Suicidal Pedestrians & super powers...

Suicidal Peds are the ones who look the other way when they cross the street as if they are made of super flesh and bones.... hmmm stronger than any known metal... Eat your heart out superman...

Suicidal Pedestrians, will not worry about the speed of approaching vehicles, they assume you will always stop in an instant... that you somehow have developed spiderman's sixth sense... "hmm I sense a pedestrian about to walk on a collision path, he might come from behind that tree at a speed of one kotkot per hour, mine is around 70km/hr so I should hit the brakes or take the next right turn..."

It's as if they don't know that the person behind a driving wheel possesses normal senses, they really don't care if they are crossing in the dark... or rain... they just cross and its as simple as that, if they are only a couple of meters away, you should use your super fast reflex and the super freezing breath to lock those wheels... If your sight is blocked by obstacles you just turn on your superman eyesight...

What really bothers you is that they have no problem whatsoever with how long it will take them to cross the damn street... and if they don't look the other way... they stare, straight in the eye in disgust of the brakes you just hit... they might as well curse you for your stupidity...

Well, suicidal peds, the truth is... The only super power drivers feel around you is Invisibility...

Radio reporter almost cried... Celebrations cause Grief...

The pain was so vividly portrayed, in this reporter's voice... a 4 year old died... The cause: a bullet went straight into her heart... a baby girl lost her life, in her own living room, you can imagine what happened when her parents saw her lying in her blood... Tell me how can you tolerate this kind of celebration...

Two events in the last week caused grief and suffering... Tawjihi celebrations and the Iraqi celebrations over the Football match... , the radio reporter almost cried when he talked about this....

When will this stupid, selfish agonizing criminal activity STOP! When will we see people going to jail for this kind of action... this was after Tawjihi celebrations... huh celebrations!!! criminals shooting their fire arms randomly into the air...

The second thing was the joy some of the "Iraqi-Football team" supporters showed in the streets of Amman, last night... This is not against Iraqis, for those of you who would like to know how I feel read this earlier post this one ... This is against the ignorant people who caused Traffic Jams everywhere?! Speeding cars, blowing horns!! The Gardens road blocked totally near Safeway...

How can anyone be so irresponsible, what if someone had a case of emergency? an urgent business meeting! a family reunion! Even if you are not against celebrating LOUDLY when your brothers are being killed in Iraq then at least celebrate peacefully without causing meaningless pain...

It's so heart breaking to see this kind of behaviour... So many tragic stories told on the radio, ladies killed due to car accidents... This is unacceptable in every sense and should be dealt with harsh punishments...

Proficient Arabic?! What's wrong with this Picture?

The Army Uses this slogan, The Municipality, The Police Force, So many... But is it correct?!?

Blogide and Conquer

We know Divide and Conquer far too well in the middle east... Now how do you discriminate between people? its very simple, all you have to do is one step, focus on a few people who are ignorant and racist from any country or background.... lets say for example Jordan & Iraq, Northern Tribes & Southern Tribes... Anything...

JUST Broadcast the actions of any of a racist couple of guys in the media... And voalla divided and conquered...

People from either side will GENERALIZE.... without even thinking about it, its built in in their brain... stereo typing... And before you know it, before the clip is finished one of the family members watching the news will say... oh, Those low level Jordanians... they were always like that, they did this and that...

And on the other end you will be hearing all the racist comments you never thought an intelligent person would say... "man, those Iraqis, they destroyed our country... I can't buy an apartment"
"those Egyptians they are not Arab!!!" "Those Syrians are only playing with the poor Lebanese"...

And there you have it! Just expose the racist comments of a few and people will do the rest, generalize and spread hate like crazy dividing people into tiny tiny little groups... It is no longer the action of the few who cursed, No in the minds of people it is "THEY", A NATION is STEREOTYPED... and HATED...

So the Question is... Are you Blogging somewhere along those lines without even knowing it... Are you exposing wrong doings of the few without realizing the generalization that is being done in comments... Are you Stereotyping?

Are you building or destroying, dividing or uniting... Are you serving divide and conquer without knowing it? Read your own posts again before you answer... I think I have to go back into a few of my own...

Kids Playing soccer in a graveyard!

This is a photo of children who have no place to play football so... they play football in a graveyard in Amman... Near Middle East Circle... They are taking a brake in the shade to continue in a few minutes...

The kids are very kind and well behaved, they pointed out the municipality office for me and when I didn't know they insisted on coming with me to show me the way and they insisted on racing back to the graveyard on foot... Talk about energy and helping strangers...

Great kids but I guess they are left with no decent football field to play... I'm not saying this so the municipality would go and chase them off to the streets, better play football than spend time on the streets and become a future thug...

Creative and sad...

& The most Hilarious COMMENT Award goes to...

Ok... now, sha3teely really has a hilarious way of writing and of using the common street language... you know the zu3ran al madraseh type of language... Anyway on one of his amusing posts comes the last comment by a man called Tarek, its dated on May 24, 2007 at 8:37 pm check it out here but read the post first...

This post by sha3teely, will crack you up... but the last comment by Tarek is unbelievable...

Take a look at one of the best humor blogs I've read and one really good comment, but disregard the last few words, I don't agree with such statements at all...

When we forget... "The Video Israel doesn't want you to see"

This is a shocking video on what seems to be an Israeli normal practice... check it out on http://antizionist-antizionist.blogspot.com/2007/07/video-israel-doesnt-want-you-to-see.html

Unbelievable, I don't know how this young kid will grow up to be a peace loving citizen... We have been sleeping for so long... even our enemies care more about this issue... Forgive us or don't brothers and sisters for we have not known your value, we have not done our duty...

Watch and wake up... that is all I can say...

A different Bank, one for the Poor!!! Noble Prize Indeed...

Mahmoud Yunus, founder of a bank that is unlike any other, a bank for the poor. Grameen Bank.... this is a very impressive success story about helping the poor by establishing a bank for their needs, it's not a new thing but I thought you should know... Taken from this website www.grameen-info.org

"In 1974, Professor Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi economist from Chittagong University, led his students on a field trip to a poor village. They interviewed a woman who made bamboo stools, and learnt that she had to borrow the equivalent of 15p to buy raw bamboo for each stool made. After repaying the middleman, sometimes at rates as high as 10% a week, she was left with a penny profit margin. Had she been able to borrow at more advantageous rates, she would have been able to amass an economic cushion and raise herself above subsistence level.
Realizing that there must be something terribly wrong with the economics he was teaching, Yunus took matters into his own hands, and from his own pocket lent the equivalent of £ 17 to 42 basket-weavers. He found that it was possible with this tiny amount not only to help them survive, but also to create the spark of personal initiative and enterprise necessary to pull themselves out of poverty.
Against the advice of banks and government, Yunus carried on giving out 'micro-loans', and in 1983 formed the Grameen Bank, meaning 'village bank' founded on principles of trust and solidarity. In Bangladesh today, Grameen has 1,084 branches, with 12,500 staff serving 2.1 million borrowers in 37,000 villages. On any working day Grameen collects an average of $1.5 million in weekly installments. Of the borrowers, 94% are women and over 98% of the loans are paid back, a recovery rate higher than any other banking system. Grameen methods are applied in projects in 58 countries, including the US, Canada, France, The Netherlands and Norway.
Muhammad Yunus is that rare thing: a bona fide visionary. His dream is the total eradication of poverty from the world. 'Grameen', he claims, 'is a message of hope, a programme for putting homelessness and destitution in a museum so that one day our children will visit it and ask how we could have allowed such a terrible thing to go on for so long'. This work is a fundamental rethink on the economic relationship between the rich and the poor, their rights and their obligations. The World Bank recently acknowledged that 'this business approach to the alleviation of poverty has allowed millions of individuals to work their way out of poverty with dignity'."

A lively Ten Year Old Gypsy...

Maybe I should have never said that sentence but it seemed right at that time... This is how it all began...

I saw her from a distance as I was walking into the store, and there she stood, ran, smiled and played... Her hair was sticking to her scalp with a strange looking chemical, it caught all the dust but her eyes shined with innocence as she ran from once corner to the next... chasing one after another in search for a few coins here and there...

On my way out of the store, it was my turn... I don't know exactly why, but it seems I'm a magnet for beggars... I think once you make eye contact, you're doomed...

Anyway, she zoomed in on the potential money bag and held her small hands together facing the sky... my first response was, "what is that on your hair?!" completely amazed...
she said: "It's henna!", in her mind she must have said you dork, don't you know henna! I felt so stupid... she must have felt the same :) but I never knew it looked so ugly when it was applied... it was like a black brownish dusty thing... it was gluing her hair to her scalp and it looked rock hard...

Anyway, I kept walking to my car and the gypsy kid kept following me... it was along walk with the usual one sentence "a3teeny" give me! again and again and again...

20 more meters and just before I opened the car, I turned around, I looked straight into the kid's eyes glittering with curiosity... I was feeling a bit fed up, I said "you should tell your parents to send you to school so you will not grow up doing this for the rest of your life..."

At that point she started walking away and said: "but they won't let me..."... "bas ma bedhom" she said that with a voice that almost tore me apart...

The kid's voice almost choked, as if she was about to cry when she said that... and went running back to the stores gate...

It was one of those times that made the world spin... what if it was me! what is the fault of this gypsy kid!... what is her fault!

Sometimes we forget they are only kids... playing, begging, smiling and running with all the energy of kids... I will never forget those adorable eyes of a ten year old gypsy, the little hands, the hanna and the shattered dreams that made me feel so bad that night...

"Eeekh Women in Veils, Eating Mansaf & Arabian Scottish skirts!"

So what if a woman covers her face, if you eat Mansaf with your bare hands, or wear traditional clothes, (7atta, deshdasheh or even a serwal)... so what if you pray in the middle of a crowded place cause you don't want to miss a prayer...

It's interesting how people find it so easy to mock their own people's traditions, heritage and even a certain understanding of religion...

Why is it a must to follow movie trends in everything from clothing to eating... If someone wants to eat Mansaf in his/her bare hands... leave him be... If he wants to grow a long beard why not? should we all look western and that's the only way to do it!?

It is not a sign of prosperity to reveal your body, or to look western... Why is it easy for you to accept traditions from the far east, say you're walking into a traditional Chinese restaurant where you have to take off your shoes and sit on the floor...

When an Asian lady walks backwards when she is getting out of a room, so as not to turn her back on whoever is in that room (I think some still do that in rural parts who still didn't catch up with GLOBALIZATION! or global Identitization (I think I just invented a word)...

Why is it so much easier to accept the look of monks in temples... or how priests & nuns choose to look or live.... why is it so easy to see men wearing Scottish skirts but it so difficult to accept a man wearing a short dishdasheh (you know the ones above heels)...

Are we so ashamed to accept our own Scottish skirts... yet still respect other people's differences...

It's not easy covering your body if you're a good looking girl, covering your hair is more difficult and covering your face is many times out of the question... put yourself in the shoes of those who do it..... its not easy growing a long beard or getting dressed in a short dishdasheh (I never did that yet)...

No one likes looking weird, or out of place... but those who do that, are welling to take all the comments from their own people... because they believe it does not matter... something else matters more, it is their belief and conviction in what they do... that they are willing to resist all temptations just because they believe it's the right thing to do...

Agree with them or don't, at least respect their strong will and their daily sacrifices... the fact that they are willing to stand up everyday looking out of place but still doing it just because they believe they are doing the right thing no matter what what the consequences are, they're not going to get great jobs looking like that unless the day comes when their own community respects them...

Such people will probably stand up in the most difficult situations and will easily give up their lives for what they believe in... maybe some day we will stop being ashamed of them...

Maybe some distant day will come... a day when we will be ashamed of NOT being one of them!

Selling Women Underwear in a KIDS CULTURAL CENTER

The above photo is not from downtown shops, it is definitely nor from a high end market... Its from a kids "Festival" in Khalda, Amman - Jordan... I have no idea what ZAHA Cultural Center is thinking about when they organize such an event... Is this the cultural aspect of a kid's festival, or is it the blankets and bed sheets section, or maybe the women dresses hanged like some kind of a used clothes shop...

And guess what, it's the first thing you see when you enter! Great, just where I would take my family when I want to embarrass myself...

Why would Amman Municipality even place their name on signs for such a poorly organized event, that is beyond my comprehension... Add to all that, electricity failures and kids shouting in the dark... What else in this cultural event, playing cassettes of one of those wedding bands, you know the one where the talented singer says something about this family or that...

Yes there is a stage for kids to draw and three booths for books, but really what a combination.... Can you think of anything worse to present to children... Come now and visit Zaha "CULTURAL CENTER" to take a photo with the largest snake in the world! and while you're at it lets explore the world of underwear and blankets, and alot more... Shameful...

Syria - Into the Lion's Den

It's interesting when you look at events from a distance... Let's work on the short term memory for a second...

1) Syria declares we are ready for peace with Israel, give us guarantees that the Golan Heights will be returned to Syrian sovereignty...

2) Two days later, Najad flies over to meet with Asad alone and then with other government staff... And they declare a united position on facing situations in the region.

3) Najad also meets, Nasrallah...

4) And Khaled Mash3al...

Who would link the four points for me?! Since there is nothing on the news at this moment...

If there is a link in the first place...

More Money into Jordan

Oil prices are soaring high again and its not even winter... More money in the gulf would naturally mean more money pumped into Jordan... And guess what? hmmm remember diesel prices... there was a scheduled rise cancelled later on because prices went down... Of course, in Jordan once the prices are up they don't go down easily even if it's an international trend... especially if the government is benefiting...

But that's not the point... expect that someone would soon come and tell you... oooh prices are up again we will have to raise the fuel prices again... sorry, but dabber 7alak...

A recent article in the newspapers pointed out that tourists from the Gulf are grumpy about high prices in Jordan... I never thought this day would come...

Apparently, we are doing great... money is poured into Jordan in the form of concrete buildings and steel structures... Who benefits, traders in building materials, contractors, business owners... What about the rest, I'll tell you what!! pinched by cold is the least of your worries this winter... Start thinking of other ways to get warm... stacking blankets is a good idea and forget about hot water... you probably can't afford it... Start getting used to cold showers or hot water in cooking pots, just like the good old days...

I hope we will be seeing some investments in industrial areas... instead of the usual touristic and services sector cause living is not getting any easier... but then again, industrial projects need gas and electricity and just a quick comparison with Egypt and Syria's fuel and electricity charges guess who's out of the competition... Jordan's industry... now, who said anything about suicide bombers...

At this point, I would really like to dream of some tiny well of oil in Jordan, or better yet a high tech industrial complex to use all that energy and talent...

خطر السن الأزرق Bluetooth Dangers

I just wonder why would anyone give such a name to wireless technology... Just think about it for a second تقنية السن الأزرق seriously, how can you write a seriuos article with that heading LOL... it would probably suit a comedy series or something of that level...

If this was the name of new tech in the Arab world... it will be ridiculed for ages... don't you think... Anyway, I'm just amazed and curious to what brought this name into the hi-tech world...

By the way, monitor your bluetooth settings, you might as well be receiving viruses without knowing the source... and guess what its the bluetooth striking from its hiding place...

عضة السن الأزرق ممكن تجيب آخرة كمبيوترك

The boldest official correspondence In Jordan... I think...

What ever happened to "الإنسان أغلى ما نملك"... Can the municipality force you to leave your home! Not the Israeli government, I'm talking about Amman Municipality...

OK they want your building evacuated, they will give you a fair compensation, but you don't want to evacuate... what are you going to do if you receive the following letter from them....

I bit you were not thinking of the following reply...

In short what is their case, we don't want the money even if it is a whole bunch of money we want our property... not the money... If you want more information on this case go to http://www.amaneh.net/ it's a website dedicated for this case by guess who... (TAG), talk about a clever choice of a web address....

Agree or disagree with them, they have the courage to write such a reply... I respect that...

Staring at the ladies?! check the pic...

This is very shameful, but it's true... Young men start staring at a very early age and keep this up to a very old age!! ya3ni the old age guys get on my nerve the most but that's not (مربط الفرس) "the point"... I was actually thinking of translating it to (where we tie horses) :)... Anywa...

What's wrong with people here, what's wrong with the ladies! Would somebody please tell me what they gain from this... and don't tell me its human nature... cause it's human nature is in everything we do in our life but it's up to us to work for the money instead of stealing it... if the women are revealing too much, yes they are wrong... But it's no excuse... its like stealing just because it was easy and too tempting...

It's addictive and it's contagious... just look at a bunch of guys when a woman passes by, ZOOM no one talks... as soon as one starts checking, everyone else in the gang starts a learning experience... what some fail to see is that it also degrades the person doing it to the extreme... At least try to control yourself in public or if people are looking at you...

Back to square one, what do you gain? you just torture yourself and you open up hell to your desires... not to mention degrading yourself... and most importantly, you are doing something haram (forbidden in Islam), I know many people will say oooh its back to haram again everything we enjoy is haram... but it is النظرة سهم مسموم and غض البصر (not looking).. It's not easy and I'm not saying I'm an angel but the scale people are doing this is unbelievable and the extent they are doing it is unbearable... Front view, back view, side view, top view... total scanning of every inch and some inches more than the rest...

What is happening to the ladies, they also stare... they somehow loose focus but for a different reason (I hope)... it's a young woman as well just passing by... but the whole group is checking her out from head to toe... It's usually about the way she's dressed... at least it's not that degrading...

If you're upset about not having the pic you want on this post... you're exactly the target audience... :) don't hate me...

Help! Trying to Recover my Files?! aghhhhh

To make a long story short, I lost all the information on my laptop... I'm trying to recover the files using Undelete Plus, if you have any suggestions go ahead shoot... I need it...

Backup ya man... never postpone...

aaaaaaghhhhhhhh

Blog Wars?! Healthy or not? & What if you met your blog enemy in real life?

Would you do it face to face... Why is it so easy to curse people on comments? It's absolutely unlike you in real life... but when you comment... ya 7aram the poor guy who happens to disagree... In real life you might be so peaceful when you disagree with someone... (especially if they are from the opposite sex) but not on blogs... its a totally different story...

Maybe I should have wrote comment wars... You see them all the time, one person places a comment here another one disagrees, a third one supports one... a fourth might attack all three and before you know it... You have people in groups, shouting, cursing, insulting each other with some really bad words...

You will have people becoming racists in their comments, something they might never do face to face with someone... you find people categorizing others... holding grudges, making friends and die hard enemies...

Is it real life with no masks, showing your true self... Or is it just easy letting the steam out when there are no faces to deal with... Maybe, you just want to see what it feels like beating up the other guys at the block, show them what you're made of!

I think it might be healthy sometimes but then again it actually hurts people's feelings even if it is just written and not pronounced....

What I would really like to see is... some of the die hard enemies meet face to face and see what will happen in real life and how they would talk to each other?

Most Horrifying Movie I have Ever Seen - Made in Jordan

This is very Graphic, I advise you not to see it, just read the post... you don't have to see the baby girl scream in pain while the nurses laugh and make fun of her...

This is the first time my stomache turns and I feel like taking the day off just because of a movie...

U can read the details here: 3ogla's Angels

Again, I advise you not to watch the movie, you will have all the information on the Post.

JORDAN FIRST OR CHECHNYA!?

Is it true that one should put his own country's interest above everything else... even if we are part of a larger nation... Does our sense of belonging to Jordan mean that we are no longer a part of this nation or are these things completely different...

What if there is a conflict of interest between Jordan and Afghanistan, should we go for the gold even if it hurts Chechnya for example...

Should we build Jordan even if the blocks are from the ruins of fellow nations... Should our building rise high even if it blocks breeze from our neighbours...

How do you measure right and wrong? What is your criteria?

أمة تتمزق فرحا لأجل البتراء

قرأت مدونة بعنوان هل يحق لنا أن نفرح... آلمني شعور الناس بأن الفرح مقياس للمواطنة و كأن من لا يفرح منزوع من إنتمائه للأردن... و كأن الأردن منزوع من هذه الأمة و كأننا نسينا "مثل المؤمنين في توادهم و تراحمهم كمثل الجسد الواحد..."يا أخي ليس من شيمنا أن نعلن أفراحنا إذا كان جيراننا ينصبون بيوت العزاء, قد يفرح البعض بصمت خجلين من إعلانهم الاستعداد لاستقبال أموال السياح و فسادهم و لكن أن يسهر الناس و يسيروا مطلقين الصيحات في شوارع كانت تئن... في شوارع جابتها خيول صلاح الدين يوما ما نحو الأقصى فهذا أمر مخجل و هذا ما كتبت في تعليقي

يحق لنا أن نفرح في زمن لا يشعر فيه المرء بانتماء لأمة تتمزق... يحق لنا أن نجوب الشوارع نصيح رجالا و نساءا فرحين باعتراف العالم بروعة البتراء ولكن لا يحق لك أن تحرك ساكنا إذا رأيت العالم نفسه يغتال أخاك... اااهيحق لنا أن نفرح و دمنا يسيل صباح مساء... أي عالم نعيش فيه عندما ندرك كل يوم أن أكبر مصائبنا و أكبر إنجازات أعدائنا كما قال قائل... هو أننا لم نعد نشعر أننا أمة واحدة... يحق لنا أن نموت بشيء من الكرامة, بدلا من أن يسجل التاريخ أننا أمضينا ليلا كالنهار وسط ألعاب نارية حمقاء بينما كان إخواننا يحترقون بألعاب نارية من نوع آخر (تعديل) 1

Why U should NOT celebrate PETRA!!!

It was a tragically historic day in every sense, a tragedy that will someday be looked upon in disgrace and total amazement... maybe a hundred years from now maybe less students will be taught in history classes that Jordanians celebrated with great zeal from night till dawn while their brothers were getting killed in millions all over... they will see very different pictures of joy and blood pools... pictures in Iraq, Lebanon, Palastine, Afghanistan, Pakistan and so many places...

It was a sad day indeed, in which you could sense how devided we are... How easily distracted by media, how influenced we are by our search for tourist money... this is what we have become... so material... so lost in our search for money and recognition of a touristic landmark that we have plunged into the streets like madmen shouting, cheering and celebrating while our brothers are killing each other...

History will note that men will march in the streets for Petra but will not lift a finger for blood spelled of brothers and sisters...

Men and women will cheer and laugh out loud and fireworks will light the sky, while a million daggers stab into the backs of Iraqis, Palestinians, Afghans and the list goes on...

One wise man had once said, "The greatest Achievement of the western media and colonization was that they have convinced us we are NO LONGER ONE NATION"... I can't think of a better example than what had happened in recent celebrations of PETRA...

If you want a reason NOT to celebrate Petra, search in the eyes of millions of victims shown every night on NEWS...

If you have a sense of belonging to a greater cause I'm sure you will find millions of reasons...