Post-Midnight, Pre-Dawn Ramblings

Warning! This thread is a post-midnight, pre-dawn rambling. I am NOT a morning person, and the hour being dawn and all, I can’t guarantee that this thread would make any sense!
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So I am sitting here wide awake when it is 3:53 am. Why can’t I sleep? Because I slept all day! No I din’t plan on sleeping the day away, I am lazy but not that lazy! I had a million and one things to do but unfortunately I woke up with a wicked migraine. I knew it was brought on by my sinuses. I felt them throb all night. It is the weirdest feeling like a heart beat but behind your nose. Throb, throb, throb. I should’ve known that the pitter patter of my sinus spelt trouble. Your sinuses are supposed to throb dummy, only your heart.

So I end up taking an antihistamine to calm down my sinuses, a nasal decongestant and a migraine medicine. Well, next thing I know, not only are my sinuses throbbing, my head pounding and am getting drowsy from the antihistamine, but I also got nauseous from the stupid migraine pills that were prescribed to me in Bahrain.

After taking an anti-nausea medicine I give in to the drowsiness and fall asleep. Even after a couple of hours of sleep, I was still drowsy and lethargic all day. Until bedtime of course.
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Being awake with absolutely nothing on TV I got to thinking about the number of pills I take everyday.

After watching Dr. Oz I thought I better listen to his advice and get myself some Vitamin D pills. I don’t spend much time in the sun and over 60% of people tested are Vitamin D deficient. So I got me some Vitamin Ds.

Watching another episode of him on Oprah convinced me that I need me some Omega 3 and Omega 6 pills. I don’t eat much seafood nor do I eat my Flax seed cereal (sounds yum I know) cereal regularly. (Flax seed in Arabic is bethrat al kattan). So after giving my mum grief about popping Omega 3 pills (so and so told her it’s good for the brain), I now take two Omega 3 and 6 pills everyday.

I’ve always takes a multivitamin pill but after realizing how my eating habits are not optimal I got myself Vitamin C pills. I just don’t eat as much fruit as I would like.

I also take allergy pills daily thanks to all the trees and vegetation. Per my Dr. I have to take the pill daily to avoid my allergies developing into bronchitis. Great!!

So tallying everything up got me thinking that I am nuts. Normally, I take 6 pills daily. Folks I’m only adding up the vitamins and allergy pills. Now that I am sick, I take an additional 2. I’ve been told to take echinacea pill or tea and some lysine to boost the immune system. Never took them but have some in stock in case I fall desparately ill and need to help my immune system.

Plus all the doctors advicing people to take metamucil because we don't eat enough fiber (alyaf). You can take the pills (a whopping 6 pills a day) or dissolve the powder in a cup of water for a tang-like flavor. I prefer the latter.

Seriously, seriously!! America is one pill-popping society and they are dragging me to the dark side.

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Researching all the things I take took a lot of time. It was also very informative. I guess I will keep taking the various vitamins, at least until I can improve my eating habits. The allergy medicine is something that I just have to live with. All the research made me tired! Nothing like honest work, huh! This has turned into an informative babble!!

Cocoa-Bean Frankie Roxy

I miss Cocoa-Bean Frankie Roxy. So much. I wonder if she remembers me. Probably not. She is happy that she is with her mummy and daddy. And her name is Lily, not Cocoa-Bean Frankie Roxy. Besides what kind of name is that for a dog. A small dog at that. I am glad her owners found her but a part of me wishes she still was with me. I found her outside a shop in West Virginia while visiting friends. She was scared and shivering with the saddest eyes. I went in the shop and when I came out she was gone. I found her in the middle of a street with cars whizzing by. She was terrified and crying, following two girls home. The girls did not know Lily, so I wound up taking her with me. I looked her up and she is a Dachshund. How can something so ugly be so cute? I couldn't pick one name so I chose 3; Cocoa-Bean because of her color, Frankie because she was shaped like a frankfurter (hotdog), Roxy because I was so stressed about what to do with her that I dreamt about her and in the dream her name was Roxy!


She latched on to me. She would follow me wherever I went. At night, she cried when I din’t let her in my bedroom. She was so sweet, licking my hands, sitting on my lap. Matching every step of mine with a step of hers. She would only sleep on my lap. We called the animal shelter, a radio show and the vet to see if someone reported her missing. I knew the best thing would be to leave her at my friends’ place in case her owners called. I can’t have pets in my apartment. Who would take care of her when I travel. And who would keep her company while I’m in college? She cried when I left. An hour after I left, I called them and told them to not to take her to the pound, that I wanted her. I asked them to keep her til I could come get her if her owners did not call. The called me back and told me her owners called and that the dog’s name is Lily. She danced when she heard her name. I am glad her family found her. She was so happy to see her owners. I din’t expect to get so attached to her but I miss her terribly. The funny thing is that I don’t even like dogs.

BD50, Who Gets It and Why?

I wonder how the Bahraini government determines who is eligible to receive the BD 50/- a month for a year. (It is for a year right and not a measly one-time deal?) How does the government know who is needy or isn’t?

Here in the US, I received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service informing me that in May I will receive a one-time check for $600.00 if I filed a single tax return or $1,200 if I filed a joint tax return. The mailing also stated that you are still eligible to receive the amount if you din’t pay any taxes but have an earned income of $3,000, or something like that. This comes as a part of tax relief plan.

The US disbursements are clear, clearer than the Bahraini ones; the criteria for eligibility are stated and you know how the US government determined if a person should get relief or not. It determines a person’s needs, accurately or inaccurately, based on the individual’s tax returns.

When I received the mailing, I felt happy, then disgruntled and now somewhat puzzled. Happy because I am getting money, from the government no less! Disgruntled because instead of disbursing funds as a relief, the government could’ve just not collected as much taxes from me (yeah right! I know it’s a far fetched thought). Puzzled, because it got me thinking about Bahrain and the BD50/-. How is the Bahraini government determining who is eligible for the funds.

I quickly grew wary (I guess it’s the economist in me, or the libertarian thought that dominates the economic department of my college), how does the Bahraini government know who is eligible and who isn’t? Does the government keep tabs on its citizens’ earnings? The answer may not be as puzzling really, it can determine what an individual makes based on the amount that gets deducted for retirement etc. But what about the self-employed, most of whom do not make a bunch of money. The women that drive children to schools and such, it would be ridiculous to assume that they are putting any funds into retirement. How is their eligibility determined?

With the different questions popping in my mind, a final one leaves me worried, however flawed the means of determining eligibility, the government has a plan in place to do that, right? Or does it just pick names from a hat, or a favorable list???

Witness to Discrimination: What Would You Do?

Witness to Discrimination: What Would You Do?
Bystanders Turn Away When Muslim Actor Hired By 'Primetime' Encounters Hostility
By ANN SORKOWITZ and JULIE N. HAYS
Feb. 26, 2008—

The Sept. 11 attacks, the Iraq war and suicide bombings worldwide have changed not only the way we live but the way we look at those around us, especially Muslims. "Islamophobia" has entered the American vernacular, and the anti-Muslim attitudes and prejudice it describes remain common.

But what if you witnessed "Islamophobia" in action and saw someone being victimized because of someone else's prejudices? What would you do?

ABC's production crew outfitted The Czech Stop, a bustling roadside bakery north of Waco, Texas, with hidden cameras and two actors. One played a female customer wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf, or hijab. The other acted as a sales clerk who refused to serve her and spouted common anti-Muslim and anti-Arab slurs.

The polarity of reactions was shocking, from support to seething disapproval. Never did we expect customers to be so passionate or candid.

His Place, His Right Our actor, Sabina, walked into the bakery in search of apple strudel. When she reached the counter, an actor posing as a sales clerk was quick to greet her with hateful anti-Muslim language.

"Get back on the camel and go back to wherever you came from," he said. "You got that towel on your head. I don't know what's underneath your dress. Just please take your business and go elsewhere with it."

"Sir, I am an American, I was born and raised here," she said.
The other customers seemed to hear the exchange but they barely looked toward our actors. When no one came to her defense, Sabina made a direct appeal to one customer.
"Sir, would you mind ordering me an apple strudel? That's why I am here," Sabina said.
Though visibly shaken by the hateful words, the man gave Sabina the cold shoulder, completed his purchase, and walked out of the bakery. "I really think that a person who owns his own business should be able to say who they sell to," he said after we told him about the experiment.

In fact, it is illegal for public establishments to deny service based on someone's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, according to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Regardless, this man was not the only customer to defend our sales clerk's "right" to discriminate.
A Narrowly Defined America A little while later, Sabina again entered the bakery, and again our sales clerk refused to serve her. This time, one man spoke up, but not on behalf of the Muslim woman. He was adamant that our sales clerk did the right thing. "She wasn't dressed right," he said. "If I was running the place I'd do the same thing." Once again, our sales clerk garnered customer support. After Sabina left the bakery seemingly frustrated and empty-handed, one man thanked the sales clerk for his discriminatory behavior. He then gave our actor a thumbs-up, not once, but twice. Jack Dovidio, a social psychologist at Yale University, said these men seemed to define "American" based on the way people look. They connected with the sales clerk and considered our female actor an outsider. "When we as Americans feel threatened from the outside, we're going to define ourselves in very rigid fashions," Dovidio said. "Either you're with me, and if you're not really one of me, then you must be somebody else who's against me."

A Very Different AmericaThe young woman in our experiment was an actor, but many of the hateful words she heard were based on the experiences of Chicago-born Nohayia Javed, who was watching our experiment from the control van. Javed said she has continually suffered verbal abuse and said she has even been physically attacked by fellow Americans  just because she is Muslim. "They always start off with, 'you're a terrorist, Osama-lover, towel-head, camel jockey' on and on," Javed said. "If I tell them I'm American, they're like, 'No you're not. Just because you were born here doesn't make you American.' And I'm like, 'What makes you American?'"

Javed is not alone. The number of anti-Islamic hate crime incidents in the United States has more than quadrupled from 28 incidents in 2000 to 156 incidents in 2006, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's most recent figures.

Back in the bakery, the next customers had a very different answer to the question of American identity. First we met a man who angrily refused to buy anything when the sales clerk refused to serve Sabina. When our actor chastised him for being a "bad American," he begged to differ. "I believe I am a good American," he said. "My son just came back from serving in the army for over a year in Iraq and that has nothing to do with her [Sabina's] rights. I am deeply offended by this."

When we told him about the experiment, he explained why he stood up for Sabina. "I believe that people who use dress, skin color, language, heritage, financial means, education level, any of those things to say one group is better than another are using empty excuses for bigotry and hatred, and there's been enough hatred," he said.

We also met two young women who refused to let our sales clerk's hateful words go unchecked. "Sir, we are not buying our kolaches because you are really offensive and disgusting," one said. "Just because she's dressed like that doesn't mean anything," said the other, a Muslim-American woman herself. Rather than simply taking their business elsewhere, the young women demanded to speak to the manager, and they also challenged our sales clerk's definition of "American." "She's American. She's American. I'm American. You're the one that's anti-American right now," one said to the sales clerk.
When he refused to budge and our actress turned to leave, the two women walked out with her in a show of support.

The Silent Majority Even though people seemed to have strong opinions on either side, more than half of the bystanders did or said absolutely nothing. This is a familiar reaction for many Muslims such as Javed. "I was shocked because when these things happen to me in real life & I never see what happens after I walk out of that store," she said. "I would try to justify & that they probably didn't hear it & when I watched it, I realized, no, they hear it and they see it and they're okay with it." For Javed, tears of fear were mixed with tears of thanks for those she saw come forward to support Sabina. "In my lifetime, I've never ever had anybody stand up for me," Javed said. "It's very touching to see that because that's the right thing to do, I believe & as an American."

Copyright © 2008 ABC News Internet Ventures

Kiss Kiss

Remember this song? For some reason it popped into my head..Enjoy!

Simark-Tarkan

It's no slur to be called a Muslim

It's no slur to be called a Muslim

1 Mar 1, 2008 - 6:58:57 PM
by Naomi Klein


The turban photos affair was a missed chance for Obama. If he really is to repair the world, he must tackle this Islamophobia. Hillary Clinton denied leaking the photo of Barack Obama wearing a turban, but her campaign manager says that even if she had, it would be no big deal. "Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely."

Sure she did. And George Bush put on a poncho in Santiago, while Paul Wolfowitz burned up YouTube with his anti-malarial African dance routines while World Bank president. The obvious difference is this: when white politicians go ethnic, they look funny; when a black presidential contender does it, he looks foreign - and when the ethnic apparel in question is vaguely reminiscent of the clothing worn by Iraqi and Afghan fighters (at least to many Fox viewers, who think any headdress other than a baseball cap is a declaration of war on America), the image is downright frightening.

The turban "scandal" is all part of what is being referred to as "the Muslim smear". It includes everything from exaggerated enunciations of Obama's middle name (Hussein) to the online whisper campaign that Obama attended a fundamentalist madrasa in Indonesia (a lie), was sworn in on a Qur'an (another lie), and if elected would attach speakers to the White House to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer (I made that one up).
So far Obama's campaign has responded with aggressive corrections that tout his Christian faith, attack the attackers and channel a cooperative witness before the House Un-American Activities Committee. "Barack has never been a Muslim or practised any other faith besides Christianity," states one fact sheet. "I'm not and never have been of the Muslim faith," Obama told a Christian News reporter.

Of course Obama must correct the record, but he doesn't have to stop there. What is disturbing about the campaign's response is that it leaves unchallenged the disgraceful and racist premise behind the entire "Muslim smear": that being Muslim is de facto a source of shame. Obama's supporters often say they are being "Swift-boated" (a pejorative term derived from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign against the 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry), casually accepting the idea that being accused of Muslimhood is tantamount to being accused of treason.
Substitute another faith or ethnicity, and you'd expect a very different response. Consider a report from the archives of the Nation. Thirteen years ago Daniel Singer, the magazine's late Europe correspondent, went to Poland to cover a presidential election. He reported that the race had descended into an ugly debate over whether one of the candidates, Aleksander Kwasniewski, was a closet Jew. The press claimed his mother was buried in a Jewish cemetery (she was still alive), and a popular TV show aired a skit featuring the Christian candidate dressed as a Hassidic Jew. "What perturbed me," Singer said, "was that Kwasniewski's lawyers threatened to sue for slander rather than press for an indictment under the law condemning racist propaganda".

We should expect no less of the Obama campaign. When asked during the Ohio debate about Louis Farrakhan's support for his candidacy, Obama did not hesitate to call Farrakhan's antisemitic comments "unacceptable and reprehensible". When the turban photo flap came up in the same debate, he used the occasion to say nothing at all.

Farrakhan's infamous comments about Jews took place 24 years ago. The orgy of hate that is the "Muslim smear" is unfolding in real time, and it promises to greatly intensify in a general election. These attacks do not simply "smear Barack's Christian faith", as John Kerry claimed in a campaign mailing. They are an attack on all Muslims, some of whom actually do exercise their rights to cover their heads and send their kids to religious school. Thousands even have the very common name Hussein. All are watching their culture used as a crude bludgeon against Obama, while the candidate who is the symbol of racial harmony fails to defend them - this at a time when US Muslims are bearing the brunt of the Bush administration's assaults on civil liberties, including dragnet wiretapping, and are facing a documented spike in hate crimes.
Occasionally, though not nearly enough, Obama says that Muslims are "deserving of respect and dignity". What he has never done is what Singer called for in Poland: denounce the attacks themselves as racist propaganda, in this case against Muslims.

The core of Obama's candidacy is that he alone - having lived in Indonesia as a boy and with an African grandmother - can "repair the world" after the Bush wrecking ball. That repair job begins with the 1.4 billion Muslims around the world, many convinced that the US has been waging a war against their faith. This perception is based on facts, among them the fact that Muslim civilians are not counted among the dead in Iraq and Afghanistan; that Islam has been desecrated in US-run prisons; and that voting for an Islamist party resulted in collective punishment in Gaza. It is also fuelled by the rise of a virulent strain of Islamophobia in Europe and North America.

As the most visible target of this rising racism, Obama has the power to be more than its victim. He can use the attacks to begin the very process of global repair that is the most seductive promise of his campaign. The next time he's asked about his alleged Muslimness, Obama can respond not just by clarifying the facts but by turning the tables. He can state that while a liaison with a pharmaceutical lobbyist may be worthy of scandalised exposure, being a Muslim is not. Changing the terms of the debate this way is not only morally just but tactically smart - it's the one response that could defuse these hateful attacks. The best part is this: unlike ending the Iraq war and closing Guantánamo, standing up to Islamophobia doesn't need to wait until after the election. Obama can use his campaign to start now. Let the repairing begin.

Source: Guardian (UK)

The Secret

I decided to treat myself the other day. After all, us gals deserve treats & little pick me ups every now and then. So I purchased The Secret (book) and started reading it today. I have been skeptical of it and still am to a degree. However, I do believe in the principle premise and have always believed it.

I remember telling a friend that who she is, her thoughts and expectations, determines to a large degree the man that is attracted to her. I really believe that our aura (or whatever you wish to call it) attracts certain experiences or people to us. My friend always lamented how she ended up with the wrong man. I always thought that her expectations and thoughts attracted certain men. Example, you don't think you could do better, so you don't get better.

All my life, education has never been a problem for me. Passing or failing was never an issue; not only did I know, fully believe that I would pass but I knew with certainty that I could and would score among the highest, whatever the class was. Somewhere between then and now, I started doubting myself and abilities. For the first time in my life, I began thinking, can I do this, am I cut out for a Phd, should I even be here, am I smart enough. Now for the first time in my life, I find myself struggling with college.

I will fill my mind with positive thoughts, stop dwelling on the negative-no more of the we are doomed, the world is going to hell in a handbasket, people are nuts, selfish, greedy, corrupt-kind of thoughts. Somehow I gave up hope in alot of things and people, started focusing on the bad rather than encouraging the good.

Who knows what may happen, the mind is powerful thing. I hope (I am full of hopes this evening!) that I follow this through and that life doesn't get in the way. I don't know if changing the way you think can make you a millionare or heal you from a terminal disease (while I believe some can do it, I think the majority are unable to do so), I really think that changing your thoughts can lead to your happiness and inner peace.

Excerpts from The Secret-
Relationships: Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by others .. love yourself and you will be loved [...] Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it. [...] What you focus on with your thought and feeling is what you attract into your experience [...] Whatever it is you are feeling is a perfect reflection of what is in the process of becoming.

Peace!

News and Blogs

I stopped reading the news on a regular basis two years ago. I found that listening to the news during lunch made me queasy and gave me a tummy ache, reading the news during my time off made me depressed and watching it before going to bed gave me nightmares. So I stopped, or tried to stop. I began to skim the headlines and read only what interests me.

It was right about then that I started reading blogs. Not that one is a substitute for the other. Except that blogs, especially the personal ones are so telling and informative. They shed light on what the average person is going through and experiencing. The disconnect from reality that seems to exist between many sections of society that is then translated into some blog or the other. Living for the time being far away from home, Bahraini blogs offered me a rare opportunity of keeping up with my society, the trials and tribulations, the moans and groans, happiness and successes that my people are going through.

I am sure you have a selection of local, regional and international blogs that you read regularly. Here are a few blogs that touched something in me.

Here are a few I like reading: Muslim Hedonist, Raising Yusuf, Neurotic Iraqi Wife, The Angry Arab News Service, and Mosaic. There are a few more that I can’t seem to remember.

Any recommendations?

Whose Fault is it Anyway?

Through the years, the people who have visited or lived in Bahrain all shared a similar experience; they were all surprised and pleased by the Bahraini people's tolerance, down to earthness, kindness and generosity. Despite the varying experiences of foreigners and expats in my country, some negative & many positive, one thing the folks I came across stressed: the Bahraini people's goodness.

Bahrain among its Gulf counterparts has always presented the real easts meets west pot, where foriegners and locals all were part of one society. At least that is how it seemed to me. This is now all changing. With the recent wave, no FLOOD, of illegal immigration Bahrainis are becoming less and less tolerant. Racial slurs are printed in the press and celebrated. The patriotic thing it seems is to berate and belitte the naturalized. Uncivilized, uncouth and unworthy are some of the names they have been called.

Emails containing pictures of naturalized citizens' passports are forwarded. A song of an Indian singing Bahraini ana (I am Bahraini) came out mocking those that came adrift the naturalization flood. The author of an article (see below) that I received in yet another forward showed disdain that a Bahraini would be called Daniel/Danielle, wondering if such a name is native or Arab or the name of a prophet.... Ironically, our sectarian rife society unites in discriminating against the new citizens! FYI, Daniel is a prophet in the Torah and Old Testament. Tsk tsk author, do better research next time, it might increasing your credibility.

I have to wonder at all the discriminatory remarks going around. Is this the new low that Bahrainis are stooping to? Is it that these new citizens are the low wall that we can vent our frustrations on? Who would forgo what they would view as a better life for themselves and their kin, what could be their only way out?

Whose fault is it anyways? Shouldn't the mockery and blame be directed towards those who put this policy in effect?

I can't help but think of how all these reactions towards the newly naturalized only serves to further divide our polarized socity. Let's face it folks, naturalized or local, we are all in this mess together. Let us stop slinging mud.

Here is what sparked this rant: (I did not list the author's name, as I got this in a fwd and did not see the original piece)

آشوف طالت وشمخت ... يا مجنسالذي يحصل في بلادنا البحرين .. في هذه الأيام .. من قبل المجنسين الصحراويين .. شيء لا يمكن السكوت عنه أبداً أبداً أبدا , ولا يرضي أي بحريني ( بغض النظر عن إتجاهاته الطائفية أو ميوله السياسية والإجتماعية ) لا من قريب ولا من بعيد ..فهؤلاء المجنسون الصحراويون أصبحوا خطراً خطيراً علينا وعلى أرواحنا وعلى أهلنا وأولادنا حاضراً ومستقبلاً .. وأصبح التصدي لهم يستلزم منا التكاتف جميعاً ضدهم .. وجميعاً تعني جميع البحرينيين الشرفاء من سنة وشيعة بلا أحقاد دفينة ولا عداوات معلنة أو مخفية , واليوم هو يوم الإتحاد مع بعض ووضع الأيادي بعضها مع بعض والوقوف صفاً واحداً للدفاع عن هذا الوطن وأبناءه ضد هؤلاء الذين جائوا كي يفسدوا في أرضنا ويعيثوا فساداً في وطننا ويهددوا أمننا وأمن أهلنا وأولادنا ..هؤلاء المجنسون الصحراويون الذين يتجمعون مع بعض على شكل فرق تخريبية وترهيبية تضم الأعداد الكبيرة من المراهقين والشباب والكبار , والمتسلحين بالسكانين وألواح الخشب الكبيرة المغروس فيها الكثير من المسامير الكبيرة الحجم .. هؤلاء ( الرعاع ) أصبحوا يتواجدون في أماكن كثيرة من البحرين ويمكن لأي شخص أن يرى قطيعهم في الرفاع الغربي والرفاع الشرقي وجو وعسكر والمحرق والبديع وأماكن أخرى كثيرة .. والمشكلة هي أنهم يتحرشون بكل بحريني يقترب منهم أو هم يقتربون منه تعمداً , والذي سبق وأن حصل في مناطق عديدة من البحرين وآخرها في مدينة المحرق .. من هجوم على البحرينيين الآمنين وضربهم بالسكاكين والألواح الخشبية والمسامير وتعريض حياتهم وحياة أسرهم للخطر .. ما حصل هو فقط القليل جداً مما سوف يحصل مستقبلاً من قبل هؤلاء إن يجدوا من يقف في طريقهم ويثبتهم عند حدودهم ويعلمهم أصول الإحترام للبلد التي إحتضنتهم .. فأما الإحترام وأما المغادرة .وهؤلاء المجنسون الصحراويون الذين أصبحوا يسيطرون على موقع منتديات مملكة البحرين ويدخلون إليه بأسماء مستعارة .. مثل أسد تكريت ودانيال نعمة الله .. ويسبون ويلعنون كل بحريني وكل مواطن صالح لبلده وأهله , هؤلاء هم الذين يحتاجون إلى من يقوم بتأديبهم وتأديب أهلهم أولاً لأنهم هم الذين يتسببون في إشعال الفتن بين الشعب البحريني الواحد , وهم الذين يحرضون إخوانهم من بنوا جنسهم ( الصحراوي ) لأعمال التخريب وإشعال الفتنة .. نحن اليوم في البحرين .. نريد أن ننسى إختلافاتنا في وجهات النظر جانباً , ونعتبر أن تلك الإختلافات في وجهات النظر لا يجب أن أن تصل بنا إلى الخلافات حول تأكيد من وجهة نظره هي الصائبة .. نريد أن نثبت المثل الذي يقول أنا وأخى ضد إبن عمي , ولكن أنا وإبن عمي على الغريب .. والغريب هنا هم حملة الأسماء الغريبة في مجتمعنا الخليجي المعروف بأسماءه وبأنسابه .. الغريب هنا هو شريفط ومريفط وتويسان .. الغريب هنا هو دانيال نعمة الله .. دانيال ؟ هل هذا إسم شخص بحريني ؟ هل هي بنت أم ولد ؟ وعندما تسأله عن إسمه يقول هذا إسم نبي من أنبياء الله .. هل سمعتم بإسم النبي دانيال ؟ أستغفر الله العلي العظيم ..لنتحد جميعنا .. سنة وشيعة .. ضد هؤلاء المجنسين الصحراويين قبل فوات الأوان ..

How about we unite not againt the blameless but against the corrupt policy that drowned the country with this flood? How about putting the not-to-be-mentioned report back on the discussion table and investigating its accusations? How about holding those responsible for unleashing the gates responsible? Naaaah, that would be too logical, let's just continue beating on the scapegoat. It won't change a thing but a few ppl might feel better.

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women drivers

Got this in an email. Congrats to our Saudi sisters on this victory, may this be the first of many human and women rights & freedoms gained back in Saudi and the region as a whole.

Daily Telegraph: Saudi Arabia to lift ban on women driversBy Damien McElroy in Riyadh
Last Updated: 1:02am GMT 21/01/2008

Saudi Arabia is to lift its ban on women drivers in an attempt to stem a rising suffragette-style movement in the deeply conservative state.

Government officials have confirmed the landmark decision and plan to issue a decree by the end of the year.

The move is designed to forestall campaigns for greater freedom by women, which have recently included protesters driving cars through the Islamic state in defiance of a threat of detention and loss of livelihoods.

The royal family has previously balked at granting women driving permits, claiming the step did not have full public support. The driving ban dates back to the establishment of the state in 1932, although recently the government line has weakened.

"There has been a decision to move on this by the Royal Court because it is recognised that if girls have been in schools since the 1960s, they have a capability to function behind the wheel when they grow up," a government official told The Daily Telegraph. "We will make an announcement soon."

Abdulaziz bin Salamah, the deputy information minister, said the official reform programme had been dogged by debate over the issue.

"In terms of women driving, we don't have it now because of the reticence of some segments of society," he said. "For example, my mother wouldn't want my sister to drive.

"It's something she cannot grapple with. But there is change on the way. I think the fair view is that one can be against it but one does not have the right to prevent it."

If the ban on women driving is lifted, it could be years before the full impact is seen. Practical hurdles stopping women obtaining licences and insurance must be overcome.

Mohammad al-Zulfa, a reformist member of the Saudi consultative Shura Council, which scrutinises official policies in the oil-rich state, said reversing the ban was part of King Abdullah's "clever" strategy of incremental reform.

"When it was first raised, the extremists were really mad," he said. "Now they just complain. It is diminishing into a form of consent."

Saudi Arabia maintains a strict segregation of the sexes outside the family home.
An unaccompanied woman must shop behind curtains and cannot hail a taxi.

Critics believe allowing women to drive would be the first step towards a gradual erosion of the kingdom's modesty laws. A woman would have to remove the traditional abaya robe to get a clear view behind the wheel.

"Allowing women to drive will only bring sin," a letter to Al-Watan newspaper declared last year. "The evils it would bring - mixing between the genders, temptations, and tarnishing the reputation of devout Muslim women - outweigh the benefits."

Saudi women have mounted growing protests. Fouzia al-Ayouni, the country's most prominent women's rights campaigner, has risked arrest by leading convoys of women drivers. "We have broken the barrier of fear," she said. "We want the authorities to know that we're here, that we want to drive, and that many people feel the way we do."

My Beloved's Fool

My heart bleeds as I hear news of my beloved. I stare on, listening while my heart is thumping in my chest, thinking to myself, where is this, this isn’t the beloved that I know. I don’t recognize this monster that is being described. This terror, corruption, greed and evil that has ingrained itself into the very fabric of this beloved of mine. What has become of my beloved and where is she headed to? Destruction, doom, and sadness seem to be the path she is heading off to. Fool that I am I fell for her. Drunk in her love, I swallowed all the lies and believed that a leopard can change its spots.

Happy 2008!

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S.


May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise. May New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.


May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues. May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity.


May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor. And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.


Happy 2008 friends!

Eid Mubarak

Wishing you all a blessed eid! And a merry christmas for all who celebrate it.

Glass Half Empty or Half Full?

Fresh snow on the ground:
half full- it's eeringly beautiful outside, looks like a postcard.
half empty- drive to work took 2 hrs instead of 30 mins.

Much needed rain in an area with drought:
half full- great! The reservoirs will fill up and the plants will quench their thirst.
half empty- the water will fall as freezing rain and the roads will be slippery wet.

It is Autumn:
half full- the fall leaves and color change are spectacular.
half empty- with all the leaves off the branches, the trees look like skeletons, scary at night, snow freezes into ice and well you guessed it, slippery roads.

Huge sales for the Christmas season:
half full- great prices on really good stuff.
half empty: the stores are a mob and it's horrible going anywhere.

Eid is round the corner:
half full- even though I am far from my, I have my sister and nephew to celebrate with.
half empty- being far away from home on Eid sucks big time. What sucks even more is having to work.

Finals are over:
half full: first semester down, I am beginning to feel like I can do it and now I have a full month to myself. I can't believe I made it through math econ alive.
half empty: I did not get the grades I want and somehow I feel as if I am slacking. Quick give me something to do!

Great professors:
half full- the label summed it up, who knew learning can be immensely enjoyable?
half empty- my instructors asked me what and where Bahrain is, then proceeded to sarcastically tell me that it must be a great place to live followed by his surprise that Bahraini women are allowed to drive?!!! Even the educated are ignorant!

Hosting a It's a Girl! baby shower for the parents to be:
half full: making my own, stunning (if I may say so) diaper cake and going wild with the theme.
half empty: nearly going crazy in the process, having a couple fight over with whether the man actually changed diapers and an invitee bring her step-mum's much older friend who in the karoake game requested 6ala3a el badro 3alaina followed by some anasheed deeneya :S

Who Owns You?

Does a person own him or herself? The Rights of a Private Property differ with the different schools of economic thought;

· Socialism's fundamental principles are centered on a critique of this concept, stating, among other things, that the cost of defending property is higher than the returns from private property ownership, and that even when property rights encourage the property-holder to develop his property, generate wealth, etc., he will only do so for his own benefit, which may not coincide with the benefit of other people or society at large
· Libertanian Socialism generally accepts property rights, but with a short abandonment time period. In other words, a person must make (more or less) continuous use of the item or else he loses ownership rights. This is usually referred to as "possession property."
· Communism argues that only collective ownership of the means of production through a polity (though not necessarily a state) will assure the minimization of unequal or unjust outcomes and the maximization of benefits, and that therefore private property should be abolished.

Both communism and some kinds of socialism have also upheld the notion that private property is inherently illegitimate. This argument is centered mainly on the idea that the creation of private property will always benefit one class over another, giving way to domination through the use of this private property. Communists are naturally not opposed to personal property which is "Hard-won, self-acquired, self-earned" (Communist Manifesto), by members of the proletariat (Source: Wikipedia).

During my microeconomics class the issue arose about the test for full private property rights. The professor asserted that the ultimate definite test for full ownership of anything is if you can see that good or your share in that good.

This brought John Locke’s quote to mind: “Every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has a right to, but himself.”

Back to my question: Does a person own him or herself?

If that is true, should a person be allowed to sell themselves or take his/her own life?

Or on a less drastic scale, should people be allowed to sell their organs to the highest bidder when they can in fact choose who to donate their organs to?

And whatever your answer is, who decides? Should the government decide? Society? Or each person?

I have conflicting thoughts on private property rights. I have my religious perspective leaning one way, societal perspective running along the religious thought although not completely similar. Then there is the economist in me, that comes up with a whole different answer.

As I am writing down my answer, conflicting reactions spring up, showing that even for me, a person who thought about this for a while, studied it even, the matter is not so clear cut. So for now my answer will have to wait!

I am curious to read other people’s thoughts and see if they vary in a place as small as Bahrain.

Finals are Here!

In a week or so I have my finals, next Tuesday I have my micro exam. Next Thursday I have math econ. The thought of the math exam sends me in full-fledged panic mode.

Then for a whole month I am free of school. YAY More time to blog, shop, exercise (yah right!) watch movies and do nothing! One whole month free from study groups, staying up late doing hw, reading 700 pages a week and night classes. I can't wait.

There are things I want to write about: sexual abuse for one. A real from the heart post rather than reciting stats. Although the stats are necessary for they do drive the issue home. I also want to write about my classes and professors. Last, I want to write about capital punishment and decriminalizing drugs. Yes I know that my topics are all over the place but they are the things that I have been thinking about lately.

As always, sorry about the typos. I really need to get back to studying and don't have the time nor the inclination (terrible I know) to proof read my thread.

Wish me luck!

Here We Go Again!

Uff! So I change my layout and template and there goes my links! I was tired of the black layout. It was starting to depress me. I needed something light and airy, easy to look it and something not half bad. Well, my choices are limited but I like this harbor template. Problem is, same as before, as soon as I changed my template, my links disappeared. Last time Silly Bahraini Girl came to my rescue with a timely and blog saving email. It included instructions that even a techie dodo could figure out, a cut and paste job really.. Thanks SBG.

So growing more confident and tired of the ugly black, I decided to change my template. No worries coz I already had SBG's instructions, plus I saved a copy of my old template. In some ways, limited as they may be, I consider myself tech savvy. Well, I had to eat a huge portion of humble pie; no matter what I do, what I include or omit, I can't for the life of me add links to my page. This makes me feel, well, like a idiot!

So for the next two week until I am done with my finals, my blog will remain frill-less, link-less and well just less! I am sure I can find someone or the other who can fix this in like 30 seconds or so.

Ciao

Sexual Abuse- Wake Up and Face the Facts

Think you don’t know anyone that has been a victim of sexual abuse. Think that sexual crimes don’t happen in your society. Think it is a problem of the other cultures and societies. THINK AGAIN. It is time you wake up and face the facts.

No One is Immune
-1 in 4 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.
-1 in 6 boys is sexually abused before the age of 18.
-1 in 5 children are solicited sexually while on the internet.
-Nearly 70% of all reported sexual assaults (including assaults on adults) occur to children ages 17 and under.

Family Comes First
-30-40% of victims are abused by a family member.
-Another 50% are abused by someone outside of the family whom they know and trust.
-Approximately 40% are abused by older or larger children whom they know.
-Therefore, only 10% are abused by strangers.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
-Evidence that a child has been sexually abused is not always obvious, and many children do not report that they have been abused.
-Over 30% of victims never disclose the experience to ANYONE (I a curious to see the number in Bahrain, I bet it is much higher).
-Young victims may not recognize their victimization as sexual abuse.
-Almost 80% initially deny abuse or are tentative in disclosing. Of those who do disclose, approximately 75% disclose accidentally. Additionally, of those who do disclose, more than 20% eventually recant even though the abuse occurred.
-Fabricated sexual abuse reports constitute only 1% to 4% of all reported cases. -Of these reports, 75% are falsely reported by adults and 25% are reported by children. Children only fabricate ½% of the time.

Once isn’t Enough
-Nearly 70% of child sex offenders have between 1 and 9 victims; at least 20% have 10 to 40 victims.
-An average serial child molester may have as many as 400 victims in his lifetime.

Health and Behavioral Problems
-The way a victim's family responds to abuse plays an important role in how the incident affects the victim.
-Sexually abused children who keep it a secret or who "tell" and are not believed are at greater risk than the general population for psychological, emotional, social, and physical problems often lasting into adulthood.
-Children who have been victims of sexual abuse are more likely to experience physical health problems (e.g., headaches).
-Victims of child sexual abuse report more symptoms of PTSD, more sadness, and more school problems than non-victims.
-Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to experience major depressive disorder as adults.
-Young girls who are sexually abused are more likely to develop eating disorders as adolescents.
-Adolescent victims of violent crime have difficulty in the transition to adulthood, are more likely to suffer financial failure and physical injury, and are at risk to fail in other areas due to problem behaviors and outcomes of the victimization.

Drug and/or Alcohol Problems
-Victims of child sexual abuse report more substance abuse problems. 70-80% of sexual abuse survivors report excessive drug and alcohol use.
-Young girls who are sexually abused are 3 times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders or alcohol and drug abuse in adulthood, than girls who are not sexually abused.
-Among male survivors, more than 70% seek psychological treatment for issues such as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Males who have been sexually abused are more likely to violently victimize others.

Teenage Pregnancy and Promiscuity
-Children who have been victims of sexual abuse exhibit long-term and more frequent behavioral problems, particularly inappropriate sexual behaviors.
-Women who report childhood rape are 3 times more likely to become pregnant before age 18.
-An estimated 60% of teen first pregnancies are preceded by experiences of molestation, rape, or attempted rape. The average age of their offenders is 27 years.
-Victims of child sexual abuse are more likely to be sexually promiscuous.
More than 75% of teenage prostitutes have been sexually abused.

Crime
Adolescents who suffer violent victimization are at risk for being victims or perpetrators of felony assault, domestic violence, and property offense as adults. -Nearly 50% of women in prison state that they were abused as children.
Over 75% of serial rapists report they were sexually abused as youngsters.

Source: http://www.darkness2light.org/

First Israeli store to open in Dubai

Came across this article while reading the Angry Arab's blog (good blog by the way):

First Israeli store to open in Dubai

The ml men's clothing chain which specializes in large sizes will be opening a store in Dubai
in the near future, making it the first Israeli brand to reach the Arab emirate.
Opening the Dubai branch will bring the clothing brand back on the international scene, after other overseas stores have failed.
It was reported by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper on Thursday that ml signed a distribution agreement with a French company which specializes in marketing large-size fashion lines.
The French company signed a deal with the Albulug Company owned by one of Dubai's wealthiest families to open an ml chain in Dubai.
In the fist stage of the deal, ml will open four stores with an average area of 100 square meters in prestigious shopping centers and leading malls.
Ml will invest some $1.5 million in its Dubai stores.

Murder in Paradise

2 US sailors shot to death in Bahrain

By ANNA JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 33 minutes ago

A U.S. Navy sailor allegedly shot and killed two female sailors early Monday in the barracks of a American military base in Bahrain, a Navy official said.
The alleged shooter, a male, was critically wounded in the shooting at the U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain base, said the Navy official, who was not authorized to release the information to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official did not say if the alleged shooter shot himself or if anyone else was involved, but the Navy said the shooting was not terror related and only involved U.S. military personnel.
The shootings took place around 5 a.m., the Navy said. Officials closed the base temporarily and reopened it about an hour later.
No other details were immediately available, and the Navy said it was not releasing the names of those involved until their families were notified.
"The incident is under investigation, and it would not be prudent to discuss details at this time," said Navy spokesman Lt. John Gay.
Bahrain, a tiny island nation on the Persian Gulf, is a U.S. ally and home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which is responsible for an area of about 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million sq. kilometers) of water including the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean.
About 3,600 personnel work on the U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain base, located just outside Bahrain's capital, Manama. The base supports U.S. naval ships in the region.
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Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press.