اخر السطور

ما بيننا.. وبينكم.. لا ينتهي بعامْ
لا ينتهي بخمسةٍ.. أو عشرةٍ.. ولا بألفِ عامْ
طويلةٌ معاركُ التحريرِ كالصيامْ
ونحنُ باقونَ على صدوركمْ..
كالنقشِ في الرخامْ..
باقونَ في صوتِ المزاريبِ.. وفي أجنحةِ الحمامْ
باقونَ في ذاكرةِ الشمسِ، وفي دفاترِ الأيامْ
باقونَ في شيطنةِ الأولادِ.. في خربشةِ الأقلامْ
باقونَ في الخرائطِ الملوّنهْ
باقونَ في شعر امرئ القيس..
وفي شعر أبي تمّامْ..
باقونَ في شفاهِ من نحبّهمْ
باقونَ في مخارجِ الكلام

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لم يَعُدْ في يدِنَا أندلسٌ واحدةٌ نملكُها..
سَرَقُوا الابوابَ, و الحيطانَ, و الزوجاتِ, و الأولادَ,
و الزيتونَ, و الزيتَ, و أحجار الشوارعْ.
سَرَقُوا عيسى بنَ مريَمْ
و هو ما زالَ رضيعاً..
سَرَقوا عيسى بن مريَمْ
و هو ما زالَ رضيعاً..
سرقُوا ذاكرةَ الليمُون..
و المُشمُشِ.. و النَعناعِ منّا..
و قَناديلَ الجوامِعْ

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يا أصدقاءَ الصَبْرِ ، في بيروتْ
قُولُوا لنا :
في أَيِّ أَرضٍ يزرعونَ الصَبرْ ؟
قُولُوا لنا :
هل ممكنٌ أَن تَنْهَضَ الوردةُ من فِراشِها ؟
ويستفيقَ العِطرْ .
وأَن يفيضَ الحبرْ .
من بعد ما هُمْ شَطَبُوا
أَجملَ سَطْرٍ في كِتَابِ العُمْرْ ...
في أَيِّ أَرضٍ يزرعونَ الصَبرْ ؟
قُولُوا لنا :
هل ممكنٌ أَن تَنْهَضَ الوردةُ من فِراشِها ؟
ويستفيقَ العِطرْ .
هل ممكنٌ أَن ترجعَ الحروفُ من غُرْبَتِها ؟
وأَن يفيضَ الحبرْ .
هل ممكنٌ أَنْ نستعيدَ عُمْرَنا ؟
من بعد ما هُمْ شَطَبُوا
أَجملَ سَطْرٍ في كِتَابِ العُمْرْ ...

What keeps Jordan safe?

This question crosses the minds of Jordanians anytime a crisis hits the Middle East (Well thank God nothing ever went wrong there). It's a little bit surprising to be in the region bordered mostly by Syria/Iraq/Israel-Palestine and not be directly involved or threatened by any of the wars and military conflicts in the region.

So what keep Jordan safe?

Let's get back to see how Jordan was founded. In 1946 we got our independence from Great Britain, but it was a little bit too late. The "Big Syria" has already been divided betwen the UK and France. Palestine was divided then occupied by the Jews who established Israel. Great numbers of Palestenians fled to the East Bank, and with the six-day war more refugess moved to Jordan. Jordan kept having sudden bursts in its population following the 1991 gulf war. Currently half of Jordan'a population are originally Palestenian, Jordanian citizens and internationally recognized as refugees.

On the other hand, Jordan maintained its anti-war stand-up over the past few decades, ironically it was the country most affected by any war in the region after the countries directly involved in them, but never changed its position on conflicts around it. Jordan isn't always on the side of the US, however since the 1991 war there was no major antagonism between the super power and its presumed ally. When Jordan did not stand by the US side in the first gulf war, its economy suffered harshly.

One of the reasons Jordan was established is to serve as a host country for Palestenian refugees.
Currently it's playing a role much larger than that as a buffer zone whose safety is in the interest of other countries in the region. It's a good friend to the US at a time the US does not have many friends. Once it fails to fulfil these roles, perhaps any of them, its safety will be in jeopardy.

Why should Americans care?

I was watching a report on the CNN about the situation in the Middle East when the presentor pointed to Lebanon and Israel saying ,"This area in the northern Africa has been unstable for a long time". I was shocked to hear that given that the CNN is the "most trusted" in news. I switched to another news channel (I believe it was NBC or CNN-headlnes) and watched someone talking about the history of the region , started with "Palestenians are basically Syrians".

Americans know very few about the Middle East. Very few know that many of its coutnries are part ofAsia, very few can identify correctly the countries in the region. Very few know about the history of the region or recognize what are Reolsutions 242 or 338 or what the six-day war was or how the Jewish groups murdered the UN envoys to the region in 1948.

Very few know that thanks to Harry Truman's blind support to Israel and his fear from losing the Jewish vote in the US, Israel could have not been founded given the huge opposition to its independence in 1948. Very few Americans recognize that no country has refused is still refusing to comply with UN resolutions more than Israel did. Very few know what Sabra and Shatilla was and that Ariel Sharon was convicted by an Israeli court to be responsible for the slaughter of Palestenians only to become the Israeli prime minister 20 years later and be called "man of peace" several times by W Bush.

Very few Americans can identify Iraq on the map. Very few know that Saddam became Iraq's president in the 1970s and was supported by the US that time until 1990. Very few know that the Arabic radical Islamic groups had extremely low popularity among Arabs until the US started funding them heavily in the 1970s. Very few American know that Arab Christians exist. Very few know that Syria's al-Asad and Iraq's Saddam regimes were the most anti-Islamic regimes in the Arab world, even collecting Islamists in hundreds and killing them brutally during their regimes. All of the above are facts and not a personal opinion.

I love Americans and I find them very friendly, tolerant and kind-hearted. A lot of the most prominent figures in the world were Americans and they have made a positive change in the world. When it comes to politics and knowledge of the outside world, their lack of knowledge is awefully sad, mainly because the rest of the world pays for it.


Why should an average American bother to know all this about the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict? The answer is that the US has been paying billions of dollars every year to Israel. That's all taxpayers money. The US has struck Iraq based on a lie that Saddam Hussain had connections with al Qaeda and any Arab with mediocre intelligence would know this is so untrue.

Basically hundreds of billions of dollars of people's money have been spent on wars and operations that benefit less than 1% of Americans while the 99% are paying the price of detoriorating quality of their own life, increasing hatred towards America and Americans and continuous bloodshed committed in the name of fighting terrorism. In a democratic country like the US, people can make a change and we've seen this before in America. I hope that people will become more interested in the conflict there and try to learn more about the history of the region.

What is War?

Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace. They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason.

The direct use of force is such a poor solution to any problem, it is generally employed only by small children and large nations. All the arms we need are for hugging.

A great war leaves the country with three armies - an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of thieves. Only the dead have seen the end of the war. Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country.

The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war that we know about peace, more about killing that we know about living. There is nothing that war has ever achieved that we could not better achieve without it. All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers. Older men declare war. But it is the youth that must fight and die.

It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets. War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace. The first casualty when war comes is truth.

Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong? Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.

Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.
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(All of the above were quotes by different people)

Champions of the World.... can they win Serie B ?

Juventus, Ac Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina were all sent off to the second division after the 2006 Serie A scandal.

Gotta love the second division.

Two Soldiers My Ass

The Israeli attack on Lebanon was well-planned forehead. It was not planned overnight and you should be dumb to believe that when ISrael had a fanatic prime minister like Sharon accepting trading soldiers with Hizbullah are now striking Lebanon because 2 of their soldiers were kidnapped.

Junieh , an area where Lebanese Chrisitans live was struck hard by the Israelis. Tripoli , an area where Muslim Sunnis live was also struck. NONE of Hizbullah members live there, probably barely any Shiite does. Hizbullah declared the loss of only 2 of their soldiers while the rest were all civilians, and the G8 bastards are justifying those strikes because Israel lost its 2 soldiers.

Two soldiers.... I haven't heard anyone in the last 2 days talking about them. Have you?

Painful

How much is an Arab worth?

Have we ever been cheaper than we are today?

Whether you're living in a palace or you're running barefoot to look for a shelter, your life is worthless for the rest of the world, and a drop of oil in your country is more precious than the your life and the life of your entire family.

To know how expensive something is, lose it and see how much it's missed. See how hundreds of Arabs are being lost day after day and see how much anyone is noticing it.

I told you we cost nothing.

I wanna make you scream

After saying good-bye to the world Cup I want to leave you with some of the best moments in the history of football.

I Hope you enjoy them, they are some of my favorites, I stole all clips from You Tube !

Make sure the speakers are on, and LOUD... LOUD ...LOUD


Moment ONE .... what can make a man cry on TV?


First, here is the goal of the century that most peopl have seen. Listen to the Argentine commentator as he was crying when Maradona scored and thanking God for the gift of Maradona.

Quick Translation.... Genio: Genius. De que planeta viniste: From which planet have you come?

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Moment TWO ..... The Sweet Revenge

This is an incredible goal and the story behind is is better. The British club Arsenal sold the Moroccan player Nayim to Real Zaragoza, ironically the 2 teams played later in the European Cup Winners Cup final match. In minute 120, just seconds before going into penalty kicks, Nayim took his revenge from Arsenal with this incredible goal in David Seaman's net giving his team Zaragoza the Cup. You wouldn't believe it.

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Moment Three .... Rivaldo living a dream

Remember Rivaldo? This was his best goal ever. It was socred in the last minute against Valnecia which gave Barcelona a 3-2 victory and qualified them to play in the Campions league instead of Valencia.

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Moment Four..... What Luis Fernandez did and Platini, Zico and Socrates couldn't do

This is a France vs. Brazil match in the quarter finals in the World Cup, but this time it's in 1986 in Meixco. Both team played penalty kicks but this penalty by Luis Fernandez was the last one and gave France the tremendous victory. Luis Fernandez later became a manager of Paris St. German club.

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Moment Five..... Zidane strikes for Real

Look at Zidane the genius as he scored for Real Madrid in their final game against Leverkusen in the Champions League final in 2001. The goal speaks for itself. Real Madrid won the game and the Cup thanks to this marvelous goal.

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Moment Six.... The perfect team work

One of the great team work actions for Brazil. It happened at the right time, against Italy in the 1970 World Cup. Watch tis goal and Carlos Alberto the scorer talking about this goal.
Brazil defeated Italy 4-1 and won the Cup that year.

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Moment Seven.... the Goal that was not scored

That is the best chance ever in World Cup history. Very beautiful play by Pele as he deceived the Uruguyan goalie and sent him into the other side without touching the ball, however was unable to finish the ball inside the net. Amazing!

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Moment Eight .... Very sad moments in Jordan

This is probably the saddest part of Jordan's sports history, as we lost in an unbelievable way to Japan in penalty kicks in the quarter finals of the Asian Cup. I still can't believe it. Can you?

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Moment Nine.... When Arabs rocked the World

I talked about this game in a previous post. Algeria had an outstanding performance and defetaed European Champions Germany 2-1. Watch this 3-miute clip of the goals. Those were the days!
See how Balloumi was able to score the second the second for Algeria seconds after Rummenigge equalized for Germnay. Algeria sadly left the cup from the first after Germany and Austria shamelessly fixed their match.

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Moment Ten... Beckham brings England to Life

England was trailing behind Greece 2-1 in the last game of their World Cup Qualifications. That meant England would not qualify directly into the world cup. But in extra time Beckham scored from this free kick and gave England its ticket to the World Cup.

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I can think of a 100 other great moments in football, but those are the ones which crossed my mind now and to which I could find related clips. I hope you enjoyed them.

Lesbian in McDonald's

My work is light this month so I get a lunch break from 12-1. I drive to any nearby junk food restaurant and eat the food that I always advise my patients against eating. Yesterday I went to a McDonald's and I sat on a table-for-four so I can find a place to put a newspaper and read it.

After a while I noticed that that the place was full despite its large size, and that my US Today was occupying the place of some of the people standing up waiting for a place to sit down. I saw a lady standing in front me me with her back to my side. I was about to remove the newspaper and ask her to sit down but as she turned around I hesitated to do so. The reason was her T-shirt, with the flag of "Gay Pride" printed on it. I didn't do anything for ten seconds as many ideas were running through my head, then I removed the newspaper to let her sit down.

I felt guilty for their situation. I am against homsexuality, not only because I'm Chrisitan but also because of my culture and my belief that homosexuality can threaten the foundation of a family which is the basic unit in the foundation of an adherent society. However I don't see it socially more harmful than extramarital relationships, and religiously not more "sinful" than a guy sleeping with his girlfriend even if they are in love. A sin is a sin.

On the other hand I'm totally against discriminating against homosexuals or calling them names, and that explained the feeling of guilt of my attitude towards that woman. I'm against judging people and even if I believe that woman was committing a sin she might have lied much less than I did, she might have done more charity than I did and she might end up in a better place than I will after she dies.

The simple teaching is to learn to treat people as you like to be treated. I treated that woman like a black man being denied the right to sit in he White Man section back before the 1960s. I considered the newspaper more important than her and that is very dehumanizing.
It's challenging to know that a certain person is doing things which are wrong in your opinion and who are totally different than you and still manitain your respect for them. But what else can differentiate us from animals?

C'est fini

Quiz to all Jordan Planeters

Here's a world cup quiz that I created, I hope you'll enjoy it,

it's just for fun.... Write down your name in the beginning.

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/quizpage.php?quizname=060708211806-220299&

Good luck!

Help is on the way

After Italy won the World Cup in 1982, they dedicated their marvelous victory to the Palestenian people.

Do we need their help again on Sunday to remind us of what's happening in Gaza?

Where do teenagers sell porn and buy alcohol? It's in Amman babe!

I was looking at a small store that I pass by every morning on my way to work and I never knew what it was, until I stopped today and read a sign on its side saying (Adult Shop).

I smiled as I was remembering a ten-year old kid in Amman downtown grabbing me from my shirt asking "Beddakesh filim sikis?" (Do you want a porn movie?) pointing to a huge collection displayed on the street in front of everyone to watch. Downtown Amman has become a place where porn industry is flourshing with its CDs/DVDs and movie theatres, and the audience is huge.

It was wonderful to see Jordan featured in Guiness book for World Recrods, when Shafeeq Irshaidat's street was mentioned as the street with the greatest number of internet cafes in the world, namely 104. Sadly enough if it wasn't for porn most of these cafes would have not opened in the first place.

Talking about alcohol, what are the resrtictions on buying alcohol in Jordan? Practically nothing. Anyone can buy it. A teenager can walk in a place which serves alcohol, sit down in the bar and scream at the bartender with his/her childish voice "Amstel".

People tend to underestimate the danger of alcohol in Jordan, but it's good to be aware of a study conducted by the department of Forensic Medicine in the University of Jordan about ten years ago which observed that 10% of people admitted with automobile accidents to the hpsital have detectable alcohol levels in their blood by the time they are tested, which could be many hours after the accident. Ten percent seems to be a high percentage for many Jordanians.

Some personal examples.... A guy I know was driving completely drunk outside Amman and the policeman stopped him and took him to the police station, yelled at him because drinking was a son. The guy admitted he was mistaken and was released without paying anything.
Another guy I know crashed his car as her was drunk, and the first he did was calling a sober relative and told him to say that he (the relative) was the one driving. Even I used to drink occasionally in Jordan, never got drunk but never thought about not driving after driniking a few beers. In America I never drive even after a sip of Champagne.

I remember the last time I went to Salute (A restaurant in Jabal Amman), I found a bunch of teeange girls totally drunk at 7 pm in a birthday party and who were not sober enough to get up the few stairs up. Similar scenes can be spotted around Amman, not to mention kids smoking in public looking more confident than a mature man peeing behind a rock on the Airport Highway.

By the way, to those who don't know Salute's first floow was a KG. Ironic! Don't you think?

Woman of the Match

Budweiser should make a Woman of the Match conest and give it to Chrisitano Ronaldo.

If he got a yellow card for each time he fell down pretending he was fouled, he'd be having yellow cards enough to construct an super huge pokemon.

It's a shame when a player matures in his skills but stays a kid in his behavior.

And you thought this Italy-Germany match was exciting

As much as today's game between Italy and Germany was exciting, it is not as nerve wrecking as their game also in the semifinals in 1970. The commentator speaks Spanish. What you need to know is the full time ended in 1-1, and "le mejor" means the best!

Click here to see the goals, time running less than 5 minutes

دق الماني دق الماني

فابيو غروسو دق الماني بهدف اخو فلاته وعاد ديل بييرو ودق الماني بهدف ثاني اظهر للالمان حجم فريقهم الذي وصل للسيمي فاينالز بدعاء الوالدين

وبهذه المناسبة العطرة نهدي عشاق الازوري و من تبقى من اصحاب سيارات الفيات و رواد فروستي هذه الاغنية الاردنية التي صممت لهذه المناسبة العطرة التي يصف فيها المطرب عبندة اللاعب غروسو قائلا طولك يا عود الريحان والعيون الغزلاني دق الماني دق الماني

اضغط هنا لتدخل الموقع ثم اضغط على الاغنية

A Pseudo Déjà Vu

I am sitting in the morning at the diner on the corner...... I am waiting at the counter for the woman to pour the coffee and she fills it only halfway and before I even argue she is looking out the window at somebody coming in.

"It is always nice to see you" says the woman behind the counter to the man who has come in. He is shaking her umbrella and I look the other way as they are kissing their hellos. I'm pretending not to see them and instead I pour the milk.

I open up the paper, there's a story of an actress who had died while she was drinking. It was no one I had heard of. I'm turning to the horoscope and looking for the funnies when I'm feeling someone watching me and so I raise my head.

There's a man on the outside looking inside "Does he see me?" No he does not really see me because he sees his own reflection and I'm trying not to notice that he's hitching up his pants and while he's straightening his boxers his hair is getting wet.

Oh, this rain it will continue through the morning as I'm listening to the bells of the cathedral I am thinking of your voice and of the midnight picnic once upon a time before the rain began.

I finish up my coffee ...... It's time to catch the train.
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(hareega's admiration of suzanne vega)

Why did Brazil play that bad and leave early?

Check some of their players' quotes during the world cup

""Brazil have proved this in the last 12 years," he said. "In the last 12 years, football has evolved and Brazil have always been on top.

"If Brazil is well prepared, Brazil won't lose. Brazil won't lose the World Cup."

"I can't see us losing a game. In the quarterfinals we'll play Spain who will defeat France and then move to the semifinals"

These players forgot that they have only 2 feet like other players, and that they should always keep them on the ground.

Brazil was lucky to lose only 0-1
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and by the way, check this out


This is interesting................
Brazil won the world cup in 1994.
Before that, they had won this title in 1970.

If you add up: 1970 + 1994 = 3964

Argentina won the world cup last time in 1986.
Before that only in 1978.And 1978 + 1986 = 3964


Germany won the world cup in 1990.
Before that, Germany won in 1974. And 1990 + 1974 = 3964

This could lead us to guess the winner of the World Cup in 2002, since it should be the winner of the 1962 World Cup.

(3964 - 2002 = 1962).

And Brazil won the world cup in 1962! And, in fact, Brazil won the 2002 WC.

This numerology seems to work.........And now, who would be the winner of the 2006 world cup?Let's see, 3964 - 2006 = 1958


And who won in 1958?....
.
.
.
Brazil !!!! Brazil will win the 2006 World Cup!!

Always Argentina

I've been going through this every 4 years....
It's more than my favorite football team leaving the World Cup.
It's about when the most enjoyable event in your life becomes the most annoying.
Every 4 years I think : THIS IS THE YEAR, only to realize a few weeks later that I was wrong.
I'm not sure if I'll be alive when they will do it, but until then I have to keep watching other teams, none of them are my favorites and most of which are much less qualified, competing to win the big cup.

Always cheering for the Albicelestes.

Don't cry for me

Don't cry for me Argentina

The truth is I never left you

All through my wild days

My mad existence

I kept my promise

Don't keep your distance