I strongly disagree with Roba's blog on the part suggesting that we don't blog to be part of the community. Let us look at the definition of what constitute a community : According to the American heritage dictionary definition, a community is a group of class having common interest. In my opinion, Jordan Planet consists of a group of class, that is bloggers, having common interest, that is blogging about themselves, their country, their culture, and their religion, and many other variety of things that interests that particular community.
To say that blogging isn't related to being part of one's community is in my opinion wrong. If it is so then why are you here [Roba?] and on toot and on few other sites? Isn't because you feel that you can relate to this class and because you have common interest with this class.
If it was otherwise, then you would still be blogging for yourself in some kind of unknown undisclosed location on the internet and the net result would be that no one will know about you and you will not know about anyone else.
Perhaps there are entries on Jordan Planet that don't satisfy your taste or my taste, but that is the crux of blogging, it was never meant to satisfy anyone except the person that is writing the entry himself or herself.
There is no one site on earth that will guarantee to have entries in it that will satisfy each and every taste, if you find one let me know about it. People come in every color and shape, they have different characters and different interests.
We can never dictate to them that unless they are going to produce an interesting blog then they shouldn't blog at all, on the contrary, we should be encouraging them to blog about anything and everything that inspires them or interests them irrespective of how trivial that entry might be to you or to me or to whomever is reading the blog.
Look at the newspaper for example : Some people buy the newspaper to read the obituaries, others are interested in reading their horoscopes, some want to know about the weather, or the airport flights schedule, some interested in international politics while others read about the local and regional politics.
In other words, different people have different reasons for reading different blogs. For me, I loathe pictures, don't ask me why, I just hate them period. I usually skip through them wherever I find them.
That is why I'm an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal, it doesn't have any pictures, and on those rare occasions that they find it compulsory to put a picture, they would draw it as a sketch and not as a picture taken by camera.
I agree that there have been plethora of entries coming through the Jordan Planet during the past sixty days or so, but many of these entries are unique in their own way. Under no circumstances will we be able to judge as to which entry is worth keeping and reading and which entry needs to be jettisoned.
I do follow some of your rules, when I don't have anything to blog about I usually refrain from blogging, I do exercise my own blogging censorship, but that is me and I can't tell any one else when they should or shouldn't blog, since what may seem trivial to me could be of paramount importance to someone else.
I think that there is no clear cut definition as to what blogging should be all about, it is in my opinion like writing without borders, that is why sometimes we write in such a language that might be interpreted by some people as foul or unbecoming of a traditional society as the Jordanian society, but again who decides what, and where do you draw the line of what is considered offensive and what is considered assertive!
I personally don't find any topic to be considered taboo, be that sex education, or what have you, I'm willing to engage any topic irrespective of how bizarre or taboo it may sound.
If some one doesn't like to read it they always have the option of of scrolling down or hitting their delete button, and they wouldn't have to worry about it any more. I think that I have veered too much above and beyond the main topic , but yes, blogging is as being part of the community and yes blogging is as being part of specific class that we have common interest with one another.[I.e community]
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Year Accomplishments
My top ten 2005 Accomplishments.
1) On the professional level : I went to work every day except for the days that were designated as holiday or days off.
2) On the personal level : I Quit Mahjoob discussion list and joined Jordan Planet bloggers list.
3) On the family level : I Told my spouse and my children that I still love them
4) On the friends level : I Called my friends in Jordan and Palestine and conveyed my greetings and best wishes.
5) On the theological level : I Haven't started but I'm attempting to start praying on regular basis.
6) On the house level : I Bought new stove and refrigerator for the kitchen.
7) On the internet level : I Learned new techniques for searching and refining my search.
8) On the investment level : I did well in [REIT] real estate investments trust fund.
9) On the health level : I Took my medication according to the way the doctor prescribed them for me
10) On the cathartic level : I Engaged a group of very nice bloggers like Nas, Haitham, Rami, Roba, Lina, Firas, Tololy, and Ziad Kawar
My outlook for 206 : Much of the same things like 2005
1) On the professional level : I went to work every day except for the days that were designated as holiday or days off.
2) On the personal level : I Quit Mahjoob discussion list and joined Jordan Planet bloggers list.
3) On the family level : I Told my spouse and my children that I still love them
4) On the friends level : I Called my friends in Jordan and Palestine and conveyed my greetings and best wishes.
5) On the theological level : I Haven't started but I'm attempting to start praying on regular basis.
6) On the house level : I Bought new stove and refrigerator for the kitchen.
7) On the internet level : I Learned new techniques for searching and refining my search.
8) On the investment level : I did well in [REIT] real estate investments trust fund.
9) On the health level : I Took my medication according to the way the doctor prescribed them for me
10) On the cathartic level : I Engaged a group of very nice bloggers like Nas, Haitham, Rami, Roba, Lina, Firas, Tololy, and Ziad Kawar
My outlook for 206 : Much of the same things like 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
Simplify ... Simplify.
This post is inspired by Darwish Naji's experience during the period immediately before his http://hotice130.blogspot.com/ joining Jordan Planet citizenry. His experience was reminiscent of my own experience and the experience of couple of other citizens who probably wouldn't want their names publicized and would rather remain anonymous.
What makes this topic interesting is the fact that existing members who have been citizens for a while themselves don't know anything about the appropriate manner with which an aspiring prospective bolggers become a citizen of Jordan Planet.
I'm not suggesting that somehow there is a huge level of fortified secrecy surrounding the manner with which a prospective blogger become a citizen what I'm saying is there is a need for something like a pull down key that would take the person for instance to a topic titled [FAQ] frequently asked questions.
The purpose of this topic would be to answer the most frequently asked questions that comes to mind when the person become interested in Joining Jordan Plant. I understand that currently there are brief statements scattered here and there that gives the person some hints on what to do, but judging from Darwish Naji's experience, my own experience and that of couple others, I felt that this topic warrants some addressing and I chose to be the one to address it.
A few days ago, Laith Zraikat suggested http://laithz.jeeran.com/archive/2005/12/4304.html that the citizen ought to be given the option to post or not post some blogs on Jordan PLanet since some of the topics are too technical for some people and find it very boring and may not want to be burdened with looking at it. I personally thought that the suggestion was a brilliant one, as many times the citizen would want to be in the driver seat deciding whether a specific topic warrants the trouble of having the whole world look at it or it simply would be better off confined to the main blogger home page.
So Mr. Zraikat's suggestion would be added to the FAQ list. The question would read something like this : Will the citizen of Jordan Planet be able to post some blogs on Jordan Planet and withhold some other blogs from being published, or all the blogs appearing on the citizen's blog main will be published on Jordan Planet once he become a citizen without exception?
Answer : All blogs will exclusively be appearing on Jordan Planet, you can't choose between which one you can publish and which one you can hold back.
Having said all of that, now let me go back to the main topic and see if I can develop some hypothetical questions that are most frequently asked.
Question: How do I join Jordan Planet ?
Answer : Fill out the application provided.
Question : How long will I have to wait ?
Answer : Usually about 30 days from the day of your submission.
Question : What are some of the qualifications that you look for?
Answer : Interest in blogging. Blog, blog, blog.
Question : How will I know if I was approved ?
Answer : You will receive a letter of approval notifying you ( I've never received no letter)
Question : Once I'm approved, am I obligated to blog on a daily basis?
Answer : No
Question : Is there certain number of blogs that I need to maintain in order for me to keep my citizenship in good standing?
Answer : NO
Question : If I don't blog because I'm busy or have exams will I be penalized?
Answer : No
Question : What do I do to quit Jordan Planet?
Answer : You can't quit, this is a cult.[ Just kidding here] You can quit any time you want by sending an email to one of Jordan Planet staff members.
Question : Will my blog be censored?
Answer : No not unless it has something in it that violates the law.
Question : Who owns Jordan Planet?
Answer : The spirit of volunteerism
question: Is Jordan Planet for profit organization?
Answer : No
Question : Is Jordan Planet Governmental portal or non- governmental?
Answer : Non-governmental.
question : Do I have to be a Journalist to be a respected member?
Answer : No
Question : How do we resolve disputes?
Answer : There has never been any so far.
Question : Is faith, race, gender, ethnicity, play any role in this portal
Answer : No
These are by no means inclusive questions, I'm sure many more questions will come up as we go along, this meant to be a sample of what the questions and answers might look like.
This isn't something that needs to be implemented now or any time in the future, please note[ disclaimer] that I'm doing it as a blog not as a suggestion or a request or an edict. I have no say so over anything that goes on within the Jordan Planet administration, I'm simply a fresh citizen that has been around Jordan Planet for less than 90 days.
Feel free to comment on the blog or simply ignore it. I feel that simplification is the best policy, the more we simplify things the better they become. If the potential members are able to retrieve all the answers or finding them handy on the sight they will love it more.
People are parched for information, I know that Jordan Planet is a little over one year, I think that in the span of its short life it has done many marvelous things, but refinements never stop, they are an ongoing process. Adding FAQ feature is in my opinion a plus for the portal that will increase the level of visitors and traffic tremendously.
What makes this topic interesting is the fact that existing members who have been citizens for a while themselves don't know anything about the appropriate manner with which an aspiring prospective bolggers become a citizen of Jordan Planet.
I'm not suggesting that somehow there is a huge level of fortified secrecy surrounding the manner with which a prospective blogger become a citizen what I'm saying is there is a need for something like a pull down key that would take the person for instance to a topic titled [FAQ] frequently asked questions.
The purpose of this topic would be to answer the most frequently asked questions that comes to mind when the person become interested in Joining Jordan Plant. I understand that currently there are brief statements scattered here and there that gives the person some hints on what to do, but judging from Darwish Naji's experience, my own experience and that of couple others, I felt that this topic warrants some addressing and I chose to be the one to address it.
A few days ago, Laith Zraikat suggested http://laithz.jeeran.com/archive/2005/12/4304.html that the citizen ought to be given the option to post or not post some blogs on Jordan PLanet since some of the topics are too technical for some people and find it very boring and may not want to be burdened with looking at it. I personally thought that the suggestion was a brilliant one, as many times the citizen would want to be in the driver seat deciding whether a specific topic warrants the trouble of having the whole world look at it or it simply would be better off confined to the main blogger home page.
So Mr. Zraikat's suggestion would be added to the FAQ list. The question would read something like this : Will the citizen of Jordan Planet be able to post some blogs on Jordan Planet and withhold some other blogs from being published, or all the blogs appearing on the citizen's blog main will be published on Jordan Planet once he become a citizen without exception?
Answer : All blogs will exclusively be appearing on Jordan Planet, you can't choose between which one you can publish and which one you can hold back.
Having said all of that, now let me go back to the main topic and see if I can develop some hypothetical questions that are most frequently asked.
Question: How do I join Jordan Planet ?
Answer : Fill out the application provided.
Question : How long will I have to wait ?
Answer : Usually about 30 days from the day of your submission.
Question : What are some of the qualifications that you look for?
Answer : Interest in blogging. Blog, blog, blog.
Question : How will I know if I was approved ?
Answer : You will receive a letter of approval notifying you ( I've never received no letter)
Question : Once I'm approved, am I obligated to blog on a daily basis?
Answer : No
Question : Is there certain number of blogs that I need to maintain in order for me to keep my citizenship in good standing?
Answer : NO
Question : If I don't blog because I'm busy or have exams will I be penalized?
Answer : No
Question : What do I do to quit Jordan Planet?
Answer : You can't quit, this is a cult.[ Just kidding here] You can quit any time you want by sending an email to one of Jordan Planet staff members.
Question : Will my blog be censored?
Answer : No not unless it has something in it that violates the law.
Question : Who owns Jordan Planet?
Answer : The spirit of volunteerism
question: Is Jordan Planet for profit organization?
Answer : No
Question : Is Jordan Planet Governmental portal or non- governmental?
Answer : Non-governmental.
question : Do I have to be a Journalist to be a respected member?
Answer : No
Question : How do we resolve disputes?
Answer : There has never been any so far.
Question : Is faith, race, gender, ethnicity, play any role in this portal
Answer : No
These are by no means inclusive questions, I'm sure many more questions will come up as we go along, this meant to be a sample of what the questions and answers might look like.
This isn't something that needs to be implemented now or any time in the future, please note[ disclaimer] that I'm doing it as a blog not as a suggestion or a request or an edict. I have no say so over anything that goes on within the Jordan Planet administration, I'm simply a fresh citizen that has been around Jordan Planet for less than 90 days.
Feel free to comment on the blog or simply ignore it. I feel that simplification is the best policy, the more we simplify things the better they become. If the potential members are able to retrieve all the answers or finding them handy on the sight they will love it more.
People are parched for information, I know that Jordan Planet is a little over one year, I think that in the span of its short life it has done many marvelous things, but refinements never stop, they are an ongoing process. Adding FAQ feature is in my opinion a plus for the portal that will increase the level of visitors and traffic tremendously.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Googling Jordan Planet Members
Don't ask me why I did it because I have no idea, I guess I found some free time on me and I decided to use it Googling the majority of Jordan Planet members. I don't know what any of these numbers mean, they keep going up and down every so often, so don't be surprised to see yourself with a high number one day and then a low number on the next day.
The result of my Googling yielded some surprises, some of the members that I thought would get a low return received a very high return, for instance, who would have thought that a low key member like Jad would yield 114000, and a very powerful member like Ziad Kawar got only 655.
I was in between the 15 to 20 thousand category, I received 16700, very close to a former Journalist and an aspiring drummer/ singer Rami, he received 17000. The lowest was a member named Rawashed, he received 536, followed by Wael who received 578. Wael is more or less another surprise, he deserves more than that just for the exhibition he put out on the cultural street in not so distant past.
The Jordan Plant 'Staff' members did very well : Isam, the supreme leader received a whopping 57000, Roba did well too, she got 47900, Lina got only 12000, and Natasha had a disappointing 544, don't ask me why, Google yielded these numbers not me.
Moving along, Ahmad received 25500, I think it is a fair number for Ahmad, he isn't overly active but yet he writes in an adequate and consistent fashion. I Like his weekly and sometimes bi weekly columns appearing in the Jordan Times Weekender.
Another very disappointing return was Naseem Tarawneh, now who on earth would have thought that this prolific contributor would only get 544, it is ridiculous, I think that he should be up there with Roba and Isam in the fifty thousand category, but who am I to decide, it is Google who put out these search results.
Some members come out where they should be, Smeir is a new arrival and he received a fair 582, so is Owais, he too is fairly new arrival and he received 148. I hope that no one gets offended by these results, I'm only the messenger and the message is on Google you can investigate these results on your spare time and find out for yourself.
Other results in no particular order were : Ameen 13400, Matalqa 9160, Ammar Ibrahim 159000, by the way he was the highest one, with no one else coming as a close second.
Dweik 531, Sabbah 38100, I think the number for Sabbah is also fair, he is very active and puts out quite a bit of reading material out there. We haven't heard much though about London conference.
Sabanekh 699, Laith 837, Arrabi 833, Nader 11900, nader was sort of a surprise for me, I guess he is very active it just his name doesn't ring the bell when I hear it. Sabri 89000, Wow. For taking pictures of kids fighting in Hai Nazal, that is an excellent yield bro.
Kurdi 778, Yazan 10500, now who on earth is Yazan, I been around for at least 90 days and I don't remember seeing one single post for this Yazan, will Mr.Yazan please identify your self with a post or two so we know who you are?Thanks.
My sincere apologies for those that I didn't get to their names, they are either very new members, haven't posted anything recently, use an alias instead of their names, or I unwittingly omitted their names.
It doesn't mean that they are not worthy of being Googled or their Blogs aren't meeting the standard Blogging techniques, nothing even remotely resembles that.
In the scheme of things and due to the nature of doing things, one have a tendency to omit very deserving people, to those that weren't mentioned please accept my sincere apology, this report is by no means reflective of your skills or abilities, it wasn't meant to be inclusive nor comprehensive.
I started by Googling few names and when I found that I still have some time I googled some more, until I ended up with the bunch that I listed in the report. Again, please don't look at it as if it means anything to me to you or to any of the names mentioned.
The result of my Googling yielded some surprises, some of the members that I thought would get a low return received a very high return, for instance, who would have thought that a low key member like Jad would yield 114000, and a very powerful member like Ziad Kawar got only 655.
I was in between the 15 to 20 thousand category, I received 16700, very close to a former Journalist and an aspiring drummer/ singer Rami, he received 17000. The lowest was a member named Rawashed, he received 536, followed by Wael who received 578. Wael is more or less another surprise, he deserves more than that just for the exhibition he put out on the cultural street in not so distant past.
The Jordan Plant 'Staff' members did very well : Isam, the supreme leader received a whopping 57000, Roba did well too, she got 47900, Lina got only 12000, and Natasha had a disappointing 544, don't ask me why, Google yielded these numbers not me.
Moving along, Ahmad received 25500, I think it is a fair number for Ahmad, he isn't overly active but yet he writes in an adequate and consistent fashion. I Like his weekly and sometimes bi weekly columns appearing in the Jordan Times Weekender.
Another very disappointing return was Naseem Tarawneh, now who on earth would have thought that this prolific contributor would only get 544, it is ridiculous, I think that he should be up there with Roba and Isam in the fifty thousand category, but who am I to decide, it is Google who put out these search results.
Some members come out where they should be, Smeir is a new arrival and he received a fair 582, so is Owais, he too is fairly new arrival and he received 148. I hope that no one gets offended by these results, I'm only the messenger and the message is on Google you can investigate these results on your spare time and find out for yourself.
Other results in no particular order were : Ameen 13400, Matalqa 9160, Ammar Ibrahim 159000, by the way he was the highest one, with no one else coming as a close second.
Dweik 531, Sabbah 38100, I think the number for Sabbah is also fair, he is very active and puts out quite a bit of reading material out there. We haven't heard much though about London conference.
Sabanekh 699, Laith 837, Arrabi 833, Nader 11900, nader was sort of a surprise for me, I guess he is very active it just his name doesn't ring the bell when I hear it. Sabri 89000, Wow. For taking pictures of kids fighting in Hai Nazal, that is an excellent yield bro.
Kurdi 778, Yazan 10500, now who on earth is Yazan, I been around for at least 90 days and I don't remember seeing one single post for this Yazan, will Mr.Yazan please identify your self with a post or two so we know who you are?Thanks.
My sincere apologies for those that I didn't get to their names, they are either very new members, haven't posted anything recently, use an alias instead of their names, or I unwittingly omitted their names.
It doesn't mean that they are not worthy of being Googled or their Blogs aren't meeting the standard Blogging techniques, nothing even remotely resembles that.
In the scheme of things and due to the nature of doing things, one have a tendency to omit very deserving people, to those that weren't mentioned please accept my sincere apology, this report is by no means reflective of your skills or abilities, it wasn't meant to be inclusive nor comprehensive.
I started by Googling few names and when I found that I still have some time I googled some more, until I ended up with the bunch that I listed in the report. Again, please don't look at it as if it means anything to me to you or to any of the names mentioned.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Response to Khalaf post about the 'AGENDA'
I think that the purported election laws and the leaked news about the cancellation of the mandatory membership in the press association were the two reasons behind keeping the agenda articles obfuscated.Let us be realistic, it is almost impossible to implement any of the agenda's recommendations even if you have all the best intentions in the world.
Let us go over some of the recommendations and see how they fair up against the existing circumstances.
* Comprehensive universal health insurance for everyone in the nation by 2012. Give me a break, how much is that going to cost and who is going to fund it ?
* The creation of 600000 job opportunity.MMMMM Sure! How? In what field?
*Reduce unemployment from 14% to 6.8%. Read the item above, they go hand in hand with one another.
* Reduce poverty from 14% to 10%. This is possible with continued growth and money brought in by expatriates working in the Gulf.
* Increase annual income per capita from JD1500 to JD 2400. Well, I'm not so sure about this one either, if it hasn't happened during the past decade why would it happen now.
* Equal rights for both sexes by the year 2015. This one makes me laugh, it will happen when the salt bloom.
* Convert the budget deficit to budget surplus by the year 2017. This one also makes me laugh real loud. With so many thieves stealing everything including toilet tissue, I have serious doubts about any budget surpluses.
* Increase economic growth to 7.2%. Call me crazy on this one but I honestly think that it is achievable.
* Reduce external debt from 91% to 36% LoLLLLLLLLLL for that one.
* Increase spending on research. May be it will happen , by a small margin.
Let us go over some of the recommendations and see how they fair up against the existing circumstances.
* Comprehensive universal health insurance for everyone in the nation by 2012. Give me a break, how much is that going to cost and who is going to fund it ?
* The creation of 600000 job opportunity.MMMMM Sure! How? In what field?
*Reduce unemployment from 14% to 6.8%. Read the item above, they go hand in hand with one another.
* Reduce poverty from 14% to 10%. This is possible with continued growth and money brought in by expatriates working in the Gulf.
* Increase annual income per capita from JD1500 to JD 2400. Well, I'm not so sure about this one either, if it hasn't happened during the past decade why would it happen now.
* Equal rights for both sexes by the year 2015. This one makes me laugh, it will happen when the salt bloom.
* Convert the budget deficit to budget surplus by the year 2017. This one also makes me laugh real loud. With so many thieves stealing everything including toilet tissue, I have serious doubts about any budget surpluses.
* Increase economic growth to 7.2%. Call me crazy on this one but I honestly think that it is achievable.
* Reduce external debt from 91% to 36% LoLLLLLLLLLL for that one.
* Increase spending on research. May be it will happen , by a small margin.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Proffesor Acquitted Of Funding Terrorists
Professor acquitted of funding Islamist group : Dr.Sami AlArian has been acquitted by federal Jury. See the link below.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/crime_professor_dc;_ylt=AlVp2G2ehVI4oEeqEeFrt.2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
I have blogged about him on November 5, 2005. See the link below
http://hatemabunimeh.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_hatemabunimeh_archive.html
I also blogged about him again on June 16, 2005. See the link below.
http://hatemabunimeh.blogspot.com/2005/06/sami-al-arian.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/crime_professor_dc;_ylt=AlVp2G2ehVI4oEeqEeFrt.2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
I have blogged about him on November 5, 2005. See the link below
http://hatemabunimeh.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_hatemabunimeh_archive.html
I also blogged about him again on June 16, 2005. See the link below.
http://hatemabunimeh.blogspot.com/2005/06/sami-al-arian.html
Monday, December 05, 2005
Arab-American Museum
Below is a very nice article written by my friend Ray Hanania about the recently opened first Arab-American Museum in Dearborn Michigan. Enjoy.
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/telling.our.own.story.htm
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/default.htm
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/telling.our.own.story.htm
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200505/default.htm
Another Suicide Bombing
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-12-05T135327Z_01_SCH534657_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-BLAST.xml
Another suicide attack, how different is this suicide attack from the one that took place in Amman on November 11, 2005 ? Are all suicide attacks against the civilians are one and the same ? Are the attacks directed against the Israelis are supposed to be justified ? Shall we as ordinary citizens condemn all forms of suicide attacks against innocent civilians even though these civilians are considered enemies?
Are suicide attacks moral thing to do or totally immoral? What is the purpose of killing 5 people when the enemy is going to retaliate by killing three or four times as many of the Palestinians?
Are the suicide bombers helping the cause or harming it? Will suicide bombing yield any results or is it going to harden the enemy's resolve? All of these random thoughts are going through my mind as I listen to the latest news about yet another suicide bombing in Natalia Israel.
I honestly haven't fully recovered from Amman's suicide bombing, I just can't figure out why people resort to such a futile attempt to change things. The suicide strategy in my opinion, while it terrorizes people momentarily, and creates a great deal of havoc and mayhem, it is a strategy of failure on the long run.
When the Japanese used it against the United States in Pearl Harbor, the United States responded by dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two cities that have not recovered until our present day.
The Chechnyan rebels used it against the Russian soldiers for many years, and more recently against the Russian civilians, it too proved to be a policy of failure because the Russians retaliated and devastated Chechnya into ashes and charred its buildings.
The Tamil separatists used it against the Sarilankan government personnel and it failed to achieve any thing, the Kashmir's used it against the Indian forces, and in recent years the Palestinians have been using it against the Israelis, they too have not been able to advance their cause a single inch by employing suicide strategies.
How long before the people sponsoring these strategies realize that suicide bombing doesn't work!? On the contrary, it hurts many more folds than the little benefit gained out of it.
The policy of suicide bombing is a bank rupt policy, it should abandoned all together, the responsible people with the right frame of mind must realize that the entire world is against it, you can't stand all alone in this world.
No matter what the cause is, no matter how justified the person in carrying out their attack, it never will be legitimized as a form of resistance, it will always be condemned as an act of barbarism.
Another suicide attack, how different is this suicide attack from the one that took place in Amman on November 11, 2005 ? Are all suicide attacks against the civilians are one and the same ? Are the attacks directed against the Israelis are supposed to be justified ? Shall we as ordinary citizens condemn all forms of suicide attacks against innocent civilians even though these civilians are considered enemies?
Are suicide attacks moral thing to do or totally immoral? What is the purpose of killing 5 people when the enemy is going to retaliate by killing three or four times as many of the Palestinians?
Are the suicide bombers helping the cause or harming it? Will suicide bombing yield any results or is it going to harden the enemy's resolve? All of these random thoughts are going through my mind as I listen to the latest news about yet another suicide bombing in Natalia Israel.
I honestly haven't fully recovered from Amman's suicide bombing, I just can't figure out why people resort to such a futile attempt to change things. The suicide strategy in my opinion, while it terrorizes people momentarily, and creates a great deal of havoc and mayhem, it is a strategy of failure on the long run.
When the Japanese used it against the United States in Pearl Harbor, the United States responded by dropping two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two cities that have not recovered until our present day.
The Chechnyan rebels used it against the Russian soldiers for many years, and more recently against the Russian civilians, it too proved to be a policy of failure because the Russians retaliated and devastated Chechnya into ashes and charred its buildings.
The Tamil separatists used it against the Sarilankan government personnel and it failed to achieve any thing, the Kashmir's used it against the Indian forces, and in recent years the Palestinians have been using it against the Israelis, they too have not been able to advance their cause a single inch by employing suicide strategies.
How long before the people sponsoring these strategies realize that suicide bombing doesn't work!? On the contrary, it hurts many more folds than the little benefit gained out of it.
The policy of suicide bombing is a bank rupt policy, it should abandoned all together, the responsible people with the right frame of mind must realize that the entire world is against it, you can't stand all alone in this world.
No matter what the cause is, no matter how justified the person in carrying out their attack, it never will be legitimized as a form of resistance, it will always be condemned as an act of barbarism.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Queen Rania
Ever since her ascendancy to the throne as a full fledged Queen of Jordan in the late nineties, Queen Rania has been very active on a number of fronts promoting domestic social programs, as well as polishing the image of the Kingdom abroad. Nevertheless, her efforts have been largely well below the radar level and haven't gained the necessary momentum to generate the broad based publicity necessary to put her directly under the spot light.
Fast forward to October 8, 2005. A massive earthquake strikes the country of Pakistan killing tens of thousands and injuring twice as many and leaves hundreds of thousands of Pakistani people without any shelter. Queen Rania, being the compassionate person that she is volunteered her services to the victims of the earthquake, and vowed to raise a massive public awareness campaign on behalf of the victims, exposing their case before the world public opinion, generating as much donations as it can be possibly generated.
Consequently, we couldn't miss noticing Queen Rania appearing at different times of the day on various satellite television stations promoting the cause of donations and soliciting other material help that can be provided to the earthquake victims. While it is very hard to measure the fruits of her Majesties message, it nevertheless gained a lot of publicity, and the Queens stature has been elevated in eyes of the people that watched these public announcements.
Queen Rania must have learned a lot about all of the human being sufferings while visiting the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan and while making those television appearances before the world audience, as her next performance shall be her best ever.
Fast forward again to November 11, 2005. Three Iraqi nationals blow themselves up in three different Jordanian hotels killing over fifty people and injuring over a hundred, a fourth bomber failed to detonate and was later apprehended by the authorities. Jordan goes numb, the country in deep mourning, no one can come up with a logical explanation to answer the questions : Why us? Why now ?
In the midst of all of the commotions, here comes Queen Rania appearing on Good Morning America for an interview on a television show that is shown across the United States coast to coast by millions of American on a daily basis.
The queen had made a very compelling case articulating the reasons for what happened and why did it happen, and despite her stunning performance the first time around, the queen must have felt that there is more to be said about this despicable act of barbarity that will go to any length for the purpose of inflicting pain and suffering on normal ordinary people enjoying a wedding party.
Fast forward one last time to November 13, 2005, in an exclusive interview with George Stepanapolus, the host ABC this week show, another nationally televised news show watched by millions of Americans on a weekly basis and shown coast to coast, here comes Queen Rania, poised, very elegantly dressed, speaking very authoritatively, and delivering a stunning super flawless performance. I must admit that I have never seen her so determined and so reassuring the way I seen her yesterday on this week program.
The host Mr. Stepanapolus tried to ask her very tricky questions, but the more the difficult the questions were, the better the answer she would give. Queen Rania described the attacks as attacks purely and simply directed against the people. There were no military instillations at those hotels, they weren't governmental institutions, the people are the ones who suffered the consequences of the atrocities.
I was so proud of Queen Rania, I have never seen any one from Jordan that was able to articulate the Jordanian position towards the bombing the way Queen Rania articulated it.
She connected all of the dots, replied to every question in a very coherent and cogent fashion, I wish for those who still have any kind of doubts about my Queen to watch the interviews and judge for themselves.
If you would ask me today I would have to say that Queen Rania is the best and most eloquent living public speaker in Jordan. The message has been delivered your Majesty, we are very proud of you Jordanian abroad, you have made us raise our heads high and our shoulders aplomb.
Our pledge to you and to Jordan that we will be the invisible soldiers spreading the good word about Jordan and polishing the image of the Kingdom abroad in every step of the way. This is the very least that we can do, fighting terrorism is not a one round match, it is several rounds, and just because the terrorists got away with one round, they will not get away with any successive rounds because we are determined along with your leadership to completely stamp them out .
Fast forward to October 8, 2005. A massive earthquake strikes the country of Pakistan killing tens of thousands and injuring twice as many and leaves hundreds of thousands of Pakistani people without any shelter. Queen Rania, being the compassionate person that she is volunteered her services to the victims of the earthquake, and vowed to raise a massive public awareness campaign on behalf of the victims, exposing their case before the world public opinion, generating as much donations as it can be possibly generated.
Consequently, we couldn't miss noticing Queen Rania appearing at different times of the day on various satellite television stations promoting the cause of donations and soliciting other material help that can be provided to the earthquake victims. While it is very hard to measure the fruits of her Majesties message, it nevertheless gained a lot of publicity, and the Queens stature has been elevated in eyes of the people that watched these public announcements.
Queen Rania must have learned a lot about all of the human being sufferings while visiting the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan and while making those television appearances before the world audience, as her next performance shall be her best ever.
Fast forward again to November 11, 2005. Three Iraqi nationals blow themselves up in three different Jordanian hotels killing over fifty people and injuring over a hundred, a fourth bomber failed to detonate and was later apprehended by the authorities. Jordan goes numb, the country in deep mourning, no one can come up with a logical explanation to answer the questions : Why us? Why now ?
In the midst of all of the commotions, here comes Queen Rania appearing on Good Morning America for an interview on a television show that is shown across the United States coast to coast by millions of American on a daily basis.
The queen had made a very compelling case articulating the reasons for what happened and why did it happen, and despite her stunning performance the first time around, the queen must have felt that there is more to be said about this despicable act of barbarity that will go to any length for the purpose of inflicting pain and suffering on normal ordinary people enjoying a wedding party.
Fast forward one last time to November 13, 2005, in an exclusive interview with George Stepanapolus, the host ABC this week show, another nationally televised news show watched by millions of Americans on a weekly basis and shown coast to coast, here comes Queen Rania, poised, very elegantly dressed, speaking very authoritatively, and delivering a stunning super flawless performance. I must admit that I have never seen her so determined and so reassuring the way I seen her yesterday on this week program.
The host Mr. Stepanapolus tried to ask her very tricky questions, but the more the difficult the questions were, the better the answer she would give. Queen Rania described the attacks as attacks purely and simply directed against the people. There were no military instillations at those hotels, they weren't governmental institutions, the people are the ones who suffered the consequences of the atrocities.
I was so proud of Queen Rania, I have never seen any one from Jordan that was able to articulate the Jordanian position towards the bombing the way Queen Rania articulated it.
She connected all of the dots, replied to every question in a very coherent and cogent fashion, I wish for those who still have any kind of doubts about my Queen to watch the interviews and judge for themselves.
If you would ask me today I would have to say that Queen Rania is the best and most eloquent living public speaker in Jordan. The message has been delivered your Majesty, we are very proud of you Jordanian abroad, you have made us raise our heads high and our shoulders aplomb.
Our pledge to you and to Jordan that we will be the invisible soldiers spreading the good word about Jordan and polishing the image of the Kingdom abroad in every step of the way. This is the very least that we can do, fighting terrorism is not a one round match, it is several rounds, and just because the terrorists got away with one round, they will not get away with any successive rounds because we are determined along with your leadership to completely stamp them out .
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Condemnation & Commiseration
I strongly condemn the cowardly bombing act committed by unknown terrorists against the civilian facilities and people of Jordan.
I offer my sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed. Those egregious acts are affront to humanity and they can never be justified under any circumstances.
I hope the the adroit Jordanian authorities quickly apprehend and punish the perpetrators.
May Allah have mercy on the souls of the dead and help the wounded recover in a swift and speedy fashion.
I'm so shocked and outraged to the point where I'm finding it hard to come up with the appropriate words for my condemnation and commiseration message.
To Allah we belong and to him we shall return.
I offer my sincere condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed. Those egregious acts are affront to humanity and they can never be justified under any circumstances.
I hope the the adroit Jordanian authorities quickly apprehend and punish the perpetrators.
May Allah have mercy on the souls of the dead and help the wounded recover in a swift and speedy fashion.
I'm so shocked and outraged to the point where I'm finding it hard to come up with the appropriate words for my condemnation and commiseration message.
To Allah we belong and to him we shall return.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Waiting for a verdict
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_Al-Arian
The prosecution has rested its case after many hours of prolonged closing argument, the defendant isn't expected to call any witnesses. The verdict will be delivered as soon as the Jury completes its deliberation.
Dr. Al-Arian insists that he isn't what the prosecutor says what he is,namely; the lead chief financial arm of Palestinian Al-Jihad organization in the United States. The professor acquiesces to doing many charitable work raising funds on behalf of the Palestinian,but he insists time and again that he isn't a terrorist, never supported terrorism, and whatever he did is permissible and protected under the United States constitution.
The prosecutor on the other hand draws a very grim picture about who Al-Arian is and depicts him as the main Jihad Palestinian organization man in the United States.
It is an obvious harbinger of more woes to come.
I'm not sure what is the defendant's strategy behind not calling any witnesses and not countering some or all of the charges that were leveled against him. why did he chose to let this opportunity go is really a mystery to me.
I hope that he was not thinking that he will never get a fair trial no matter what he does, or no matter what kind of a defense he puts forth. Irrespective of the outcome of the trial, the defendant should have seized the opportunity by at least attempt to let the American Judicial system work to his advantage
"Jihad" is perhaps the most misunderstood word in America, if anyone hears it being uttered, right away they think that you are talking about a holy war even if you are yelling at an individual named Jihad.
For that reason alone Dr. Al-Arian and his attorney should have mounted a very succinct defense if for nothing else, it would be for explaining all of the meanings of the word "Jihad"
The prosecution has rested its case after many hours of prolonged closing argument, the defendant isn't expected to call any witnesses. The verdict will be delivered as soon as the Jury completes its deliberation.
Dr. Al-Arian insists that he isn't what the prosecutor says what he is,namely; the lead chief financial arm of Palestinian Al-Jihad organization in the United States. The professor acquiesces to doing many charitable work raising funds on behalf of the Palestinian,but he insists time and again that he isn't a terrorist, never supported terrorism, and whatever he did is permissible and protected under the United States constitution.
The prosecutor on the other hand draws a very grim picture about who Al-Arian is and depicts him as the main Jihad Palestinian organization man in the United States.
It is an obvious harbinger of more woes to come.
I'm not sure what is the defendant's strategy behind not calling any witnesses and not countering some or all of the charges that were leveled against him. why did he chose to let this opportunity go is really a mystery to me.
I hope that he was not thinking that he will never get a fair trial no matter what he does, or no matter what kind of a defense he puts forth. Irrespective of the outcome of the trial, the defendant should have seized the opportunity by at least attempt to let the American Judicial system work to his advantage
"Jihad" is perhaps the most misunderstood word in America, if anyone hears it being uttered, right away they think that you are talking about a holy war even if you are yelling at an individual named Jihad.
For that reason alone Dr. Al-Arian and his attorney should have mounted a very succinct defense if for nothing else, it would be for explaining all of the meanings of the word "Jihad"
Monday, November 07, 2005
Dead on arrival
Did anyone hear anything about the national agenda? It was supposed to be delivered to the king after the Eid holiday ! The Eid holiday has come and gone and we still haven't heard anything that even remotely resembles the national agenda? What is going on? Is the national agenda dead on arrival? A writer in Al-ghad newspaper named Nimri stated in an Op-ed quoted a former Jordanian official telling him that the fate of the national agenda will be the waste basket. Another writer for the weekly Star named Janbek quoted the Jordanian Prime minister Adnan Badran saying that he doesn't know why was he hired for the position of the prime minister and he also doesn't know when will he be leaving that position.
A third writer in Al Dustour Jordanian Daily named Hussein Rawashdeh stated in his Op-ed that there is a mass confusion as to whether the national agenda articles are mere thoughts, suggestions, and recommendations, or are they edicts, canons, and invariables?
Meanwhile, the deputy Prime minister, Mr. Marwan Muasher is talking about printing a 200 mini version of the national agenda along with small booklets highlighting the most important article in the national agenda to be distributed for the general public and for the students in schools and universities, in addition, he will embark upon a public awareness campaign to tout the national agenda and remove all of the misunderstandings that are surrounding it especially amongst the skeptics in our society.
It isn't very unusual for initiates to die before the see the day light, I can think of too big initiatives that died before they started, the first is president Clinton universal health care system, it was met with so much opposition to the point where it ended in the waste basket soon after it was announced in the early nineties.
A more recent example would be the Bush's privatization of social security initiative, the President went out on the limb trying to promote his initiative, he pulled all of the punches and used all of the tricks in the book to make it sound good and beneficial to the average American citizen, never less, and despite all of his sincere attempts the initiative went down the tube and before it gained any momentum it too went down to the waste basket.
In Jordan I can think of two big initiatives that got doomed as well, one being the initiative about Jordan First, despite all of whoopla, and the public service announcements and the repeated slogans that were hoisted to support it all over the country, the initiative has never gain the necessary support needed to lift it high above the ground. It is still around but living in a state of comatose.
The other popular initiative that was also doomed to failure was the attempt to cancel the penal code that forgives or lesson the sentence on the people that kill their relatives in the name of honor crimes.
That initiative was debated in the Parliament chamber for many months upon months and in the end it was doomed to failure, even on repeated attempts to reinvigorate it once more have also failed due to tremendous pressure and opposition.
I understand that we all like to think of Jordan as a modern advanced, technologically equipped state, and to certain extent it is that and much more, but again Jordan is still a tribal society ruled largely by tribal laws and big family names, and it will take quite a bit of more time to get out of our tribal clannish mentality.
Let us hope that the national agenda gets delivered as soon as possible as this delay doesn't seem to be caused by what they say it is caused by, proof reading, printing, and-- putting it on the internet doesn't take that long.
The haggling, pushing, and shoving appears to be over the election law and not about those other lame excuses that we have been hearing. Coming up with election law should have been a top priority for the agenda committees, but since they let go until the end it has now come back to hunt them.
At this point in time, there is no if and or but about it, the national agenda must become public between now and the next week or two, otherwise, the credibility of the people involved will be on the line.
A third writer in Al Dustour Jordanian Daily named Hussein Rawashdeh stated in his Op-ed that there is a mass confusion as to whether the national agenda articles are mere thoughts, suggestions, and recommendations, or are they edicts, canons, and invariables?
Meanwhile, the deputy Prime minister, Mr. Marwan Muasher is talking about printing a 200 mini version of the national agenda along with small booklets highlighting the most important article in the national agenda to be distributed for the general public and for the students in schools and universities, in addition, he will embark upon a public awareness campaign to tout the national agenda and remove all of the misunderstandings that are surrounding it especially amongst the skeptics in our society.
It isn't very unusual for initiates to die before the see the day light, I can think of too big initiatives that died before they started, the first is president Clinton universal health care system, it was met with so much opposition to the point where it ended in the waste basket soon after it was announced in the early nineties.
A more recent example would be the Bush's privatization of social security initiative, the President went out on the limb trying to promote his initiative, he pulled all of the punches and used all of the tricks in the book to make it sound good and beneficial to the average American citizen, never less, and despite all of his sincere attempts the initiative went down the tube and before it gained any momentum it too went down to the waste basket.
In Jordan I can think of two big initiatives that got doomed as well, one being the initiative about Jordan First, despite all of whoopla, and the public service announcements and the repeated slogans that were hoisted to support it all over the country, the initiative has never gain the necessary support needed to lift it high above the ground. It is still around but living in a state of comatose.
The other popular initiative that was also doomed to failure was the attempt to cancel the penal code that forgives or lesson the sentence on the people that kill their relatives in the name of honor crimes.
That initiative was debated in the Parliament chamber for many months upon months and in the end it was doomed to failure, even on repeated attempts to reinvigorate it once more have also failed due to tremendous pressure and opposition.
I understand that we all like to think of Jordan as a modern advanced, technologically equipped state, and to certain extent it is that and much more, but again Jordan is still a tribal society ruled largely by tribal laws and big family names, and it will take quite a bit of more time to get out of our tribal clannish mentality.
Let us hope that the national agenda gets delivered as soon as possible as this delay doesn't seem to be caused by what they say it is caused by, proof reading, printing, and-- putting it on the internet doesn't take that long.
The haggling, pushing, and shoving appears to be over the election law and not about those other lame excuses that we have been hearing. Coming up with election law should have been a top priority for the agenda committees, but since they let go until the end it has now come back to hunt them.
At this point in time, there is no if and or but about it, the national agenda must become public between now and the next week or two, otherwise, the credibility of the people involved will be on the line.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Change is coming...
In light of the flurry of activities that are taking place in the political circuits, political pundits, media czars, and opinion makers in Jordan are gambling on one of two things that are going to shape the next political atmosphere in Jordan immediately or soon after the Eid holiday is over.
Some zealots went even as far as predicting the demise of both; the legislative as well as the executive branches of the the government since neither one of them is showing any signs that it is willing to streamline their delivery agenda to coincide with the demands of the current internal as well as the external wind of change that are influencing Jordan in particular and the whole surrounding region in general.
If I have to make a wild guess as to whether the Jordanian parliament will be dissolved or the government of prime minister Badran will meet its final demise, it would be the latter.
Mr. Badran's government was doomed to failure from the onset, first and foremost it ignored the geographical factors influencing the political scene in Jordan, thereby the representation of some southern regions were totally ignored which caused an uproar amongst the tribal southern leaders and eventually lead to the reshuffling of the government while it was in its infancy even before receiving its mandatory endorsement from the parliament,
Secondly, it carelessly & intentionally carried over the same economics team that was dumped from the previous government despite the repeated warnings that this team was very unpopular amongst the opinion makers and was further accused with practicing massive unnecessary spending.
Thirdly, the executive branch appears to be always at odds with the legislative branch despite the denial by both branches about a deep resentment existing between them ever since the tepid endorsement the government received from the parliamentarians allowing it to function as a legitimate government under the law.
Finally, King Abdullah is faced with a choice between which branch is easier to dump without disrupting the flow of every day activities and without too much repercussions by the general public! When the King weighs the pros and cons he will conclude that it is much easier to get rid of the government and form new one that is willing to not only be pliant to the National agenda, but rather -one that will embrace the national agenda and sincerely believes in the biblical implementation of its recommendations especially the articles that deal with monitoring and bench marking now and for many years to come--accordingly.
Despite the fact that the agenda experts have already completed, signed, and delivered the sealed agenda dissertation to the appropriate personnel, the problem with the election laws is still looming large, it appears that the experts were not able to reach a formula where by a conciliation between the existing law and the proposed law can be enacted, it was left alone as to what the next move is going to be.
While we did hear through leaks that there will be two votes for each constituent, it wasn't exactly clear how these two votes will be cast. It was believed that one vote would be for the district or region, and a second one would be for the national vote.
While this issue is still pending, it would be very difficult for the King to dissolve the Parliament, he even said it on his own that dissolving the Parliament is out of the question.
In this case there is nothing left but to dissolve the Badran Government for the reason that I have listed above and for the reason that the government general perception in the public opinion polls indicate that it is a weak government that lacks the decisiveness existed in previous governments in Jordan.
Some zealots went even as far as predicting the demise of both; the legislative as well as the executive branches of the the government since neither one of them is showing any signs that it is willing to streamline their delivery agenda to coincide with the demands of the current internal as well as the external wind of change that are influencing Jordan in particular and the whole surrounding region in general.
If I have to make a wild guess as to whether the Jordanian parliament will be dissolved or the government of prime minister Badran will meet its final demise, it would be the latter.
Mr. Badran's government was doomed to failure from the onset, first and foremost it ignored the geographical factors influencing the political scene in Jordan, thereby the representation of some southern regions were totally ignored which caused an uproar amongst the tribal southern leaders and eventually lead to the reshuffling of the government while it was in its infancy even before receiving its mandatory endorsement from the parliament,
Secondly, it carelessly & intentionally carried over the same economics team that was dumped from the previous government despite the repeated warnings that this team was very unpopular amongst the opinion makers and was further accused with practicing massive unnecessary spending.
Thirdly, the executive branch appears to be always at odds with the legislative branch despite the denial by both branches about a deep resentment existing between them ever since the tepid endorsement the government received from the parliamentarians allowing it to function as a legitimate government under the law.
Finally, King Abdullah is faced with a choice between which branch is easier to dump without disrupting the flow of every day activities and without too much repercussions by the general public! When the King weighs the pros and cons he will conclude that it is much easier to get rid of the government and form new one that is willing to not only be pliant to the National agenda, but rather -one that will embrace the national agenda and sincerely believes in the biblical implementation of its recommendations especially the articles that deal with monitoring and bench marking now and for many years to come--accordingly.
Despite the fact that the agenda experts have already completed, signed, and delivered the sealed agenda dissertation to the appropriate personnel, the problem with the election laws is still looming large, it appears that the experts were not able to reach a formula where by a conciliation between the existing law and the proposed law can be enacted, it was left alone as to what the next move is going to be.
While we did hear through leaks that there will be two votes for each constituent, it wasn't exactly clear how these two votes will be cast. It was believed that one vote would be for the district or region, and a second one would be for the national vote.
While this issue is still pending, it would be very difficult for the King to dissolve the Parliament, he even said it on his own that dissolving the Parliament is out of the question.
In this case there is nothing left but to dissolve the Badran Government for the reason that I have listed above and for the reason that the government general perception in the public opinion polls indicate that it is a weak government that lacks the decisiveness existed in previous governments in Jordan.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Lethargy
I don't know what is going on with me lately but the feeling of lethargy has taken over my life. I'm hoping that it might be the Ramadan period is what contributed to this lethargic feeling, but I'll have to wait and see what happens when the fasting is over.
You can't imagine how bad it has gotten lately, I just hate to do anything, I feel that the smallest task is in my view a huge chore. All I want to do is cut corners and minimize the tasks to the lowest possible level that it can be minimized.
I have not cut the grass around the house for a long time, I didn't trim the bushes,prune the trees, or collect the falling leaves. I didn't wash my car, change its oil, or even put windshield cleaning liquid in it.
I didn't buy any Eid clothing for my children, heck, I didn't even polish my shoes for ages. I hate to loosen the necktie all the way so I don't have to re tie it the next time I want to wear it again.
My to do list has become several pages long, some of the items on my to do list is fairly new while other items are carry over from previous years, yet, all of it is still outstanding.
Sometimes I think that may be I'm depressed and I need to go on vacation to freshen up and rejuvenate myself, but the sooner I think about it the sooner that I forget about it and get up the next day much earlier than the previous day so I can make it to work on time.
Last time I got a hair cut was based on increased demand by my wife and by my secretary at work, they both urged me to find the time to cut my hair because I looked like a monster in their eyes.
I'm not busy at all, my job isn't very demanding, my wife and my children very much maintain themselves by themselves, they do need me to provide the necessary revenue to keep the household moving, but beyond that point they don't ask for too much of support other than what I'm able to give.
I'm financially stable, I don't have money problem, I mean I'm not rich at all but I earn enough to secure a decent life for me and for my family, so it couldn't have been a financial problem.
I don't know what to do next or what kind of changes do I need to make to get out of the lethargic state of affairs that I'm living in right now. I'm hoping that something will click and alter my mood.
I can't vouch as to when will this something click, this week, next week, or even never. I'm not really worried about this status because my life is moving as if nothing is happening and I'm the only one who is aware of this situation and this is the first time that I decided to write about it in a spontaneous fashion.
I didn't plan to write about this topic at all, I was planning to write about the national agenda and what changes it may inspire after its revelation next week, but some how & for some odd reason I found myself writing about my lethargy and the lethargic feeling that I'm going through.
You can't imagine how bad it has gotten lately, I just hate to do anything, I feel that the smallest task is in my view a huge chore. All I want to do is cut corners and minimize the tasks to the lowest possible level that it can be minimized.
I have not cut the grass around the house for a long time, I didn't trim the bushes,prune the trees, or collect the falling leaves. I didn't wash my car, change its oil, or even put windshield cleaning liquid in it.
I didn't buy any Eid clothing for my children, heck, I didn't even polish my shoes for ages. I hate to loosen the necktie all the way so I don't have to re tie it the next time I want to wear it again.
My to do list has become several pages long, some of the items on my to do list is fairly new while other items are carry over from previous years, yet, all of it is still outstanding.
Sometimes I think that may be I'm depressed and I need to go on vacation to freshen up and rejuvenate myself, but the sooner I think about it the sooner that I forget about it and get up the next day much earlier than the previous day so I can make it to work on time.
Last time I got a hair cut was based on increased demand by my wife and by my secretary at work, they both urged me to find the time to cut my hair because I looked like a monster in their eyes.
I'm not busy at all, my job isn't very demanding, my wife and my children very much maintain themselves by themselves, they do need me to provide the necessary revenue to keep the household moving, but beyond that point they don't ask for too much of support other than what I'm able to give.
I'm financially stable, I don't have money problem, I mean I'm not rich at all but I earn enough to secure a decent life for me and for my family, so it couldn't have been a financial problem.
I don't know what to do next or what kind of changes do I need to make to get out of the lethargic state of affairs that I'm living in right now. I'm hoping that something will click and alter my mood.
I can't vouch as to when will this something click, this week, next week, or even never. I'm not really worried about this status because my life is moving as if nothing is happening and I'm the only one who is aware of this situation and this is the first time that I decided to write about it in a spontaneous fashion.
I didn't plan to write about this topic at all, I was planning to write about the national agenda and what changes it may inspire after its revelation next week, but some how & for some odd reason I found myself writing about my lethargy and the lethargic feeling that I'm going through.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Happy 30th Anniversary
I'm writing today to congratulate our national English daily newspaper, the one and only, The Jordan Times. There were many capable contributors in yesterdays issue felicitating the 30th anniversary [10/26/05], Rami Khoury stands out like a soar thumb, he isn't only well known in the Arab world, he is a world wide celebrity, I'm very proud of him and his achievements in the world of Journalism as a whole, and in his shepherding the Jordan Times while he served as its chief editor. I squeamish every time I hear about an announcement mentioning him as a scheduled a guest on the NPR news or on any of the many western news organization that are constantly going after him seeking his input on current Middle Eastern affairs and on historical references for the region as a whole. I consider Rami Khoury to be the number one authority on all of the social, political as well as the economical changes that are shaping the Middle East as we know it today.
I was touched by the piece written by P.V. Vivekanand, it seems like a very sincere expression of how he actually feels. I'm encouraged by the pieces written by George Hawatmeh and by Rana Gargour especially in light of their nuanced call for the establishment of a second Jordanian English daily-- as the Jordan Times may have already reached its peak in terms of what it can deliver.
I personally have had no affiliation with the Jordan Times other than being a reader and an occasional letter to the editor contributor. I think that my over all judgment is that the paper had somewhat weakened during the past few years.
I remember several years ago, and particularly during George Hawatmeh's tenure, the Jordan Times used to deliver very powerful daily editorial, headlines, and Op-ed pieces.
I used to underline at least a dozen difficult words that I had to look up in order for me to fully comprehend the many poignant high quality reports that used to get published in different sections of the newspaper.
Nowadays, the editorials are usually very poorly written and when they are well written which is very rare, the number of word count doesn't exceed 150 words. Most of the Op-eds are being extrapolated from project Syndicate or Common grounds. There is no reference to big time news wire reports and Op-eds other than perhaps the associated press.
I understand that the Jordan Times has been going through many ups and down since the passing of the late chief editor Abdulla Hasanat, but that shouldn't deter the paper from delivering stunning daily editorial that is reflective of a highly pressing domestic issue such as the national agenda & all of its ramifications.
Perhaps the time is ripe for a second English daily that addresses the more modern technological advances , along with life, art, health, the market, and everything else peripheral to the modern day gizmos, gadgets, bills and whistles.
The Jordan Times no matter what will always be in my mind and in my heart, my special love for it will for ever occupy a small and cozy space in my heart. Thanks to all of those that made it initially happen, and thanks to its current production, editorial, reporters, as well as distribution staff. Go Jordan Times go.
I was touched by the piece written by P.V. Vivekanand, it seems like a very sincere expression of how he actually feels. I'm encouraged by the pieces written by George Hawatmeh and by Rana Gargour especially in light of their nuanced call for the establishment of a second Jordanian English daily-- as the Jordan Times may have already reached its peak in terms of what it can deliver.
I personally have had no affiliation with the Jordan Times other than being a reader and an occasional letter to the editor contributor. I think that my over all judgment is that the paper had somewhat weakened during the past few years.
I remember several years ago, and particularly during George Hawatmeh's tenure, the Jordan Times used to deliver very powerful daily editorial, headlines, and Op-ed pieces.
I used to underline at least a dozen difficult words that I had to look up in order for me to fully comprehend the many poignant high quality reports that used to get published in different sections of the newspaper.
Nowadays, the editorials are usually very poorly written and when they are well written which is very rare, the number of word count doesn't exceed 150 words. Most of the Op-eds are being extrapolated from project Syndicate or Common grounds. There is no reference to big time news wire reports and Op-eds other than perhaps the associated press.
I understand that the Jordan Times has been going through many ups and down since the passing of the late chief editor Abdulla Hasanat, but that shouldn't deter the paper from delivering stunning daily editorial that is reflective of a highly pressing domestic issue such as the national agenda & all of its ramifications.
Perhaps the time is ripe for a second English daily that addresses the more modern technological advances , along with life, art, health, the market, and everything else peripheral to the modern day gizmos, gadgets, bills and whistles.
The Jordan Times no matter what will always be in my mind and in my heart, my special love for it will for ever occupy a small and cozy space in my heart. Thanks to all of those that made it initially happen, and thanks to its current production, editorial, reporters, as well as distribution staff. Go Jordan Times go.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
commander in chief
http://abc.go.com/primetime/commanderinchief/summaries/overview.html
Commander In Chief
I'm wondering if anyone watched last night the new episode of commander in chief on ABC channel at 8:00 pm central time. Any way, it was about a guy who supposedly tried to enter the United States through the Canadian borders with a car loaded with explosives. The guy got caught and was brought in for interrogation by the FBI.
The plot that he was scheming allegedly calls for blowing up several elementary schools around the country. He also was supposed to have had unknown accomplices plotting with him & were going to aid him in blowing up those targeted elementary schools.
To make the story short, when the FBI failed to extract a confession out of the guy using the allowable under the law conventional methods of interrogation, they decided to send him to Amman-Jordan for an aggressive type of interrogation, it was supposed to be a 'euphemism' for torture. However, the President understood that torture wouldn't be used, or if it was used, she doesn't want to hear about it.
After the alleged terrorist was flown into Jordan and was subjected to the prescribed aggressive methods of interrogations, he confessed, and provided the investigators with a list of his accomplices and another list of the targeted schools that were supposed to be blown up.
So the plot was uncovered the perpetrators were caught and no school children were blown up. Thanks to Jordan for having a reputation of extracting confessions out of suspects using unconventional methods.
I'm wondering if this was something Jordan knows about and condone, or was it something that Jordan was accused of and somehow become a stereotypical cliché that went on for so long and has become imbued to Jordan.
I remember last year during an interview conducted by the late Abc news anchorman Peter Jennings with his Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, in it, the king denied having any information about prisoners being subjected to torture in Jordan for the purpose of extracting confession.
If this is the case then I think that letters of protest should be sent to the owners and sponsors of the commander in chief show and ABC station and its affiliates, questioning and denouncing the portrayal of Jordan as a hub for torturing prisoners. Especially in light of doing it on behalf of a third country, and in this case it was the United States Of America, the country that was supposed to be championing the cause human rights.
Commander In Chief
I'm wondering if anyone watched last night the new episode of commander in chief on ABC channel at 8:00 pm central time. Any way, it was about a guy who supposedly tried to enter the United States through the Canadian borders with a car loaded with explosives. The guy got caught and was brought in for interrogation by the FBI.
The plot that he was scheming allegedly calls for blowing up several elementary schools around the country. He also was supposed to have had unknown accomplices plotting with him & were going to aid him in blowing up those targeted elementary schools.
To make the story short, when the FBI failed to extract a confession out of the guy using the allowable under the law conventional methods of interrogation, they decided to send him to Amman-Jordan for an aggressive type of interrogation, it was supposed to be a 'euphemism' for torture. However, the President understood that torture wouldn't be used, or if it was used, she doesn't want to hear about it.
After the alleged terrorist was flown into Jordan and was subjected to the prescribed aggressive methods of interrogations, he confessed, and provided the investigators with a list of his accomplices and another list of the targeted schools that were supposed to be blown up.
So the plot was uncovered the perpetrators were caught and no school children were blown up. Thanks to Jordan for having a reputation of extracting confessions out of suspects using unconventional methods.
I'm wondering if this was something Jordan knows about and condone, or was it something that Jordan was accused of and somehow become a stereotypical cliché that went on for so long and has become imbued to Jordan.
I remember last year during an interview conducted by the late Abc news anchorman Peter Jennings with his Majesty King Abdullah of Jordan, in it, the king denied having any information about prisoners being subjected to torture in Jordan for the purpose of extracting confession.
If this is the case then I think that letters of protest should be sent to the owners and sponsors of the commander in chief show and ABC station and its affiliates, questioning and denouncing the portrayal of Jordan as a hub for torturing prisoners. Especially in light of doing it on behalf of a third country, and in this case it was the United States Of America, the country that was supposed to be championing the cause human rights.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Ethics Training
http://soi-lcec.lrn.com/app/certificate2/ViewCertificate?catalog_no=ILL906-a50en
I have just successfully completed my annual ethics training course, this course is mandated by the state for all of its employees. The main tenet of the course is employee honesty.
It teaches the course taker how to avoid ethical pitfalls, and how to make it a habit of theirs to practice absolute ethics during the course of employment with the state.
I personally agree with some parts of the course and disagree with other parts, for example : I agree with the part that says that if you witness a violation of the ethics law being conducted in front of you, don't look the other way and pretend that you didn't see it, it behooves you to report it for your interest and for the interest of the institution that you are working for.
The part that I disagree with is really the silly one : For instance they want you to never ever use your work phone to make a personal call, and in the event that you do use the institution phone you should compensate the state for the value of the phone minutes that you used, otherwise your action will be considered unethical.
It is true that many of the prohibitions that they list such as making one copy on the copier machine, or taking the company car for personal business, or accepting a lunch from a business client may never ever get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the ethics law even when it is violated, but still they leave it up to your compunction to decide if what you did is ethical or unethical in nature.
I must admit that although I received a score of 100 on my exam , I don't necessarily adhere to the ethics law 100%, and they probably don't expect us to do it either.
I wonder if such a test would be useful in Jordan ! Would it help on lessoning the rampant corruption, graft, and wasta that is taking place in the civil institutions there?
I think that the key isn't in the law itself, it is in the enforcement, there are many good laws that are existing in books, but if no body takes the time or the effort to enforce them, then what good are they?
I have just successfully completed my annual ethics training course, this course is mandated by the state for all of its employees. The main tenet of the course is employee honesty.
It teaches the course taker how to avoid ethical pitfalls, and how to make it a habit of theirs to practice absolute ethics during the course of employment with the state.
I personally agree with some parts of the course and disagree with other parts, for example : I agree with the part that says that if you witness a violation of the ethics law being conducted in front of you, don't look the other way and pretend that you didn't see it, it behooves you to report it for your interest and for the interest of the institution that you are working for.
The part that I disagree with is really the silly one : For instance they want you to never ever use your work phone to make a personal call, and in the event that you do use the institution phone you should compensate the state for the value of the phone minutes that you used, otherwise your action will be considered unethical.
It is true that many of the prohibitions that they list such as making one copy on the copier machine, or taking the company car for personal business, or accepting a lunch from a business client may never ever get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the ethics law even when it is violated, but still they leave it up to your compunction to decide if what you did is ethical or unethical in nature.
I must admit that although I received a score of 100 on my exam , I don't necessarily adhere to the ethics law 100%, and they probably don't expect us to do it either.
I wonder if such a test would be useful in Jordan ! Would it help on lessoning the rampant corruption, graft, and wasta that is taking place in the civil institutions there?
I think that the key isn't in the law itself, it is in the enforcement, there are many good laws that are existing in books, but if no body takes the time or the effort to enforce them, then what good are they?
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Bush Speech Writer
http://www.badmash.org/videos/videos_flv.php?v=george_bush_512K_Stream
Enjoy.... :-)
Enjoy.... :-)
Social Security Controversy
I'm not sure that I fully understand the controversy that is brewing between the government on one hand and the social security administration on the other over the investment of the money saved up for the people's retirement.
The deputies say that the government is scheming to put its hands on the money while the labor minister says that it is not; and as far as the government is concerned everything stays the way it has always been.
It seems to me that this misunderstanding over the difference of opinion stems from the over all inherent misunderstandings between the executive branch on one hand and the legislative branch on the other.
There were rumors the other day about a covert impending government reshuffle, or even a government down fall and total replacement, but then again there were rumors prior to that about a dissolution of the Parliament.
Who knows where the truth is, however, politics in its very own nature is always full of speculations, rumors, leaks, impending schemes and so on and so forth. I'm writing today only to say that I'm in favor of having part of the social security monies 25-30% invested by the private contributing individuals themselves and not the corporation or the government.
If nothing else make this option available for the new contributors since the senior ones are probably too scared to invest any of their money in private account, and would rather have a secured monthly income once they decide to call it quits, or once they become disable and can't continue working. Their risk averse is very understandable since the cost involved may outweigh the benefits that will be gained by investing in private accounts.
By contrast, young people are dare devils by nature, they would be willing to go for it, for them it is a matter of make it or break it, they don't want to rely on limited amount of monthly income after say 45 years of working.
By having a portion of their contributions combined with their employers contributions invested in private accounts may yield on the long run a much better revenue than the one yielded by the traditional slow growth, low risk type of investments.
About 8 years ago, I went into my own self managed retirement plan totally and completely severed away from the social security administration, and you can't imagine the savings that I have already gained. It is almost triple the amount that would have been realized have I stayed enrolled in the traditional social security retirement plan.
I understand that this type of talk is too early for you, and some of you have never even entertained the thought about retirement, but believe me time go by real fast, it was the other day that I finished high school and college education, it was the other day that I started my first job, and here I'm already thinking about a secure income during my golden age years.
I think that whether you are 18, 30, or 50. You should always think about what type of life would like to enjoy once you stop working, and whether you have the wherewithal for all of your outlays need.
Believe me it isn't that easy, you need to begin your savings and your investments right now, don't delay the decision of saving and investing until later, life will catch up with you and before you know it you will be begging people for money when you are old, and you know how that feels!
The deputies say that the government is scheming to put its hands on the money while the labor minister says that it is not; and as far as the government is concerned everything stays the way it has always been.
It seems to me that this misunderstanding over the difference of opinion stems from the over all inherent misunderstandings between the executive branch on one hand and the legislative branch on the other.
There were rumors the other day about a covert impending government reshuffle, or even a government down fall and total replacement, but then again there were rumors prior to that about a dissolution of the Parliament.
Who knows where the truth is, however, politics in its very own nature is always full of speculations, rumors, leaks, impending schemes and so on and so forth. I'm writing today only to say that I'm in favor of having part of the social security monies 25-30% invested by the private contributing individuals themselves and not the corporation or the government.
If nothing else make this option available for the new contributors since the senior ones are probably too scared to invest any of their money in private account, and would rather have a secured monthly income once they decide to call it quits, or once they become disable and can't continue working. Their risk averse is very understandable since the cost involved may outweigh the benefits that will be gained by investing in private accounts.
By contrast, young people are dare devils by nature, they would be willing to go for it, for them it is a matter of make it or break it, they don't want to rely on limited amount of monthly income after say 45 years of working.
By having a portion of their contributions combined with their employers contributions invested in private accounts may yield on the long run a much better revenue than the one yielded by the traditional slow growth, low risk type of investments.
About 8 years ago, I went into my own self managed retirement plan totally and completely severed away from the social security administration, and you can't imagine the savings that I have already gained. It is almost triple the amount that would have been realized have I stayed enrolled in the traditional social security retirement plan.
I understand that this type of talk is too early for you, and some of you have never even entertained the thought about retirement, but believe me time go by real fast, it was the other day that I finished high school and college education, it was the other day that I started my first job, and here I'm already thinking about a secure income during my golden age years.
I think that whether you are 18, 30, or 50. You should always think about what type of life would like to enjoy once you stop working, and whether you have the wherewithal for all of your outlays need.
Believe me it isn't that easy, you need to begin your savings and your investments right now, don't delay the decision of saving and investing until later, life will catch up with you and before you know it you will be begging people for money when you are old, and you know how that feels!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
