Interesting comparison

So does everyone remember how the Iraqis were portrayed by the media immediately after the war two years ago? When the media was showing "all" the Iraqis looting, the only image people worldwide could make of us was that of a barbaric people who could not restrain themselves unless there was a ruling fist over their heads. That image disturbed me at the time a lot...

But, today I saw an interesting thing happening...gave me flashbacks to media pictures of Iraq two years ago and I could not help but compare:

after the disastrous and tragic hurricane that hit three states in the U.S. the media was reporting looting in parts of New Orleans....hmmmm, now what are people in a first world country that happens to be the greatest power in the world doing looting their country men and women instead of lending them a helping hand?

By no means do I intend to insult anyone by this. I also know that some of you reading this post will be upset by it, but I have a point with all of this...different kinds of people exist everywhere...a looter is a looter whether he is American or Iraqi or whatever, and the same applies to an honest person. Decent people can be found worldwide even in the least expected places.

So, maybe this looting should teach us a small lesson that we should not judge a whole nation’s citizens based on the acts of a few…oh and also learn to pick and choose what to believe from what the media shows.

Just a thought that came to mind…

quick update

MCATs are over, done with, finito...that's all I have to say!!!

I feel a little bit more confident this time about my performance, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best...what's important at the moment is that I am finally a FREE person (for just a week at least and then I start the school year again )...it's a wonderful feeling and I sure am enjoying it:)

THE FOUR CANDLES

**The following piece is from the “Christian Thought” Iraqi magazine, which has been translated from Arabic by me.

Four candles were quietly burning. The wind was calm so that it was possible to hear their conversation. The first candle said: “I am Peace, but no one seems to be able to keep me lit forever, so I think I am going to be put out.” Then, its glow started getting dimmer until it completely extinguished.
The second candle said: “I am Faith, and I don’t find myself necessary anymore; there is not point of my staying lit any longer.” Just as it finished saying this, a strong wind blew and put the candle out.
The third candle sighed sadly and said: “I am Love and I don’t have the strength to stay lit, because people have placed me aside and don’t understand my importance anymore; they even forget to love the closest people to them.” So the third candle went out too.
Suddenly a little kid walked in and saw that the three candles were not lit. He asked them “why did you go out, weren’t you supposed to stay lit until the end?” and he broke into tears.
Just then, the fourth candle spoke and said: “don’t be sad my friend, because as long as I am lit I can light the other candles as well. I am Hope.” The kid’s eyes sparkled; he took the fourth candle, and with it he lit the other three candles- Peace, Faith, and Love!
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Hope is the most important thing in people’s lives; without it we would all wither away. Just as the story above shows, Hope has the power to restore the lacking aspects in our lives. This is why I am always praying that the Iraqis will keep their “Hope” candle lit and prevent any winds or other external factors from putting it out, because as long as we have our hope we will achieve our dreams no matter how impossible they seem.

**p.s. I am trying to keep my “hope” candle lit to maybe help me light my “intellect” candle next Saturday as I will be taking the MCATs again…I don’t know if it will work; there is a possibility that my “intellect” candle has been completely burnt out :)

Chaldo-Assyrians making us proud!

I have been meaning to write a post about Chaldo-Assyrians and what they are doing in order to make their voice heard and taken into account both in the new Iraq and in the world in general, and I finally found some very interesting stuff worth posting….so here it is:

**One of the members of Congress named Anna Eshoo is actually a Chaldo-Assyrian originally from Iran…Representative Eshoo has not forgotten her roots, and is seizing the opportunity and using her power in Congress to add another strong voice in the Chaldo-Assyrians’ fight for their rights. Ms. Eshoo recently urged Congress to offer support to Iraqi Chaldo-Assyrians and Christians in general, and ankawa.com has the full article posted (it is in English except for the short intro which summarizes the article).

**the House of Lords in the U.K. have also been discussing the important issue of Iraqi Chaldo-Assyrians…to listen to their session click here….this is also a good to listen to if you want to know more about the history of Iraq’s Chaldo-Assyrians, since the speaker offers a lot of details about our history…the session is long and I did not listen to all of it, so I am not sure if they talk about this issue the whole time, you can find out for yourself and listen to the whole thing if you have that much spare time in your hands, but the important part is at the beginning.

**looking away from politics, Ramona Amiri, a Chaldo-Assyrian originally from Iran, received the title of “Miss World Canada 2005”, and will of course be representing Canada in the Miss World Pageant! Way to go Ramona!!! Click here for more info.

**finally, this should make you smile, I stumbled upon it while googling something...

now I love Homer Simpson more than ever seeing that he is promoting the Assyrian flag and fighting with us for our rights in his own odd way of dealing with things…I love it!

United Against Terror

there is a "United Against Terror" online statement that just got released today, and they are looking for signatures from anyone who is opposed to the terrorist acts taking place worldwide: in the U.S., London, Iraq etc.

I encourage all of you to sign the statement as it is a small step to show these terrorists that we are not giving up to them and that we will fight them to the end...I signed the statement today...to sign, click on this link, read the statement, then scroll all the way down to sign your name.

Who are the Real Stars?

Like a lot of people, I have Hollywood stars whom I love to watch, some who I find attractive, and some who I even have slight crushes on (ahem ahem: Tom Cruise:))….but I can never understand the people who go completely nuts when they see their favorite “star”….just like I cannot understand those who think of Jessica Simpson or Nicole Kidman or George Clooney or any other Hollywood celebrity as their role models! ROLE MODELS??? Role models of what??? I think Hollywood is the place where when people enter it they leave their morality and ethics outside the door….I mean is there anything that these “stars” haven’t done? And by “anything”, I am referring to the negative things of course (drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity etc.)
The reason why I am writing this is because I received an article via email from a friend that I really liked, which I am going to paste here….these are the real Heroes and Stars that we should admire and look at as role models, not some Hollywood big shot….enjoy reading!
""""Ben Stein's Last Column...For many years Ben Stein has written a biweekly column called "Monday NightAt Morton's." (Morton's is a famous chain of Steakhouses known to befrequented by movie stars and famous people from around the globe.) Now,Ben is terminating the column to move on to other things in his life.Reading his final column is worth a few minutes of your time.

============================================

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I "slug" it, as we writers say, which means I puta heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is"eonlineFINAL," and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doingthis column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I lovedwriting this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end. It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person andthe world's change have overtaken it. On a small scale, Morton's, whilebetter than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It stillbrings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw SamuelL. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right beforethat, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, inwhich we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton'sis not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again. Beyond that, a bigger change has happened. I no longer think Hollywoodstars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people,and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or womanwho makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of acamera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to. How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insaneluxury really be a star in today's world, if by a "star" we mean someonebright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are notriding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trainedin yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamesegirls do their nails. They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me anylonger. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who pokedhis head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met bya bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject SaddamHussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world. A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to aroad north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killedhim. A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S.soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexplodedordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed heraside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a familydesolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad. The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavishweddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after twoof their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped forthe sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists. We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of ourmagazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military paybut stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarinesand near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die. I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poorvalues, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that whois eating at Morton's is a big subject. There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament...the policemenand women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if theywill return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people whohave been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachersand nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children;the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards. Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the WorldTrade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of areal hero. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one thatmatters. This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it anotherway. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier oras good a comic as Steve Martin...or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or asgood an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer asFitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them. But I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, aboveall, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to bemy main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty wellwith my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). Icared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayedwith my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma andthen entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms. This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiersin Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life livedto help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, inreturn for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He hasplaced in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human. Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will. By Ben Stein"""

Today's terror attacks on London

Given the feelings of outrage that I am experiencing I decided to put my frustration on paper hoping that this would calm me down a little...I seriously do not understand why the world has gone mad…I am trying to comprehend why humans are performing such barbaric acts that not even animals lower than us do, but I cannot find a satisfying answer…the reason probably lies in the fact that there is NO REASON for any human being to commit such horrific crimes against other human beings especially knowing that the victims are completely innocent…I am sick and tired of hearing people giving religious and/or political explanations for these monstrous crimes…NO religion on earth should even be called a religion if it advocates or leads to killing or harming innocent civilians…religions where created as a way to guide human beings’ lives; they are an ethical code, just like laws are but more powerful; they were established as a way for people to seek a higher power when they feel helpless and hopeless with their mere human capabilities. No religion was initially found as a way to destroy humanity or kill human beings. These people (which aside from having human DNA, do not resemble other humans in any way) are insane, mentally-ill psycho-criminals…they are not just insane, nor are they simply criminals, but they are both.

Everyone probably realizes by now that I am talking about the terror attacks that took place in the London subway and bus system. The whole world has turned into a war zone, with the civilized trying to battle a phantom called terror. I cannot accept that such attacks are political. Killing or attempting to kill a president or a high official (like the murder of the Egyptian Ambassador in Iraq today) IS political; a COUNTRY going to war against another country is done for political reasons. However, killing a whole lot of civilians who have done no wrong to the attackers must not be accepted as done on a political nor religious basis.

I am kind of getting tired of the west not protecting itself right…I mean sure the U.S. and Europe have democracies, but these democracies were installed for the citizens of those countries…they should not be democratic towards individuals or nations who are attacking them or supporting their attackers. The CIA, MI6 and other similar organizations need to send clear messages and THREATS to those countries supporting terrorists in various ways whether directly or indirectly (and oh believe me they know who they are!) that if they do not stop they will face severe consequences…I am sick of seeing the American president or the British PM and others meeting DEMOCRATICALLY with Saudi princes and shaking hands as if they are good old friends….damn Saudi’s oil if obtaining it means the death of innocent civilians…I sincerely believe that action needs to be taken against countries that harbor terrorism…I understand that western relationships with countries such as Saudi Arabia and others are established to protect the interests of their countries, but what is more important economical interests or the security of the citizens of these democratic countries? If any American or British citizen is given the option of becoming unemployed or paying a higher price for gas, OR dying/losing a loved one, I am certain everyone would choose the former. So it is time for these western democracies to start taking stern actions and stop simply giving empty threats before other such attacks occur and too many innocent lives are lost.

May God be with all those who died in London today, with their families, and with the survivors of the attack that they may heal both from their physical and psychological injuries.

One last thing, I have noticed that whenever such an attack takes place all of the countries increase their security tremendously specifically in places similar to where the attack took place (i.e. today it was the subway system)…now I do not understand why they do that; honestly even the most dumb terrorist would know not to attack the same thing twice in the same period of time wouldn’t they? I know it is just an extra measure of precaution, but these precautions need to either be taken BEFORE the attacks occur, or the security need to be extended to other places and things…For example, just look at the trend: first in 9/11 the terrorists used planes, then they used the train system in Spain, and now they attacked the subway system in London. In my opinion, security in the subway system (in fact, the whole transportation system) should have been increased after the first two attacks, because it was obvious that the terrorists were targeting transportation but they were changing their specific targets.

Independence Day!!!

just wanted to wish a Happy 4th of July to all of the Americans wherever you may be...I hope you get to celebrate your freedoms and liberties today even if you are far from your homeland!

I would like to extend A special wish to all of the American troops serving in Iraq and elsewhere in the world...have strength in the fact that your nations' thoughts are with you every moment of every day...and know that we are praying for your safe return to your families.

The Freedom Tower Age

The design for the new building that will be built in place of the World Trade Centers was revealed in the media today…the building is expected to be completed by the year 2010. It is being named “The Freedom Tower” and will be the tallest building in the world upon its completion…next to the building a memorial will be built commemorating all those who lost their lives to the terror attacks of 9/11. Click here for more details and here is a picture of the future building:


Now, when I read this piece of news an image flickered in my mind about what the world would be like in the summer of 2010 (or at least how I wish it would be like)…here is what I saw:

It is July 2010, the year the Freedom Tower has opened to the public, and among the many tourists traveling to New York City to marvel at the new building are many Iraqis who decided to escape Iraq’s summer heat and visit the Big Apple, the city that everyone talks about. At the same time, on the other side of the world, Iraq is seeing a large number of crowds like never before in the country’s history as many American tourists decided to take a vacation to the much talked about cultural and historical sites in Iraq that have only recently been restored and opened for tourism again.

Thus, simultaneously, as the Iraqi tourists are being amazed by the sight of the Freedom Tower and other skyscrapers that define NYC, American tourists are being fascinated by the gates of Babylon, the statue of the Winged Bull, and the many cultural centers and museums that once, not long ago, used to serve as palaces for the thugs who ruled the country.

This rush in tourism between the two countries is proving to the few skeptical people left around in the world that the war initiated 7 years ago has been won, and the experiment of Democracy in Iraq has proved to be successful. Iraqis have truly demonstrated to the world that they are a people of courage; their strong will and determination along with the help of their best ally, the U.S., have granted them their long-sought dream of a free country where peace roams around without being disturbed by terror and fear!

Sure there is still a lot more work to be done around the country in all aspects of life, but steady progress is being made daily. People have jobs. Profits are flowing into the country from the two main sources: oil and tourism. Above all, security has been established and there no longer exists fear of the kind people were experiencing several years ago. There is no longer fear of explosions from cars in public places; no longer fear of leaving ones home and not being able to make it back in one piece, no longer fear of having a random bullet strike the wrong person who happened to be standing at the wrong place in the wrong time. Iraqis have fought terror for a long time, and they were now reaping and enjoying the fruits of their long battle; and oh boy how good it tastes!

Now back to the present, 2005: some might criticize my vision above as being childish or unrealistic; they might say that I am just dreaming and it will never be like that. I am here to tell those people that without dreaming a person cannot achieve anything; dreams create ambitions, ambitions lead to motivation and hard work, which in turn lead to results. Furthermore, dreams give people hope, and the one very important thing that Iraqis need right now and should not give up on is HOPE…so, keep holding on to your hope and your dreams, and one day they WILL become reality-your reality!

New York Trip

First, Happy Late Father’s Day to all the fathers around the world especially my wonderful daddy!!! I just love it how they have a day in the U.S. to honor fathers just like they have a day for mothers…they need to adapt this day in Iraq…I mean, I know mothers are considered very special but fathers are too don’t you think? So why not celebrate them too?

Now about my trip…New York City was great! I had a really good time and I just loved it there…surrounded by the crazily tall buildings everywhere; the crowds walking all over and trying to cross the streets without getting hit by cars that get so close to pedestrians you would think they were crossing the street too. I haven’t seen this kind of bad driving or heard so much horn honking since I’ve left Iraq…driving in New York is just outrageous…every time I sat in a vehicle I thought I was not going to make it back alive.

I visited almost all the attractions…actually, after a few days we found out that 10 days was way too long since we could have seen everything in like 5 days, but we took some days off in the middle of the week to rest. I saw the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, Empire State Building, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Little Italy, Chinatown, Rockefeller Center, World Trade Center site (ground zero), Wall Street and New York Stock Exchange, The United Nations Headquarters, Bryant Park (my absolute favorite place to chill out and drink a Starbucks frappaccino), and became extremely familiar with the Times Square area from 42nd-47th street on 7th and 6th avenues because that’s where our hotel shuttle would drop us off and pick us up everyday. We also visited every single Starbucks around this area since every time we would get tired or hot we would sit at a Starbucks. I wanted to see a Broadway show but they were just too expensive, so we just passed by the theaters and enjoyed them from the outside.

Some other updates aside from my trip for those who want to know…I got my MCAT scores back, annnnnnnnnnnnd,I did not do so well so I will be retaking it again in August, agh!!! I hate this, but I have to do it if I want to get to medical school. Anyways, so you know what this means…it means that as of July 4th, which is when I will start my summer courses and reviewing for MCAT again I will probably not be able to blog a lot if at all…these few months ahead of me are very critical in determining my academic future and I really need to concentrate on that more than anything else.

Enough about me…click here to enjoy some pictures of the ever so beautiful New York City…oh and by the way, if you were wondering (like I always did before I went there) it is EXACTLY like they show on movies and shows…the crowds, the bad driving and the traffic, people’s diversity, the little pretty shops, the flashing signs and lights everywhere all add together to create the unique beauty of the Big Apple!

going on vacation....AGAIN!!!

Any of you watch the show “Dayside” w/ Linda Vester on fox news? Well, even if you don’t, you must watch it on Wednesday June 15th…
Why?
Because I will be among the audience, and if I get the courage and somehow suppress my shyness (and that is a big IF) I just might raise my hand and ask a question (if they bring up the issue of Iraq), so maybe you will get to see me on TV.
The show airs live from 1:00-2:00pm Eastern Time, remember to tune in on June 15th!!!

You are probably asking that I must be present in New York City if I am going to be on “Dayside” right? RIGHT!!! It is true; I am going on vacation to the Big Apple tomorrow!!! I cannot control my excitement. I have always wanted to visit NYC but I never thought it would be this soon. It happened all of a sudden without prior planning.

I am calling this summer “the summer of wonderful trips and vacations” for me…am I always traveling like this? nooooo, not at all. It is just that everything is happening this summer, which I am not complaining about.

So, don’t expect any posts from me until I get back on June 22….and I will hopefully have some really cool pictures of New York City to post.

some news and issues

**diplomatic relationships will soon resume between Iraq and our neighboring country Kuwait…elaph.com reported that Hamid Al-Bayatee, a representative of Iraq’s foreign ministry said at the end of his visit to Kuwait that there is nothing holding up the process such as safety issues and such, except that there are some protocols that need to be taken care of. Al-Bayatee also commented on Syria saying that they need to take stricter actions to prevent Saddam’s people from crossing the border and seeking refuge in Syria…when confronted with this, the Syrian government claimed that it is hard for it to control the border…ha! Yeah right! they are Ba’athists for God’s sake and they are only being loyal by supporting their Ba’athist brothers don’t you think? Hehe, no that is not it…the thing is that they are probably becoming millionaires, if not billionaires, from the money these crooks (like Izzat Al-Douri possibly???) are paying them. Anyways, it is better this way…I would really be disappointed if we develop diplomatic relationships with Syria…the Ba’ath party is in power over there and from our experiences in Iraq with this corrupt party I think we wouldn’t want anything to do with it ever again. So, until Syria is clean and cured from this disease called “Ba’ath”, it would be wiser and safer for Iraq to stay far from it.

**Mohammad from Iraq the Model wrote a post about the rights of Iraqis with disabilities. I feel that this is a very important issue to be discussed, which is why I linked to ITM. The first step, I believe, is to ensure that individuals with disabilities have the same rights as other Iraqi citizens by implementing laws that require equality and prohibit discrimination. In addition, there has to be programs that work towards improving schools, places of work, roads etc. so that they offer services to people with special needs (a good start is making buildings accessible for ALL people).

But the bigger issue once the laws are instigated is to change people’s attitudes through awareness programs and such…the biggest thing that Iraqis need (and Middle Eastern countries in general, but we’re only talking about Iraq here) in regards to the disability issue is education and awareness. People must be made aware that just because someone is physically or mentally challenged does not mean that the person has no future, no rights and should be ignored or just merely treated with pity (which in my view diminishes from a person’s respect)…people of all capabilities must be given a chance to live and work on the areas that they can benefit society in…all human beings can offer some kind of benefit to society if they choose and are given the opportunity to do so. For example, disabled people should not be dismissed from getting into the college that they deserve or getting a job that they are qualified for just because they look different…how in the world do you know that that person is not going to perform the job better than you without giving him/her a chance? Some of the world’s greatest thinkers/artists/musicians etc. had some form of disability…Beethoven was deaf, yet he created the most amazing melodies ever!

Finally, reading over a draft of the Iraq constitution (in Arabic) I saw this statement:
المادة45-منع التمييز والأمتيازات
لا يجوز التمييز ضد أي فرد أو منحه أمتيازا على أساس الجنس أو الأصل أو العنصر أو اللغة أو الولادة أو العقيدة أو الأيمان أو العائلة
which states that there cannot be discrimination towards any individual on the basis of: gender, origin, ethnicity, language, birth, religion, or family.

I believe that “disability” needs to be added to the list; otherwise this is not really including ALL of the individuals. There are a lot of important issues in Iraq these day, and the rights of disabled individuals is one of them. It is a topic that should not be ignored nor postponed because there is just a lot of work to be done in this area.

Trip Diary

I am back from Arizona…I arrived to Atlanta last night, and took the day off to rest from the trip. The trip overall was a lot of fun…it took us 2 ½ days to get to Arizona. We spent one night in Texas, and another in New Mexico. The drive through Texas seemed endless; it took us 14 hours just to pass through it!!! On the way back we took a different route so we could pass through some different states. So we also got a glimpse of Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

We had heard that from Texas and on we will be driving through desert…but apparently in the U.S. there is no real desert like that found in Iraq with sand, sand, and more sand. Sure the scenery changed as we drove from Atlanta to Arizona, but even New Mexico and Arizona had grass (although it was dry and yellowish) and some miniature trees along with their many types of cactuses. As for Texas, well I was misinformed because it is not even close to a desert…it does not have a lot of trees but that does NOT make it a desert…it is full of miles and miles of grassland and my mom just fell in love with its scenery and kept saying that we should move there. Actually, my mom loved every state we passed through and wanted to move to almost all of them, hehe:)

Anyways, we did not really explore the states we passed through since we did not have time to do that, except in Tennessee near the Georgia border we saw signs for “Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain” and we decided to check them out. We ended up riding a train that goes up to an observation deck on Lookout Mountain, which is said to be the steepest mile in America! The view from the top was amazing but the train ride was a little too slow that I took a snooze on the way down:D

As for Arizona, then believe me Grand Canyon alone is worth the whole trip there…it was just gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, magnificent...I can go on and on forever, because I was just amazed from what I saw…oh how beautiful nature can be…look at the pictures of Grand Canyon below and tell me if you are not amazed…although, I must say that seeing the pictures is not at all the same as seeing it in real life, but it gives you an idea of how great this place is! We spent 3 days in Phoenix, and then decided to visit Grand Canyon since we were only 3 hours away…we only spent ½ a day there because we were running out of time. We also wanted to visit Las Vegas for a day, but unfortunately we did not have enough time to do so.

The scenery changed between the states, and so did the accents since we passed through some small towns and rural areas where people still have their own distinct accents. At some gas stations I heard really deep southern accents while at others I heard what I guessed was western accent (or just Texas accent???). Despite these differences, I could easily identify that I was still in the U.S. every time I saw a Wal-Mart or a Home Depot :D Seriously, it was all the same big-chain restaurants and supermarkets from here to Arizona. I thought when I studied high school economics that oligopoly was supposed to be a bad thing, but I see it working just fine here in the U.S. hmmm, maybe I should review my economics class notes and see if I misunderstood the concept, but then again why give myself a headache studying a topic that I have no interest in whatsoever.

This is all that I can say about my trip, but I have plenty of pictures that I will try to post here in categories as soon as I figure out how to post them in folders rather than one picture at a time which would take me forever (i.e. post all of Arizona pictures under its category)...and if anyone already knows then I would greatly appreciate your help, just email me the instructions...thanks!

My trip in pictures:

Arizona pix

Grand Canyon pix

Desert scenery

mountain scenery

Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain

road-trip break

I will be going on a road trip to Arizona tomorrow, so most likely I won’t be able to blog for about ten days. I doubt that I will have internet access, but even if I do I don’t think that I will have any free time to blog.

This should be an interesting trip…I have been told that there is nothing to see in Arizona but it is still a different state to visit and there are a lot of Iraqis who live there. What is even more fascinating are the states that we will pass through in our 2-3 day trip before we reach Phoenix…among these states: Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi…no offense to people who live in these states but honestly who visits Alabama or Louisiana for fun???? Anyways, we will just be passing through these states and spending the night in some of them. We will also be going through Texas which is not too bad I guess. I heard that Dallas is a pretty nice city so I will try to tell the family if we can spend the night there.

I think it will be nice to escape the trees and forest environment of Atlanta to go into Arizona’s desert for a few days…That is probably one reason why so many Iraqis live there, because it reminds them of their homeland…although to my knowledge we do not have 5-6 feet long cactuses in Iraq :)

It has been a while since my whole family took a trip together, which is one reason why I am looking forward to go on this adventure. I will post some pictures in my blog when I come back, and I will also possibly have a story or two to tell. I am not promising any pictures of their lizards though, which from what I heard are way too long to be called lizards anyways…I freak out at the first sign of anything that crawls, flies, or is not human for that matter; Iraqi insects have given me enough fright in my childhood to last me a lifetime! Sorry to all those insect lovers who were looking forward to seeing that lizard picture, hehehe.

Seeking Democracy or just Having it?

“Seeking is more fun than having” were the words said by James Wagner president of Emory University at my sister’s college graduation a few days ago. I got into thinking about these few words and how they relate to Iraq, since everything I hear these days I try to connect to Iraq somehow.

“Seeking is more fun than having”- how true are these words…think about freedom and Democracy, isn’t seeking freedom and Democracy way more “fun” and meaningful than having nothing else in your life other than freedom and Democracy? Sure it is much harder as well, but since when are easy things fun? Most people love challenges and in seeking there is a challenge involved, whereas there is no challenge in always having what you want. In addition, I think that by seeking and then obtaining something people will value that thing more than if they had it all their lives and took it for granted.

For example, let’s be hopeful and say that the current generation of Iraqis is successful in bringing Democracy and freedom to Iraq; the next generation of Iraqis will know nothing of the Saddam era other than stories they hear and lessons they get from their history class…they would be born and raised under Democracy and freedom and will know nothing else. Who do you think will treasure that Democracy more? I really believe that this generation of Iraqis will value it more seeing as they had to seek and fight for it....they did not just HAVE this future freedom but they worked hard for it and they will be reaping what they sow (again I must say hopefully).

With that said, I think that the current generation of Iraqis has a big burden on its shoulders (that is in addition to continuing the fight for Democracy). They have the responsibility of making sure that the next generation does not forget nor devalues what the Iraqi people had to endure to get their freedom. We have to make sure that they realize that our fight for the Democracy they will be enjoying was arduous, and that many people lost their lives in order for them to be enjoying that Democracy. We cannot say we do not want to depress them with such stories and that we fought to give them better lives and keep them away from all of that. Sure that is what we want to do, but we have to make them understand that the value of their good lives did not come easy. That way history does not repeat itself as they say.

I know I am thinking way into the future by saying this, and that we have too many current problems to be talking about and solving now before we talk about the future. However, I just feel that if and when what we dream of happens…the day when Iraq becomes a Democracy and freedom is granted for all…that our children or our children’s children do not enjoy it too much that they forget about the suffering we endured to give them the freedom they will hopefully be enjoying. We WANT them to have that freedom, but we also must make them appreciate its value!

Picture of the Year!

I was watching the news this morning over breakfast and could not help but start laughing when I saw Saddam’s picture in his underwear


then I heard the babble that the media was saying about this being against the Geneva convention etc. First of all, according to what I heard, Saddam is NOT being held as a prisoner of war (POW) so the Geneva Convention does not apply to him. Also, even if it was not right to publish such a picture no matter how bad and unhuman Saddam was (after all he still has human DNA whether we like it or not), yet like Ahmad from Iraqi Expat said it still made the Iraqis’ day.

An interesting thing I noticed though was that Saddam’s mustache and hair are pitch black again…hmmm, is it part of the Geneva convention to provide hair dyes to POWs now? Why in the world would they provide him with such a luxury as a hair dye? For some reason, I have a feeling that Saddam is not being treated the way a tyrant prisoner should be treated, and by that I mean that he is being treated BETTER than he deserves…way better, and the proof is in the hair dye!!!

Anyways, at least he is washing his own clothes now...I sometimes picture a caricature of Saddam sharing a jail cell with some of his top people like Izzat Al-Douri. I wonder if he would have ordered Izzat to wash his clothes for him, hehe:D. By the way, Izzat seems to still be on the run…wonder when they will catch him.

So, as unpleasant as this picture is to look at, it still made me laugh hard, and for that reason alone I am voting it “the picture of the year”!!!

Good News and not-so-good News

I read an article today from a website I found called elaph.com and it stated that Saddam’s wife, Sajida Talfah, and two of Saddam’s daughters (Hala and Ragad) are planning on buying 55% of Al-Jazeera news channel’s stocks that will be introduced in the market for sale soon…why am I not surprised? It has been obvious all along that Al-Jazeera is working for Saddam’s thugs, and supporting the terrorists found worldwide specifically those in Iraq. In my opinion, the best decision was made when Al-Jazeera offices in Iraq were forced to close and their crew prohibited from working there for a period of 6 months I believe. Scums like Al-Jazeera should not be allowed to come into a country like Iraq trying to rebuild itself and stand on its feet, where all they do is hinder the democratic process with their filthy terroristic broadcasts. Anyways, what is interesting is that the stocks are estimated to value 180 million dollars! Look where Iraq’s and Iraqis’ stolen money is going? Oh how I wish someone would do something about it and retrieve the fortunes lost to the Ba’athists and other supporters of Saddam’s government…it is just not right for those criminals who have fled Iraq to be living lavish and luxurious lives with the money that is not theirs while Iraqis bleed, suffer, and struggle fighting this ghostly threat of terrorism they are facing in their daily lives.

I like to believe that justice always wins out over evil in the end; it might lose some battles to evil, but it always wins the war at the end. I don’t know if I just watch too many happy-ending movies (considering that I despise movies that don’t have happy-endings), or if this is a true conviction, but I sure hope that the story of Iraq will be a happy-ending movie and that the happy-ending will come soon.

The article also gave some promising statistics of the growing Iraqi Police Force, and since the article is in Arabic I will provide the statistics here for the non-Arabic readers:
**952 new officers graduated from Baghdad’s Police College recently, 19 of which are women who volunteered to work in the Iraqi Police Force.
**517 new officers graduated from Hilla’s Academy (sadly I don’t know Hilla’s location compared to Baghdad….can’t even tell you its direction-E, W, N, or S- so you can figure that out yourself I’m sure:))
**31,000 officers already in the Police Force just finished some fundamental training courses.

These statistics offer some hope and a proof to the fact that despite what seems to be like growing insurgency, there is also a growing Iraqi Police Force manned by loyal Iraqis who want to see Iraq like it was in the ancient days-the cradle of civilization, rather than the cot of death and wars…may God be with these true Iraqis as they step forward to restore the good old days of Iraq back to all the good Iraqi people!

It's Mother's Day!!!

just wanted to wish all the mothers worldwide a very happy day...may all your days be spent in joy and peace with the people who love you the most-your families...we love you moms and please forget about houswork and other responsibilities for today and enjoy this special day-the day when the whole world celebrates YOU, the special flowers in our lives!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Terrorists strike again killing Iraqi children

This is the face of what some are calling "occupation":

and the blood that stained this little kid's clothing and body was caused by what these same people are calling "resistance" and "loyalists"...

I think the picture says it all...apparently these damn terrorists are now regarding little innocent Iraqi children and Iraqi civilians as their favorite targets...what do they think they are accomplishing by this? do they think they will gain more people support this way? Frankly, I am just outraged at the moment.

Fox News reported that the terrorists decided to attack American troops in a place in Mosul where a bunch of little children where playing so inncoently and freely...they did not wait to have their supposedly American target in an isolated place or at least away from little children. The American soldier in the picture picked up the little kid hugging him/her like one of his own, and he and some other soldiers quickly transfered him/her to the nearest American hospital/base. unfortunately, the little kid did not make it and died on the way.

I heard this story ONLY on Fox News and as John Gibson from Fox's 'My Word' said: "I wonder if al-Jazeera (search) is going to run it? Wonder if the BBC is going to run it? Wonder if French TV is going to run it?"....as you might have guessed none of these channels mentioned anything about the story.

Who do you think Iraqis would support and prefer to have inside their country, the American "occupiers" who are helping their wounded and showing love and tenderness toward their children or the resistance fighters (AKA terrorists) who are killing their innocent children and family members without showing any remorse? I think the answer is pretty clear, and this child's mother would sure pick the American "occupiers" any day over the terrorists that destroyed her life and her took away her child's life (May God rest his/her soul and keep the rest of the Iraqi children and civilians away from the grip of these barbaric and heartless people).

UPDATE: 5/5/2005 @ 10:15PM

I just found a link to the blog of the journalist who took the photo through Fay's blog...click here to read the story he tells of the soldier and the attack.

Actions Speak Louder than Complains...Part I of the Women's Rights Series

The women’s rights movement has become a topic with increasing popularity in Middle Eastern countries in recent years. More and more women are speaking up and demanding equality with their male counterparts. So I wanted to right a post about women’s rights in the Middle East (ME) and the flaws that are associated with it, but my post was running really long. apparently, I have a lot to say about this topic, so I decided to turn it into a series instead with this post being the first part of it.
After seeing many ME women from family to friends to women I watch on TV, I have reached the conclusion that 50% of the blame, if not more, for the way women are treated in the ME lies on the women themselves! ME women are constantly accusing men and the male-dominated societies as being the sole reason for their oppression. These days, they go on protests when allowed, write, and try to make their voices heard in other ways. All this in an attempt to change the societies that have long been male-centered with the women treated more like property than as a human being let alone an equal. Good for them! These societies certainly need to be changed, and women definitely must become man’s equal, but these women’s rights ardent supporters as well as all ME women in general must understand that they need to cure themselves first before attempting to change society.
In my opinion, most ME women only complain and whine about the way they are treated without taking any actions. You see them complaining about the man not helping around the house or with the children, even with the fact that many women have an outside job these days just like the man. They complain about the husband being the one in control with his word being the final one around the house. The list of complains goes on and on, but what are the women doing about all this that they complain about? NOTHING!!! Complaining seems to be as far as they will go, then they relapse to their obedient good-wife/good-daughter selves that does not get them any further in their struggle.
Now, I am not saying that women should declare war against men; rather, they should find a peaceful solution to change themselves and their men through educated discussions. Usually such drastic changes in societies start with the educated class and then spread to include everyone; thus, I will be concentrating on the educated class more in my post.
First, women need to become stronger and more confident, and they must NOT fear the men in their lives whether husbands, fathers etc. Fearing the husbands and fathers has nothing to do with respecting them, so do not tell me you are doing such and such action and giving away your rights out of respect for them. You can be the most respectful wife or daughter without sacrificing your rights. Let me give you a personal example to demonstrate: my dad is one of the people that I have the utmost respect for in my life; my mom used to tell us that when dad expresses an opinion we are not to argue with him…excuse me??? That did not hold well with me or my siblings and we would tell her “mom we are just discussing stuff with dad, DISCUSSING…he is our father and we can tell him when we agree or disagree with him on certain topics”. Now, with dad being an open-minded person, and mom seeing our objections, she stopped telling us not to argue our case anymore! In addition, anyone who knows me well in person and knows my siblings recognizes how much we respect BOTH our parents. Hence, as I said, fear is not respect because a person can be respectful without being fearful.
Second, from my experience with ME families, I have seen so many mothers complain once their children grow up and start understanding the world, that they listen to their fathers more than listening to them (the mothers). That creates endless battles around the house with the mother yelling and saying that her word is also important, that she is their mother too and her word must be listened to just as much as their father etc. etc. etc. Well, excuse me all you ME mothers out there, but whose fault is this? Remember, when the kids were growing up and they would ask you for something that you do not want to make the decision about? What was your answer to them? “Go ask your father”…“we will see what your father says” etc. So, naturally these kids grow up believing that fathers have the better judgment and that they make the final decisions around the house.
You want to have your rights back? Start inside your house, and once you fix that then you can go out and demand that the government and society gives you equal rights with the man. When your kids come ask you something, do not weaken your position by telling them things like “I will ask your father first” or something to that extent. Even if you do not want to make the decision solely but want to share it with your husband, then that is OK just tell your kids “I will DISCUSS it with your father” or “I will think about it and let you know”. There are many ways that you can avoid making the decision yourself without appearing weak and dominated by your husband in front of your kids who will sadly grow up believing the same things unless you SHOW them (not just tell them) otherwise. In addition, do not just say it in front of the kids, but actually do what you say you will do. Do not just go up to your husband and ASK him if the kids can do such and such. You discuss it with him; if you both agree on one decision, then great! Problem solved easily. But if you disagree with him, then you both need to share your opinions with each other and say why you disagree until you reach a compromise rather than just going along with what he says. In fact, I believe that will help create further understanding between the two of you as husband and wife, and the husband will also see you more as an equal and partner rather than someone he can manage any way he wants to.
Episode 2 of “women’s rights” series coming soon to your nearest computer screen …

Open Your Heart-Part 2

One night P1 waited for P2 to get home late at night and decided to give him a piece of his mind. He yelled at him and told him about everything he was feeling: about P2 not visiting him in the hospital, about not taking care of his mother, and his endless trips out of the country like he didn’t care about anything or anyone in the world but himself. He told P2 that he was selfish. Then, P1 topped it off and told P2 to get out of his house and go find his own way, because he was fed up with his irresponsibility.

Two months after that, P1’s mother asked him why he doesn’t call P2 and ask about him…he got in a hot argument with his mother asking why he should do such a thing after all he had seen from P2. Then his mother told him two shocking truths: 1. P2 was the “good Samaritan”!!! And 2. P2’s many trips out of the country were in search of the best places for cancer treatment because P2’s mother had cancer!!!

You can imagine how P1 felt at this point…he could not believe what he did to his beloved cousin who had done so much for him and the family without his knowledge. After that, P1 tried various ways to talk to his cousin who was hurt so deeply from P1 that he didn’t agree to talk to him despite P1’s many efforts and interventions by family members. So P1 was only left with the choice of bringing his cousin to the show and apologizing to him publicly and letting him know that he had no idea about any of the information that his mother told him.

When the cousin (P2) heard P1’s apology he was so sweet, and his eyes got teary…he kept telling P1 and the show’s host that the love he has for his cousin was so great and at one point he said that donating a kidney was easy because he had the other one to function with and that he is ready to donate his heart for his cousin if he needed it! P2 said how much he appreciated all that his cousin did for him, and that he was the man he was only because of his cousin. He also said that despite the fact that now he had everything and was successful in his business, but he still felt that his life was not complete, and that was because P1 was missing from his life.

Of course as you’ve probably guessed by now, P2 ordered the curtain open and the two hugged each other and started crying. P2 was so happy and kept saying that he doesn’t believe that they’re talking to each other again and that he missed him so much. It was just so incredibly moving, and when the two left the stage after thanking the show’s host, you could really see that P2 had really forgiven his older cousin P1 from the bottom of his heart. He was hugging him, and chatting and laughing happily like the most expensive treasure in the world was just presented to him. And maybe it was the biggest treasure for him! These two cousins reminded me how true selfless love and sacrifice for the people dear to our heart is supposed to be.

We all love certain people around us so much whether family or friends and cannot imagine life without them, but I wonder how many of us would donate a kidney to a loved one?

The world still has a lot of goodness left in it, and a lot of decent and forgiving people with big hearts are out there…I believe this is reason enough to remain hopeful, optimistic, and happy knowing that we are safe as long as such kind of people are out there!!! So, smile it is not all that bad:))

Open Your Heart-Part 1

There is a show on the Arabic satellite channel LBC called افتح قلبك or “open your heart” which I watch regularly. It is a show that teaches one of the greatest virtues of life, and that is forgiveness. The way the show works is that a person gets invited to the show by a mystery person, and the “mystery” person is usually either a friend or a relative who had done or said something against the invited person that caused a fight or tension between the two that ended in the two people not talking to each other…so the person invites his relative/friend to the show to apologize publicly in front of everyone and express how sorry he/she is for what they did. The two people with the conflict are seated at two different sides of the studio with a big white curtain separating the two sides. So, after the person hears the apology of the person who invited him/her via the television screens, he/she decides whether they want to forgive this person and thus ask for the curtain to be opened, or they can choose to keep their grudge and embarrass that person in front of millions of viewers and leave the show without the opening of the curtain. Now, I’ve only seen one or two people who choose the second option; most of the people choose to open the curtain and supposedly forgive their relative/friend.
However, when the two people leave the studio together I can tell the people who really forgave the person who invited them, and those who were just pretending in front of the cameras and wearing the “I am a forgiving person” mask. Some leave the studio with the two people walking one behind the other!!! Now if you have just forgiven someone you love so much and supposedly cleared everything up wouldn’t you at least walk NEXT to them if not be hugging them and holding on to them or something?
Anyways, the other day I was so touched by a story of two people and I was crying the whole time until they left the stage, and then I cried some more as I was recalling the story with my mom…yes it was that touching!!! Believe me you would have cried too if you had watched it, or your eyes would have gotten teary at least. I really wanted to share the story with everyone. These days, with all the destruction, violence, deaths, and other horrendous stories that we hear on a daily basis whether through the media or through stories by people, it makes us feel that there are no good, humane, kind, and compassionate people left in the world who love others (even relatives) without getting something out of the relationship. But that is not true; rest assured that these people still exist, and they are probably many in numbers too; it’s just that we seem to be intrigued more by bad and gloomy stories than ones that show human kindness. Now after you hear this story you tell me which is better, hearing such an inspiring story or hearing about death and destruction?
So without further ado here is the story:
*person 1 (P1): the person who invited his cousin to apologize
*person 2 (P2): the invited younger cousin
P1 started telling the story of how he was the oldest son of his family, and when his father died he became responsible for providing for all of his family while he was still at a fairly young age. After a few years, his uncle died too (P2’s father), and since his cousin was the oldest of his family too but was still very young, P1 took him to his house and raised him as if he was his younger brother. He taught him everything about life and most of all taught him about the business world. P2 grew up and started working and providing for his family. Then P1 found out that he was sick…one of his kidneys had completely stopped working while the other one was in a really bad shape but still functioning to a limited extent. He needed a kidney donor and fast…all of his immediate family tested but they found no matche. He didn’t tell his cousin, because he loved him so much that he didn’t want him to donate one of his kidneys even if they were a match.
One day the hospital called and told P1 that a “good Samaritan” had donated a kidney for him…when P1 inquired about whom it was, they didn’t tell him. He had his surgery and he said that he had expected his cousin P2 to be the first person he sees when he opened his eyes in the hospital because that is how close they were to each other. However, he stayed a whole month in the hospital with no sign of P2; he didn’t visit him or call him. P1 asked family members about P2’s whereabouts and every time they would tell him something like he is on a trip out of the country etc. P1 left the hospital and returned home but did not see his cousin for a whole week after that even though they were living in the same house…again, family members kept providing excuses for P2. At this time P2’s mother was sick and her health deteriorating, which further infuriated P1, and he could not figure out how the sweet boy that he knew (P2) could ignore his own mother in such a way, and change so suddenly.

Hmmm…you think you’re getting it yet?

Part 2-Coming Soon…

Prejudice is in All of Us...But What are You Doing About It?

I am willing to bet my life on it that there is not a single person in this world who has not said a racist comment at least once no matter how small the comment might have been. Even those people who are leaders in the fight against discrimination and prejudice have probably whispered some kind of a racist remark against a specific group of people at some point in their lives…perhaps, when they were in their homes behind closed doors when they are sure no one will hear them except for the people closest to them; or even if they did not say it out loud in front of anyone, they have probably thought it out loud when they were alone.
Of course, there are varying degrees to racism. No one dares say the above mentioned leaders or people who are like them are racists, because obviously their actions show otherwise. However, one must come to the understanding that it is human nature to see the differences in others…oh that person is black, Muslim, American, Arab, Mexican, Catholic etc. the list goes on and on and we’re constantly passing judgments on others…so many racist and discriminatory comments play in our heads whether we admit it or not, and whether we actually express these thoughts or not, they are still there….but we have to draw the line somewhere, and we have to do something about it….
First, we must realize after saying such a comment that it was a bad remark and probably not true of the person we said it of; admitting a fault is the first step towards a solution.
Second, after admitting the wrong comment a person must work on him/herself so that such comments never slip out anymore out of no where…and I don’t mean working on hiding what one is thinking, but rather working on cleansing oneself from such negative perceptions about other people.
Finally, and most important, people must judge each person according to his/her actions, attitudes, and character, and avoid making generalizations about a whole group of people…don’t lump all the people of a certain ethnicity, religion, nationality etc. into a big pile and attribute to them certain negative characteristics or actions because that is just wrong….if you want proof that it is wrong, then do a study on a group of people from a particular nationality, religion, or ethnicity, but on the condition that you must study EVERY SINGLE PERSON that belongs to that group (scientifically impossible of course) and see if all the characteristics you thought were present in that group were actually present in EVERY individual in the group…of course, you will definitely find that is not the case! Certainly there are groups of people where the majority of individuals exhibit certain characteristics that you perceive as negative, but then how do you know the person that is in front of you who belongs to that group is not among the minority in that group in terms of his/her actions….the answer is that you do NOT know until you learn more about that INDIVIDUAL and only then can you go ahead and judge him or her.
Also, what we may perceive as a “negative” characteristic may be seen by others as something good or part of their culture and traditions which they value more than anything else! Plus, who are we to judge others? What makes us better than the seemingly “different other” whom we are judging? I personally believe we can judge someone based on his/her actions in life rather than what group they belong to…when we do that, we find that we are closer to some people in our thinking and views than we might have imagined!
Thus, let’s first realize that some racist feelings/comments are part of our nature as humans, but let’s also work against this “negative” aspect of our nature…In the end, it will only make us better humans!!!
Don’t delay, start today…think about a racist remark you’ve made or thought of about any specific group of people…then work on yourself first to delete such kind of thinking from your personality, and try to help those around you change their thinking and attitudes of others and get over their prejudices…I chose to start with my family first, we’ll see how that goes…hehe:))

My Favorite Song

While I keep watching the news and working my brain for something good and unique to write about other than the common viewpoints of mine that you already know by now, I thought I could keep some of you busy by giving you a task….my favorite Arabic song at the moment is that by Marwan Khoury titled "كل القصايد" which loosely translated means “all the poems”…I love its lyrics as much as I love its music…so I want to share the lyrics with everyone.
Unfortunately, they are in Arabic, and I thought about translating them into English myself but in the end decided against that. I want someone who can really translate to do the job, because I do not want to destroy the beautiful lyrics with a sloppy translation and considering there are so many complicated Arabic words in the song (especially the beginning) then I really wouldn’t have done the song justice…plus it would have taken me forever!!!

Anyone want to give it a shot? I would love to have the English translation of the lyrics so I can post them here, then everyone will understand why I like this song: D

Click here for the lyrics in Arabic
click here to listen to the song

News Update: New Pope Elected

the white chimney smoke signifying the election of the new pope by the college of cardinals was not expected to be seen in such a short period of time, but I guess the cardinals were in agreement on who they wanted to be the next pope after Pope John Paul II...after the ringing church bells confirmed the pope's election the new pope came out of the balcony, spoke and prayed to the masses gathered at St. Peter's square.

The new pope is a 78 year old German, cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, whose new adopted papal name is Pope Benedict XVI.

may God help him be an example to people worldwide through his actions!!!

I'm baaaaaaaaaack

Ok I know I promised a new post by Sunday, so this is why I’m writing a short update despite the fact that I felt like slacking off today after my big test and doing just absolutely nothing. I had such a relaxing day today, which I believe everyone deserves after taking a test like the MCAT. I even broke my diet today and ate cheesecake (my absolute favorite desert of all time!!!) when I went to a small reception party at my college for a program I am participating in next year. Everything was going great, the weather was beautiful and sunny, and I was just in a good mood for some reason (the reason being the feeling of relieve of course).
If you are wondering how I did on my test, well I have a good feeling about it overall. I was able to finish the questions before time was up, which is really something for a test like this since we barely have enough time to finish all the questions. But I cannot tell you for sure how I did until I receive my score, which won’t be for another two months!!! Yes, guess they are a little slow in grading the nationwide test (even though its scantron except for the essay part). For those who don’t know what scantron is: it is a sheet that is numbered and next to each number there are four bubbles with the letters A through E, it is used for multiple choice questions and it is graded by a machine…in other words, they don’t grade the test manually and for the life of me I can’t figure out why it takes them such a long time to grade it.

Enough about me….on a completely different topic, I saw an interview with Jalal Al-Talabani the other day on LBC. I really liked most of his answers until the part where the interviewer asked him right after he said that he was for a secular government that respects Islamic parties at the same time, whether the law in Iraq will then not be based on the Islamic Share’a, and he answered “of course it will be based on the Share’a”…hmmm, I am sorry where is the secularism in that? Did I miss something? And how is that same “law” going to ensure the rights of people of different religions?

I think I am about to join the many pessimists about the Iraq situation…I have tried to stay optimistic and see the positive in everything…I have already seen so many optimists fall into pessimism after they lost their hope, and I promised myself I wouldn’t be one of them and that I will remain hopeful about the future of ALL Iraqis….sadly, I must say that I am at the edge now and just a little wind blow in the wrong direction will definitely push me to the pessimists’ side.

I will try to make my next post more cheerful…need to think of a more cheerful topic…any ideas? There doesn’t seem to be much cheerfulness in the world these days :(

No to Blogging :-(

O.K. I am ready to scream at the top of my lungs!!! This is the second time I am writing this post b/c I was so stupid to type it yesterday using blogger.com and by the time I finished writing, it wouldn’t post it because it had logged me off, and wouldn’t log me on again until today….from now on I will make sure I type my posts using Word and then copy/paste…. now let’s see if I remember everything:

Next Saturday (April 16) I have the biggest most important test of my entire academic years-the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), and as you can tell from the name I have to take it before I apply to medical school. I will apply to medical school sometime in June/July but it will be for the following year not this coming year (i.e. if I get accepted it will be for the year 2006-2007). Next year ’05-’06 will be my last year before medical school and I will receive my bachelor’s degree (4 years) in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology.

I have been studying for this test for the past 4 months, but I still don’t feel very ready :( If you are wondering why the hell was I studying for 4 months for just one test, well that is because they test us on Biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, AND physics- my favorite 4 subjects :D (Actually, biology does happen to be one of my favorite subjects) along with a verbal and a writing section. I really need to do well on this test because it is one of the two major factors which will determine if I get accepted into medical school or not (the other factor being my GPA “grade point average” which is really high and I’m not worried about it).

So now that you know how important this test is for me, you will understand why I decided to say “NO” to blogging for all of next week. I really need to spend the whole week reviewing as much as I can before I take the test, and so I won’t be blogging anything. I will also keep my visits to other blogs to a minimum or not-at-all, because as you all know blogs are quite addictive and once I start reading one I move on to the next then the one after and so on. Before I know it I find that I spent 3 or more hours of my time just staring at the computer screen and reading people’s posts.

In the meantime, I would like to ask all of you two favors:
1. Pray for me a lot this week so that I may do well on this all-important test (or if you’re a non- believer then please wish me loooooots of luck because I sure will need it).
2. Don’t lose interest in my blog or abandon it…I will be back to blogging Saturday April 16 (or Sunday since the test on Saturday is from 8am to 5:30pm so I will probably be beat by the time I finish and won’t feel like writing anything).

I will miss all of you next week, but “No blogging” was a decision I really had to make until I pass this hurdle in my academic journey.

Now all of you take care of yourselves, stay safe, and write some good posts for me to read when I’m back!!!

We have a President...and no it is NOT Saddam!!!

So Jalal Al-Talabani was elected president of the new Iraq today (or yesterday since it is 12:12AM eastern time now)…I, personally, don’t have any strong feelings towards this choice as of now. I mean I think it is great that a president was chosen from one of Iraq’s minority groups-the Kurds. Also, I don’t know much about Al-Talabani, but I like that he is a supporter of secular Iraq, and that put my mind at ease a little about the possibility of an Islamic government in Iraq. I guess I will have to read more about the man before I make judgments about him, but I feel like there might have been more qualified people for this position. Nonetheless, let’s wait and see what he can do in his few months before the next elections in December.

Now on to the BEST part of all of this for me….I heard in the news that they made Saddam watch the elections of Jalal Al-Talabani by placing a TV in his jail cell….how awesome is that!!! I absolutely would have loved to see him during that time sitting in his cell all alone in front of the TV mourning himself and the condition he got himself into….I am pretty sure other Iraqis feel the same way, and just being reminded where this awful monster resides now brings joy to most Iraqis. I know sometimes we might forget where the criminal Saddam is now since they don’t show or mention him in the news anymore (at least not in American news channels or LBC news which is all I watch), but we should always remember something as important as this because it helps us to keep our morale up! I don’t watch Al-Jazeera and I am sure I do not have to explain to my fellow Iraqis why that is, since you all understand very well the damage that this defective news channel brought to the Iraqis through its deceitful stories that supposedly showed the Iraqis’ point of view to the world. But let me not get carried away in talking about Al-Jazeera because that is not my topic for today, and to talk justly of this channel would require me to write a lengthy report, so let’s leave that for another time shall we?

Thus, Iraqis still have a reason for optimism…In fact, the choosing of the president today should provide us with more hope knowing that we are moving towards that long awaited democracy….sure we are still taking baby-steps, but that is just natural: we start with baby-steps, then its on to walking, then jogging, and finally running full-speed until we reach the finish line: our goal of true Democracy!!! Let’s be careful, however, that we do not allow anyone to cripple our movement or God-forbid injure us permanently. We must stick together, all of us, in order to achieve our dream….and electing the Kurdish leader today as the leader of all Iraqis is one step towards realizing that dream.

God Bless the new Iraq and all of the Iraqi people!!! (Oh no! looks like I’m watching too many of George W. Bush’s speeches…oh well, what can I say? I love the man).

May God rest his soul

Pope John Paul II just passed away....May his soul in heaven float in peace and watch over all of us humans here on earth.

The Pope was 84 years old, and I had the most respect for him as our church leader. Even though I disagreed with his stand in regards to the Iraq situation, yet no one can deny that he was a man who touched many lives and inspired many in the 25 years he was Pope (since 1978).

May all Christians worldwide find comfort in the fact that his body might have left us but his soul will be watching over us forever.

For those of you who find this a painful time, you might find it comforting to read the book by Mitchel Albom "the Five People You Meet in Heaven"...It is a book that I recommend for everyone whose religion mentions "heaven" not just Christians; it is a very inspiring book and it made me look at life and death differently after reading it!!!

This pure and peacful man....

who loved the children and youth....

had a powerful impact on many lives, and was able to unite people of all religions as evident from these pictures

a muslim couple attending a catholic mass for the Pope with their catholic friends!!!

a more complete account of the assault on Basrah students

I just read what seems to be the most complete account to date of the assault on engineering students of Basrah university at Iraq.net...you can read the article by clicking here

hmmm, guess what? Whoever said these were mostly Christian students really need to recheck their facts or they know they were just bluffing, because according to the article there were between 500-750 students at the picnic...ALL Christians??? I don't think so!!!

see what I mean when I say these fundamentalists are trying to turn everything into a religious war. They are using this as their weapon to divide the true Iraqis into different factions, thus weakning us and leaving us at their mercy....But as the university students' protests that followed the attack show, they haven't been successful at that now have they?

Happy New Year!!!

The Assyrian New Year is on April 1st....just wanted to wish all Assyrians worldwide a very happy New Year!!!
We have been around for 6755 years as of April 1st, 2005, that's how old we are:))

Note: by Assyrians I am refering to all Aramaic-speaking people including those who refer to themselves as Assyrians, Chaldeans, or better yet Chaldo-Assyrians.

The Assyrian Flag
click here to go to a link that explains the meaning of the flag

Flag Symbolism

I was in the car the other day waiting for the traffic light to change to green when I noticed the American flag in front of Kinko’s (a copy shop) flutter in the wind, and I could not help myself but start thinking about why countries have flags.
I have thought of this before, and after living in the U.S. I became sort of envious of the American people for being able to show their patriotism and love for their country through their flag. I noticed how they directly relate their respect for their flag to being patriotic and loyal to their country, and I yearned for having that same kind of feeling about the Iraqi flag.
Unfortunately, for us Iraqis, or at least in my personal opinion, we could never show our patriotism and love for Iraq through our flag. First of all, being patriotic in Iraq before the fall of Saddam would translate into one of two things: either it means we are being loyal to the government in power rather than being loyal to our country Iraq (regardless of who is in power); or for those who were truly patriotic then they would naturally be opposed to the former tyrant regime and would most likely meet their end at the hands of the Mukabarrat (Saddam’s spies). Secondly, the Iraqi flag during the era of Saddam (which is all of my lifetime of course!!!) became connected to the tyrant regime when Saddam purposely added the words “Allah Akbar” IN HIS OWN HANDWRITING to the Iraqi flag. This move by the former coward achieved two objectives:
1. The flag would always be connected to him since it was in his handwriting; thus, respecting the flag would be seen as being loyal to Saddam rather than being patriotic to Iraq.
2. The words “Allah Akbar” which in Islamic faith mean “God is great” lead to the alienation of Iraqis of other religious beliefs such as Christians, and Jews. Thus, how could I, a Christian, use the flag as a symbol of my loyalty to my country when it had specific words that were not part of my religion? And why in the world would a flag, which is supposed to be a symbol of a country, be tied down to a specific religion especially in such a diverse country like Iraq?
When Saddam’s regime fell and the talk about changing the Iraqi flag back to its original form (without Saddam’s “Allah Akbar”) was under discussion, I got excited. I thought I could finally show my love and deep patriotism to my Iraq through the flag. I would hang it at a place of honor in my house or my room and use it in other places (like my blog for example). To my disappointment though something happened to that discussion, and the flag was never changed. Instead, they only changed the “Allah Akbar” on the flag from Saddam’s handwriting to a typed font. It made me think what kind of democracy these people are trying to build when the very symbol of our country is excluding people of other religious beliefs. Don’t the minorities also have the right to show their pride and love for their country? Shouldn’t the new democratic Iraq have a flag that represents all Iraqis regardless of ethnicity, religion, or any other kind of belief? Isn’t that what democracy is about?
I really hope something would happen, and the Iraqi flag would be changed back to its original form. That way, ALL Iraqis like the rest of the world can have a flag they can respect and be proud of!

Aren't they pretty?!!!

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it...below are pictures of our Easter eggs, aren't they pretty?!!! I just love the colors


Easter Eggs

My views on the Iraq situation

below are two links of articles I wrote for my university student newspaper (The Emory Wheel)...the topics are somewhat outdated but they still give my views on the situation in Iraq

the first article is about the elections

the 2nd article is general views on the aftermath of the war

Enjoy!!! and of course I always welcome feedback:))

a student response to Basrah University students assault

below is a response of a supposedly Basrah University student to a statement made by the Democratic Chaldean Tribune condemning the violent acts against the students there....the tribune statement and the student's response (below) can be found on ankawa.com
I decided to post it here to know what your response is to such a statement that seems to be full of hatred and violence....do not ask me to comment on this because I am afraid I will explode from rage to what he has stated here....I would especially like to know other Muslims' opinions, because I am sure that some of you disagree with what this guy has to say here and how he so bluntly and cruelly accuses the students of being immoral and deserving what they got....I feel my blood boiling and my temperature rising so I'm going to stop talking about this now and leave you to read this and comment on it!

for those of you who don't read Arabic, I apologize but I don't have the translation.
also, because the document is in Arabic when I copied and pasted here the numbers lost their arrangment so now there are no "enters" between the different points but I'm sure you will figure it out.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الى الأخوان الكرام كوني احد الأعضاء الجدد احييكم تحيه بصريه زكيه اما بعد فأن ارى في خصوص موضوع القصاص الذي وقع على من يسمى بطلاب الجامعات فان تعليقي كألاتي(كوني احد طلبه جامعات البصره/علوم حاسبات /مرحله4 1-ليس كل الطلبه وقع عليهم القصاص ولكن الطلاب الذين كانوا غير طبييعن لسبب او اخر 2- من بين اكثر من مئه وخمسين طالب الذي تحمل لذة السياط من خمسة عشر الى عشرين طالب لماذا؟(صار ابو جويسم كدام الحبيب) 3- قبل ان تتكلموا عن الحريات كلموني عن حق المجتمع العام في الحريات اذا كان من الناسب الأحتفال في هذا الوقت وخاصه في العراق مناسب او لا وهل يحتفل من يرى اخوانه اشلاء فبعض يحترق وبعض يذبح نعم اعلم فقط مثقفي الأندلس يحتفلون بهذه الأجواء 4-الى المسلمين فقط(لاتقولوا امنا ولكن قولوا اسلمنا) لماذا لان الرسول يقول(لتأمرن بالمعروف ولتهنين عن المنكر او ليسلط عليكم شراركم ثم تدعون ولا يستجاب لكم) ولا (تنعقوا مع كل ناعق ولاتميل مع كل ريح)والله سبحانه وتعالى يقول(ظهر الفساد في البر والبحر بما كسبت ايدي الناس)واعتقد الرواكيص من مثقفي الأندلس افسدوابما فيه الكفايه ولا استطيع ان اتحمل ان يسلط علي الله سبحانه صدام ثاني(شراركم)لان مثقفي الندلس والغرب لايعجبهم الوضع اذا لم (فري)الحد الركص 5-لم ارى رسائل استنكارفي هذا الموقع للذبح والحوادث المنظمه والكارثه التي وقعت في الحله والموصل بمقدار استنكاركم لهذا الحادث الذي اراه انا نصر لله ولرسوله(يا من ينعقون عم كل ناعق) 6-لماذا لايوجد استنكار لمنع فرنسا للحريات الشخصيه اوقصد مسألة الحجاب (ان لم يكن لكم دين فكونوا احرار في دنياكم) 7-الأقليات في بلد معين يجب ان تحترم شعائرومناسك هذا البلد واعتقد انها في البصره تشعر انها محترمه من قبل المسلمين فوجب عليها المثل ثم لماذا تحبون العاجله الم يكن الأولى بدل الأتهامات للسيد مقتدى بأن تذكروا ان الشخص الوحيد في العراق الذي عرض حمايه الكنائس هو التيار الصدري ولم يعرضها لا بالداخل(حكومه)ولا بالخارج(جماعة الحريات المعلبه) اي سخص (و لاتبخسوا الناس اشيائهم) 8-الم ترى ان وقت الأفراح هذه والأبتهاجات جاءت في ايام حزن رسول الله واهل بيته وهي متزامنه مع افراح بني اميه الذين يرقصون احتفالا لمقتل مئه وخمسين عراقي فانظروا وتعقلوا ما تقولون للحسين في هذه الأيام قبل ان تكتبوا 9-انا اتفق مع مكتب السيد الشهد من حيث المبدأ في انكار المنكر وتغيره ولكن اعتقد ان ألأسلوب كان خشن بعض الشئ وان المسأله كانت في صلاة جمع البصره مؤيده ولكن الأسلوب هو المنتقد 10-الأخوان الذين يكتبون من الخارج لا تكتبوا على اساس(بغض لابيك) وانا اشهد الله لايبعد منزلي عن الأندلس اكثر من خمسة دقائق في السياره ولي علاقات واسعه مع طلاب الهندسه المحترمون والذي يغلب علي انتمائاهم الى التيار الصدري ومع ذلك لم استط التكلم في الأمر الأبعد التحقق والتقصي عن اصل القضيه وقد تبين لي بعين الجلاء ان الذي تعرض لما تعرض له هو سوء تصرف وجنون الطلبه اما النساء مما استدعى الأهالي من سكنهاالمنطقه اللجوء الى مكتب السيد الشهيد لانقاذهم من هؤلاء المتهورين الذين نغصوا على الطلبه سفرتهم والأ انا في سفرة الفصل الأول ذهبت سفره مع ابناء الكليه وكان معنا في السفره من ابناء التيار الصدري كثيرين ولم يحدث اي شيئ والحمد لله ولكن اقول (مهلا مهلا لاتطش ايها الساكن في الخارج جهلا) 11-اطلب من الأخوان المشرفين على هذا الموقع حذف عباراة السب والشتم الواضح من قبل المتحررين والمثقفين على طريقة حدائق الأندلس

My Beautiful Alkosh

some pictures of alkosh to help you visualize my last post!!!

Easter in Alkosh *Part II*

Finally, Easter Sunday would come, the most joyful day of the week. In the morning it was attending mass, then we could not wait to go back home to compete and see who wins in the egg breaking/knocking game. Ok, here is my explanation for the game but I do not know if I can make it clear enough in English: it is an Easter tradition to dye boiled eggs with colors (but my grandmother would dye them red using onion peels because there were no dyes available at that time in Iraq). Then on Easter day everyone in the family would choose an egg, and if you were smart you would test them before you pick your egg to see which ones are strong. The testing would be done by lightly tapping them to your teeth to see if the egg is strong. As a kid, I remember doing this just to imitate my dad and uncle but I don’t really remember knowing how that was supposed to make me see if the egg is strong; then the competition would begin where a person would knock on somebody’s egg and whoever’s egg breaks loses. Usually, the game would end when everyone’s egg broke except for the winner.
The rest of Easter day we would spend visiting relatives’ houses wishing them Happy Easter. The way it works is that we would visit people who are older than my parents, and then people who are younger than my parents/grandparents etc. are supposed to visit us first. I must admit that as kids we didn’t enjoy these home visits much, it was too formal for us kids who just wanted to play outside. What we did enjoy though was the “aidania” which I don’t know how to translate into English, but it is when my parents, uncle, and whoever else would give us money (this is also done in Christmas-instead of the gifts tradition in the U.S.). I think I enjoyed it most not because it was money, but because it made me feel how much people around me loved me and my siblings.
Sometimes the whole big family (married aunts, uncles, etc.) would decide to go on a picnic to my grandfather’s “karma” which literally means “a grapes field” I think?!!! It was basically a big green field with all kinds of wild flowers, and I remember my aunt would weave a crown for me and my sister from the red-flowers that we collected for her from the field. The women would have prepared tons of delicious food to last us the whole day. That was heaven to us city kids; we could not get enough of this freedom of playing in such a huge field without anyone worrying about us. By the time we got home in the evening, my siblings and I would be so tired that we could barely take a shower and slip into bed.
Sure it was a simple kind of life, and I admit that I am a big-city lover, but I also enjoy escaping to this kind of simple life once a year like we did back then. It was simple, but simple is also peaceful, simple means the least number of worries and simple is what kids love!!!
Honestly, I would give anything to just have a big family gathering like that in Alkosh one more time where everyone is truly happy and not occupied with a billion things in their minds. But I think I am asking too much, and as sad as it is to admit I don’t think we will ever see these kinds of days again. Things changed, places changed, and people changed. Alkosh is no longer the same old Alkosh; it got invaded by technology and modern day demands. As much as I love technology and cannot live without it, I always wished that Alkosh would remain the same as it was. Maybe it is selfish of me to think that, but I always dream of going back to visit Alkosh and I would see it the same way I remember it, even though I know deep in my heart that it is not so.

Aaahhhh what can one do….life is always changing and we have to change with it too to adapt!!!

Easter in Alkosh *Part I*

Some people might find it ironic, but since I’ve been to the U.S. the time that I miss Iraq the most is around Easter time. I mean Iraq is always a part of me, but around Easter time I feel homesick and I remember the good old days.

Every single year when we lived in Iraq, my family and I would travel to our village north of Mosul (I am a Baghdad born and bred girl but my roots are from the North- from a village called “Alkosh”) to celebrate Easter there with my grandparents (God rest their souls) and other family members (aunts and uncles). It was the trip that my siblings and I would eagerly wait for. In fact, just hearing the words “a trip to Alkosh” would throw us to our feet jumping up-and-down from happiness. To us Alkosh represented the escape from the big city and the complications that all big cities have to the beautiful village with its friendly people where everyone knew everyone.

Also, Easter is usually during spring time or the beginning of spring, and that is when the Northern Iraq is the most beautiful. The grass grows green and gets filled with yellow, red, and white wild flowers. For my family, it did not feel like Easter if we were not in Alkosh! Of course, we were privileged to be attending schools where Christian students were the majority, because that would mean we could leave on Wednesday since most Christian students wouldn’t go to school anyways on Holy Thursday. My mom would have all our bags packed before school was out on Wednesday, they would pick us up from school and we would directly make our way to Alkosh so that we can have as much time there as possible. The 5 hour trip there would go by so fast because of our excitement and enthusiasm. However, the same 5 hour trip back to Baghdad would seem to take forever, with us grumpy kids in the car. Going back to Baghdad meant the end of all the fun and back to school, yuck!!!

Easter celebration in Alkosh was very special. We could never make it to Palm Sunday there because of school, but I’ve heard from my dad and aunts that the whole village participates, and they walk around the entire village in a long line saying hymns starting with priests and deacons, followed by schools kids, and ending with the rest of the village men and women. Then there was Holy Thursday, followed by Good Friday when my dad would either put a tape or himself sing melancholic hymns making us all feel the passion of our Lord, and then at night we would make a trip to the church.

an idea waiting for implementation

I have an awesome idea that I am planning to work on starting fall semester (August-Dec.)...it was suggested by my dad after he heard how empty the libraries in Iraq are, especially university libraries.
I am planning on holding a big campaign at my university (Emory University) asking people (students, faculty, etc.) to donate any books they do not need...I feel like I can collect many science, computer science, and other categories of books...I know for a fact that many students have books that are old editions and cannot sell them anymore, so I am really hopeful about the amount of books that I will collect.

I had done a similar project when I was at a different college. despite that it was a small community college, I collected 100 books and shipped them to some people in Jordan who were supposedly delivering them to Iraq (that was before the war and I really do not know if they ever got to Iraq). however, the situation this time will be different because my dad knows some people in Iraq who will make sure the books get to the university libraries in Mosul, and one man even said that they would handle shipping expenses since I imagine they will be a lot since my university has 11,000 students (excluding faculty).

at the moment, I am only at the planning stage of this project...then, I have to talk to people at my university about strategic things....I am hoping to launch the campaign sometime in Sept. or early Oct. the latest.

also, at the moment I know the books will only be delivered to Mosul University because I do not know any trustworthy contacts who can handle such a big task in Baghdad, Basra, or other cities. I wish I could fill all of Iraq's libraries with recent books in all fields, because I know we have some big brains in Iraq who can make use of them. unfortunately, it is a task bigger than me!!!