I have been noticing generational differences between myself and my children lately. Now don’t get me wrong I do realize that there will be difference always between generations new music, new books but these recent ones stood out to me. My 14 year old son asked me what was inside the cassette and when I replied “tape”. He looked at me and replied with a can’t fool me look on his face, “no it isn't, tape is sticky”

The other one was a conversation about calling friends where my fourteen year old realized in horror that I had had to call my friends house to get in touch with them. He found it downright comical that we would have to call several homes if we were trying to track some one down.

now don't get me wrong i have had my own fun, like watching them struggle with a rotary phone. that was hilarious.

My children also find it odd that there was a time without the internet. which i suspect they don't actually believe.

course i have my youngest who will turn two soon and i wonder what he will find different and strange when the old people(me and my friends) get together and talk.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101129/ap_on_re_us/us_portland_car_bomb_plot;_ylt=AqB9yFl7REwuwf2HwGOjs0BvzwcF;_ylu=X3oDMTJxY2Fub2owBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMTI5L3VzX3BvcnRsYW5kX2Nhcl9ib21iX3Bsb3QEY3BvcwMyBHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA29yZWdvbm11c2xpbQ--

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR: Oregon Mosque Arson Prompts Call to Protect Muslims

(SEATTLE, WA, 11/28/10) -- The Washington State chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-WA) today called on the FBI and state law enforcementauthorities to step up protection for the region’s Muslim community after an intentionally-set fire damaged a mosque in Oregon.

Fire officials say the Sunday morning blaze damaged the Salman Al-Farisi Islamic Center in Corvallis, Ore., a house of worship once attended by a recently-arrested terror suspect. The FBI is investigating the incident.

SEE: Fire Damages Mosque Bomb Suspect Attended

• CAIR: Seattle's Somali Community Fears Backlash from Bomb Plot
• Portland's Somali Community Unites to Condemn Alleged Pioneer Courthouse Square Bomb Plot

“Just as American Muslims repudiate any act that would threaten our nation’s safety and security, we ask our fellow citizens to reject any attacks on Muslims or their religious institutions,” said CAIR-WA Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari.

Bukhari said he recently held a news conference in Seattle with two Muslim women who were allegedly attacked at a gas station by an assailant shouting racial and religious slurs.

CAIR-WA Video: Hate Crime Charges Filed in Attack on Muslim Women

Other recent anti-Muslim incidents include an attack on a New York Muslim mother and child, the arrest of New York teens who allegedly harassed a Muslim student because of his faith and the defacement of a South Carolina mosque.

Mosques in California, Tennessee, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, and Florida have faced vocal opposition or have been similarly targeted by hate incidents in recent months.

SEE: Lansing Man Who Burned Quran was Drunk, Angry

• CAIR-NY Seeks Hate Crime Charges in Attack on Muslim Mother, Child
• FBI Meets with Members of S.C. Mosque Defaced with Pork
• Hate Packages Sent to U.S. Mosques
  

CAIR's national office recently announced the launch of a department devoted to addressing the alarming rise of Islamophobic sentiment in American society.

American Muslim individuals and institutions are being urged to review advice on security procedures contained in CAIR's "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

BREAKING: CAIR-CT Defends Muslim Denied Entry to Skating Rink Because of Hijab
Monji Dhaouadi, executive director of the Connecticut chapter of CAIR, said Tuesday that the organization is attempting to mediate. CAIR has also filed a complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, Dhaouadi said. CONTACT: CAIR-CT Executive Director Mongi Dhaouadi, 860-514-8038, E-Mail: mdhaouadi@cair.com

CAIR Updates Travel Advisory for Holiday Weekend

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/24/2010) -- CAIR today issued an updated travel advisory for those concerned about new airport security measures involving full-body scanners and more invasive pat-downs.

Background:

Earlier this year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began phasing in full-body Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) scanners in airports as a primary screening method. In February, CAIR supported a statement by a prominent group of Muslim scholars that the full-body scanners violate religious and privacy rights.

In late October, the TSA revised its standard pat-down procedure, particularly for those opting out of the AIT scanner, to allow a much more intrusive manual search of passengers' bodies by TSA officers.

Passengers who have undergone the new standard pat-down procedure have reported feeling humiliated by a search they describe as invasive and that has involved TSA officers touching the face and hair, the groin area and buttocks, and in between and underneath breasts.

On November 11, CAIR issued a travel advisory that was distorted by Islamophobes who falsely claimed the advisory said there was a special TSA exemption for Muslim passengers who wear Islamic head scarves (hijab). In fact, the CAIR advisory was based on TSA guidelines for all passengers, regardless of faith.

SEE: New Airport Pat-Downs Called Invasive, Humiliating
CAIR: Is TSA Exempting Women In Hijabs From Controversial Pat-Downs?
CAIR: Travelers Prep for TSA Frisks (NPR)
Video: CAIR Rep Debates Airport Screening on Fox

In light of the growing concerns about the invasiveness of the new standard pat-down procedure and increased air travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, CAIR offers the following updated recommendations to travelers:

The Primary Screening Process

You will be asked to go through a metal detector or AIT machine in the primary screening process. TSA officers have threatened to arrest and/or fine passengers who opt out of the entire screening process after it begins.

SEE: $11,000 Fine, Arrest Possible for Some Who Refuse Airport Scans and Pat Downs

• You may opt out of the AIT screening, but you will be given the new standard pat-down, described above, instead. You have the right to request that the standard pat-down be conducted in private and you may have someone accompany you. It is your right to be screened by an officer of the same gender.

The Secondary Screening Process

After the primary screening process, you might be selected for additional secondary screening for alarm resolution, anomaly resolution, at random, or because of bulky clothing.

• If you are selected for secondary screening because of an alarm or an anomaly in an AIT, you may receive an even more thorough resolution pat-down than the new standard pat-down. This resolution pat-down should only be done by a trained supervisor or lead officer of the same gender in a private screening area.
• If you are selected for secondary screening because of a bulky clothing item, you will receive the new standard pat-down by an officer of the same gender. You may remind the officer to only pat-down the area in question.
• If you wear the Islamic head scarf and you are selected for secondary screening, ask the TSA officer if the reason you are being selected for secondary is because of your head scarf. If the officer confirms you were referred to secondary because of your head scarf, before you are patted down, you should remind the TSA officer, who should be of the same gender, that they are only supposed to pat down the area in question, in this scenario, your head and neck. They should not subject you to a full-body or partial-body pat-down. You can always request to pat down your own scarf, including head and neck area, and have the officer perform a residue swab of your hands.
• You may ask to be taken to a private room for the pat-down procedure and you may have someone accompany you.

Civil Rights Violations

If you encounter any issues, in either the primary or secondary screening process, ask to speak to a supervisor immediately. They are there to assist you. The TSA states in its Head-to-Toe Screening Policies: "It is TSA's policy that passengers should be screened by an officer of the same gender in a professional, respectful manner."

Travelers who believe they have been treated differently may contact TSA's Office of Civil Rights and Liberties by e-mail: TSA.OCR-ExternalCompliance@dhs.gov or by telephone: (1-877-336-4872) or (800) 877-8339 (TTY) of Civil Rights and Liberties to file a concern.

SEE: Civil Rights for Travelers

If you experience any disturbing incidents, particularly if you feel you have been subjected to religious or racial profiling, harassment or unfair treatment, immediately file a complaint with the TSA and report the incident to your local CAIR chapter.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

BREAKING: Muslim-Basher Feels Heat Over Finances
Video: CAIR Rep Discusses Airport Screening on 'O'Reilly Factor'
CAIR: 'Museum of Tolerance' Being Built on Muslim Cemetery

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR: Bias Attack on Mo. Mosque Worker Deserves Hate Crime Charge
Hearing set for Nov. 24 for man who allegedly threatened worker with knife, gun

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/19/2010) -- A prominent national Muslim civil rights andadvocacy organization is asking that hate crime charges be filed against a Missouri man going to court next week for an allegedly bias-motivated assault last August on a worker at a mosque under construction in that state.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the alleged assailant asked the worker at the Islamic Society of Greater St. Joseph in St. Joseph, Mo., whether he understood that he was building something for "people not from the United States" who are "trying to take over the United States."

According to a signed police statement from the worker, who is not Muslim, the alleged assailant said, "Do you know that this building ain't gonna stand." The alleged assailant also reportedly threatened the worker with a knife and a handgun and claimed he was with an organization that was "going to see to it that the building didn't stand."

Police apprehended the alleged attacker and charged him with 3rd degree assault (Case Number 10BU-CR02149 at http://www.courts.mo.gov/). He was later released on his own recognizance. A hearing in the case is set for November 24.

In a letter to the lead prosecutor, CAIR National Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili wrote that a hate crime occurs "when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, and in this instant, [the victim] was physically and verbally assaulted because of his affiliation with the Islamic center."

Al-Khalili called for an enhanced hate crime penalty pursuant to Missouri Statute 565.070; subdivisions (1), (3) and (4) of subsection 1 of section 565.090.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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BREAKING NEWS

CAIR: Judge Extends Ban on Okla. Anti-Islam Amendment

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/22/2010) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced today that a federal judge in Oklahoma has extended a restraining order barring certification of an anti-Islam state ballot measure (SQ 755) passed in theNovember 2 election.

If certified, SQ 755 would have amended that state's constitution to forbid judges from considering Islamic principles or international law when deciding a case.

Following a hearing this morning in Oklahoma City, U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ruled that the temporary restraining order she granted November 8 barring certification of the amendment by the Oklahoma State Board of Elections will remain in place until she makes a final decision -- no later than November 29 -- as to whether it should be extended until the case against SQ 755 is resolved.

SEE: Okla. Judge Extends Restraining Order Against Law

The lawsuit seeking to block certification of SQ 755 was filed by Muneer Awad, executive director of CAIR's Oklahoma chapter (CAIR-OK).

In today's hearing, Awad was represented by American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma Foundation attorney Michael Salem, with CAIR attorney Gadeir Abbasacting as co-counsel.

Awad's lawsuit, based on his own faith-based will, says SQ 755 violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause that bars government bodies from making laws "respecting the establishment of religion."

SEE: Full Text of Awad's Lawsuit
Oklahoma Surprise: Islam as an Election Issue (NY Times)

"We believe this measure is un-American because it would infringe on the constitutionally-protected right to wear religious head scarves in driver's license photographs, chooseIslamic marriage contracts, implement Islamic wills, or to be buried according to one's religious beliefs," said CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad (no relation to Muneer Awad). "We are confident this unconstitutional amendment will ultimately be thrown out and the voters of Oklahoma will see that they have been misled by individuals who sought to use the political process to advance their own extremist and intolerant agendas."

CAIR Q&A on Oklahoma Anti-Islam Ballot Measure
CAIR Video: SQ 755 Sponsor Explains Purpose of Amendment on MSNBC

He said CAIR plans an education campaign in Oklahoma to offer state residents accurate and balanced information about Islamic beliefs and practices and about the American Muslim community.

Hate messages have been received by Muslim institutions in Oklahoma following the passage of SQ 755.

Video: Rachel Maddow Details Hate Messages Received by Okla. Muslims

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Muneer Awad, 405-248-5853, E-Mail:mawad@cair.com; CAIR Staff Attorney Gadeir Abbas, 720-251-0425; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail:ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/18/2010) -- On Monday, November 22, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Oklahoma chapter (CAIR-OK) will hold a news conference in Oklahoma City following a hearing to determine whether a preliminary injunction will be granted to block certification of an anti-Islam state ballot measure (State Question 755).

That measure, which passed in the November 2 election, would amend Oklahoma's constitution to forbid judges from considering Islamic principles (Shariah) or international law when making a ruling.

WHAT: New Conference to Follow Hearing on Anti-Islam Amendment
WHEN: Monday, November 22 -- Hearing begins at 10 a.m. local time. The news conference will be held in front of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma courthouse immediately following the hearing.
WHERE: 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, OK
CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Muneer Awad, 405-248-5853, E-Mail:mawad@cair.com

On November 4, CAIR-OK Executive Director Muneer Awad filed a lawsuit as an individual challenging the constitutionality of the ballot measure.

SEE: Oklahoma Surprise: Islam as an Election Issue (NYT)

Awad's lawsuit, based on his own Shariah-compliant will, said SQ 755 violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause that bars government bodies from making laws "respecting the establishment of religion."

SEE: Full Text of Awad's Lawsuit

On November 8, U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma granted a temporary restraining order blocking certification of the amendment by the Oklahoma State Board of Elections. Judge Miles-LaGrange also scheduled a hearing on November 22 for arguments as to whether she should grant a preliminary injunction that would extend the restraining order until a final determination is made in the case.

Hate messages have been received by Muslim institutions in Oklahoma following the passage of State Question 755.

Video: CAIR Rep Discusses Okla. Shariah Ban with Rachel Maddow

CAIR says the ballot measure would infringe on the constitutional rights of ordinary Oklahomans -- including the right to wear religious head scarves in driver's license photographs, choose Islamic marriage contracts, implement Islamic wills, or to be buried according to one's religious beliefs.

CAIR Q&A on Oklahoma Anti-Islam Ballot Measure
CAIR Video: SQ 755 Sponsor Explains Purpose of Amendment on MSNBC

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Muneer Awad, 405-248-5853, E-Mail: mawad@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, or 202-488-8787, E-Mail: ihooper@cair.com; CAIR Communications Coordinator Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787, 202-341-4171, E-Mail: arubin@cair.com

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CAIR: BACKLASH GROWS OVER PAT-DOWNS, SCANNERS - TOP
By Charisse Jones and Thomas Frank, USA Today, 11/17/10

The government's efforts to keep the airways safe by subjecting travelers to more scrutiny are facing their biggest backlash since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- even as recent terror attempts indicate that air travel remains a prime target for groups linked to al-Qaeda.

Just days before a busy Thanksgiving weekend when hundreds of thousands of people are expected to take to the air, frequent travelers, unions, passengers groups and civil libertarians are filing lawsuits and urging boycotts of new airport screening procedures. Those procedures include machines that see through passengers' clothing, and more aggressive pat-downs by security personnel, which some travelers say amount to fondling or strip searches.

Even as some senators on Wednesday urged authorities to scale back the measures to help preserve passengers' privacy, Transportation Security Administrator John Pistole said the intensified screening methods are necessary -- and that the agency would not back down. ...

Others express religious concerns. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based civil rights and advocacy group for American Muslims, opposes the whole-body scanners and what it deems "invasive" pat-downs. The group's spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, says modesty is very important to the Muslim faith, but "I don't think travelers of any faith would approve of being touched in the genital area." (More)

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: CAIR-CA GETS COMPLAINTS ABOUT INVASIVE PAT-DOWNS - TOP

Watch the video here.

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MUSLIMS SUE AIRTRAN FOR DISCRIMINATION - TOP
By Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 11/17/10

Nine Muslim American passengers from the Washington area sued AirTran Airways in federal court Wednesday, alleging that the airline discriminated against them by removing them from a Jan. 1, 2009, flight out of Reagan National Airport and refusing to rebook them.

"We want to send a clear message that discrimination will not be tolerated and ensure that others will not have to endure this unfair and embarrassing treatment," said Michael Kirkpatrick, a lawyer with Public Citizen and co-counsel for the plaintiffs, brothers Kashif Irfan of Alexandria and Atif Irfan of Rockville; their families; and a friend, Abdul Razak Aziz of the District. ...

The lawsuit alleges that two teenaged girls seated nearby mistook an innocuous comment by the group about safety at the rear of the airplane as a threat. The suit claims thatAirTran refused to rebook the group even after FBI investigators cleared them to travel. (More)

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CAIR VIDEO: NO HOLIDAYS FOR MUSLIMS ON NY SCHOOL CALENDAR - TOP

Watch the video here.

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CAIR: NO APOLOGY IS DUE FROM INNOCENT MUSLIMS - TOP
Joan Bugbee, Roanoke Times, 11/18/10

My friend Gail Lambert wrote an op-ed, "Why haven't Muslims apologized?" published Oct. 25, that suggested Muslims need to apologize for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Knowing Gail to be intelligent, honest and open-minded, I'm certain she wouldn't mind if I offer some thoughts on the other side of the question. Reasonable people may differ, after all, and still remain friends.

For example, she pointed out that the parents of the Korean-American student who carried out the Virginia Tech massacre apologized for that horrendous act. To apologize is to accept responsibility for something you did.

They apologized because their son did it. Does anyone really believe that the nearly 2 billion Muslims on this planet "did it"? That they are responsible for the terrible actions of 17 lunatics? Does anyone remember that Muslims, too, died in the attacks that day?

Apparently, there's a myth floating around that says Muslims were silent in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. A quick search of the Internet shows that isn't so. Numerous Muslim organizations condemned the attack in the strongest possible terms, and they did so on the day of the attacks.

The American Muslim Political Coordination Council "utterly condemned the vicious and cowardly terrorism." The American Muslims for Jerusalem said, "As Muslims, we utterly deplore these heinous and barbaric attacks." The American Muslim Alliance asked members to donate blood for the victims. The Council on American-Islamic Relations strongly condemned the attacks and asked Muslim medical professionals to go to the aid of victims.

And on, and on. Muslims were anything but silent on 9/11 -- it's easily checked out. (More)

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VIDEO: KEITH OLBERMANN NAMES PAM GELLER 'WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD' -TOP

Watch the video here.

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NY: EXHIBIT SHOWS MUSLIM CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY - TOP

1001 Inventions at the New York Hall of Science Uncovers a Thousand Years of Science and Technology Developed Throughout Muslim Civilization Groundbreaking Exhibition Explains Why the Dark Ages Weren't Really Dark

QUEENS, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 11/18/10 -- After blockbuster runs in London and Istanbul, 1001 Inventions, an exhibition highlighting the scientific legacy of Muslim civilization in our modern age, will make its United States premiere at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) on December 4, 2010.

The exhibition reveals the forgotten history of men and women from a variety of faiths and backgrounds whose contributions to the advancement of scholarship and technology during the Middle Ages helped pave the way for the European Renaissance. This period of history from the seventh through 17th centuries is commonly -- though, often erroneously -- referred to as the "Dark Ages." (More)