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/
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