I had a lot of work to do today and I really wasn’t in the mood of writing anything, but, after I finished my work I went searching the internet about the Gaza massacre, trying to find out other opinions than Al-Jazeera and CNN, when I came across a headline on the heraldsun.com.au it was taken from the news agency Thomson Reuters, the headline says “Arab emergency meeting delayed” after that I couldn’t help but go and look up the word emergency and see what it really means, maybe I was confusing it with another word, anyway, here is what I found:
Dictionary.com said:
a sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action.
merriam-webster.com said:
1 : an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action.
2 : an urgent need for assistance or relief.
I think the previous two are enough, and if you look it in more dictionaries you’ll get the same, which means that I was not wrong, the two words emergency and delayed can’t come together.
Congratulations Arabs, we’ve just hit rock bottom.
Conclusion: What Muslims and Arabs can do for Palestinians!
At ease. Leave you pens, your keyboards. Drop your flags and
microphones. Don't marsh. Don't wear black ribbons, or change your
status on Facebook. Don't join groups for support.
microphones. Don't marsh. Don't wear black ribbons, or change your
status on Facebook. Don't join groups for support.
YOU ARE CHANGING NOTHING!
Go back to your TV sets. Watch American Idol, you think you can dance,
Rotana, Melody, Porn, Cartoons, Football and Bab Elhara.
Run for your money, resume your diet, plan your New Year's Eve, go
shopping and jogging.
Campaign for Bahai's, women's, whales', seals', sharks', pandas' and
homosexuals' rights.
Get your PhD in Metaphysics or Horoscopes.
You might make a difference for a life, even if it was just yours.
In few years time we reach the bottom. Some dead, some numb, some
illiterate, some high, some drugged, some drunk, some whores, some
pimps, some thieves, some thugs, some rotten and overused rugs.
Dancers, strippers, honor brokers, and backstabbers. We'll live on
credit cards and the world' left overs. We'll fade away until there is
nothing.
Then we'll be flushed out, and a new batch will come that will make us
more oblivion and insignificant.
They'll take on the world and take us off its feet! Rotten and stinky!
Leave them alone! Let them die. We all will.. But we do it after we
can no longer keep our beds dry! While they do it with their heads
held up high!
This is beyound desparation! It's a new level hopelessness and helplessness!
Long live Palestine, and to hell with the rest of us.
--
Sent from my mobile device
This Is What The American Government Think
The following is a part of an article written by Deb RIECHMANN on the Associated Press yesterday.
“US urges Hamas to cease rocket attacks on Israel”
“CRAWFORD, Texas – The U.S. on Saturday blamed the militant group Hamas for breaking a cease-fire and attacking Israel, which retaliated with strikes of its own during what became the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.
The White House called for the cease-fire to be restored, yet there were few indications that the violence, which has left more than 200 people dead and nearly another 400 wounded, was waning. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the operation in Gaza would widen if necessary.
It was "completely unacceptable" for Hamas, which controls Gaza, to launch attacks on Israel after a truce lasting several months, said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
"These people are nothing but thugs, so Israel is going to defend its people against terrorists like Hamas that indiscriminately kill their own people," Johndroe said in Texas as President George W. Bush was spending the week before New Year's at his ranch here. "They need to stop. We have said in the past that they have a choice to make. You can't have one foot in politics and one foot in terror."”
It’s funny how rude they are and how they ignore us completely, please write you comments and let me know how you felt after reading the article. I tagged it under history, because this is the history we are making now, and that our children will be spitting on later.
You can find the full article on http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081228/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_mideast
“US urges Hamas to cease rocket attacks on Israel”
“CRAWFORD, Texas – The U.S. on Saturday blamed the militant group Hamas for breaking a cease-fire and attacking Israel, which retaliated with strikes of its own during what became the single bloodiest day of fighting in years.
The White House called for the cease-fire to be restored, yet there were few indications that the violence, which has left more than 200 people dead and nearly another 400 wounded, was waning. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that the operation in Gaza would widen if necessary.
It was "completely unacceptable" for Hamas, which controls Gaza, to launch attacks on Israel after a truce lasting several months, said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
"These people are nothing but thugs, so Israel is going to defend its people against terrorists like Hamas that indiscriminately kill their own people," Johndroe said in Texas as President George W. Bush was spending the week before New Year's at his ranch here. "They need to stop. We have said in the past that they have a choice to make. You can't have one foot in politics and one foot in terror."”
It’s funny how rude they are and how they ignore us completely, please write you comments and let me know how you felt after reading the article. I tagged it under history, because this is the history we are making now, and that our children will be spitting on later.
You can find the full article on http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081228/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_mideast
Shame On All Of You!!
Complete silence.. something I couldn't really explain. Five years ago when I had vertually no contact with Non-arabs it would've made sense to me. But now, I have many of them as friends and colleagues! On my facebook I have around 130+ friends, 40% of those are non-arabs. I noticed something interesting when I looked at the status updates of my friends!! Almost 90% of the arabs had shown some kind of interest in what is going in Gaza! However, none of the non-arabs wrote a single word. No condemnation, no sympathy, no empathy!! Nothing to show the least interest in 200 people dead in Gaza! They are not humans. They are not worthy of a kind word.
It's weird. Aren't they victims of some type of terrorism?! Aparently not!
Something else I don't understand is how thick faced people can get! How can they be so useless and irrelevant and at the same time act if they were the exact opposite!! Arab leaders have proved to me and millions that they are the most thick-faced people on the face of the Earth! Hated by their own people, looked at as dictators by their allies, and as useless even by Israel!! Nobody thinks they add value to human history except maybe their equally useless and destructive entourage!
Question for Hosni Mubarak. What are you still doing? Don't you feel ashamed? Don't you feel hated beyound imagination? Don't you feel sterile?! If I were you, I'd leave! Resign! quit! I think in almost quarter of a century you have managed to steal enough money to live as a GOD for the rest of your miserable life somewhere in this world! So leave! You and all your likes! All the species of sub-pigs and sub-humans!
I believe we've reached a point beyound diplomacy! No kind words can be said on those silent sheeps and equally silent monsters! 229 martyrs so far! and all I can hear is condemnation!
Congratulations to Israel. They've made history today! They have conducted one of their unique UN-sponsored massacres while the world watched!
Congratulations to Israel. They've just militarized millions of arabs now! And from now on, I won't apologize for or sympathize with any single casualty I see on TV! You've earned it.
It's so sad to have so much hatred inside you. But everything has a limit, and I've reached that limit. Israel have given me and millions like me an overdose of hatred enough to hate the world for a century to come!
Shame on the world... Shame on you...
It's weird. Aren't they victims of some type of terrorism?! Aparently not!
Something else I don't understand is how thick faced people can get! How can they be so useless and irrelevant and at the same time act if they were the exact opposite!! Arab leaders have proved to me and millions that they are the most thick-faced people on the face of the Earth! Hated by their own people, looked at as dictators by their allies, and as useless even by Israel!! Nobody thinks they add value to human history except maybe their equally useless and destructive entourage!
Question for Hosni Mubarak. What are you still doing? Don't you feel ashamed? Don't you feel hated beyound imagination? Don't you feel sterile?! If I were you, I'd leave! Resign! quit! I think in almost quarter of a century you have managed to steal enough money to live as a GOD for the rest of your miserable life somewhere in this world! So leave! You and all your likes! All the species of sub-pigs and sub-humans!
I believe we've reached a point beyound diplomacy! No kind words can be said on those silent sheeps and equally silent monsters! 229 martyrs so far! and all I can hear is condemnation!
Congratulations to Israel. They've made history today! They have conducted one of their unique UN-sponsored massacres while the world watched!
Congratulations to Israel. They've just militarized millions of arabs now! And from now on, I won't apologize for or sympathize with any single casualty I see on TV! You've earned it.
It's so sad to have so much hatred inside you. But everything has a limit, and I've reached that limit. Israel have given me and millions like me an overdose of hatred enough to hate the world for a century to come!
Shame on the world... Shame on you...
2 New Cell-Phone Uses
Once again cell phones prove to be useful for more than just making late night calls or sending funny messages. Scientists have added to more uses to the cell-phones.
The first invention was what the inventors called Key2safty. This new feature in the cell-phones, connects the car key and the phone using the Bluetooth and the wireless technologies to prevent talking or texting using the cell-phone while driving.
The second one is a system that gives people the ability to turn the street lights on when they need it, in order to save electricity costs. Three German towns have already started testing it by turning off street light late at night and require people to make a chargeable call to turn it on; the town of Legmo is one of these towns.
Isn’t that amazing? Whenever you wonder what’s next, the scientists are ready to answer your question. I just hope one day one of our scientists will be able to answer one of these questions, not working in the USA or Europe, but from one of the Arab universities.
The first invention was what the inventors called Key2safty. This new feature in the cell-phones, connects the car key and the phone using the Bluetooth and the wireless technologies to prevent talking or texting using the cell-phone while driving.
The second one is a system that gives people the ability to turn the street lights on when they need it, in order to save electricity costs. Three German towns have already started testing it by turning off street light late at night and require people to make a chargeable call to turn it on; the town of Legmo is one of these towns.
Isn’t that amazing? Whenever you wonder what’s next, the scientists are ready to answer your question. I just hope one day one of our scientists will be able to answer one of these questions, not working in the USA or Europe, but from one of the Arab universities.
Fun Facts
1- According to an old English system of time units, a moment is one and a half minutes.
2- By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.
3- Ten minutes of one hurricane contains enough energy to match the nuclear stockpiles of the world.
4- Hawaii is moving toward Japan 4 inches every year.
5- Hummingbirds are the only animals able to fly backwards.
6- A cockroach can live for several weeks without its head.
7- Ants do not sleep.
For more, please visit
http://www.hightechscience.org/funfacts.htm
2- By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.
3- Ten minutes of one hurricane contains enough energy to match the nuclear stockpiles of the world.
4- Hawaii is moving toward Japan 4 inches every year.
5- Hummingbirds are the only animals able to fly backwards.
6- A cockroach can live for several weeks without its head.
7- Ants do not sleep.
For more, please visit
http://www.hightechscience.org/funfacts.htm
It's all Christmassy in Dubai!!
In a world struck by a financial crisis, hunger, famine, war, and environmental decay it's nice to celebrate an occassion even if you don't directly relate to it!!
But then again, Christmas is like Eid. It's all about family, feeling blessed, giving gifts and receiving some if you are lucky! Never forgetting of course that during these occassions you can't fly anywhere unless you've made your booking a year ago!
In Dubai, Christmas is special! It is so because Dubai is, by definition, a Muslim city! Granted that 90% are expats, but the fact that Dubai like all other Gulf cities and states makes sure none of those lives the crazy dream of being a national, makes the freedom they have here exceptional!!
There is no census that gives you a breakdown of population by religion here, but you definitely can not call Muslims a minority here. Despite all of that, Christmas is being celebrated, and given so much attention that you can not find a single shoppiing mall that doesn't sport a HUGE and sparkling Christmas tree. It gives you a warm feeling. It makes "Merry Christmas" that you say to your Christian friends more meaningful.
Finally, I think the past couple of years, and the coming couple of years should be the perfect time to bring us together. December has been and will continue to be in few years to come a festive season for everyone! Starts with Eid Al Adha, then Christmas, then Islamic new year, and the The New Year!! You can hardly get any work done during this period, but it would be wonderful to see different people greeting each other, and wishing each other a blessed Eid or Christmas. Making new year's resolutions together, and exchanging gifts! Dubai is being underestimated and reduced into a wannabe business hub and a shopping destination! I personally think that it can do a great job breaking down the barriers and bridging the gaps! Make people see beyond the haze! Beyond Fox & Sky. Beyond Bush & Bin Lden.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.
Toyota Reports Its First Operational Loss In 70 years
Toyota, the largest carmaker in the world is reporting its first operational losses in 70 years. But why is that happening?
It’s not because Toyota cars suck like the American made cars, or because it consumes a lot of gas; it’s because their biggest market – the American market- is not big anymore, I think that is telling us why the American carmakers are about to go bankrupt.
Corolla and Camry are the top selling Toyota cars in the U.S.
It’s not because Toyota cars suck like the American made cars, or because it consumes a lot of gas; it’s because their biggest market – the American market- is not big anymore, I think that is telling us why the American carmakers are about to go bankrupt.
Corolla and Camry are the top selling Toyota cars in the U.S.
Today’s Dose of Wisdom: Businessmen
Buy land, they're not making it anymore.
Mark Twain
A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.
J. P. Morgan
The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.
Agha Hasan Abedi
We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.
Warren Buffett
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
Henry Ford
Mark Twain
A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason.
J. P. Morgan
The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.
Agha Hasan Abedi
We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.
Warren Buffett
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.
Henry Ford
Madoff the $50 Billion Fraud
Bernard Madoff, a 70 years old money manager and a former NASDAQ chairman was arrested over a fraud case in Wall Street, this fraud scheme has hit the biggest American and European banks and charities.
Now, as mentioned the Madoff ponzi has hit the banks with $50 billion dollars, these banks are; HSBC, PNB Paripas, Spain’s Santander, Fortis Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, the UK-based Hedge Fund Man Group, and many charities.
Bernard Madoff has founded his firm (Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC) in 1960 and it was one of the biggest market makers in Wall Street and had an investment management arm.
It was said the he didn’t have real investments; he was taking money from the new investors and paying it as profits to the old investors, for almost 50 years, he managed to fool all those “professional” investors with a firm started with only $5000 as an initial investment.
This guy is even a genius or had some of SEC (The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) employees on his payrolls, either way, I think an inside investigation should be carried on in the SEC, because everything about the financial crisis has proved that there is corruption in the US regulations and regulatory bodies.
Now, as mentioned the Madoff ponzi has hit the banks with $50 billion dollars, these banks are; HSBC, PNB Paripas, Spain’s Santander, Fortis Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, the UK-based Hedge Fund Man Group, and many charities.
Bernard Madoff has founded his firm (Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC) in 1960 and it was one of the biggest market makers in Wall Street and had an investment management arm.
It was said the he didn’t have real investments; he was taking money from the new investors and paying it as profits to the old investors, for almost 50 years, he managed to fool all those “professional” investors with a firm started with only $5000 as an initial investment.
This guy is even a genius or had some of SEC (The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) employees on his payrolls, either way, I think an inside investigation should be carried on in the SEC, because everything about the financial crisis has proved that there is corruption in the US regulations and regulatory bodies.
What an Ending
I wanted to start by saying "he should have seen it coming" but it would be appropriate because obviously he did see it coming that's why he was able to dodge it, watch below;
Now you might think that i posted this video out of my hate to America, but that's not true, i don't hate America or the American, not even bush as a person, it's just that it's funny, and it carries a message, What You Seed Is What You Harvest.
The World Food Crisis
In the past few days there were a lot of talking about the world going, in addition to financial crisis, in a food crisis. It wasn’t just a breaking headline, news TV’s were focusing on that subject big time, and were interviewing experts to find a solution for this crisis.
Now let’s look at some facts a got from the World Food Program’s (WFP) site:
* Top international experts say millions of people are being pushed deeper into poverty and hunger by high food prices. According to the World Bank, the number is at least 100 million. WFP’s research indicates that it could be as high as 130 million.
* On international commodity markets, food prices have gone up 54 percent over the last year, with cereal prices soaring 92 percent. (Source: FAO – World Food Situation).
* Over the first four months of 2008 WFP paid an average of US$430 for a metric ton of wheat, compared to US$207 for the same period of 2007, an increase of 108 percent.
* WFP is also paying more for other key elements in its food basket: 33 percent more for maize, 50 percent more for rice, 73 percent more for vegetable oil and 61 percent more for pulses.
* World cereal reserves are expected to fall 5 percent this year, to their lowest point for 25 years. (Source: FAO - Crop Prospects).
* Approximately 1 billion people still live on less than US$ 1 dollar a day, the threshold defined by the international community as absolute poverty, below which survival is in question.
In the interviews there were a lot of reasons causing the crisis mentioned, the developing countries’ economics growth, higher energy prices, the growth of bio-fuel production, and the climatic conditions resulting in flooding the crops. But out of this darkness I still can find something to laugh at, in the matter of fact it’s even extremely funny or extremely sad, that thing was, non of the experts interviewed, or at least those I watched, came to mention the civil wars in the hungry countries.
Let’s look at the most affected countries by the crisis and see if the civil wars have anything to do with that or not. These countries are, Somalia, Central Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Other countries like Philippines, Sudan, India, and Sri Lanka, have got their shares of poverty too.
Now let’s try to find the solution, in my opinion, stopping the emerging countries from developing will not solve the problem, although this is the “first world” target, but it’s just stupid. Higher energy prices have something to do with the solution that I’m going to propose. Bio-fuel production takes only 5% of the world cereal production, so stop stressing that point just because Brazil is the world largest producer not the USA.
In the end, I think that the solution is stopping the civil wars, so Europe and America, stop feeding your dogs of war, they will die, and innocent people will live.
Now let’s look at some facts a got from the World Food Program’s (WFP) site:
* Top international experts say millions of people are being pushed deeper into poverty and hunger by high food prices. According to the World Bank, the number is at least 100 million. WFP’s research indicates that it could be as high as 130 million.
* On international commodity markets, food prices have gone up 54 percent over the last year, with cereal prices soaring 92 percent. (Source: FAO – World Food Situation).
* Over the first four months of 2008 WFP paid an average of US$430 for a metric ton of wheat, compared to US$207 for the same period of 2007, an increase of 108 percent.
* WFP is also paying more for other key elements in its food basket: 33 percent more for maize, 50 percent more for rice, 73 percent more for vegetable oil and 61 percent more for pulses.
* World cereal reserves are expected to fall 5 percent this year, to their lowest point for 25 years. (Source: FAO - Crop Prospects).
* Approximately 1 billion people still live on less than US$ 1 dollar a day, the threshold defined by the international community as absolute poverty, below which survival is in question.
In the interviews there were a lot of reasons causing the crisis mentioned, the developing countries’ economics growth, higher energy prices, the growth of bio-fuel production, and the climatic conditions resulting in flooding the crops. But out of this darkness I still can find something to laugh at, in the matter of fact it’s even extremely funny or extremely sad, that thing was, non of the experts interviewed, or at least those I watched, came to mention the civil wars in the hungry countries.
Let’s look at the most affected countries by the crisis and see if the civil wars have anything to do with that or not. These countries are, Somalia, Central Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Other countries like Philippines, Sudan, India, and Sri Lanka, have got their shares of poverty too.
Now let’s try to find the solution, in my opinion, stopping the emerging countries from developing will not solve the problem, although this is the “first world” target, but it’s just stupid. Higher energy prices have something to do with the solution that I’m going to propose. Bio-fuel production takes only 5% of the world cereal production, so stop stressing that point just because Brazil is the world largest producer not the USA.
In the end, I think that the solution is stopping the civil wars, so Europe and America, stop feeding your dogs of war, they will die, and innocent people will live.
Illinois governor arrested
The west and especially the USA keeps accusing the Arab governments of corruption and faulty acts, while it looks they are more corrupted than our governments, in the matter of fact I believe that you will not be able to be a big player in any government unless you are a big liar and prove that you can fool anyone at any time, I mean after all that’s what politics is all about.
The governor of Illinois was arrested on Tuesday and accused of trying to sell Obama’s senate seat. If you have enough money to buy the seat, you will be a player in the team, and if you show good skills and pay more money, who knows what position you might end up filling, maybe the “president”.
This incident brings to my mind the old saying “If you are living in a house of glass, don’t through stones on your neighbors’ windows”. But after all I have to be fair to the Americans, at least this guy has got arrested, will he be convicted? Depends on his relationships with the higher powers, which doesn’t seem to be strong as far as I read. But, how many of those got arrested in our countries? I’ve never heard of any. Who knows? Maybe we don’t have corruption….!!!!!!!
The governor of Illinois was arrested on Tuesday and accused of trying to sell Obama’s senate seat. If you have enough money to buy the seat, you will be a player in the team, and if you show good skills and pay more money, who knows what position you might end up filling, maybe the “president”.
This incident brings to my mind the old saying “If you are living in a house of glass, don’t through stones on your neighbors’ windows”. But after all I have to be fair to the Americans, at least this guy has got arrested, will he be convicted? Depends on his relationships with the higher powers, which doesn’t seem to be strong as far as I read. But, how many of those got arrested in our countries? I’ve never heard of any. Who knows? Maybe we don’t have corruption….!!!!!!!
Oil price hits a low of $40.5 pb.
On Friday’s trading session the West Texas Light Sweet Crude Oil price has hit a low of $40.5 pb, a price that was people’s nightmare 5 years ago and the sweetest dream of all just 6 months ago.
Now, let’s go back in history and find out why crude oil prices has raised to more than $140 pb and why did it fall back to these levels.
When the prices were raising the annalists said it’s because of China’s and India’s economic growth, which was true actually. Other annalists added the political uncertainty in the Middle East, which in my opinion is partly true, because political uncertainty proved to be a short term driver, while we have seen a 5 year rally for the crude oil prices, the political uncertainty still exists and the prices keep falling. The most interesting analysis, the one that I don’t buy, is that we are running out of oil, it’s not that it’s unlikely to happen, it’s just the way this analysis was presented, it was never clear how they got to the numbers they presented to us. And we shouldn’t forget the most important short term market players, brokers and scalpers.
It’s important to distinguish between the long term drivers and the short term ones. In my opinion, economic growth and oil reserves are the most important factors to look at, if we are talking about investing or strategic planning.
I personally wish that oil prices fall even more, I don’t know it just makes life sound easier when oil prices are low.
Now, let’s go back in history and find out why crude oil prices has raised to more than $140 pb and why did it fall back to these levels.
When the prices were raising the annalists said it’s because of China’s and India’s economic growth, which was true actually. Other annalists added the political uncertainty in the Middle East, which in my opinion is partly true, because political uncertainty proved to be a short term driver, while we have seen a 5 year rally for the crude oil prices, the political uncertainty still exists and the prices keep falling. The most interesting analysis, the one that I don’t buy, is that we are running out of oil, it’s not that it’s unlikely to happen, it’s just the way this analysis was presented, it was never clear how they got to the numbers they presented to us. And we shouldn’t forget the most important short term market players, brokers and scalpers.
It’s important to distinguish between the long term drivers and the short term ones. In my opinion, economic growth and oil reserves are the most important factors to look at, if we are talking about investing or strategic planning.
I personally wish that oil prices fall even more, I don’t know it just makes life sound easier when oil prices are low.
Top former Fannie, Freddie excutives to testify
4 former Fannie, Freddie executives to be grilled at House hearing on companies' collapse
Alan Zibel, AP Real Estate Writer
Tuesday December 9, 2008, 12:02 am EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers are poised to trade barbs Tuesday about who deserves most of the blame for the collapse and government takeover of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The two companies, which were seized by federal regulators in September, have become highly charged political targets in the debate over what caused the U.S. housing crisis and the resulting financial fallout.
Four former top executives are scheduled to be grilled at the hearing, which is being led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. But there are doubts about whether the hearing will produce any solid conclusions or will just devolve into partisan bickering.
"I think we're going to get a lot of finger-pointing, which will be totally unproductive," said Bert Ely, a banking industry consultant in Alexandria, Va.
Fannie and Freddie, which own or guarantee around half the $11.5 trillion in U.S. outstanding home loan debt, long used their lobbying muscle in Washington to thwart efforts to impose tighter regulation.
Washington-based Fannie and McLean, Virginia-based Freddie are the engines behind a complex process of buying, bundling and selling mortgages as investments.
They traditionally backed the safest loans, 30-year fixed rate mortgages that required a down payment of at least 20 percent. But in recent years, they lowered their standards, matching a decline fueled by Wall Street banks that backed the now-defunct subprime lending industry.
Republicans blame Fannie and Freddie, and the effort to promote homeownership under the Clinton administration for sowing the seeds of the financial meltdown. Democrats defend the companies' role in encouraging homeownership and note that Wall Street banks -- not Fannie and Freddie -- led a dramatic decline in lending standards.
Both companies have been asked to turn over a long list of documents and e-mail messages concerning the risks they took in their mortgage investments, accounting, and compensation for the companies' former CEOs.
For full story please visit http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Top-former-Fannie-Freddie-apf-13778762.html
Alan Zibel, AP Real Estate Writer
Tuesday December 9, 2008, 12:02 am EST
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Lawmakers are poised to trade barbs Tuesday about who deserves most of the blame for the collapse and government takeover of mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The two companies, which were seized by federal regulators in September, have become highly charged political targets in the debate over what caused the U.S. housing crisis and the resulting financial fallout.
Four former top executives are scheduled to be grilled at the hearing, which is being led by Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. But there are doubts about whether the hearing will produce any solid conclusions or will just devolve into partisan bickering.
"I think we're going to get a lot of finger-pointing, which will be totally unproductive," said Bert Ely, a banking industry consultant in Alexandria, Va.
Fannie and Freddie, which own or guarantee around half the $11.5 trillion in U.S. outstanding home loan debt, long used their lobbying muscle in Washington to thwart efforts to impose tighter regulation.
Washington-based Fannie and McLean, Virginia-based Freddie are the engines behind a complex process of buying, bundling and selling mortgages as investments.
They traditionally backed the safest loans, 30-year fixed rate mortgages that required a down payment of at least 20 percent. But in recent years, they lowered their standards, matching a decline fueled by Wall Street banks that backed the now-defunct subprime lending industry.
Republicans blame Fannie and Freddie, and the effort to promote homeownership under the Clinton administration for sowing the seeds of the financial meltdown. Democrats defend the companies' role in encouraging homeownership and note that Wall Street banks -- not Fannie and Freddie -- led a dramatic decline in lending standards.
Both companies have been asked to turn over a long list of documents and e-mail messages concerning the risks they took in their mortgage investments, accounting, and compensation for the companies' former CEOs.
For full story please visit http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Top-former-Fannie-Freddie-apf-13778762.html
Today’s dose of wisdom: Motivational Quotes
Take a lesson from the mosquito. It never waits for an opening; it makes one.
When we wake up in the morning, we have two simple choices: go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.
Success is not permanent and failure is not final! So, never stop working after success and never stop trying after failure!
Investment in people brings the highest return in life.
Life is an experiment. It could end in disaster one day, puts you on top of the world the next day and will leave you wondering what happens, the next. The challenge is to turn the experiment into a life, well experimented.
Push yourself past your own expectations and those of others. Once you think you have had enough, push a little harder.
The best compliment a leader can receive is not from their leader, but from those they lead.
for more please visit
http://www.motivateus.com/
When we wake up in the morning, we have two simple choices: go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.
Success is not permanent and failure is not final! So, never stop working after success and never stop trying after failure!
Investment in people brings the highest return in life.
Life is an experiment. It could end in disaster one day, puts you on top of the world the next day and will leave you wondering what happens, the next. The challenge is to turn the experiment into a life, well experimented.
Push yourself past your own expectations and those of others. Once you think you have had enough, push a little harder.
The best compliment a leader can receive is not from their leader, but from those they lead.
for more please visit
http://www.motivateus.com/
Queen Rania!! Queen of Jordan!! An Arab Woman!!
You know... I can't really say much here! She is just wonderful!!!
Status Update: going up the ladder!
Weather: 8
Ahhhhh, finally!! you can roll down your windows, take awake, enjoy a an outdoors shisha and plan for a visit to the autodrome! :)
Health: 6
Average!! I have to cut down on a habit or two though!
Finance: 7.5It's ironic that this figure just went during these tough times! I guess it all boils down to the fact that i didn't see a specific digit in my bank account for a very very long time!
Social: 6Things are quiet. Work is taking its toll, and traffic leaves you worn out and the idea of having a social life is at times not appealing whatsoever!! However, the weekends are always interesting. I'm expecting more fun in the coming days, as one my bestEST friends is coming to town.
Professional: 8.5It's getting real, and I have to say, at work, shit usually happens!
Insomnia: 6Work is really giving me no chance to suffer from this horrible condition! One thing I'm thankful for.
Overall: 6.9A push is forecasted in December, with the holidays season beckoning. I just hope that a certain trip will no Xt$*%# the whole thing up!!
Ahhhhh, finally!! you can roll down your windows, take awake, enjoy a an outdoors shisha and plan for a visit to the autodrome! :)
Health: 6
Average!! I have to cut down on a habit or two though!
Finance: 7.5It's ironic that this figure just went during these tough times! I guess it all boils down to the fact that i didn't see a specific digit in my bank account for a very very long time!
Social: 6Things are quiet. Work is taking its toll, and traffic leaves you worn out and the idea of having a social life is at times not appealing whatsoever!! However, the weekends are always interesting. I'm expecting more fun in the coming days, as one my bestEST friends is coming to town.
Professional: 8.5It's getting real, and I have to say, at work, shit usually happens!
Insomnia: 6Work is really giving me no chance to suffer from this horrible condition! One thing I'm thankful for.
Overall: 6.9A push is forecasted in December, with the holidays season beckoning. I just hope that a certain trip will no Xt$*%# the whole thing up!!
Dubai: Moment of Truth!
Our fears have been confirmed. Now, even after using all our senses and twisted logical methods we couldn't mask the truth. Dubai now, is officially affected as every other part of the world by the Credit Crunch!
Nakheel, a government-owned developer, and one of the most innovative and daring real estate developers has decided to cut its workforce by 15%. 500 employees were told today that their services are no longer required. Now, what you decided to make of that is your choice, but I for one, will hold dearly to my job! I think the days of job-jumping and double digit salary hikes are over. It will be interesting to see how the government will go about applying the planned VAT tax, and their initial promise of introducing it at a low rate of 2.5%.
The matter of the fact is that Dubai is not going to collapse. Simply because the economy here is diversified. But the question will be, how capable is the city of showing the rate of growth it showed up till now in the future?! Another interesting question is how strong will the Domino effect be?! Nakheel, Damac and the rest of real estate companies in Dubai offered some of the best paying jobs in the country. Along with that comes a strong purchasing power, so how will those who found themselves suddenly with no jobs react to the situation in term of spending, and how will that affect all the consumer-driven businesses in the country? It is wise to assume that a lot of people will be watching their bills from now on, and unnecessary and lavish spending practices will be re-visited.
What will be the next step? I think we have to sit and watch!
Nakheel, a government-owned developer, and one of the most innovative and daring real estate developers has decided to cut its workforce by 15%. 500 employees were told today that their services are no longer required. Now, what you decided to make of that is your choice, but I for one, will hold dearly to my job! I think the days of job-jumping and double digit salary hikes are over. It will be interesting to see how the government will go about applying the planned VAT tax, and their initial promise of introducing it at a low rate of 2.5%.
The matter of the fact is that Dubai is not going to collapse. Simply because the economy here is diversified. But the question will be, how capable is the city of showing the rate of growth it showed up till now in the future?! Another interesting question is how strong will the Domino effect be?! Nakheel, Damac and the rest of real estate companies in Dubai offered some of the best paying jobs in the country. Along with that comes a strong purchasing power, so how will those who found themselves suddenly with no jobs react to the situation in term of spending, and how will that affect all the consumer-driven businesses in the country? It is wise to assume that a lot of people will be watching their bills from now on, and unnecessary and lavish spending practices will be re-visited.
What will be the next step? I think we have to sit and watch!
How one American Sees Emanuel Rahm. The new Cheif of Staff
In a very baised world, one that is run by double standards and facts set by media rather than real time events, it gave me some hope to read a certain article by an American Blogger whose blog is sponsored by the CNN.
However, hoping is one thing, and the realization of that hope is a different matter. Wanting the whole world to take off the blindfold and look at the world from the window of truth rather than the window of FOX & SKY is, in my opinion, the only way that arabs and the west can overcome their differences and live in peace. Unfortunately, though, these networks have a higher reach to the people than a blog, and this is why I will not make the mistake of overjoying over this article!
I'll quote the whole article. Please go through it. It's very interesting.
" Barack Obama chose Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff not for his Middle East policy expertise but his Beltway experience and savvy. Nicknamed Rahmbo, Emanuel was Bill Clinton's scrappy White House political director--he taught that president the Hebrew word for balls, baytzim--and has served three terms in congress.
Yet, news of Emanuel's appointment is causing a stir in the Middle East. It's being met with some elation in Israel, a country that has been notably uneasy about an Obama presidency, and some despair in the Arab world, which had largely embraced Obama. An Oxford-educated Arab friend called Thursday night to ask me in a tone of deep disappointment, "Did you notice how in the span of 24 hours Egyptians went from being ecstatic to being depressed about Obama?" The Arab News in Jeddah, whose editorials are a good reflection of the Arab mainstream, did an astounding somersault on Friday. Just the previous day, the paper hailed the "symbol of hope and change" in the U.S., saying Obama's historic election "threatens the cosy Washington consensus. We are, therefore, embarking on exciting times." After hearing of Emanuel's appointment, the paper headlined its next editorial "Don't pin much hope on Obama." Arab expectations, the paper warned, "are likely to be dashed, generating a great deal of pain and resentment...The new team may turn out to be as pro-Israeli as the one it is replacing."
Arab disappointment aside, there's enough in Emanuel's background to raise a fair question of whether the key appointment of such a demonstratively pro-Israel figure is going to help or hurt the prospects for Obama's avowed plans to play an effective role in brokering Middle East peace. Obama promised to be actively engaged as an Israeli-Arab conciliator from Day One, a far cry better than President Bush, who ignored mediation for six years because he believed that Islamic terrorism and lack of Arab democracy were more serious problems to tackle. But many will be looking to see if Obama will avoid the excessive pro-Israel bias and attendant strategic asymmetry that Arab officials--and also some former U.S. diplomats--cite as one of the factors in the tragic, bloody collapse of the peace process during the Clinton administration. It's impossible and unfair to judge Obama's future Middle East policies on the basis of one appointment, especially when the job in question is not directly responsible for the Middle East. Still, for the Arab world, it's a dispiriting start to the Obama era in the region, anything but the hoped-for sign of greater American sensitivity and fairness toward the Arabs.
Emanuel's public views express backing for the peace process coupled with total support for Israel's security and distrust of Palestinians as well as Washington's traditional Arab allies. Atlantic magazine's Jeffrey Goldberg, who says "I've known Rahm for a long time," reports that "he is deeply and emotionally committed to Israel and its safety. We've talked about the issue a dozen times; it's something he thinks about constantly..." In customary, boilerplate praise in 2006, Emanuel called Israel "a vital ally of the United States since the beginning of its existence, sharing democratic values, friendship, and respect and enjoying a strategic partnership. American and Israel shall remain close friends for years to come." In a rare break with his famous partisanship, Emanuel lauded Bush's State Department for supporting Arab pro-democracy activists, decrying past U.S. policy that allowed "repressive regimes...such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia [to] receive a pass." In 2006, Emanuel was a vocal critic of Bush's decision to allow Dubai Ports World, a Dubai government-owned company, to manage operations at six U.S. ports. Not only would that endanger U.S. "safety and security," Emanuel said, but would enable the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. ally, to "promote terrorism and violence against Israel" through its support of the Hamas government elected in Palestine at that time. As a condition to doing business with the U.S., Emanuel said, the UAE should be required to renounce its anti-Israel boycott. Intense congressional pressure eventually forced Dubai Ports World to abandon its plans, causing wide bitterness in the Arab world, including among Westernized moderates.
During the Clinton administration, Emanuel helped arrange the historic signing ceremony for the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the PLO at the White House in 1993. He accompanied Clinton to the Middle East for the Israeli-Jordanian peace agreement signing and Yitzhak Rabin's funeral. Recently, Emanuel personally escorted Obama last June when the Democratic candidate gave a strongly pro-Israel speech to the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby group in Washington and held a private meeting with AIPAC's Executive Board. Emanuel's father Benjamin was quoted in an article about Rahm headlined "Our Man in the White House" in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv last week, saying "Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House." Last week, Ha'aretz quoted U.S. Jewish leaders praising Emanuel's selection. William Daroff, director of the United Jewish Communities Washington office, said: "Rep. Emanuel is also a good friend of Israel, coming from good Irgun stock, davening at an Orthodox synagogue, and sending his children to Jewish day schools." But Ha'aretz also quoted an unnamed veteran Israeli diplomat saying Emanuel's association with Israel "doesn't necessarily bring him closer to us. One thing is certain--Israelis will not be able to pull the wool over his eyes."
What has most grabbed attention is Emanuel's various deep personal connections to Israel. His father Benjamin was born in Jerusalem, fought to establish the state and was an Israeli citizen before emigrating to the U.S. where Rahm was born in 1959. As a kid, Rahm went to summer camps in Israel. His father is quoted as saying Rahm continues to spend his summer vacations in Tel Aviv and speaks Hebrew though not fluently. Emanuel abruptly left his post on a Richard Daley mayoral campaign in Chicago and volunteered for service in the Israel Defense Force during the 1991 Gulf War. A 1997 Jerusalem Post story reported that Emanuel did menial work at a supply base in northern Israel. The Post quoted him saying that the experience was not a sacrifice but "something I wanted to do." The article also quoted fellow Daley campaign worker Peter Giangreco saying, "Here's a guy who, during a very, very, very important campaign to him and the city, said there's something bigger here. He takes loyalty and duty, and his beliefs, very seriously." In his presidential memoirs, Bill Clinton twice mentions that his aide had "served in the Israeli army."
Benjamin Emanuel, now an Illinois resident, is reported to have been a member of a Jewish nationalist "terrorist" organization, Irgun Zvai Leumi (IZL). According to a 1997 NY Times profile of Rahm and two equally successful brothers, the Emanuel family name was originally Auerbach, but it was changed in a tribute to an uncle Emanuel Auerbach who was killed in a "skirmish with Arabs" in Jerusalem around 1933. The Times article said only that Benjamin "passed secret codes" for the Irgun. Benjamin told Ha'aretz that his son was named after "Rahamim," who the paper identified as a slain combatant belonging to Lohamei Herut Israel (LHI). Also known as the Stern Gang, LHI was an Irgun splinter group that carried out political assassinations in the name of Jewish nationalism, including those of the Swedish U.N. mediator Count Folke Bernadotte and British diplomat Lord Moyne.
For Palestinians and Arabs generally, the Irgun and Stern Gang are bitterly etched into their historical narrative as murderous terrorist organizations, not unlike the way that Israeli governments, most Israelis and much of the world have viewed the PLO and Hamas. Led by the future hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the group fought for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine during the 1930s and 1940s. It's extreme views and tactics led it into regular conflict with Haganah, the mainstream Jewish paramilitary group that formed the basis for the future IDF. The Irgun's symbol was a hand grasping a gun over its map of Israel--the territory encompassing today's Israel, the West Bank and Kingdom of Jordan. The Haganah initially formed to defend Jews from attacks by Arabs, who were in violent revolt against British Mandate and Zionist movement actions to establish a Jewish homeland. Believing the British were in fact betraying Jews, militants who differed with the Haganah's policy of restraint broke away, formed the Irgun and launched spectacular terrorist attacks such as the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, then the British military HQ, which killed 92 people, as well as the kidnapping and murder of British soldiers. The group also played a violent role in terrorizing Arabs into fleeing cities and towns that the Zionist movement sought to include in a future Jewish state. The Irgun's actions included placing bombs in crowded Arab markets, indiscriminately bombarding civilians in Jaffa, the major Arab town adjoining the Jewish city of Tel Aviv, and the notorious Deir Yassin massacre.
Although accounts of what happened at Deir Yassin differ, there is general agreement that the Arab killings there in April 1948 significantly fueled the panic in which hundreds of thousands of Arabs left their homes and villages--whose "right of return" remains one of the bitterest points of dispute in more than 15 years of on-again, off-again Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. In his landmark work on the Palestinian refugee problem, Israeli historian Benny Morris described Deir Yassin this way: "After a prolonged firefight, in which Arab family after family were slaughtered, the dissidents rounded up many of the remaining villagers, who included militiamen and unarmed civilians of both sexes, and children, and murdered dozens of them. Altogether some 250 Arabs, mostly non-combatants, were murdered; there were also cases of mutilation and rape. The surviving inhabitants were expelled to Arab-held East Jerusalem. The weight of the evidence suggests that the dissident group did not go in with the intention of committing a massacre but lost their heads during the battle, which they had found unexpectedly tough-going. It is probable, however, the the IZL and LHI commanders from the first had intended to expel the village's inhabitants. "
By Scott MacLeod.
You can find the original article here:
http://mideast.blogs.time.com/
However, hoping is one thing, and the realization of that hope is a different matter. Wanting the whole world to take off the blindfold and look at the world from the window of truth rather than the window of FOX & SKY is, in my opinion, the only way that arabs and the west can overcome their differences and live in peace. Unfortunately, though, these networks have a higher reach to the people than a blog, and this is why I will not make the mistake of overjoying over this article!
I'll quote the whole article. Please go through it. It's very interesting.
" Barack Obama chose Rahm Emanuel to be his chief of staff not for his Middle East policy expertise but his Beltway experience and savvy. Nicknamed Rahmbo, Emanuel was Bill Clinton's scrappy White House political director--he taught that president the Hebrew word for balls, baytzim--and has served three terms in congress.
Yet, news of Emanuel's appointment is causing a stir in the Middle East. It's being met with some elation in Israel, a country that has been notably uneasy about an Obama presidency, and some despair in the Arab world, which had largely embraced Obama. An Oxford-educated Arab friend called Thursday night to ask me in a tone of deep disappointment, "Did you notice how in the span of 24 hours Egyptians went from being ecstatic to being depressed about Obama?" The Arab News in Jeddah, whose editorials are a good reflection of the Arab mainstream, did an astounding somersault on Friday. Just the previous day, the paper hailed the "symbol of hope and change" in the U.S., saying Obama's historic election "threatens the cosy Washington consensus. We are, therefore, embarking on exciting times." After hearing of Emanuel's appointment, the paper headlined its next editorial "Don't pin much hope on Obama." Arab expectations, the paper warned, "are likely to be dashed, generating a great deal of pain and resentment...The new team may turn out to be as pro-Israeli as the one it is replacing."
Arab disappointment aside, there's enough in Emanuel's background to raise a fair question of whether the key appointment of such a demonstratively pro-Israel figure is going to help or hurt the prospects for Obama's avowed plans to play an effective role in brokering Middle East peace. Obama promised to be actively engaged as an Israeli-Arab conciliator from Day One, a far cry better than President Bush, who ignored mediation for six years because he believed that Islamic terrorism and lack of Arab democracy were more serious problems to tackle. But many will be looking to see if Obama will avoid the excessive pro-Israel bias and attendant strategic asymmetry that Arab officials--and also some former U.S. diplomats--cite as one of the factors in the tragic, bloody collapse of the peace process during the Clinton administration. It's impossible and unfair to judge Obama's future Middle East policies on the basis of one appointment, especially when the job in question is not directly responsible for the Middle East. Still, for the Arab world, it's a dispiriting start to the Obama era in the region, anything but the hoped-for sign of greater American sensitivity and fairness toward the Arabs.
Emanuel's public views express backing for the peace process coupled with total support for Israel's security and distrust of Palestinians as well as Washington's traditional Arab allies. Atlantic magazine's Jeffrey Goldberg, who says "I've known Rahm for a long time," reports that "he is deeply and emotionally committed to Israel and its safety. We've talked about the issue a dozen times; it's something he thinks about constantly..." In customary, boilerplate praise in 2006, Emanuel called Israel "a vital ally of the United States since the beginning of its existence, sharing democratic values, friendship, and respect and enjoying a strategic partnership. American and Israel shall remain close friends for years to come." In a rare break with his famous partisanship, Emanuel lauded Bush's State Department for supporting Arab pro-democracy activists, decrying past U.S. policy that allowed "repressive regimes...such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia [to] receive a pass." In 2006, Emanuel was a vocal critic of Bush's decision to allow Dubai Ports World, a Dubai government-owned company, to manage operations at six U.S. ports. Not only would that endanger U.S. "safety and security," Emanuel said, but would enable the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. ally, to "promote terrorism and violence against Israel" through its support of the Hamas government elected in Palestine at that time. As a condition to doing business with the U.S., Emanuel said, the UAE should be required to renounce its anti-Israel boycott. Intense congressional pressure eventually forced Dubai Ports World to abandon its plans, causing wide bitterness in the Arab world, including among Westernized moderates.
During the Clinton administration, Emanuel helped arrange the historic signing ceremony for the Oslo peace accords between Israel and the PLO at the White House in 1993. He accompanied Clinton to the Middle East for the Israeli-Jordanian peace agreement signing and Yitzhak Rabin's funeral. Recently, Emanuel personally escorted Obama last June when the Democratic candidate gave a strongly pro-Israel speech to the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby group in Washington and held a private meeting with AIPAC's Executive Board. Emanuel's father Benjamin was quoted in an article about Rahm headlined "Our Man in the White House" in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv last week, saying "Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House." Last week, Ha'aretz quoted U.S. Jewish leaders praising Emanuel's selection. William Daroff, director of the United Jewish Communities Washington office, said: "Rep. Emanuel is also a good friend of Israel, coming from good Irgun stock, davening at an Orthodox synagogue, and sending his children to Jewish day schools." But Ha'aretz also quoted an unnamed veteran Israeli diplomat saying Emanuel's association with Israel "doesn't necessarily bring him closer to us. One thing is certain--Israelis will not be able to pull the wool over his eyes."
What has most grabbed attention is Emanuel's various deep personal connections to Israel. His father Benjamin was born in Jerusalem, fought to establish the state and was an Israeli citizen before emigrating to the U.S. where Rahm was born in 1959. As a kid, Rahm went to summer camps in Israel. His father is quoted as saying Rahm continues to spend his summer vacations in Tel Aviv and speaks Hebrew though not fluently. Emanuel abruptly left his post on a Richard Daley mayoral campaign in Chicago and volunteered for service in the Israel Defense Force during the 1991 Gulf War. A 1997 Jerusalem Post story reported that Emanuel did menial work at a supply base in northern Israel. The Post quoted him saying that the experience was not a sacrifice but "something I wanted to do." The article also quoted fellow Daley campaign worker Peter Giangreco saying, "Here's a guy who, during a very, very, very important campaign to him and the city, said there's something bigger here. He takes loyalty and duty, and his beliefs, very seriously." In his presidential memoirs, Bill Clinton twice mentions that his aide had "served in the Israeli army."
Benjamin Emanuel, now an Illinois resident, is reported to have been a member of a Jewish nationalist "terrorist" organization, Irgun Zvai Leumi (IZL). According to a 1997 NY Times profile of Rahm and two equally successful brothers, the Emanuel family name was originally Auerbach, but it was changed in a tribute to an uncle Emanuel Auerbach who was killed in a "skirmish with Arabs" in Jerusalem around 1933. The Times article said only that Benjamin "passed secret codes" for the Irgun. Benjamin told Ha'aretz that his son was named after "Rahamim," who the paper identified as a slain combatant belonging to Lohamei Herut Israel (LHI). Also known as the Stern Gang, LHI was an Irgun splinter group that carried out political assassinations in the name of Jewish nationalism, including those of the Swedish U.N. mediator Count Folke Bernadotte and British diplomat Lord Moyne.
For Palestinians and Arabs generally, the Irgun and Stern Gang are bitterly etched into their historical narrative as murderous terrorist organizations, not unlike the way that Israeli governments, most Israelis and much of the world have viewed the PLO and Hamas. Led by the future hard-line Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, the group fought for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine during the 1930s and 1940s. It's extreme views and tactics led it into regular conflict with Haganah, the mainstream Jewish paramilitary group that formed the basis for the future IDF. The Irgun's symbol was a hand grasping a gun over its map of Israel--the territory encompassing today's Israel, the West Bank and Kingdom of Jordan. The Haganah initially formed to defend Jews from attacks by Arabs, who were in violent revolt against British Mandate and Zionist movement actions to establish a Jewish homeland. Believing the British were in fact betraying Jews, militants who differed with the Haganah's policy of restraint broke away, formed the Irgun and launched spectacular terrorist attacks such as the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, then the British military HQ, which killed 92 people, as well as the kidnapping and murder of British soldiers. The group also played a violent role in terrorizing Arabs into fleeing cities and towns that the Zionist movement sought to include in a future Jewish state. The Irgun's actions included placing bombs in crowded Arab markets, indiscriminately bombarding civilians in Jaffa, the major Arab town adjoining the Jewish city of Tel Aviv, and the notorious Deir Yassin massacre.
Although accounts of what happened at Deir Yassin differ, there is general agreement that the Arab killings there in April 1948 significantly fueled the panic in which hundreds of thousands of Arabs left their homes and villages--whose "right of return" remains one of the bitterest points of dispute in more than 15 years of on-again, off-again Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. In his landmark work on the Palestinian refugee problem, Israeli historian Benny Morris described Deir Yassin this way: "After a prolonged firefight, in which Arab family after family were slaughtered, the dissidents rounded up many of the remaining villagers, who included militiamen and unarmed civilians of both sexes, and children, and murdered dozens of them. Altogether some 250 Arabs, mostly non-combatants, were murdered; there were also cases of mutilation and rape. The surviving inhabitants were expelled to Arab-held East Jerusalem. The weight of the evidence suggests that the dissident group did not go in with the intention of committing a massacre but lost their heads during the battle, which they had found unexpectedly tough-going. It is probable, however, the the IZL and LHI commanders from the first had intended to expel the village's inhabitants. "
By Scott MacLeod.
You can find the original article here:
http://mideast.blogs.time.com/
The Triangle of Evil
Hamas prevents pilgrims from passing to Egypt on their way to Saudi Arabia to do the hajj.
Why would the “Islamic” party do that?
They say because the pilgrims have got their papers illegally approved. How did they know that it’s illegal? Because it was approved by the government in Ram Allah.
I’ve never been a fan of politics, or the politicians, especially the “Islamic” ones. I think it’s obvious why.
Poor Gaza falls in the center of the Triangle of Evil, Hamas, what so called the Palestinian government, and the Israeli killing machine.
In this occasion I would like to applaud Hamas and Ram Allah government, well done guys, you have managed to show the world the real meaning of hypocrisy, you have managed to show the world that Palestinians are idiots and don’t deserve to have an independent country, although they are actually smart and they do deserve the country, but the truth won’t be revealed until they come to their senses and sack you all, Hamas and the PLO.
I know this article is a little harsh, but we’ve had enough of this bullshit, and it must end, or maybe it’s just me! I don’t know.
Why would the “Islamic” party do that?
They say because the pilgrims have got their papers illegally approved. How did they know that it’s illegal? Because it was approved by the government in Ram Allah.
I’ve never been a fan of politics, or the politicians, especially the “Islamic” ones. I think it’s obvious why.
Poor Gaza falls in the center of the Triangle of Evil, Hamas, what so called the Palestinian government, and the Israeli killing machine.
In this occasion I would like to applaud Hamas and Ram Allah government, well done guys, you have managed to show the world the real meaning of hypocrisy, you have managed to show the world that Palestinians are idiots and don’t deserve to have an independent country, although they are actually smart and they do deserve the country, but the truth won’t be revealed until they come to their senses and sack you all, Hamas and the PLO.
I know this article is a little harsh, but we’ve had enough of this bullshit, and it must end, or maybe it’s just me! I don’t know.
Today's Dose of Wisdom: The Right Way To Kill!!
"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets." Voltaire
And that's why I don't see FOX or SKY news saying anything about what's going on in Gaza!!
The Israelis are doing it with STYLE!
Dubai protects its Real Estate boom during crisis
To react to the ongoing global financial crisis, Dubai has introduced new regulations to protect one of the segments that led the way in Dubai's financial growth.
During the past few days a couple of events that took place in Dubai gave the indication that the bubble everyone was talking about is about to burst. Damac letting go 200 employees, stories about Nakheel putting a hold on 7 major projects, stocks of major real estate companies nose diving in the stock market. All of that added to a rumor that prices have went down 4% since September!!
To counter this fear factor new regulations have been introduced to boost investors' confidence in Dubai's real estate market. Some of these new regulations include: Power vested in developers to issue residence visas for investors at the point of sale, which is obviously an important boost to the invstors' confidence given that Dubai is the only place in the world that offers such option. An important ammendment is the assurances that ivestors will get by registering every deal in Dubai Land Department which guarrantees to those investors that shady deals and properties that used to be planned and advertised and then put on hold after the first payment is history. Other rules regarding mortgage and freehold further boost confidence.
All that will be put to test in the coming few months, and everyone will be watching how Dubai will react to this global crisis! Questions will be asked about how diversified Dubai's economy is, and how this will help protect its growth.
Fingers crossed.
During the past few days a couple of events that took place in Dubai gave the indication that the bubble everyone was talking about is about to burst. Damac letting go 200 employees, stories about Nakheel putting a hold on 7 major projects, stocks of major real estate companies nose diving in the stock market. All of that added to a rumor that prices have went down 4% since September!!
To counter this fear factor new regulations have been introduced to boost investors' confidence in Dubai's real estate market. Some of these new regulations include: Power vested in developers to issue residence visas for investors at the point of sale, which is obviously an important boost to the invstors' confidence given that Dubai is the only place in the world that offers such option. An important ammendment is the assurances that ivestors will get by registering every deal in Dubai Land Department which guarrantees to those investors that shady deals and properties that used to be planned and advertised and then put on hold after the first payment is history. Other rules regarding mortgage and freehold further boost confidence.
All that will be put to test in the coming few months, and everyone will be watching how Dubai will react to this global crisis! Questions will be asked about how diversified Dubai's economy is, and how this will help protect its growth.
Fingers crossed.
Too Many Questions
Before I start my TOO MANY QUESTIONS I want to say what pushed me to write such an article.
A court order stopped the trading in the Kuwait stock Exchange, this headline has really pulled on my nerves, it was worse than a slap in the face.
Now the questions,
Who went to court and raised a case to stop the trading? Who is the judge who gave the order? What is his expertise and what does he know about the financial markets? What was this order meant to give to the stock market? What will happen when they resume the trading? Or will they keep it halted forever?
That was about Kuwait; now let’s look at the big picture,
Where are the Arab governments’ spokesmen who were shouting out loud that the global financial crisis will not affect us? In fact, where are those who had the guts to say that it’s going to be beneficial for us? ( I remember I wrote about this and said that I agree with them only if they did the right thing, but obviously they are doing the exact opposite).
And speaking of the liquidity crisis, is it possible that the gulf states have a liquidity crisis? And what about the companies? How about buying your 10% treasury stocks? Don’t you think this will give investors more confidence in your stock? Or don’t you think it's worth buying?
There is only one thing I want to say;
IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, STAY AWAY FROM THE KITCHEN.
A court order stopped the trading in the Kuwait stock Exchange, this headline has really pulled on my nerves, it was worse than a slap in the face.
Now the questions,
Who went to court and raised a case to stop the trading? Who is the judge who gave the order? What is his expertise and what does he know about the financial markets? What was this order meant to give to the stock market? What will happen when they resume the trading? Or will they keep it halted forever?
That was about Kuwait; now let’s look at the big picture,
Where are the Arab governments’ spokesmen who were shouting out loud that the global financial crisis will not affect us? In fact, where are those who had the guts to say that it’s going to be beneficial for us? ( I remember I wrote about this and said that I agree with them only if they did the right thing, but obviously they are doing the exact opposite).
And speaking of the liquidity crisis, is it possible that the gulf states have a liquidity crisis? And what about the companies? How about buying your 10% treasury stocks? Don’t you think this will give investors more confidence in your stock? Or don’t you think it's worth buying?
There is only one thing I want to say;
IF YOU CAN’T STAND THE HEAT, STAY AWAY FROM THE KITCHEN.
New Business Tragedy Is On The Way
General Motors is the second largest auto maker in the world, it employs about 266,000 people all around the world, and it makes its trucks and cars in 35 different countries.
A company like GM is certainly unlikely to go bankrupt, well, at least that what I was thinking and most people did too, but let me throw some new numbers about the 100 years old giant and let’s see if we are going to change our minds about it.
The ninth largest publicly traded company has suffered 38 billion dollars losses in 2007, they now have $16 billion in cash which means that they might fall below the minimum of $11 to $14 billion to keep its day-to-day operations, not mentioning the $3.1 million dollars hourly losses they will not be able to pay most of their creditors, and according to the US law it needs only 3 creditors to go to court to force GM to bankruptcy.
After all that, i don’t think that GM is going to make it until the end of the year, why the end of the year? Because they are counting big time on Obama’s plan of $25 billion dollars to bailout the 3 largest auto makers in the US.
If you think it’s just GM who’s going to go bankrupt, you are wrong. It’s a chain reaction, GM falls, those who gave loans to GM will fail too, and the saddest thing of all, is that 3 million people will loose their jobs, while those who made fool of every American are enjoying the billions they made on some island in the Caribbean.
I think taking the management’s money and use it to bailout the company, then through all those who were responsible for this tragedy in jail for life so they can’t get out and miss up people’s life again.
To read more about GM, please go to the following links;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081114/meltdown_autos.html
A company like GM is certainly unlikely to go bankrupt, well, at least that what I was thinking and most people did too, but let me throw some new numbers about the 100 years old giant and let’s see if we are going to change our minds about it.
The ninth largest publicly traded company has suffered 38 billion dollars losses in 2007, they now have $16 billion in cash which means that they might fall below the minimum of $11 to $14 billion to keep its day-to-day operations, not mentioning the $3.1 million dollars hourly losses they will not be able to pay most of their creditors, and according to the US law it needs only 3 creditors to go to court to force GM to bankruptcy.
After all that, i don’t think that GM is going to make it until the end of the year, why the end of the year? Because they are counting big time on Obama’s plan of $25 billion dollars to bailout the 3 largest auto makers in the US.
If you think it’s just GM who’s going to go bankrupt, you are wrong. It’s a chain reaction, GM falls, those who gave loans to GM will fail too, and the saddest thing of all, is that 3 million people will loose their jobs, while those who made fool of every American are enjoying the billions they made on some island in the Caribbean.
I think taking the management’s money and use it to bailout the company, then through all those who were responsible for this tragedy in jail for life so they can’t get out and miss up people’s life again.
To read more about GM, please go to the following links;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081114/meltdown_autos.html
Russel Peters: A brilliant comedian
I have a thing for stand up comedy!! It's amazing, and straight to the point.
This Russell Peters just killsme. I swear I get tummy ache after watching him.
P.S. This Clip contains some Explicit language, so don't say you were not cautioned! :)
This Russell Peters just killsme. I swear I get tummy ache after watching him.
P.S. This Clip contains some Explicit language, so don't say you were not cautioned! :)
Dubai in the eye of the storm
I woke up late today and was extremely annoyed by the fact that I wasted 4-5 good hours because of my laziness! And so, adamant on not wasting more I jumped into my jeans and left home in a rush. The outside world welcomed me with nice breeze, and I thought this is going be a good day! At least what is left of it.
As it turned out, that breeze was merely a strained gesture of hospitality from the city, because as I got into the car, I felt like I was put in a time machine and airborned to kuwaiti desert with sands attacking me from all directions! I gazed at the sky with a frown, and there were armies of black clouds masking the sun! I thought to myself, this doesn't look like dubai at all! And the sentence was vindicated by the absence of Burj Dubai from the horizon! Eclipsed by the sand crunch! This is not good for those beach goers!
However, for some reason my mind almost immediately fetched another crunch from my memories' database. I have to say that this word wasn't so popular with me, and I barely remember using it. The Credit Crunch Effect on Dubai feels almost similar to that of the sand storm! Sudden, unexpected, and without a timetable or a set of actions on the agenda! Just chaotic. More importantly both of them are creepy. Although an expact, you can not help but to be afraid that something wrong is going to happen for this city. A lot of things have been eclipsed, but there is nothing to confirm it. Recently, a company CAME OUT!. Yes, I'm using the same term because it is a similar TABOO! Damac fired 200 employees! And this is the first bite. Some rumors are circulating about Nakheel doing the same.
Dubai is a wonderful city, no matter our complains about traffic and prices and artificiality! Seriously, what did egyptians get from Cairo's authenticity?? The matter of the fact is that this city offers endless opportunities and experiences to its residents. Granted, it's not perfect. But so is every other city.
I expect other developers like Nakheel and Emaar to follow suit and start downsizing. We'll feel the heat for awhile. But I have a feeling this city is going to bounce back again. We will see the benefits of the diversified economy.
Who knows, maybe all of this is gentle reminder for Dubai that she needs to take it easy, and give herself time to grow. Afterall, God created Heaven and Earth in seven days.
As it turned out, that breeze was merely a strained gesture of hospitality from the city, because as I got into the car, I felt like I was put in a time machine and airborned to kuwaiti desert with sands attacking me from all directions! I gazed at the sky with a frown, and there were armies of black clouds masking the sun! I thought to myself, this doesn't look like dubai at all! And the sentence was vindicated by the absence of Burj Dubai from the horizon! Eclipsed by the sand crunch! This is not good for those beach goers!
However, for some reason my mind almost immediately fetched another crunch from my memories' database. I have to say that this word wasn't so popular with me, and I barely remember using it. The Credit Crunch Effect on Dubai feels almost similar to that of the sand storm! Sudden, unexpected, and without a timetable or a set of actions on the agenda! Just chaotic. More importantly both of them are creepy. Although an expact, you can not help but to be afraid that something wrong is going to happen for this city. A lot of things have been eclipsed, but there is nothing to confirm it. Recently, a company CAME OUT!. Yes, I'm using the same term because it is a similar TABOO! Damac fired 200 employees! And this is the first bite. Some rumors are circulating about Nakheel doing the same.
Dubai is a wonderful city, no matter our complains about traffic and prices and artificiality! Seriously, what did egyptians get from Cairo's authenticity?? The matter of the fact is that this city offers endless opportunities and experiences to its residents. Granted, it's not perfect. But so is every other city.
I expect other developers like Nakheel and Emaar to follow suit and start downsizing. We'll feel the heat for awhile. But I have a feeling this city is going to bounce back again. We will see the benefits of the diversified economy.
Who knows, maybe all of this is gentle reminder for Dubai that she needs to take it easy, and give herself time to grow. Afterall, God created Heaven and Earth in seven days.
First fuzzy photos of planets outside solar system
by SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer – Thu Nov 13, 6:21 pm ET
WASHINGTON – Earth seems to have its first fuzzy photos of alien planets outside our solar system, images captured by two teams of astronomers. The pictures show four likely planets that appear as specks of white, nearly indecipherable except to the most eagle-eyed experts. All are trillions of miles away — three of them orbiting the same star, and the fourth circling a
different star.
None of the four giant gaseous planets are remotely habitable or remotely like Earth. But they raise the possibility of others more hospitable.
It's only a matter of time before "we get a dot that's blue and Earthlike," said astronomer Bruce Macintosh of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. He led one of the two teams of photographers.
"It is a step on that road to understand if there are other planets like Earth and potentially life out there," he said.Macintosh's team used two ground-based telescopes, while the second team relied on photos from the 18-year-old Hubble Space Telescope to gather images of the exoplanets — planets that don't circle our sun. The research from both teams was published in Thursday's
WASHINGTON – Earth seems to have its first fuzzy photos of alien planets outside our solar system, images captured by two teams of astronomers. The pictures show four likely planets that appear as specks of white, nearly indecipherable except to the most eagle-eyed experts. All are trillions of miles away — three of them orbiting the same star, and the fourth circling a
different star.None of the four giant gaseous planets are remotely habitable or remotely like Earth. But they raise the possibility of others more hospitable.
It's only a matter of time before "we get a dot that's blue and Earthlike," said astronomer Bruce Macintosh of the Lawrence Livermore National Lab. He led one of the two teams of photographers.
"It is a step on that road to understand if there are other planets like Earth and potentially life out there," he said.Macintosh's team used two ground-based telescopes, while the second team relied on photos from the 18-year-old Hubble Space Telescope to gather images of the exoplanets — planets that don't circle our sun. The research from both teams was published in Thursday's
Photo from AP, by NASA
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_sc/sci_new_planets
Top Ten Annoying Phrases/Expressions!!
Words are magic! You always hear about these keywords once uttered people get excited, enthused, and determined. They understand the message and the mission, and embark on fulfilling the related dream. On the other hand, only in few times did I come across an article that talks about annoying words, annoying phrases and metaphors! Those tacky words that give you a feeling of disbelief, annoyance, and sarcasm. The first thing that crosses your mind once you hear them is that you are about to hear a stream of crap of the highest quality.
I personally have my list, and I'm going to share it here. Definitely, it will be different from others' lists, and I would be very interested in reading about those lists.
And so, down to business. from tenth most annoying to the most MOST annoying!!
10. Touch base!!
It is extremely annoying to hear this word over and over again, in every single meeting and conference call. X will touch base with Y, Y will touch base with Z, and Z will touch base with John who has touched base earlier with X about the need to touch base with Ahmad about why figures are not met!! I personally don't understand the concept of BASE TOUCHING. Does that mean that you're going to talk about headlines which usually have nothing to do with the real situation? Or, are you going to have a TALK about how the situation has turned to a disaster, and understand who screwed things up?! However you put it, TOUCHING the BASE adds no value to anything, and it is merely an attempt to show others that you'll be doing more than TALKING when you're actually not!
9. Deep Dive!
Quite the opposite of the previous one! Yet, almost always you tend to hear the two terms in a great proximity to each other. X will touch base with Y to do a DEEP DIVE into the reports. My theory goes like this; DEEP DIVE is your way of telling someone that they need to do a lot of donkey work while putting it in a self esteem boosting way!
8. It is what it is, except when it's not!!
As if we don't have enough confusion. Usually this phrase is uttered by two people who have no clue what they are talking about, but one of them is in dire need to prove the opposite!
7. What's your good name?!
I don't know how many people have heard this phrase before, but it is pretty common where I live. So when you want to ask somebody about their name you go "What's you good name?". The first thing that pops into my head is that he's going to elabortae and tell him, don't tell me the bad one!!. I don't know about you, but I haven't met many people with two given names!. So imagine the following conversation!
X: Good morning.
Y: Good morning.
X: What's you good name?
Y: Shadi.
X: And your bad one?
Y: Ballota!
6. This is an IN place!
It's just amazing how teenagers have a need to invent things "Usually useless". It's equally amazing how adults criticize them, and then quote them!
5. How much is this? ... It's coming 40$!!
This is just new english to me!
4. What the Frack!!
I just think it's not cute. You're better off saying the real F-word if you really need to!
3. talk the talk, and walk the walk.
I can't explain why, it's just too annoying!
2. Give a 110%!!
The best way to describe this "Action" was a forward email I received a couple of years ago. Basically, if you assign a number from 1 to 26 to each letter of the alphabet based on their alphabetical order, Bull shit scores 110% and Ass kissing scores 120%!
This is basically people's strategy to get ahead in corporate life!! do a lot of 110% & 120%
And the winner, the number one annoying phrase for me is:
1. George W. Bush said...:
Let's face it, anything and everything he says is annoying! There is no limit to his stupidity! For the past 8 years David Littermann had enough material from this guy to fill episodes for the coming 8 years!
There you go! These are the phrases that step on nerves! I'm very interesting in knowing yours.
I personally have my list, and I'm going to share it here. Definitely, it will be different from others' lists, and I would be very interested in reading about those lists.
And so, down to business. from tenth most annoying to the most MOST annoying!!
10. Touch base!!
It is extremely annoying to hear this word over and over again, in every single meeting and conference call. X will touch base with Y, Y will touch base with Z, and Z will touch base with John who has touched base earlier with X about the need to touch base with Ahmad about why figures are not met!! I personally don't understand the concept of BASE TOUCHING. Does that mean that you're going to talk about headlines which usually have nothing to do with the real situation? Or, are you going to have a TALK about how the situation has turned to a disaster, and understand who screwed things up?! However you put it, TOUCHING the BASE adds no value to anything, and it is merely an attempt to show others that you'll be doing more than TALKING when you're actually not!
9. Deep Dive!
Quite the opposite of the previous one! Yet, almost always you tend to hear the two terms in a great proximity to each other. X will touch base with Y to do a DEEP DIVE into the reports. My theory goes like this; DEEP DIVE is your way of telling someone that they need to do a lot of donkey work while putting it in a self esteem boosting way!
8. It is what it is, except when it's not!!
As if we don't have enough confusion. Usually this phrase is uttered by two people who have no clue what they are talking about, but one of them is in dire need to prove the opposite!
7. What's your good name?!
I don't know how many people have heard this phrase before, but it is pretty common where I live. So when you want to ask somebody about their name you go "What's you good name?". The first thing that pops into my head is that he's going to elabortae and tell him, don't tell me the bad one!!. I don't know about you, but I haven't met many people with two given names!. So imagine the following conversation!
X: Good morning.
Y: Good morning.
X: What's you good name?
Y: Shadi.
X: And your bad one?
Y: Ballota!
6. This is an IN place!
It's just amazing how teenagers have a need to invent things "Usually useless". It's equally amazing how adults criticize them, and then quote them!
5. How much is this? ... It's coming 40$!!
This is just new english to me!
4. What the Frack!!
I just think it's not cute. You're better off saying the real F-word if you really need to!
3. talk the talk, and walk the walk.
I can't explain why, it's just too annoying!
2. Give a 110%!!
The best way to describe this "Action" was a forward email I received a couple of years ago. Basically, if you assign a number from 1 to 26 to each letter of the alphabet based on their alphabetical order, Bull shit scores 110% and Ass kissing scores 120%!
This is basically people's strategy to get ahead in corporate life!! do a lot of 110% & 120%
And the winner, the number one annoying phrase for me is:
1. George W. Bush said...:
Let's face it, anything and everything he says is annoying! There is no limit to his stupidity! For the past 8 years David Littermann had enough material from this guy to fill episodes for the coming 8 years!
There you go! These are the phrases that step on nerves! I'm very interesting in knowing yours.
On a day like this!! United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 (Zionism is Racism)
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379, adopted on November 10, 1975 by a vote of 72 to 35 (with 32 abstentions), "determine[d] that Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination". The resolution was revoked by Resolution 46/86 on December 16, 1991, and is often referenced in debates of Zionism and racism.
Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, the Security Council passed resolutions that condemned Israel for its retaliatory missions against Palestinians for their fedayeen attack raids into Israel. After the Six-Day War, the Security Council passed several resolutions condemning that Israel for treating Jerusalem as its capital. Also, virtually every major Israeli military action after 1967 was condemned in various resolutions after 1967.
Resolution 3379 was revoked by UN General Assembly Resolution 4686. Majority votes of various UN agencies and bodies continued to assert the phrase "Zionism is racism" as the consensus in their agendas and conclusions, reflecting persistence of this view despite the annulment of the resolution. Under pressure from the United States, under George W. Bush's administration, the phrase was omitted from the agenda of the United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, 2001, and its final communiqué.
PERIOD!
Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, the Security Council passed resolutions that condemned Israel for its retaliatory missions against Palestinians for their fedayeen attack raids into Israel. After the Six-Day War, the Security Council passed several resolutions condemning that Israel for treating Jerusalem as its capital. Also, virtually every major Israeli military action after 1967 was condemned in various resolutions after 1967.
Resolution 3379 was revoked by UN General Assembly Resolution 4686. Majority votes of various UN agencies and bodies continued to assert the phrase "Zionism is racism" as the consensus in their agendas and conclusions, reflecting persistence of this view despite the annulment of the resolution. Under pressure from the United States, under George W. Bush's administration, the phrase was omitted from the agenda of the United Nations Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa, 2001, and its final communiqué.
PERIOD!
Obama delivers on his promise
"Without lies humanity would perish of despair and boredom”. Anatole France.
Maybe we shouldn't complain about politics afterall. It is full of lies, and so it is enriching our lives with events to ensure we don't die of boredom! dying of other things is fine.
Once more, I felt excited and overwhilmed by the unpredictability (And so I lie again), and the ever entertaining nature of politics. FAR FROM BORING!!
During the past few days people I know were exchanging greetings and gestures of happiness! Signs of victory! On Facebook, status updates were so optimistic and sincere as if liberation has finally arrived to the long waiting Palestinians!!
I quote one of those: " Congratulations Abu Hussein!! A.K.A Obama!! "
Optimistic? Hopefull? Moderate? Desperate? Naive?... I really don't know what to call them!
" Barack Obama has announced that Rahm Emanuel, a former official in Bill Clinton's administration, has accepted his offer to become White House chief of staff. Emanuel was seen as a tough, hard nosed and highly partisan political operative known for his fiery temper with strong links to Israel. He is the son of a Jerusalem-born doctor who was active in an underground Zionist organisation that fought the British in Palestine before the founding of Israel."
From Al Jazeera website.
We should go back to our tents and whine for 8 more years. And then, become hopeful again!
It suits us!!
Maybe we shouldn't complain about politics afterall. It is full of lies, and so it is enriching our lives with events to ensure we don't die of boredom! dying of other things is fine.
Once more, I felt excited and overwhilmed by the unpredictability (And so I lie again), and the ever entertaining nature of politics. FAR FROM BORING!!
During the past few days people I know were exchanging greetings and gestures of happiness! Signs of victory! On Facebook, status updates were so optimistic and sincere as if liberation has finally arrived to the long waiting Palestinians!!
I quote one of those: " Congratulations Abu Hussein!! A.K.A Obama!! "
Optimistic? Hopefull? Moderate? Desperate? Naive?... I really don't know what to call them!
" Barack Obama has announced that Rahm Emanuel, a former official in Bill Clinton's administration, has accepted his offer to become White House chief of staff. Emanuel was seen as a tough, hard nosed and highly partisan political operative known for his fiery temper with strong links to Israel. He is the son of a Jerusalem-born doctor who was active in an underground Zionist organisation that fought the British in Palestine before the founding of Israel."
From Al Jazeera website.
We should go back to our tents and whine for 8 more years. And then, become hopeful again!
It suits us!!
Obama: A historic win... A historic change?!?
It's done.
Mr. Obama has become the fitst African American president of the United States Of America.
It actually defies all argumemnts that denies the American's ability to elect a black guy to lead them, and practically lead the world.
This Hollywood production, multi-Millon-reality show, which attracted the attention of Millions ended up, according to the belief of the majority, against all expectations.
A miracle? Maybe it was, a result of hard work and determination? A result of one giving "110%" as Americans would call it? probably yes. But, the question now is, What next? I've said before that Arabs should have the right to vote in this elections, because the next president might decide to invade another arab country, and that gives the inhabitants of the that country the right to vote!! What do the Palestinians think about it? Syrians? Sudanese?
And so, we congratulate Mr. Obama on his win, We give it up to you for defeating all those still living in the past in Texas & Co. But we have a question for you Mr. President: What now? What about Palestinians' right to a soverign, viable, and independent country? What about Iraqis? those who died, and those who might die anyday now? What about the mess that your predecessor left behind him? Afghanestan? Iran? Israel's agression?
You made a magnificent change in the face of the world, by becoming the first Black man to reach the White House "It's ironic, isn't it??" I just hope that this won't be the last unexpected change in the world!! Because if it was, then you've done nothing!! And you were better off staying as a senator, and let people dream of what would have been.
So, for America, we say congratualtions. For the rest of us, buckle up!!, this is going to be one hell of a ride.
Mr. Obama has become the fitst African American president of the United States Of America.
It actually defies all argumemnts that denies the American's ability to elect a black guy to lead them, and practically lead the world.
This Hollywood production, multi-Millon-reality show, which attracted the attention of Millions ended up, according to the belief of the majority, against all expectations.
A miracle? Maybe it was, a result of hard work and determination? A result of one giving "110%" as Americans would call it? probably yes. But, the question now is, What next? I've said before that Arabs should have the right to vote in this elections, because the next president might decide to invade another arab country, and that gives the inhabitants of the that country the right to vote!! What do the Palestinians think about it? Syrians? Sudanese?
And so, we congratulate Mr. Obama on his win, We give it up to you for defeating all those still living in the past in Texas & Co. But we have a question for you Mr. President: What now? What about Palestinians' right to a soverign, viable, and independent country? What about Iraqis? those who died, and those who might die anyday now? What about the mess that your predecessor left behind him? Afghanestan? Iran? Israel's agression?
You made a magnificent change in the face of the world, by becoming the first Black man to reach the White House "It's ironic, isn't it??" I just hope that this won't be the last unexpected change in the world!! Because if it was, then you've done nothing!! And you were better off staying as a senator, and let people dream of what would have been.
So, for America, we say congratualtions. For the rest of us, buckle up!!, this is going to be one hell of a ride.
The Experience of Life
I’ve been always making fun of people who go camping in Wadi Rum, until I went there myself, it was like a slap on my face, I can’t tell you how stunned I was by the beauty of the rocks and the shapes that emerged from the sand covering these huge and magnificent rocks.
All of the above was in the afternoon, but the sunset time and the night is something else. When we took the way to the west, and my eyes fall on the sun disappearing behind the hills, I almost stopped breathing; we honestly stopped talking when we saw that breathtaking scene.
For those interested, below are some information about this magical place. Although, I have to warn you, nothing you'll read will be equal to the beautiful experience you'll have there.
"Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert wilderness in the south of Jordan. Huge mountains of sandstone and granite emerge, sheer-sided, from wide sandy valleys to reach heights of 1700 meters and more. Narrow canyons and fissures cut deep into the mountains and many conceal ancient rock drawings etched by the peoples of the desert over millennia. Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Rum and their large goat-hair tents are a special feature of the landscape.
It’s not just that Wadi Rum is a tourist area; it has been used as a background setting in a number of films:
Lawrence of Arabia - David Lean filmed much of this 1962 film on location in Wadi Rum.
Red Planet - Wadi Rum was used as the surface of Mars in this 2000 film.
Passion in the Desert - The area was also used for scenes in this 1998 film.
The Face - BBC Film, Rock climbing in Rum"
So from now on, don’t underestimate how entertaining a place can be until you experience it yourself.
For more information about Wadi Rum please see the following links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum
http://www.wadirum.jo/
All of the above was in the afternoon, but the sunset time and the night is something else. When we took the way to the west, and my eyes fall on the sun disappearing behind the hills, I almost stopped breathing; we honestly stopped talking when we saw that breathtaking scene.
For those interested, below are some information about this magical place. Although, I have to warn you, nothing you'll read will be equal to the beautiful experience you'll have there.
"Wadi Rum is a protected area covering 720 square kilometers of dramatic desert wilderness in the south of Jordan. Huge mountains of sandstone and granite emerge, sheer-sided, from wide sandy valleys to reach heights of 1700 meters and more. Narrow canyons and fissures cut deep into the mountains and many conceal ancient rock drawings etched by the peoples of the desert over millennia. Bedouin tribes still live among the mountains of Rum and their large goat-hair tents are a special feature of the landscape.
It’s not just that Wadi Rum is a tourist area; it has been used as a background setting in a number of films:
Lawrence of Arabia - David Lean filmed much of this 1962 film on location in Wadi Rum.
Red Planet - Wadi Rum was used as the surface of Mars in this 2000 film.
Passion in the Desert - The area was also used for scenes in this 1998 film.
The Face - BBC Film, Rock climbing in Rum"
So from now on, don’t underestimate how entertaining a place can be until you experience it yourself.
For more information about Wadi Rum please see the following links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadi_Rum
http://www.wadirum.jo/
McCain vs. Obama the Grand Finale of American Idol (OR) The biggest loser
What can you find in common between the following people:
Nolwenn Leroy
david cook
Sam Rouen
Joshua Allen
Lee McQueen
Obama/McCain
Diana Karazon
Answer is: They were the best performers in reality shows, who earned the support and hearts of the majority of couch potatoes and those anti-social, Introvert and unemployed people. Their performance was both eye-catching and irrelevant at the same time.
P.S. Out of my personal insecurities, I have to declare that I actually googled the names above, and deny taking part in any way in the nurturing and encouraging of the destructive promotion of these counterproductive shows.
Nolwenn Leroy
david cook
Sam Rouen
Joshua Allen
Lee McQueen
Obama/McCain
Diana Karazon
Answer is: They were the best performers in reality shows, who earned the support and hearts of the majority of couch potatoes and those anti-social, Introvert and unemployed people. Their performance was both eye-catching and irrelevant at the same time.
P.S. Out of my personal insecurities, I have to declare that I actually googled the names above, and deny taking part in any way in the nurturing and encouraging of the destructive promotion of these counterproductive shows.
I can speak German!!
I realized recently that I can speak German!! Seriously it is not as hard as it sounds!? And I’ll prove it to you!
When I started learning English it waz very hard for me at that tym. I waz in the siksth grade. My peerz haz olredi started English lesunz ven zei ver en ze fifsz græd. Zat shud hav mæd lyf hardar for mi. but sens ai vaz a veri smart gai ai vaz kæpabel of lerneng ze languæg ezili.
Az such ai desaided tu start lerning german. Tu mai serpriz et vaz ekstrimli ezi, und nut az defikult az ai vaz mæd tu beliv. Und so, ai enkurej evriuan ho is entrested en lerning ekzotek languæj or sempli a nu mezod ov komunikæschn tu sempli pik ze best teknik zat sot him or her. Io vel bi shokt hao koikli io kan mastar it
Zis saonded veri vird az ai began. Naw it iz komplitli nachoral
When I started learning English it waz very hard for me at that tym. I waz in the siksth grade. My peerz haz olredi started English lesunz ven zei ver en ze fifsz græd. Zat shud hav mæd lyf hardar for mi. but sens ai vaz a veri smart gai ai vaz kæpabel of lerneng ze languæg ezili.
Az such ai desaided tu start lerning german. Tu mai serpriz et vaz ekstrimli ezi, und nut az defikult az ai vaz mæd tu beliv. Und so, ai enkurej evriuan ho is entrested en lerning ekzotek languæj or sempli a nu mezod ov komunikæschn tu sempli pik ze best teknik zat sot him or her. Io vel bi shokt hao koikli io kan mastar it
Zis saonded veri vird az ai began. Naw it iz komplitli nachoral
The Zenith of Egyptian politics
I have always admired the way Egyptians can turn anything into a joke. Their ability to laugh and ejoy their lives even when the going gets tough. With the majority of the Egyptian population living in poverty, and with the ever worsening political situation in that cradle of civilization, the Egyptian people never lost their ability to draw a smile on their face, or draw one on others' faces. Although, recently a couple of Egyptians I met claimed that this issue was one of the major accomplishment of this government's reign, It managed to make more and more Egyptians frown on a daily basis for no apparent reason, which is something Jordanians are accustomed to and do effortlessly.
Yesterday, I read an article in the newspaper! It was a disgusting, pathetic, sad & embarrasing story, and yet I couldn't afford but to smile while reading it!! Maybe irony is way stronger than simple humor.
Mr. Hesham Tala'at Mustafa, a prominent politician & businessman, just like many of the members of the ruling party, is currently under investigation with connection to the gowing evidence that he was actually the one who issued the order for Suzan Tamim to be killed!! We covered this before, and most of us know about the story. However, the newest twist in the whole saga is that Mr. Mustafa has been convicted recently by a court in Dubai for committing adultry with an Uzbek prostitute!! Hilarious! The other funny twist is that, it took a lawyer and a deep investigation using a lot of resources and documentation to detertmine who the husband of Suzan at the time of her death was! A few guys showed up, claiming sincerely that she was their wife. The actual husband(The mourner??) had to prove with proper documentation that he was actually the husband.
Just a thought here. We all know that in Islam, marriage can be legal if there was an agreement in the presence of two witnesses, and that papers were not introduced until late times to preserve the rights of both spouses. In other words, it wouldn't be hard for someone to get married 700 times without anyone knowing about it. Fortunately for us, Islamic courts noticed the dilemma here and fixed this problem long time ago.
This is the tip of the Iceberg when it comes to our politicians and artists! This story actually got exposed. Many other stories don't. One might say, that this happens all over the world, and I agree. It definitely happens, and Bill Clinton who surprisingly hasn't lost his credibility can tell you all about it. But... The thing is, we were never used to have these stories in this region!
Ah, I know what this is usually called.... PROGRESS!!
The Evolution of Truth (The maturity of Hypocrisy)
I had in my head dozens of ways in which I thought the media could change the public’s perception. I knew that there were countless methods and endless angles by which you can turn right to wrong, and wrong to right.
I’ve seen images where the butcher became the victim, and the oppressed became the oppressor. I was even fooled by those teary moments that made me seriously believe that we are all one. I would always take a moment to say, even if in my head, what if?! What if this piece was shown from a different angle? What if those people had seen what happened on a different channel? What if this country had access to the right book? What if that network crashed and we never heard from those brainwashing machines!
But silly me! I thought it was still about the wrong input. I thought that people could change their minds when it comes to their perceived truth! I thought that they would actually think twice before they judge someone. It turned out that it is a little bit too late.
Why talk about human rights? Why talk about equality? Why talk about fairness? Why talk about democracy? I think the Civilized have been enlightened enough to be criminalized for the double standards we are seeing everywhere.
I think the truth has been permanently defined.
You, will always think what you were programmed to think.
And we will always be close-minded terrorists!
I’ve seen images where the butcher became the victim, and the oppressed became the oppressor. I was even fooled by those teary moments that made me seriously believe that we are all one. I would always take a moment to say, even if in my head, what if?! What if this piece was shown from a different angle? What if those people had seen what happened on a different channel? What if this country had access to the right book? What if that network crashed and we never heard from those brainwashing machines!
But silly me! I thought it was still about the wrong input. I thought that people could change their minds when it comes to their perceived truth! I thought that they would actually think twice before they judge someone. It turned out that it is a little bit too late.
Why talk about human rights? Why talk about equality? Why talk about fairness? Why talk about democracy? I think the Civilized have been enlightened enough to be criminalized for the double standards we are seeing everywhere.
I think the truth has been permanently defined.
You, will always think what you were programmed to think.
And we will always be close-minded terrorists!
Today's Dose of Wisdom: Age
I used to dread getting older because I thought I would not be able to do all the things I wanted to do, but now that I am older I find that I don't want to do them.
Nancy Astor
Nancy Astor
"mmm, let's wait and see" 
You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.
James Barrie
You have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.
James Barrie
"I guess since you let them slip, you will never know"
Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Jack Benny
Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Jack Benny
"True"
By the time you're eighty years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it.
George Burns
By the time you're eighty years old you've learned everything. You only have to remember it.
George Burns
"Partially true"
Cultural Understanding: Reality Show!!
Somewhere in France, in the forests of Versailles a few people met. Some from Europe, some from the Middle East. A great group of people who give colors to your life. That night however, was destined to be a weird night. In a game of cultural understanding, the following conversation took place!
Q: How do you see French People?
Rob "Dutch": Arrogant!!
Metron "French": Really??!!
Q: How do you see Russian People?
Nikola "Serbian": Aggressive.
Elina "Russian": Are you F***ing kidding me?! Who told you that? "$%%^^#&*$" "something in Russain" Then, are you still living in the 50's?!?!
She definitely proved him wrong!!
Q: How do you see Turkish People?
Alberto "Spanish": Proud & Nationalist.
Poland was playing Slovakia for the 2010 WCQ!! Poland is losing 1-2. Adam is pissed. A discussion about football is ignited. Somewhere along that conversation, I make my main and defining contribution!!
I: You know what, I admire the Germans! Even when they have a shitty team they reach the final.
Ines "German": "Smiles"
Adam "Polish": They are F***ers!! ..
Ines: !!!!!!
Adam: I mean. you know... Podolski is Polish!
Well done Adam!!
Q: How do you see Jordanian People?
....... Long pause!!!.... Then
Silviu "Romanian": I love your Queen.
I: Silviu, Is that a way of telling me you are a terrorist, but you chose to be polite!?
It turned out to be a Dare or Truth thing... But you know, nothing that a Draft can't erase.
Then Metron invited us for an all-cheese dinner!! And then, I just wanted to kill myself.
Q: How do you see French People?
Rob "Dutch": Arrogant!!
Metron "French": Really??!!
Q: How do you see Russian People?
Nikola "Serbian": Aggressive.
Elina "Russian": Are you F***ing kidding me?! Who told you that? "$%%^^#&*$" "something in Russain" Then, are you still living in the 50's?!?!
She definitely proved him wrong!!
Q: How do you see Turkish People?
Alberto "Spanish": Proud & Nationalist.
Poland was playing Slovakia for the 2010 WCQ!! Poland is losing 1-2. Adam is pissed. A discussion about football is ignited. Somewhere along that conversation, I make my main and defining contribution!!
I: You know what, I admire the Germans! Even when they have a shitty team they reach the final.
Ines "German": "Smiles"
Adam "Polish": They are F***ers!! ..
Ines: !!!!!!
Adam: I mean. you know... Podolski is Polish!
Well done Adam!!
Q: How do you see Jordanian People?
....... Long pause!!!.... Then
Silviu "Romanian": I love your Queen.
I: Silviu, Is that a way of telling me you are a terrorist, but you chose to be polite!?
It turned out to be a Dare or Truth thing... But you know, nothing that a Draft can't erase.
Then Metron invited us for an all-cheese dinner!! And then, I just wanted to kill myself.
Happy Birthday... Smurfs!!
The Smurfs (originally Les Schtroumpfs in French) are a fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live somewhere in the forests of medieval Europe. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world in a series of comic strips, making their first appearance in the Belgian magazine "Le Journal de Spirou" on 23 October 1958. English-speakers perhaps know them best through the animated television series from Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Smurfs.
All of us were smurfs at one point of time! I was a pretty interesting one by the way!! And from the original lot, I like Sanfoor Ghadban "Smurf Angry". He was ORIGINAL!
So happy birthday Smurfs!!.
Business: A contemporary point of view!!!
"The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling." Ambrose Bierce
It's more like a prophecy!
It's more like a prophecy!
Of France and ...
So many things go inside your head when you are in france! When you look at people, and places... But that is another story!
For those of us who are so in love with the french:
"To understand Europe, you have to be a genius - or French.” Madeleine Albright.
quite debatable.
"The thing that's wrong with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur” George W. Bush
Can't ague with that! The man is the smartest Homo Sapien on the face of Earth.
“The reason French roads have trees planted down both sides is that the Germans like to march in the shade"
Now this is what I call sense of humor!!
For those of us who are so in love with the french:
"To understand Europe, you have to be a genius - or French.” Madeleine Albright.
quite debatable.
"The thing that's wrong with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur” George W. Bush
Can't ague with that! The man is the smartest Homo Sapien on the face of Earth.
“The reason French roads have trees planted down both sides is that the Germans like to march in the shade"
Now this is what I call sense of humor!!
The Dow Jones Industrial Average
The Dow Jones is a stock market index (when people say Dow Jones they mean the Dow Jones Industrial Average, DJIA, or the Dow Jones 30) consisting of the top 30 stocks of the US markets, usually referred to as the blue chips, these 30 stocks are not static, they can be changed according to some criteria put by the index founders, the financial company Dow Jones & Company founded Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. Some of these criteria are the volume traded over a specific period of time, and how many stocks held by the public.
The Dow Jones components:
3M, Alcoa, American Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, Caterpillar, Chevron Corporation, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, DuPont, ExxonMobil, General Electric, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, Intel, IMB, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, Merck, Microsoft, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, United Technologies Corporation, Verizon Communications, Walmart, Walt Disney.
What is the importance of a stock index?
A stock index is a benchmark for investors to gauge the performance of a country’s equity market and the health of it’s economy, it can also be used to compare the Funds and Fund Managers performance and take a decision who to invest with.
Types of Indices
There are 2 types of indices; broad-based and specialised indices.
Broad-based indices represent the whole stock market performance and hence, the investor sentiment on the health of the economy. Examples of this type are, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, FTSE 100, CAC 40, and S&P 500.
Specialised indices represent the performance of one market sector such as the petrochemical sector or the financial sector. Examples of this type are, Morgan Stanley Biotech Index, and the Dow Jones Chemicals.
*For more about this topic please refer to the following links:
http://www.djindexes.com/mdsidx/index.cfm?event=components&symbol=DJI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market_index
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average
http://www.investopedia.com
The Dow Jones components:
3M, Alcoa, American Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Boeing, Caterpillar, Chevron Corporation, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, DuPont, ExxonMobil, General Electric, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, Intel, IMB, Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, Merck, Microsoft, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, United Technologies Corporation, Verizon Communications, Walmart, Walt Disney.
What is the importance of a stock index?
A stock index is a benchmark for investors to gauge the performance of a country’s equity market and the health of it’s economy, it can also be used to compare the Funds and Fund Managers performance and take a decision who to invest with.
Types of Indices
There are 2 types of indices; broad-based and specialised indices.
Broad-based indices represent the whole stock market performance and hence, the investor sentiment on the health of the economy. Examples of this type are, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, FTSE 100, CAC 40, and S&P 500.
Specialised indices represent the performance of one market sector such as the petrochemical sector or the financial sector. Examples of this type are, Morgan Stanley Biotech Index, and the Dow Jones Chemicals.
*For more about this topic please refer to the following links:
http://www.djindexes.com/mdsidx/index.cfm?event=components&symbol=DJI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market_index
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average
http://www.investopedia.com
U.S. stock gain after rate cuts in see-saw action
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock indexes edged higher on Wednesday afternoon after several wild swings into positive and negative territory after the Federal Reserve axed interest rates with other central banks in an effort to stem the panic freezing the credit markets.
"It seems to be a tug of war between the bulls and the bears," said Robert Olman, president,
Alpha Search Advisory Partners. "What we're really seeing is a complete lack of conviction from anyone of where the market is going."
"It seems to be a tug of war between the bulls and the bears," said Robert Olman, president,
Alpha Search Advisory Partners. "What we're really seeing is a complete lack of conviction from anyone of where the market is going." The Fed cut its key lending rate by half a percentage point, bringing it down to 1.5%.
The European Central Bank trimmed its key refinancing rate to 3.75% from 4.25%, while the Bank of England cut its rate to 4.5% from 5%. China's central bank slashed its one-year benchmark lending and deposit interest rates, while the Bank of Japan sat out the moves but endorsed the coordinated actions. Rate cuts were also made by the Bank of Canada, the Swiss National Bank and the Swedish Riksbank.
"I was somewhat encouraged by the Fed rate cut, but it adds confidence back more to Main Street than to Wall Street," said Robert Pavlik, chief investment officer at Oaktree Asset Management.
A day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Dow Jones Industrial Average's record close of 14,164, the market is facing record losses over the past year. The Dow has dropped nearly 35% from the peak, while the market value of the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 has seen more than $7 trillion of its value wiped out
By Kate Gibson, MarketWatch
*For full story please visit http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/us-stocks-edge-higher-see-saw/story.aspx?guid=%7B1AE87086%2D330D%2D4E85%2D9FA7%2D505B331835C4%7D
Arab stock markets is heading south
Arab financial markets is heading south affected by the fall of the US and European markets.The Saudi market lost almost 1.5% today hitting 6160, the biggest weekly loss since 2006, while the Egyptian CASE30 Index has lost more than 7% after loosing almost 16% yesterday, the Jordanian market has hit 3493, the lowest since December 2007. Dubai index has lost almost 8.5% and Abu Dhabi recorded a loss of 6.43% today. Muscat stock index has lost more than 514 points or 7.21%, while Doha index has recorded a 712-point loss or 8.75%.
Analysts connect this huge plunge to the credit crunch in the international markets, and see the situation getting worst if the if the US crisis persists. However, Arabic governments are still insisting that we were not affected bye the international crisis and that this is going to have a positive effect on our markets, I personally agree with that, only if they have the right agenda to deal with it.
*Photo from http://www.tickerchart.com/
Today's Dose of Wisdom: Success
Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction.
Al Bernstein
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. David Brinkley
Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.
Dale Carnegie
Success has a simple formula: do your best, and people may like it.
Sam Ewing
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
William Feather
Al Bernstein
A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. David Brinkley
Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.
Dale Carnegie
Success has a simple formula: do your best, and people may like it.
Sam Ewing
Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
William Feather
Dow Jones Industrials is trading under 10,000
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Stocks tumbled on Monday, sending the Dow industrials below the 10,000 mark for the first time in nearly four years, as last week's $700 billion bailout package and government interventions in Europe over the weekend failed to soothe nervousness in global markets.
European governments didn't reach a common deal on bailouts over the weekend. Instead each country is handling the fallouts on its own, with Germany backing its retail deposits, following similar moves by Ireland and Greece. Holland nationalized the Dutch operations of Fortis, and a new 50 billion euro financing package was reached for Germany's Hypo Real Estate.
Shares in Europe saw their biggest one-day fall on record, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index sliding 7.6%.
"With global equity markets selling off today, and the developments which followed the weekend European crisis meeting, much nervousness abounds," said Jennifer Lee, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 491 points, or 4.8%, to 9,833, after falling by nearly 600 points to a low of 9,738.
It's the first time the blue-chip index has traded below the 10,000 mark since Oct. 29, 2004.
"Psychologically, it does play a role," said Owen Fitzpatrick, head of U.S. equity at Deutsche Bank, of the Dow's drop below the key level. "But investors are not concentrating on this," he said. "The big worry of the moment remains liquidity and the economy."
Among blue-chip financial shares, Citigroup Inc. fell 9%, Bank of America dropped 5% and J.P. Morgan Chase lost 5.4%.
"We've had the passage of [the $700 billion] bailout but it will takes time for it to start getting traction," Fitzpatrick said.
"Right now, it's about stabilizing the financial system and then see how much collateral damage has been done to the economy," he said. "The clear message is that the global economy is slowing rapidly, and the magnitude of the slowdown is starting to be realized by the market."
The S&P 500 fell 58 points, or 5.3%, to 1,041 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 110 points, or almost 5.6%, to 1,837, led by a 5% decline in shares of eBay, which announced it was slashing 10% of its workforce.
Trading volumes showed 818 million shares exchanging hands on the New York Stock Exchange, and 652 million shares trading on the Nasdaq. Declining issues topped gainers by 30 to 1 on the NYSE and by 8 to 1 on Nasdaq.
President Bush signed a $700 billion bailout package into law Friday just as the latest U.S. employment report showed 159,000 jobs lost in September.
"These really are unforgiving times and it was a case of buy the rumour, sell the fact as the S&P 500 moved from being up more than 3% as the last few necessary 'yes' TARP bill votes were being registered, to a near four-year low at the close," said Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank.
Last week, the Dow lost 7.4%, the S&P 500 fell 9.4%, and the Nasdaq lost 10.8%.
Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher and Chicago Fed President Charles Evans both are due to speak on the U.S. economy on Monday. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to speak on Tuesday.
European governments didn't reach a common deal on bailouts over the weekend. Instead each country is handling the fallouts on its own, with Germany backing its retail deposits, following similar moves by Ireland and Greece. Holland nationalized the Dutch operations of Fortis, and a new 50 billion euro financing package was reached for Germany's Hypo Real Estate.
Shares in Europe saw their biggest one-day fall on record, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 index sliding 7.6%.
"With global equity markets selling off today, and the developments which followed the weekend European crisis meeting, much nervousness abounds," said Jennifer Lee, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 491 points, or 4.8%, to 9,833, after falling by nearly 600 points to a low of 9,738.
It's the first time the blue-chip index has traded below the 10,000 mark since Oct. 29, 2004.
"Psychologically, it does play a role," said Owen Fitzpatrick, head of U.S. equity at Deutsche Bank, of the Dow's drop below the key level. "But investors are not concentrating on this," he said. "The big worry of the moment remains liquidity and the economy."
Among blue-chip financial shares, Citigroup Inc. fell 9%, Bank of America dropped 5% and J.P. Morgan Chase lost 5.4%.
"We've had the passage of [the $700 billion] bailout but it will takes time for it to start getting traction," Fitzpatrick said.
"Right now, it's about stabilizing the financial system and then see how much collateral damage has been done to the economy," he said. "The clear message is that the global economy is slowing rapidly, and the magnitude of the slowdown is starting to be realized by the market."
The S&P 500 fell 58 points, or 5.3%, to 1,041 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 110 points, or almost 5.6%, to 1,837, led by a 5% decline in shares of eBay, which announced it was slashing 10% of its workforce.
Trading volumes showed 818 million shares exchanging hands on the New York Stock Exchange, and 652 million shares trading on the Nasdaq. Declining issues topped gainers by 30 to 1 on the NYSE and by 8 to 1 on Nasdaq.
President Bush signed a $700 billion bailout package into law Friday just as the latest U.S. employment report showed 159,000 jobs lost in September.
"These really are unforgiving times and it was a case of buy the rumour, sell the fact as the S&P 500 moved from being up more than 3% as the last few necessary 'yes' TARP bill votes were being registered, to a near four-year low at the close," said Jim Reid, a strategist at Deutsche Bank.
Last week, the Dow lost 7.4%, the S&P 500 fell 9.4%, and the Nasdaq lost 10.8%.
Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher and Chicago Fed President Charles Evans both are due to speak on the U.S. economy on Monday. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is due to speak on Tuesday.
Today's Dose of Wisdom: Business
We don't have a monopoly. We have market share. There's a difference.
Steve Ballmer
At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top - I'm afraid that's not quite right.
Bill Gates
If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.
Bill Gates
Business, that's easily defined - it's other people's money.
Peter Drucker
Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
W. Edwards Deming
Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.
Evan Esar
Definition of a Statistician: A man who believes figures don't lie, but admits that under analysis some of them won't stand up either.
Evan Esar
Steve Ballmer
At Microsoft there are lots of brilliant ideas but the image is that they all come from the top - I'm afraid that's not quite right.
Bill Gates
If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.
Bill Gates
Business, that's easily defined - it's other people's money.
Peter Drucker
Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
W. Edwards Deming
Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.
Evan Esar
Definition of a Statistician: A man who believes figures don't lie, but admits that under analysis some of them won't stand up either.
Evan Esar
Islamic Banking V
Qard Hassan (Good Loan)
This is a loan extended on a goodwill basis, and the debtor is only required to repay the amount borrowed. However, the debtor may, at his or her discretion, pay an extra amount beyond the principal amount of the loan (without promising it) as a token of appreciation to the creditor. In the case that the debtor does not pay an extra amount to the creditor, this transaction is a true interest-free loan. Some Muslims consider this to be the only type of loan that does not violate the prohibition on riba, since it is the one type of loan that truly does not compensate the creditor for the time value of money
Sukuk (Islamic Bonds)
Sukuk is the Arabic name for a financial certificate but can be seen as an Islamic equivalent of bond. However, fixed-income, interest-bearing bonds are not permissible in Islam. Hence, Sukuk are securities that comply with the Islamic law and its investment principles, which prohibit the charging or paying of interest. Financial assets that comply with the Islamic law can be classified in accordance with their tradability and non-tradability in the secondary markets.
Conservative estimates suggest that over US$500 billion of assets are managed according to Islamic investment principles. Such principles form part of Shariah, which is often understood to be Islamic law, but it is actually broader than this in that it also encompasses the general body of spiritual and moral obligations and duties in Islam.
Takaful (Islamic Insurance)
Takaful is an alternative form of cover that a Muslim can avail himself against the risk of loss due to misfortunes. Takaful is based on the idea that what is uncertain with respect to an individual may cease to be uncertain with respect to a very large number of similar individuals. Insurance by combining the risks of many people enables each individual to enjoy the advantage provided by the law of large numbers.
In modern business, one of the ways to reduce the risk of loss due to misfortunes is through insurance which spreads the risk among many people. The concept of insurance where resources are pooled to help the needy does not contradict Shariah. However, conventional insurance involves the elements of uncertainty (Al-gharar) in the contract of insurance, gambling (Al-maisir) as the consequences of the presence of uncertainty and interest (Al-riba) in the investment activities of the conventional insurance companies. These factors (uncertainty, gambling and interest) contravene the rules of Shariah. It is generally accepted by Muslim jurists that the operation of conventional insurance does not conform to the rules and requirements of Shariah.
Wadiah (Safekeeping)
In Wadiah, a bank is deemed as a keeper and trustee of funds. A person deposits funds in the bank and the bank guarantees refund of the entire amount of the deposit, or any part of the outstanding amount, when the depositor demands it. The depositor, at the bank's discretion, may be rewarded with a hibah (gift) as a form of appreciation for the use of funds by the bank. In this case, the bank compensates depositors for the time-value of their money (i.e. pays interest) but refers to it as a gift because it does not officially guarantee payment of the gift.
Wakalah (Agency)
This occurs when a person appoints a representative to undertake transactions on his/her behalf, similar to a power of attorney.
Next post: Islamic Equities
This is a loan extended on a goodwill basis, and the debtor is only required to repay the amount borrowed. However, the debtor may, at his or her discretion, pay an extra amount beyond the principal amount of the loan (without promising it) as a token of appreciation to the creditor. In the case that the debtor does not pay an extra amount to the creditor, this transaction is a true interest-free loan. Some Muslims consider this to be the only type of loan that does not violate the prohibition on riba, since it is the one type of loan that truly does not compensate the creditor for the time value of money
Sukuk (Islamic Bonds)
Sukuk is the Arabic name for a financial certificate but can be seen as an Islamic equivalent of bond. However, fixed-income, interest-bearing bonds are not permissible in Islam. Hence, Sukuk are securities that comply with the Islamic law and its investment principles, which prohibit the charging or paying of interest. Financial assets that comply with the Islamic law can be classified in accordance with their tradability and non-tradability in the secondary markets.
Conservative estimates suggest that over US$500 billion of assets are managed according to Islamic investment principles. Such principles form part of Shariah, which is often understood to be Islamic law, but it is actually broader than this in that it also encompasses the general body of spiritual and moral obligations and duties in Islam.
Takaful (Islamic Insurance)
Takaful is an alternative form of cover that a Muslim can avail himself against the risk of loss due to misfortunes. Takaful is based on the idea that what is uncertain with respect to an individual may cease to be uncertain with respect to a very large number of similar individuals. Insurance by combining the risks of many people enables each individual to enjoy the advantage provided by the law of large numbers.
In modern business, one of the ways to reduce the risk of loss due to misfortunes is through insurance which spreads the risk among many people. The concept of insurance where resources are pooled to help the needy does not contradict Shariah. However, conventional insurance involves the elements of uncertainty (Al-gharar) in the contract of insurance, gambling (Al-maisir) as the consequences of the presence of uncertainty and interest (Al-riba) in the investment activities of the conventional insurance companies. These factors (uncertainty, gambling and interest) contravene the rules of Shariah. It is generally accepted by Muslim jurists that the operation of conventional insurance does not conform to the rules and requirements of Shariah.
Wadiah (Safekeeping)
In Wadiah, a bank is deemed as a keeper and trustee of funds. A person deposits funds in the bank and the bank guarantees refund of the entire amount of the deposit, or any part of the outstanding amount, when the depositor demands it. The depositor, at the bank's discretion, may be rewarded with a hibah (gift) as a form of appreciation for the use of funds by the bank. In this case, the bank compensates depositors for the time-value of their money (i.e. pays interest) but refers to it as a gift because it does not officially guarantee payment of the gift.
Wakalah (Agency)
This occurs when a person appoints a representative to undertake transactions on his/her behalf, similar to a power of attorney.
Next post: Islamic Equities
Today's Dose Of Wisdom: The Virtues of Proactivity!
"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us." Jerry Garcia.
This echoes the voices of millions! Especially in this region!
This echoes the voices of millions! Especially in this region!
The Forgotten Millions - 30 years in the wrong direction
Thirty years ago, Iraq announced that there are NO iletirate people in the country. So, to be on the safe side, I'd say the literacy rate was more than 95%, and Iraq was going through what I would dare to call a renaissance.
Now, in the twenty first century, the new statistics are:
1 Million divorced women
2 Million Widows
4 Million Iletirate
Why?
Was it because of the 8-year war between iraq and iran?
Was it because of the Gulf war?
Was it beacause of the decade-long economical seige the world enforced on Iraq?
Was it because of the American invasion of Iraq?
Or, Was it because of the ongoing occupation, and the mess associated with it?
No matter the reason, or the excuses. No promise, no goodwill, nothing, can make us escape the bleak outlook of the Civilization of Iraq! A whole generation has been lost, and all we can say is God saves the one coming.
Iraq has always bounced back. History is there for everyone to see! This nation never dies. Shame on those who think it will, and shame on the world for watching while all sorts of dogs, and vultures tried to kill it.
Now, in the twenty first century, the new statistics are:
1 Million divorced women
2 Million Widows
4 Million Iletirate
Why?
Was it because of the 8-year war between iraq and iran?
Was it because of the Gulf war?
Was it beacause of the decade-long economical seige the world enforced on Iraq?
Was it because of the American invasion of Iraq?
Or, Was it because of the ongoing occupation, and the mess associated with it?
No matter the reason, or the excuses. No promise, no goodwill, nothing, can make us escape the bleak outlook of the Civilization of Iraq! A whole generation has been lost, and all we can say is God saves the one coming.
Iraq has always bounced back. History is there for everyone to see! This nation never dies. Shame on those who think it will, and shame on the world for watching while all sorts of dogs, and vultures tried to kill it.
A relationship in crisis!!
It's in times like these, that you know how much the morning's cup of coffee means to you, and you know that you should never take it for granted!
Life is short, learn to appreciate the ones, and equally the things you value the most.
I intend to do that immediately after Ramadan is over.
Americans flock to Jordan to study Arabic
AMMAN, Jordan - Young Americans studying Arabic like to joke that Jordan is "Middle East Lite" — a safe way into a tumultuous region without Lebanon's violence, Syria's tense relationship with the U.S. or the Gulf's conservative culture.
Drawn by that reputation, an increasing number of Americans interested in Arabic have been flocking to Jordan.
The capital, Amman, lacks much of the history and color that attract Americans to Cairo, the most popular destination for foreign students who want to learn Arabic. But Amman comes without the air pollution and crowds that plague Egypt's capital. It also feels more Western with its clean streets and numerous American shops and fast-food restaurants.
"I've traveled to Morocco but not to the heart of the Middle East, and Jordan was that good entry point," said Liza Hester, an Arabic student from Maine's Colby College.
She speculated that places like Egypt and Yemen would be more difficult to navigate and said her college would not give her credit for Arabic classes taken in countries on the U.S. State Department's travel advisory list, such as Syria and Lebanon.
Jordan, perhaps best known as home of the ancient red rock city of Petra, has generally been safe for foreigners despite an occasional flare-up in violence. A Palestinian gunman wounded six people outside a popular Roman amphitheater in Amman earlier this summer, while triple hotel blasts claimed by al-Qaida in Iraq killed 63 people in 2005.
But such attacks have done little to damage Jordan's image as a placid island of stability.
Amman has also become a doorstep to neighboring Iraq: Construction has boomed with Iraqi investments and Iraqi refugees have flooded in. Westerners traveling to Baghdad or using the Jordanian capital as a base for operations in the wartorn country are also common.
Still, Amman remains far sleepier than other Arab capitals.
"Amman is like the Kansas City of the Middle East," Kelly Nau, a 26-year-old Los Angeles native who came to Jordan to work as a nurse, said between puffs from a waterpipe at one of the city's stylish cafes.
It may not have the "allure of Damascus, Beirut or Jerusalem," but, Nau adds: "It is stable."
More than 300 Americans are expected to study Arabic at the University of Jordan in the fall, making up over half of this year's class of 600 students.
The size of the program has tripled since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, said Tawfiq Omar, the academic adviser for foreigners learning Arabic at the university.
It is the largest of more than 30 Arabic language programs offered in Jordan. Many charge about $2,000 per year in tuition — less than the cost of many programs in countries like Egypt and Syria, which have also seen an increase in Arabic language students from the U.S. since the 2001 attacks.
For some, the cheap tuition means money left over to party in Amman's nightclubs and Irish pubs. Others get jobs waiting tables in the city's restaurants or write English speeches for Jordanian officials to pay the bills.
Jordan's moderate government has encouraged Americans to visit the country, hoping the exchange will reduce misconceptions about the Middle East. The country's youthful Queen Rania launched a Web site on YouTube earlier this year devoted to breaking down negative stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.
"I want the people to know the real Arab world, unedited, unscripted, unfiltered," said the queen in one of her videos.
The Jordanian government's moderate politics has made the country a sort of diplomatic "Middle East Lite" for the U.S. as well.
Jordan, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, is one of America's most reliable allies in the region and rarely adopts controversial positions on issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian crisis or the Iraq war.
A large number of Jordanians in Amman speak at least a little English, which makes the transition easier for Americans who come to the country to learn Arabic for the first time. Also, many signs in the country are posted in both English and Arabic.
Even the country's summer weather is fairly moderate, a rarity in a region where temperatures regularly soar above 100 degrees Fahreinheit.
"The lovely climate is the main reason I came here. But the people are also very welcoming," said Mariam Shaheed, a Texas native who came to Amman over the summer to improve her Arabic.
From Yahoo News "An AP report"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_re_mi_ea/jordan_mideast_lite;_ylt=Alpp.s5BFMMfUmWVsBHpRUxvaA8F
Drawn by that reputation, an increasing number of Americans interested in Arabic have been flocking to Jordan.
The capital, Amman, lacks much of the history and color that attract Americans to Cairo, the most popular destination for foreign students who want to learn Arabic. But Amman comes without the air pollution and crowds that plague Egypt's capital. It also feels more Western with its clean streets and numerous American shops and fast-food restaurants.
"I've traveled to Morocco but not to the heart of the Middle East, and Jordan was that good entry point," said Liza Hester, an Arabic student from Maine's Colby College.
She speculated that places like Egypt and Yemen would be more difficult to navigate and said her college would not give her credit for Arabic classes taken in countries on the U.S. State Department's travel advisory list, such as Syria and Lebanon.
Jordan, perhaps best known as home of the ancient red rock city of Petra, has generally been safe for foreigners despite an occasional flare-up in violence. A Palestinian gunman wounded six people outside a popular Roman amphitheater in Amman earlier this summer, while triple hotel blasts claimed by al-Qaida in Iraq killed 63 people in 2005.
But such attacks have done little to damage Jordan's image as a placid island of stability.
Amman has also become a doorstep to neighboring Iraq: Construction has boomed with Iraqi investments and Iraqi refugees have flooded in. Westerners traveling to Baghdad or using the Jordanian capital as a base for operations in the wartorn country are also common.
Still, Amman remains far sleepier than other Arab capitals.
"Amman is like the Kansas City of the Middle East," Kelly Nau, a 26-year-old Los Angeles native who came to Jordan to work as a nurse, said between puffs from a waterpipe at one of the city's stylish cafes.
It may not have the "allure of Damascus, Beirut or Jerusalem," but, Nau adds: "It is stable."
More than 300 Americans are expected to study Arabic at the University of Jordan in the fall, making up over half of this year's class of 600 students.
The size of the program has tripled since the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, said Tawfiq Omar, the academic adviser for foreigners learning Arabic at the university.
It is the largest of more than 30 Arabic language programs offered in Jordan. Many charge about $2,000 per year in tuition — less than the cost of many programs in countries like Egypt and Syria, which have also seen an increase in Arabic language students from the U.S. since the 2001 attacks.
For some, the cheap tuition means money left over to party in Amman's nightclubs and Irish pubs. Others get jobs waiting tables in the city's restaurants or write English speeches for Jordanian officials to pay the bills.
Jordan's moderate government has encouraged Americans to visit the country, hoping the exchange will reduce misconceptions about the Middle East. The country's youthful Queen Rania launched a Web site on YouTube earlier this year devoted to breaking down negative stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.
"I want the people to know the real Arab world, unedited, unscripted, unfiltered," said the queen in one of her videos.
The Jordanian government's moderate politics has made the country a sort of diplomatic "Middle East Lite" for the U.S. as well.
Jordan, which signed a peace deal with Israel in 1994, is one of America's most reliable allies in the region and rarely adopts controversial positions on issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian crisis or the Iraq war.
A large number of Jordanians in Amman speak at least a little English, which makes the transition easier for Americans who come to the country to learn Arabic for the first time. Also, many signs in the country are posted in both English and Arabic.
Even the country's summer weather is fairly moderate, a rarity in a region where temperatures regularly soar above 100 degrees Fahreinheit.
"The lovely climate is the main reason I came here. But the people are also very welcoming," said Mariam Shaheed, a Texas native who came to Amman over the summer to improve her Arabic.
From Yahoo News "An AP report"
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080902/ap_on_re_mi_ea/jordan_mideast_lite;_ylt=Alpp.s5BFMMfUmWVsBHpRUxvaA8F
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