by hilzoy
Via Unfogged, an article in Discover:
"As Malaysia's space program prepares to send the country's first astronaut to the space station next year, it is confronting some of the standard first-astronaut questions: what scientific research to pursue, which local delicacy to bring aboard, and who among the eager candidates should go. It is also tackling some more unusual quandaries, such as when to conduct the five daily Islamic prayers on an orbiting ship where a day lasts only 90 minutes.In April the Malaysian national space agency held a two-day conference, Islam and Life in Space, to address these issues. One of the star attractions was a computer program called Muslims in Space, which calculates when spacefaring Muslims should pray and, using spherical trigonometry, discerns the direction of the Ka'aba, the holy shrine in Mecca that Muslims face during prayer. To settle the timing question, the software divides the space station's 90-minute "days" into the same five periods used for prayer in conventional, ground-based Islam. The program then links these periods to standard Greenwich time, so the astronauts can pray at both the correct Earth time and the correct time of day that they perceive on the space station."
In other news, the administration is pushing for mandatory minimum sentences on "nearly all" federal crimes. No word yet on whether they plan to include a special exemption for Scooter Libby. Oregon's governor ordered the state's flags flown at half-mast in honor of Flag Day. And who knew there was an ice cream flavor called 'Staten Island Landfill'?
Open thread!
***
Update: Forgot to add: the last two stories via Governing magazine's 13th Floor, which is a great blog if you happen to be interested in state and municipal government.
The program then links these periods to standard Greenwich time, so the astronauts can pray at both the correct Earth time and the correct time of day that they perceive on the space station."
Both?!
OK, I know this is probably rude and un-PC, but the first image that came to my mind was that poor astronaut hopping up and down off the prayer rug every 15 minutes in an accelarated worship reminiscent of Danny Kaye's instant-knighthood scene in "Court Jester."
Posted by: CaseyL | June 17, 2007 at 06:58 PM
AAK! Italics off! Please!
Posted by: CaseyL | June 17, 2007 at 06:58 PM
I've got a paper around somewhere that I downloaded off some College Aerospace programs' website, that was an in-depth plan to put a Mosque on the moon, with some odd rotation mechanism to "point" towards Mecca.
Posted by: Jonas Cord | June 17, 2007 at 07:38 PM
the direction of the Ka'aba, the holy shrine in Mecca that Muslims face during prayer.
Wouldn't that change during the prayer?
Posted by: Bernard Yomtov | June 17, 2007 at 07:54 PM
oh... why not: right-wing civility!
Posted by: cleek | June 17, 2007 at 08:47 PM
cleek: yikes.
What I want to know is, how does Ace know about the biweekly part?
Posted by: hilzoy | June 17, 2007 at 09:02 PM
And who knew there was an ice cream flavor called 'Staten Island Landfill'?
If they had any guts they would have named it Fresh Kills which is the actual name of the landfill
Posted by: Randy Paul | June 17, 2007 at 09:04 PM
This post reminds me that I never answered hilzoy's point "Frank: it's one thing to value martyrdom highly, and another to say, as what OCSteve quoted, "What is your most lofty aspiration? Death for the sake of Allah. What is your most lofty aspiration? Death for the sake of Allah." That's not, as far as I know, part of Islam generally."
On a previous thread. I've only started to study the Koran, but I don't entirely agree. Death in defense of Islam is the only sure road to heaven as far as I know, so it is argueably the best thing that could happen to you. Now I happen to think that is meant to let believers know that they shouldn't let fear stop them from serving Allah, but not that they should seek death and try to justify their deaths by saying 'It is for Allah.' I can imagine Muslims might feel differently though. Also I'm not sure if "aspiration" is exactly the right word, there may have been an imperfect translation there I feel.
Posted by: Frank | June 17, 2007 at 09:12 PM
From the Department of Astonishing, Downright Gobsmackingly Improbable News:
"In my last blog many here on Redstate agreed with me that Liberalism is a bad thing and must be defeated."
(cite)
Posted by: hilzoy | June 17, 2007 at 09:20 PM
Hilzoy, I believe the Oregon/Flag Day link is empty.
Posted by: Witt | June 17, 2007 at 09:44 PM
Witt: thanks; fixed.
Posted by: hilzoy | June 17, 2007 at 09:51 PM
Liberalism is a bad thing and must be defeated
do i need to buy a gun ?
Posted by: cleek | June 17, 2007 at 10:17 PM
"do i need to buy a gun ?"
Are you a racist redneck?
Posted by: Stan LS | June 17, 2007 at 10:29 PM
To follow up on the flag thing, the story at the link says it was an accident that the governor ordered the flags at half-mast. (Half-mast would be for mourning, which is why I was originally puzzled -- it seemed like such an in-your-face political move for him to make.)
No, apparently he only meant to urge public buildings to FLY the flag, on Flag Day, to honor people serving in the military.
Hm. Probably just a busy p.r. person editing an old press release for re-use, but still...strange kerfuffle.
Posted by: Witt | June 17, 2007 at 10:31 PM
Lovely:
Britain joined the United States' invasion to oust the Taliban in 2001 because it feared America would "nuke the sh[!]t" out of Afghanistan, the former British ambassador to Washington reportedly told a television documentary to be screened Saturday.
...
"Blair's real concern was that there would be quote unquote 'a knee-jerk reaction' by the Americans ... they would go thundering off and nuke the sh[!]t out of the place without thinking straight," Meyer reported told the documentary, according to the Mirror.
And:
Tony Blair agreed to commit British troops to battle in Iraq in the full knowledge that Washington had failed to make adequate preparations for the postwar reconstruction of the country.
Screw it, on to Iran!
Posted by: Ugh | June 17, 2007 at 10:45 PM
ugh,
Ah, right! Cause we really did nuke the sh/t out of Afghanistan. :: eye roll ::
Typical liberal resonse. Blame US first. If an american offical made some stupid claim/assesment you'ld be all over him.
Posted by: Stan LS | June 17, 2007 at 11:53 PM
Are you a racist redneck?
Is that a prerequisite ?
Posted by: cleek | June 18, 2007 at 07:03 AM
I read about that Muslims in space conference in New Scientist last year. It really goes to show how silly religious ritualism can be when you take it to its logical conclusion. There's a similar dilemma in Islam as to what people should do for Ramadan in the polar regions.
Posted by: Ginger Yellow | June 18, 2007 at 08:27 AM
anybody here familiar with San Francisco ? the cleeks are going to spend a few days there, but we don't know what the *must do* things are (Alcatraz and Sonoma are already on the list).
any recommendations?
Posted by: cleek | June 18, 2007 at 10:37 AM
Walk or ride a bike across the GG bridge.
Bring warm clothes otherwise you're going to freeze when the fog rolls in in the afternoon (unless you're not going until september/october).
Eat dinner at Aqua if it doesn't blow your budget. Alternatively, just about any one of the 40 "most popular" restaurants in Zagats is better than anything they have in DC.
The Ferry Building has an awesome farmer's market on Saturday mornings (or at least it did last time I was there).
Be sure to do the audio tour at Alcatraz.
Stay away from Fisherman's wharf.
Posted by: Ugh | June 18, 2007 at 10:51 AM
Also, if you like baseball it's pretty cool to watch a game at the Giants stadium and look out over the Bay.
Posted by: Ugh | June 18, 2007 at 10:54 AM
Another good place for dinnner is Plumpjack Cafe, great food and their wine list is good and they don't mark up much - if at all - above retail. Pane e Vino in the same general area is also good.
Posted by: Ugh | June 18, 2007 at 11:11 AM
just made some Aqua reservations. thanks for the tip.
considering the BBall game. we just saw the Yankees last week (in NYC, vs. Pirates) so it might be fun to see them on the road. a game cuts a big chunk of of your day, though.
Posted by: cleek | June 18, 2007 at 12:16 PM
Stan LS -- I'm unclear on how your comment follows ugh's. From my reading, the point is not "blame America first," but that the Brits joined the war in Afghanistan in hopes of preventing overreaction, not because they thought the cause was just.
YMMV, obviously.
Posted by: farmgirl | June 18, 2007 at 12:35 PM
Aqua should be good. Yeah, BBall can take a while. The MOMA's pretty cool and there are interesting other things around that area as well, such as the Asian Art Museum (which I never saw but was played up as a big deal when I lived there).
Posted by: Ugh | June 18, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Gerrymandering, the online game
Posted by: spartikus | June 18, 2007 at 05:48 PM
Boo!
"Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to U.S., Europe"
Posted by: Ugh | June 18, 2007 at 06:20 PM
"Suicide Bomb Teams Sent to U.S., Europe"
U.S. intelligence officials described the event as another example of "an aggressive and sophisticated propaganda campaign."
ooooh kaaaay.
Posted by: cleek | June 18, 2007 at 07:01 PM
c'mon cleek, it had pictures and sound and everything! In the U.S. you'd have to pay some contractor $100 million for that, before costs overruns.
Posted by: Ugh | June 18, 2007 at 07:04 PM
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