Respect

Since her son's death in Iraq in three years ago, this American lady has been the most popular anti-war activist inside the US. She lead demonstrations and formed the "Bring Them Home Now" tour with other anti-war activists. She went to Crawford, Texas where Bush lived and camped at a tent outside his ranch for one month demanding a meeting with him, which he never agreed upon.

She was frequently arrested and described as a "media whore" by the media but so far, she has been one of the biggest voices against the war.

Yesterday she announced that she was tired and she quit her anti-war activism. She said that her son died "for nothing". About 54% of the CNN readers today agree with her.

Good-bye Cindy Sheehan.

On our independence

PROUD TO BE JORDANIAN

Hareega was Here

In 2004 I had an interview in Cleveland clinic in Miami, yes it's called Cleveland clinic and it's in Miami, just like they have Michigan Avenue in Chicago and al Gardens street in Amman where no flower exists, I was relaxing on South Beach one day when some folks from Green Peace asked me if I wanted to join in one of their activities.

Filled with guilt from throwing stones at cats in our neighborhood and smashing cockroaches in our kitchen with my father's old shibshib I decided that it's time for me to do something about the environment. About 1500 people joined together on the beach and we had some directors ordering use to lay down in certain lines and circles.

We were told that we were recreating a picture for Picasso. A helicopter flew over us and we were told to stay still because they were taking photos for us from above there.

Next day I checked the photos and it was marvelous. The picture was that of man in prison. Picasso drew this painting in 1955 in protest to Franco's regime that executed and threw in prison many of Spain's thinkers. Greenpeace were protesting how George Bush was prosecuting them after they boarded a ship carrying illegal mahogany from Brazil.

I remember laying down in a big circle that surrounded another smaller circle. I was told that our circle was forming the eye. Probably it was the man's left eye. Regardless, knowing that you were part of something like that is amazing.

Since that day, I've never smashed any cockroach in the kitchen (they run too fast!)

Here's more on the story

To everyone who survived biochemistry

Thumbs up to everyone who stayed up all night trying to memorize the chemicals, the ATPs, the NADs, NADPS and hexolases and ismoerazes, the phosphrylazes and phosphatases in all the chemcial cycles that can not last in any memory more than 24 hours

Thumbs up to everyone who was, at least for once, convinced that without memorizing how many carbon atoms there were in alph-ketoglutarate was not able to become a good doctor, pharamacist or a nurse.

I'm dreaming of a biochemistry book where glycolysis, Kreb's cycle and the 20 freakin amino acids are not mentioned. Until that day comes, I'll keep complaining!

Classical Zakiyyah Zakariyyah

Bikhhhhhhhhhhhh





Manti Shabah Khalli Khameees

Always al-Faisali

I will not regret cancelling my clinic this morning and packing up my schedule and working 15 days nonstop in a row and registring for the ridicuolously expensive ART -America channel in order to run from the hospital this morning to watch al-Faisali playing in the second leg of their final againts Wefaq Staif.

We lost 1-0 and we lost the title, we always lose at home and win outside because the fans, as loyal and emotional as they are, can pose a horrible negative effect on the team especially when the players' sisters are always mentioned whenever one misses a corner or makes a wrong pass.

Al-Faisali impressed everyone in this tournament. It is among the poorest teams in the whole championship and it was still able to knock out flithy rich teams from Saudi Arabi, Kuwait and Egypt. They deserve the best and one day we'll win the cup. Faisali has been the only Jordanian team that was able to score big results and has been our represntative outside Jordan.

Always with Faisali, when they win and when they lose, and the players deserve all our support and respect.

Zaman 3an 3amman

Jordanian Jihadists

Sitting at Starbucks, I got myself a copy of the New York Times and there, on the front page, read "Jordanian Jihadists Long to Kill and Die in Iraq". The article was a long one and contained many interviews with a few Jordanians willing to go to Iraq and fight there. It also mentioned details of a few Jordanians who already went there and died.

My first objection was to the word "Jihadist", I rarely ever heard it in Arabic. I know there's Jihad, but a "Jihadist" is now synonymous with terrorist, again misuse of words that will make Muslims angry. The article is focused on how much Zarqa's citizens are impressed by Zarqawi and anyone who decides to go and fight in Iraq.

Imagine Diego Maradona was from Kerak. He'd be an idol there and every other newborn in Kerak will be named Diego. His pictures will be everywhere and people would really want to be like him. Zarqawi seems to have made a similar effect in Zarqa, and Zarqa is well known to be a center for Islamists for many years, way before the war in Iraq started, but the emergence of Zarqawi had an additive effect and many citizens living there want to be another Zarqawi.

The main problem with those kids going to fight in Iraq is that their main goal is to kill as many non-Muslims as possible, the Shiia being considered non-Muslims. They're not seeking the end of American occupation or democracy or peace in Iraq, they're seeking the dominance of one religious sect over another in one big country where separation is impossible.

Just like it takes plenty of time and effort to make a great scientist, it takes plenty of time and effort to make a "Jihadist". You got the money- oil-rich governments and the US who supported Islamic movements for many years, you got the time- it's been there for at least 20 years, and now you got the most perfect circumstances; Bush calling it a "crusade" war and attacking a country for no reason and fueling a war among Muslims and eventually executing its previous president on the night of Eid Al-Adha with people around him chanting racist slogans.

Yesterday a Jordanian taxi driver, Muhammad Shnewer, was arrested in New Jersey in a plot with six others to attack a soldier base in America. His group was not connected to al -Qaeda, it was homegrown. I tend to believe that there are plenty of men out there who are willing to do exactly like Shnewer did. Nobody was born a terrorist and if you consider the lives and environments in which these blowing themselves up lived you'll be amazed by how easily a "Jihadist" could have been a doctor, a scientist or a football player like Diego Maradona.

Very strong discussion in an American TV show about Iraq

Despite the level of freedom in the US and the general disapproval of most Americans to how Bush started and handled the war, very few programs or TV hosts have expressed themselves as well as Bill Maher did (he's not Arabic despite the name Maher)

Here's a great short clip of a very strong discussion about the war in Iraq. It's needless to say that the lady speaking works for Fox News!

Seven Stones...... crossing boundaries

Today I came across an Indian doctor, who knew how much I was fond of football. I was checking the NBA web site.

"It's strange you're not checking soccer news!"

"I've already checked them"

"Do you watch cricket?"

"Not really, but I heard the world cup is going on"

"It's over, Australia won, and India lost in the first round to Bangladesh, it was a disaster"

"Yeah I'm sure it sucks to have one billion people feel sad all at once"

"Do you play cricket in Lebanon", he asked

"I'm not from Lebanon"

"I mean Egypt....."

"Neither...."

"Turkey?"

"Jordan", I replied

"Yeah do you play cricket there?"

"No, I barely know what cricket is. All I know is that a player throws a ball at another player"

"Yes and the other player has to shoot it with his bat"

"In Jordan we have something similar. We used to play in neighborhoods. The boys divide themselves into 2 teams, then they arrange seven stones over each other, and boys try to hit the stones with a tennis ball. IF a boy hits the stones the other teams runs away......."

the Indian doctor interrupted, "I know, the boy tries to hit the other team members before they can get back to arrange the stones"

I was totally surprised. "Do you know the game" I asked

"Of course"

"What is called in India?"

"Putame"- I think that's the name he said

"What does it mean?

"It doesn't mean anything"

"But it should mean something, in Jordan we call it Sab3 Hjaar, it means seven stones, because the stones we use in the game are seven"

"In India it doesn't mean anything"

"And do you use seven stones?"

"Maybe seven or nine, I forgot"

I had a very strange feeling. I always thought of Sab3 Hjaar as a very local game, something Jordanian or Jordanian/Iraqi/Syrian kind of game. Obviously they also have it in India. I always felt it's the idea from which baseball was created , one player throws a ball then runs and the other team players try to hit him with it.

I don't think I'll ever play "Seven Stones" again, but I'll always think it's way more exciting, creative and competitive than baseball, cricket, or that stupid nameless Indian game.

1-1

الفيصلي يتعادل مع وفاق سطيف في ذهاب نهائي كأس العرب حطينا هدف التعادل بآخر لحظة


الإياب في عمان بعد أسبوعين....غلبناهم قبل هيك في عمان
لازم نغلبهم كمان مرة

بالنسبة للي بدو يبيع كليته

أولا شكراً لكل شخص غلب حالو وبعت إيميل للمواطن الفلسطيني الذي وضع إعلان لبيع كليته وبصراحة كنت شوي بشكك في صدق الإعلان

لكن المواطن رد باليميل على بعض البلوغرجية والقراء
في رد على أحد الاعضاء قال:

"
"أخي الكريم أذا أردت أن تتواصل معي بخصوص عرضي لكليتي فهذا إيميلي تستطيع ان نتواصل فيها بشأن العرض الذي عرضتهpunisher-2006@hotmail.com

وانا أعرضها 7000 دولار أمريكي , فهي سليمه ومستعد لفحص طبي أيضا , اما إذا كنت تفكر

بمعونه ماليه فللأسف لن أقبلها وأشكرك على تعاطفك معي

"
بالنسبة لسمرز فكان الرد كالتالي

:
"شكرا لك على تعاطفك وعلى رسالتك الكريمه

أخي الكريم

المعاناه والمأساه التي أعيشها هي التي دفعتني لعرض كليتي للبيع فللأسف لم تتركلي الظروف حلأ آخرفقد مضى على تخرجي من الجامعه ما يقارب 4 سنوات ومازلت عاطلاً عن العمل لاأستطيع مساعده نفس أو اهلي , حتى أرضنا الزراعيه وهي مصدر رزقنا الوحدي قام جيشالإحتلال الإسرائيلي بتجريفها وتدميرها ومنعونا حتى من الوصول لها فلقد أصبحتكراجاً لدباباتهمومعداتهم العسكريهأخي الكريم مهما حاولت ان أصف المأساه والمعاناه التي أعيشها لن أستطيع انأفيها حقها فهي تفوق الوصفأخي الكريم لماذا تعتقد أني عرضت كليتي للبيع ما هو السبب ؟
أخي الكريم أبيع كليتي , أفضل أن أتسول وأمد يدي للناس , أخي الكريم إن كنتراغبا بالمساعده أما أن تقوم بقبول عرضي إن رغبت به أو أن تجد لي مشترياً وانا مستعد لأي فحص طبي حتى أثبت سلامه الكليه لديك الخيارين لمساعدتي

1- أما أن تقبل عرضي وأن تشتري الكليه او ان تجد مشترياً لها

2- وأما أن تساعدني للحصول على فرصه عمل
أخي الكريم أنا لا أقبل أي معون ماليه دون مقابل , صحيح أني محتاج ولكني صاحب كرامه وعزه نفس وأهون عليه ان أبيع أعضائي على أن أقبل مساعده من دون مقابل
وأشكرك ثانيا على تعاطفك معي
وللأسف حتى الآن لم اجد مشتريا لها , لكنى بالتأكيد سأجد في النهايه
my telphone number
00970599575279
والسلام ختام"
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هذه هي الخلاصة اللي وصلنالها الاخ ما زالت عنده عزة نفس ورغبة في البقاء والتضحية

سمعنا الاسبوع الماضي عن واحد وثمانين أردني باعوا كلاهم
ولسا في ناس بتقلك الاقتصاد في الاردن في تحسن والاوضاع فوق الريح
شوف احكيلك...
في فرق بين واحد فقير زي الفقرا اللي بنعرفهم واللي يا دوب معو مصاري يعيش زي بني الادم وبين شخص ماكل خرا

اللي بقرر يبيع كليته شخص ماكل خرا فقد الامل بكل اشي بالحياة

من الافضل لذلك المواطن الغلبان والواحد ثمانين الآخرين أن يفقدوا لحمهم على أن يفقدوا عزة نفسهم
الناس بتسوطي حيط الفقير وبتعامله كالعبد وكأنه يستحق ما يجري له

لا يمكن إلا أن أتذكر بعض الابيات لمحمود درويش

سجل...

انا عربي...

واعمل مع رفاق الكدح في محجر

واطفالي ثمانية

اسلّ لهم رغيف الخبز والاثواب والدفترمن الصخر

ولا اتوسل الصدقات من بابك

ولا اصغر امام بلاط اعتابك

فهل تغضب

!!!!!سجل

...برأس الصفحة الاولى

انا لا اكره الناس,

ولا اسطو على احد

ولكني... اذا ما جعت, آكل لحم مغتصبي

حذار... حذار...

من جوعي ومن غضبي

This voice makes you live longer

صوت بطوّل العمر

Tears in heaven

Would you know my name
if I saw you in heaven.....
Would it be the same
if I saw you in heaven
Beyond the door.....
there's peace I'm sure
and I know there'll be no more... tears in heaven

واحد بدو يبيع كليته

في مواطن فلسطيني من كثر الفقر نزل إعلان بدو يبيع كليته

يلعن أبو هالزمن

بعتله إيميل كالتالي

حضرة السيد أحمد

لقد تأثرت فعلاً عندما رأيت إعلانك المتعلق ببيع كليتك وبريدي الالكتروني هذا لا أعتقد أنه سيقدم أو سيأخر وأتمنى ألا يكون مضيعة لوقتك ، أنا مواطن أردني أعيش في الولايات المتحدة لدي مدونة الكترونية بسيطة يزورها بعض القراء وسأعرض قضيتك هناك و سأضع بريدك الالكتروني هناك وأسأل عن أي وسيلة ممكن من خلالها مساعدتك
لا أريد أن أعطيك آمالاً كاذبة لكنني سأفعل ما بوسعي لمساعدتك قدر الامكان وأرجو ألا يكون بعد المسافة عائقاً أمام مساعدتك

وان شاء الله الله بفرجها عليكو
-------------------------------------

عأي حال عندي الإيميل و اذا في أي شخص بقدر يساعده مادياً او بعرف مؤوسسة ممكن تساعده خليه يحكي قبل ما يبيع كليته

عنجد شغلة بتحزن

His email:
ahmed-a-a2006@hotmail.com

إذا في شخص بعرف أي مؤسسة ممكن يتصل فيها ابعتولو ايميل احكلو شو يسوي او احكولي انا
شكرا

Good Old Jordanian Comedy

Does your brain make you brainless?

I was a reading about a recent study comparing the brain formation and functioning of people from different political parties (Democrates and Republicans) and the amazing results showed that the structure and functioning of their brains are different.

Sounds just an interesting piece which you can read on Al-Rai's last page or in a column in Majalet Sayyedati

For me , it just brought me back the same old thought that we might not have a soul.

Have you ever thought, that we are not really human beings? If you haven't had this thought before, try to think of it.... maybe we were created from flesh and bone and all our thoughts are results of how our brain stuructures were created.

If you're hard-working it's not because you're responsible, it's just because your brain structure and chemicals made you a hard-working person.

If you love being a doctor it's not because you were inspired by an episode ER it's because the chemicals in your brain made you make that decision.

If you like to drive fast and wanna be a playboy it's your brain structure and chemicals. The way you talk to others, your thoughts and beliefs and behavior is nothing related to your choice but it's all merely an interaction between your brain structure and the environemnt around it. It's all chemistry and physics interacting but in the shape of a human being.

That's why a democrate is a democrate, it's his brain. That's why a republican is a republican , it's the way his brain was made up.

Even your response to what I'm saying now is not your option it's just the way your brain is designed to be. You have no say in it.

I hate thinking of a human being to be so helpless and powerless, but it might be true.

or maybe not?

do we really have a soul ??

Immortal

He was shot in his neck in 1977 and since then has been paralyzed, unable to move a hand or a leg, nothign below his neck.

The hospital became his second home, he had a very supportive wife and family who never left him since that happened. Eventually he needed to have a hole made in his throat thought which he would breathe.

He was admitted to the hospital when I was on-call with a pneumonia (lung infection). His breathing was hard so we placed him on a ventilator (breathing machine) until the effect of the antibiotics would kick in.

Later that day the nurse called me saying ,"he's trying to pull out his (breathig) tube"

I went down to talk to the guy. He was completely alert and with it. He pointed to his breathing machine, tried to utter words which I could understand, "pull it out"

I brought him a pencil and a paper, and he wrote, "pull it out, I've had enough"

Pulling the tube out meant he would be off the breathing machine.

I told him, "you'll only need this tube today, tomorrow you'll probably get better and we'll take you off the machine and you can go back home with your wife"

He responded in writing, "pull it now"

"But you will die now if I pull it"

"That's OK"

In case you're wondering if it's legal or not, what is ILLEGAL is not following the patient's wishes as long as he is able to state what they are. He clearly was alert and had the capacity to make his own decision, "Pull it out now, I don't care if I die, I've had enough"!

I wanted to scream in his face "Are you shitting me?"

I tried to buy some time, "I'll call your wife and tell her to come now, is that OK?"

He nodded.
His wife and son arrived, and the nurse called again, "the wife is here, he still wants the tube out"

I went down to the ICU thinking of my bad luck. This man has been paralyzed for thirty years, has suffered like nobody did before and was OK with it, why on earth does he want to die now? IS it me? Was it that when he saw me he thought "I'd better die now!" I felt an inappropriate anger towards the dying man who was fearing life more than death.

I repeated this conversation in the presence of his wife and son. He repeated his request to stop the breathing machine. They begged him not to. They said they'd do anything to help him out. I told them that he'd probably die if we did and his chances of survival would be very low.

He was stubborn. He wanted it all off. We took everything off and I disconnected him from the machine. His son and wife stood by his side crying as I, cussing my damn luck, was watching his oxygen levels dropping. His oxygen level then stablized and did not drop further.

I was wondering if he can make throughout the day. The only hope was that the dosage of antibiotics he got would be good enough to treat his pneumonia and keep him alive. I conveyed that to his wife. The patient wanted to go home, so I arranged for that. I told the family again to expect the worst, but I had some hope since his breathing did not look too bad.

I asked the hospice services, who specialize in takig care of dying patients, to arrange for daily visits to his house to help his wife. I kept reading their note, and it looks like the man had a positive turn. It's been four months now and he is still alive off any breathing machine and without any hospitlization since that one!

It looks like death is not as selective as we think it is. It visits those who fight to avoid and avoids those who seek it. Those who fear death die a million times before they truly die, and those who don't fear death die only once.

In football, this is called perfect

Lionel Messi, 19 years old Argentenian, scored a Maradona-style goal yesterday in the Spanish Cup.

Below is his goal and then Maradona's goal in 1986 against England, chosen as the best goal ever in a world cup.


Regardless of which you think is better, the truth is that it takes an Argentenian to score a goal like that.

Gracias Dios... por Maradona, y por Messi!

Between a shooting and an explosion

For those outside the US, there was a shooting in college campus and 33 students and professors were killed.


For those inside the US, there were 190 Iraqis killed in an explosion in Baghdad, a few days after McCain and other senators visited Baghdad and said it was as safe as Indiana!

It turned out Baghdad was more dangerous than Virginia Tech's campus on an April 16 th's morning.


It looks like the people who appreciate life the most are those who lose it first.


There's a lot of crazy people in the streets. Some people complain why wasn't that Korean psycho held in a psychiatric hospital or treated in time to prevent him from doing his crime.


The sad part is that there are thousands and thousands of people like him out there walking in the streets. I have seen more crazy people in the one day in the streets and buses of Chicago than I have seen in one month at the psychiatric hospital in Mahes.


There was a shooting here in my university 4 years ago and four people were killed. The shooter was a failing nursing student. I'm just wondering if that student have passed he could have very much be next to me now in this hospital and we would be working together.


Crazy people.... they walk the streets, they live next to you, they work with you, they eat with you, they talk to you, and sometimes they run for office and ask for your vote.... and you vote for them and it takes a disaster for you to make a diagnosis.