change this to every map you like.

Second of all, and an extra reason to use Zotero!, is the release of a plugin for Zotero: Vertov. Vertov a free media annotating plugin for Zotero, that allows you to store media, cut video and audio
files into clips, annotate the clips, and integrate your annotations
with other research sources and notes stored in Zotero. Also easy to use and for free.

• You can download Vertov HERE
• For Vertov you need: Firefox 2.0 browser and QuickTime Player for Mac or Windows; Java Runtime Environment (Windows only);
  Zotero, a Firefox extension
• Note to Windows users: you will need to reinstall QuickTime if you
  install Java Runtime on top of an existing QuickTime installation
• Linux support is planned

0 comments.

Zorg en Welzijn | Nieuws | Tweedeling binnen tweede generatie allochtonen

Posted on October 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Zorg en Welzijn | Nieuws | Tweedeling binnen tweede generatie allochtonen
Tweedeling binnen tweede generatie allochtonen

07 OKT 2008

Het gaat goed én het gaat slecht met de positie van allochtone jongeren in de Nederlandse samenleving. Een kwart maakt de opleiding niet af, een kwart is hoogopgeleid. Het goede nieuws: het overgrote deel van de jonge allochtonen zonder opleiding is niet werkloos.

Door Carolien Stam – Tussen tweede generatie allochtonen zijn zeer grote verschillen. Enerzijds komen ze, met hun gezin, terecht aan de onderkant van de samenleving. Aan de andere kant vormen de hoogopgeleiden de eerste elite van hun gemeenschap. Dat concluderen Maurice Crul, Adel Pasztor en Frans Lelie in hun onderzoek : De tweede generatie, uitdagingen en kansen voor de stad.

0 comments.

Zorg en Welzijn | Nieuws | Tweedeling binnen tweede generatie allochtonen

Posted on October 7th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Multiculti Issues.

Zorg en Welzijn | Nieuws | Tweedeling binnen tweede generatie allochtonen
Tweedeling binnen tweede generatie allochtonen

07 OKT 2008

Het gaat goed én het gaat slecht met de positie van allochtone jongeren in de Nederlandse samenleving. Een kwart maakt de opleiding niet af, een kwart is hoogopgeleid. Het goede nieuws: het overgrote deel van de jonge allochtonen zonder opleiding is niet werkloos.

Door Carolien Stam – Tussen tweede generatie allochtonen zijn zeer grote verschillen. Enerzijds komen ze, met hun gezin, terecht aan de onderkant van de samenleving. Aan de andere kant vormen de hoogopgeleiden de eerste elite van hun gemeenschap. Dat concluderen Maurice Crul, Adel Pasztor en Frans Lelie in hun onderzoek : De tweede generatie, uitdagingen en kansen voor de stad.

0 comments.

Having fun / making fun

Posted on October 5th, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Some personal considerations.

ISIM director Asef Bayat recently presented a paper “Does Islam Have No Fun?”

“Does Islam have no fun? So, why is that Islamists are so apprehensive of the expression of everyday pleasures– singing, dancing, mundane festivities, private parties, bustling street corners, and secular celebrations? The paper attempts to explore the logic behind Islamists’ fear of “fun”– a metaphor for the articulation of individuality, spontaneity, joy and lightness. I argue that anti-fun sentiments are not necessarily rooted in Islamic doctrine, nor are they necessarily religious. Rather, they represent a particular regime of power.”

What is fun and what is not fun is not that obvious. Some things you can have fun with and some things you can make fun of. What fun is is decided based upon specific historic trajectories of every category of people. Fun is for example watching the Mickey Mouse comics. For some anyway, I find them very boring. Others apparently find them evil such as Islamic scholar Muhammad Munajjid according to a Memri translation:

What is the position of Islamic law with regard to mice? The Shari’a refers to the mouse as “little corrupter,” and says it is permissible to kill it in all cases. It says that mice set fire to the house, and are steered by Satan. The mouse is one of Satan’s soldiers and is steered by him. If a mouse falls into a pot of food – if the food is solid, you should chuck out the mouse and the food touching it, and if it is liquid – you should chuck out the whole thing. Because the mouse is i-m-p-u-r-e!

According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature. How do you think children view mice today – after Tom and Jerry? Even creatures that are repulsive by nature, by logic, and according to Islamic law have become wonderful and are loved by children. Even mice. Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases.

People had fun with that remark (so backward!) and find it scary at the same time (poor innocent mouse, it is just a comic!) and probably the ‘death sentence’ for Mickey Mouse contributed to making it into a fatwa; both reactions clearly linked to the current Islamdebate in the Netherlands and fairly recent national and international events and therefore not to be taken as self evident. As pointed out earlier it was a loose remark of Muhammad Munajid commenting on the influence of ‘the media’ and certainly does not qualify as an offical fatwa. Muhammad Munajid posted a response to his Mickey Mouse remarks on Youtube: HERE.

Another issue people could have fun with are the revelations of daughters of radical imams, in particular those who have gone astray by going into the erotic business. An example of this is the daughter Yasmin (who has changed her name from Youssra) of Omar Bakri, in Dutch reports about this issue usually refert to as ‘hate-imam’ or ‘radical imam’, who has become a pole-dancer.  It is fun for some because it seems to be the opposite ofwhat her father wants, or maybe her father even paid for her breasts? Or as the fun result of what goes around comes around?Not a surprise of couse Omar Bakri (whose lessons I followed a few years ago in the chatroom of his organisation back then) himself denies the whole story:

All these vulgar accusations are completely fabricated and unfounded and cannot be accepted by any sane person without proof, except the one who is a kaafir (non-Muslim), or the one who is envious or the one who has a grudge against Islam and its people.And this girl (if she does exist) has nothing to do with my family regardless. And indeed I never did and never will have any interview with those pornographic newspapers like the Sun or its associates, who continue to publish lies and fabricate stories and interviews against those Islamic activists and Mujahideen.
sss
The Sun newspaper is aware that in this day and age, it is quite possible to fabricate any accusation and attribute it to any Muslim activist without him having the ability to defend himself or his honour. This is even more so particularly when they discover that the Muslim activist is holding firmly onto his Islamic principles, that he will never arbitrate to the man-made law or to any man-made court, whether British or otherwise for whatever reason, because it is known that to arbitrate to man-made law is an act of apostasy which takes one out of the fold of Islam.

The truth is that my family comprises of six children (three males and three daughters); Muhammad (30 years old, married with 2 children); Yussra (27 years old, married with 3 children); Abdul Rahman (21 years old, married); Rukan (18 years old, married with no children); Rayah tul Islam (13 years old) and Bilal (10 years old).

It is known amongst my family and my beloved ones and my students that my family is a very conservative family with an Islamic upbringing that abides by the Islamic commandments and that none of them are engaged in any prohibited professions (according to Islam) or even those occupations which could cast doubt.

I’m not going to say here who is wrong and who is not because I don’t know and maybe it would spoil the fun for some of us. In all cases having fun with people or making fun of (or not) says at least as much about the people having fun then about the objects of fun.

6 comments.

PAROOL: Binnenland – PVV wil af van grondrecht voor moslims bij scholing

Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

PAROOL: Binnenland – PVV wil af van grondrecht voor moslims bij scholing
”Ik ben een warm pleitbezorger voor de vrijheid van onderwijs, maar niet voor islamitische scholen”, aldus Bosma. Door middel van een uitzondering in de wet wil het Kamerlid een expliciet onderscheid maken tussen de islam en groepen met andere levensbeschouwelijke overtuigingen.

1 comment.

M-Kidz: glossy tijdschrift voor moslimkids

Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Blogosphere, Young Muslims.

Voor de kleintjes onder ons niet te verwarren met M Kids, maar nu bestaat er ook M-Kidz!

(De naar mijn mening mooie en overzichtelijke website is gemaakt door Timaar.nl die ook andere sites in hun port folio hebben – om maar even aan te geven dat Islamsites tegenwoordig een heuse markt vormen).

M-Kidz: glossy tijdschrift voor moslimkids – Patrick Pouw

Bladerend door een exemplaar van jongerentijdschrift Taptoe stuitte Loubna Feghouli ooit op een plaatje van kinderen, die een bezoekje brachten aan het Openluchtmuseum in Arnhem. Prominent aanwezig op dat plaatje: een enorme pul bier.

Dat kan anders en dus lanceerde Loubna Feghouli een glossy-magazine voor het jonge kind. Het proefnummer daarvoor is HIER te lezen en vooral ook te bekijken want er zitten veel plaatjes in. Nu is het gebruik van afbeeldingen omstreden in de Islamitische tradities (hoewel zeker niet afwezig) en dus werd er gevraagd om een gezaghebbend advies (fatwa) vanuit Saoedi-Arabië:

De islam kent een verbod op afbeeldingen, maar geleerden hebben geoordeeld dat het in dit specifieke geval mag omdat kinderen heel visueel zijn ingesteld en omdat wij in ons blad islamitische kennis overdragen.”

Het zal nog niet makkelijk worden om dit blad te laten slagen denk ik. Een ander blad voor jonge kinderen ‘Onze Oemma’ is ter ziele, maar wie weet is er een markt voor dit type glossy en flashy bladen.

0 comments.

Islamitische smeekbedes

Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Blogosphere.

Met dank aan B. voor de tip, een leuke (nieuwe?) site:

Islamitische smeekbedes

Dit is een verzamel site voor zoveel mogelijk dua’s met dalil. Dit ook met zowel nederlandse en fonetische vertaling van de arabische dua’s. Een aantal dua’s komen uit het boekje “citadel van de moslim”

0 comments.

Rechtspraak.nl – Uitspraak gerechtshof Den Haag in terrorismezaak

Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, ISIM/RU Research, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues.

Rechtspraak.nl – Uitspraak gerechtshof Den Haag in terrorismezaak

Den Haag, 2 oktober 2008 – Het gerechtshof ’s-Gravenhage veroordeelde op 2 oktober 2008 vier verdachten wegens het plegen van terroristische misdrijven tot gevangenisstraffen variërend van vier tot negen jaar. Een vijfde verdachte kreeg drie maanden gevangenisstraf voor een vuurwapendelict zonder terroristisch oogmerk.

Het Haagse hof achtte het Openbaar Ministerie ontvankelijk in zijn vervolging van de verdachten, ondanks enkele onregelmatigheden in dit grootschalige onderzoek. Deze onregelmatigheden zijn voor het hof geen reden geweest om bewijsmiddelen uit te sluiten of lagere straffen op te leggen. Het hof vond het niet aannemelijk dat er sprake was van opzettelijke misleiding van de rechter. Bovendien zijn de tekortkomingen in hoger beroep hersteld. Het hof zag in het kader van deze strafzaken geen reden om onderzoek te doen naar mogelijke meineed van mr. Plooij.
De rol van de AIVD oordeelde het hof rechtmatig.

Het hof vond deelname van vier verdachten aan een organisatie met een terroristisch oogmerk bewezen op grond van verscheidene factoren. Voorbeelden hiervan zijn het circuleren van vuurwapens binnen de groep, de aanwezigheid van munitie, het houden van een schietoefening, belangstelling voor bomgordels en het aanhangen van een radicale gewelddadige geloofsopvatting. De verdachten hadden papieren voorhanden met namen van Nederlandse politici en zochten actief naar hun adressen. Van één van de verdachten is een gefilmd zelfmoordtestament aangetroffen.

De integrale tekst van de uitspraak is HIER te lezen.

0 comments.

nrc.nl – International – Extended prison sentence for four terror plotters

Posted on October 3rd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, ISIM/RU Research, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues.

nrc.nl – International – Extended prison sentence for four terror plotters

By the Associated Press
An appeals court on Thursday increased the prison sentences of four Islamic radicals accused of plotting attacks on Dutch politicians, convicting them of the additional charge of membership in a terrorist organisation.

The Hague appeals court re-convicted the four Dutch nationals of Moroccan descent for plotting attacks, and said trial evidence showed they were part of a single group, as prosecutors had argued.

Judges cited their adherence to a single violent belief system, their training with firearms, and their coordinated efforts to find the addresses of Dutch politicians on a hit-list, including the prime minister.

The court’s judges added a year to the sentence of ringleader Samir A., 22, giving him a total of nine years in prison. A. had videotaped a suicide testament.

No compassion

Both defendants and prosecutors had appealed the original ruling. The defendants asked for acquittal and the prosecutors sought longer sentences, including 15 years for A.

A. “has made it apparent that he despises Dutch society,” judges said in a written ruling. “He has shown that he has no respect for those who have different views and knows no compassion for the potential victims of the acts he planned.”

A. evaded jail twice in investigations into alleged terrorist activities. The first time, he was caught with bomb-making materials, but he was released without charge on a technicality.

He later was charged with planning an attack, but was acquitted when the judges ruled his preparations were not advanced enough to prove a terrorist intent.

While testifying as a defence witness in a case against several of his friends, A. told judges: “We reject your system. We hate you. I guess that about sums it up.”

Machine gun

Among the other defendants in the appeal, Nouredine al F. received a sentence doubled to eight years. Al F. presided over indoctrination sessions of potential recruits and was arrested with a machine gun on a train platform. The sentence of his ex-wife, Soumaya S., was increased to four years from three.

Mohammed C. was sentenced to six years, up from four.

The judges rejected defence arguments that Dutch secret service evidence was used improperly in the case and that prosecutors withheld evidence and lied about doing so.

A. defence lawyer Victor Koppe declined to comment. Bart Nooitgedagt, defending S., described the decision as “bungled” and said he would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Under Dutch journalistic practise, only the initials of suspects and criminals are used to protect their identity.

0 comments.

Protected: Veroordelingen Piranha-zaak

Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: International Terrorism, ISIM/RU Research, Murder on theo Van Gogh and related issues, Religious and Political Radicalization.

Enter your password to view comments.

Al-Qaradawi Speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat

Posted on October 1st, 2008 by martijn.
Categories: Misc. News.

Al-Qaradawi Speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat

By Majid al Kinani

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some see Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi as controversial in some of his fatwas and opinions. What is your comment on this?

[Al-Qaradawi] I do not like to raise controversies and I hate arguments. This is my principle in teaching and in fatwa. I have adopted the principle of innovation and facilitation and this does not suit everyone. My fatwa and writings in general disturb two kinds of people; those who are against any change whatsoever, and those who are ultra-liberal. I always tend to discipline myself, my thoughts and my fatwa with the Sharia rules and principles, in addition to sound logic which should be in conformity with sound reason. No religion can come up with anything that stands contrary to reason.

0 comments.

« Previous Page « Newer