I was horrified when I saw this video,

It is actually a video of someone being totally careless and deliberately disruptive, worst of all -حاميها حراميها- those are the people who are paid and entrusted to provide security in Iraq, they are running around shooting at people. Aegis are the people who made this video, they are currently immune from prosecution.

Then, two days before he left Iraq for good, L. Paul Bremer III, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator, signed a blanket order immunizing all Americans, because, as one of his former top aides told me, “we wanted to make sure our military, civilians and contractors were protected from Iraqi law.”

This is according to this article, because Iraq the land of the Hammurabi code, Mesopotamia, is so horrific in it’s laws that killers and mercenaries need protection from. People focus on the blackwater while there are tens of other companies doing the exact same everyday and no one ever got convicted or even indicted.

Radi

I was horrified when I saw this video,

It is actually a video of someone being totally careless and deliberately disruptive, worst of all -حاميها حراميها- those are the people who are paid and entrusted to provide security in Iraq, they are running around shooting at people. Aegis are the people who made this video, they are currently immune from prosecution.

Then, two days before he left Iraq for good, L. Paul Bremer III, the Coalition Provisional Authority administrator, signed a blanket order immunizing all Americans, because, as one of his former top aides told me, “we wanted to make sure our military, civilians and contractors were protected from Iraqi law.”

This is according to this article, because Iraq the land of the Hammurabi code, Mesopotamia, is so horrific in it’s laws that killers and mercenaries need protection from. People focus on the blackwater while there are tens of other companies doing the exact same everyday and no one ever got convicted or even indicted.

Radi

democracy

This is a quote that really makes you think

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule – and both commonly succeed, and are right.

H. L. Mencken
US editor (1880 – 1956)

It is true, when you watch the American stories about then potential party candidates and what others are saying about them and the dirt that is being dug up, you can’t help but wonder, is any one of these fit to rule.

I am going to go out on a limb here, I think by 2010 or 2011, there will be PM in Jordan that is actually elected from within the parliament, bu the problem will be that the choice will be so ill-suited that we will feel at once like the Americans.

Radi

Missionary

No, I am not going to start a series about sexual positions, nor am I even going close, I am talking about a missionary effort of another sort. See I believe in freedom of belief and religion, but I do not believe in being harassed by the Good News Magazine in their efforts to spread Christianity in the middle east, I believe all unsolicited mail to be harassment and illegal.

However, I must say that what they do write in their booklets -of which I am a frequent recipient- sometimes sounds appealing to my Muslim roots, I guess all religious people are conservative in the same way. To me, the belief system is based on predicting the future, which I know that no one can do. I am waiting for “What’s Ahead for America and Britian?” and “What does the bible say about Tithing?”

It is going to be amusing seeing clergymen defending sizable donations to the churches.

Radi

IAF pulls out, good riddance

I seriously believe that the previous municipal elections in Jordan were fair and honest, I looked at the process and I personally believe that it is extremely hard if not impossible to have dual registration or to manipulate the results, each candidate had an option to have a representative present in voting halls and the IAF did take that option.

Islamic Action Front has always accused the government of fraud in the elections while most of the other parties who had losing candidates maintained that the elections were fair, IAF, I believe, fell into the same trap most relegious movements fall inot, they believe that all of the people attending prayers in their mosques and who were helped to be registered by them, will eventually vote for them. Nothing is farther from the truth.

I admire many of the sheiks in mosques who go ahead and run for seats, they contribute alot to the welfare of the society, and provide seriously, whether in terms of morals and ideals or in term of social networking and social justice and honesty.

However, people are not going to automatically poll for such candidates in elections, some people prefer technocrats (as I do) while others simply have tribal loyalties, many others vote for the person who they think will be able to do personal favors for them, regardless of whether or not it will be beneficial to the district and country as a whole.

They lost fair and square, the sooner they will accept it, the sooner they can work to solve it for the parliamentary elections. Where I voted, there were two engineers running from the same clan, I ended up casting a vote for the one whom I thought was in it for the right reasons.

If the IAF would choose prominent members of clans who are well educated and can be considered technocrats, then it is easier for them to win sympathies of clans and people who look for the contentment of the country in services. However, if they continue to choose serious member of the Islamic movement who are educated in theocracy and theology then they will never reach the position of responsibility outside their own organizations.

P.S. I said they will claim fraud and cheat in this election almost a week ago, they did, no surprise.

Radi

They pull me back in

“Just when I thought I was out–they pull me back in!” That’s my feeling about Palestinian politics, I could spend obscene amount of time trying to avoid reading about it, but if a spend a minute reading any title I get confused on why exactly do I want to avoid it.

Palestinian politics is getting more and more complicated every day, the people are suffering yet more, their threshold is continuously being tested and unfortunately no one is present to give them the results of those tests.

Hamas won the election and I wrote in 30-1-2006 that Hamas winning is not necessarily good for the Palestinians, if anything it is bad, time proved I am right in a sense, but it was expected, only a minority of serious observers of Palestinian politics thought that Hamas had the power to tell the people of the world that they are looking for peace through blowing up people.

International opinion is against Hamas is almost unified, they believe that Israel is to recognised and that a unity government that recognizes all the previous accords and agreements is to be placed. This is like telling Hamas: “You won, you get to participate in the same kind of government you were ushered in to throw out, and you get to loose all the rational that brought you in, if you agree, you are done, no one will elect you again, if you don’t then we will starve your people.”

Hamas has a lot to be blamed for, the Coup d’État in Gaza and the starvation of the Palestinians are among the most visible while there are more vague ones, I would honestly call it a destabilization of the elections in the region, look at Egypt and elsewhere, the effects will cause people to be afraid to vote for Islamic candidates. I can almost guarantee that the next elections in Jordan, the municipal elections, are going to called unfair and undemocratic with calls at forgery and similar claims. My guess is Islamic Action Front (IAF), no one will vote for them because people fear another Hamas in Jordan.

Radi

Support Local Brands

I am now changing my mind about certain beliefs, I looked far and near and realized that globalization, though helpful in some areas, is largely to blame for everything.

It is in Jordan that restaurants are opening up by the dozen, and the services are getting better, if you look for European style cuisine, it is available, mainly thanks to foreign restaurant chains coming here. This pushed the restaurant industry to step up and face the challenges.

Recently, I tried both Tropicana and Minute Maid, which are properties of PepsiCo. and Coca-Cola respectively. I enjoyed the juices they offer, but not as much as I enjoy local juice companies. For some reason, local juice companies -who buy concentrates from abroad- seem to be doing a great job.

Since I have been on a diet for a long time now and losing reasonable weight, I realized that not only do I not need beverages that contain CO2 in them, I HATE them. There were times when Burger King and McDonald’s were not allowed in Arab countries, because of connections to Israel, times change. Today there are a plethora of branches of many companies, with connections to Israels in the Arab World. Try Chili House and Chili Ways, and if you don’t seem to like them, then try something else, but try Jordanian first.

I therefore took a drastic decision, not buy multinational products and help the local competition. I know that I am not a fan of Starbucks anymore, it makes sense that I should when available, support a local brand, and I found one that is superior in value and taste, although not variety.

This picture was actually on their site and the friends at archive.org still have a copy, if Israel awarded the Chairman of Starbucks, I am not buying from there. Simple, Right?

http://web.archive.org/web/20010502093522/www.starbucks.com/aboutus/recognition.asp?cookie_test=1

Economically, I find it viable to Jordan that I buy my coffee from flavours, or any other Jordanian variety, I personally enjoy it, and am a regular customer, they know my drink and prepare the minute I walk in.

I also enjoy going to places where the giving is part of their revenue, not some minute percentage, but actually a fixed part that is of significance, and I must say I am not surprised by amount of such places available.

If you are into nature, try Wild Jordan, it is amazingly good, and supports the RSCN, which is as good cause as any.

But if you feel that you need a more entrenched cause, try the places at

AlQaser Hotel Howard Johnson. I think this may impress you, also remember their courtyard is a very nice place to sit and relax.

Remember to support as many local enterprises in your community, because they will help the money flow to remain in the country.

Radi

Rumours – 1

I have heard rumors, I don’t claim any of these to be true or actually credible, but I want my minuscule readership to hear what people try to sell to me. This will be a series, I will post to it more often than other series I started, mainly because people talk alot.

- I heard that there are cities being built in Zarqa, Jordan and in other areas for the Palestinians in Refugee camps in Lebanon. Other Palestinians in the gulf and whatnot will be offered citizenship and most will be given generous compensations. Other likely candidates for the way of transfer are Palestinians living outside the Apartheid wall but inside the Green line.

IF this is true, it will cause the same effect that the Palestinians living in Kuwait who came over, it caused inflation and strained the public services for years, the same happened when the Iraqis who fled Iraq came over. I used to be able to afford to buy a decent apartment, but not anymore.

My every-8-day update, My scale is busted but I am guessing, I lost another 2 pounds.

The most non-self-centered thing that troubles me, is the rights that will be taken away from them. They have inalienable rights and they should be respected, I hope for the sake of the region that it is not true.

Radi

Donations to the suffering

A lot of people I know and talked to about the current situation in the occupied territories have always seemed ready to help, usually monetarily to ease down the suffering, the theme that seems all the people have agreed on is that the money won’t reach to the people.

Trust me, I know what that means, my father for years had a sizable portion of his paycheck cutoff to support the PLO, and many people like him did the same, eventually the PLO and it’s leaders are rich and have millions of dollars worth of assets known to the public, while the Palestinian public is living under extremely impoverished condiions.

77% of people in Gaza are in poverty, 23% are in deep poverty, the can’t even reach the poverty line after aid, the was 22% DECREASE in income for Palestinians in the occupied territories. To remedy it, everyone who can help is encouraged to, I researched a few programs and realized the safest bet is the Welfare Association’s special appeals. Give them a visit and check it out

Radi

A world without America

I googled “A world without America” and I might say it is not what I expected, I thought the leftists, the libertarians, and the political minds of the world would probably get the first hit. I mean, it did seem that way to me.

I found this video which seemed to imply that the Russians would win WWII and therefore “liberate Paris”, that polio would not have a cure or a vaccine by 1969 and that Israel would not find support in staying in the Middle East and that by 1979 it would be wiped out and refugees will be sent to the seas. Saddam would be a tyrant, still holding Kuwait and holding nuclear weapons. It also claimed that the world would be poorer, less advanced and less educated.

It seems that their claims are irrefutable at first-site. Russia did win World War II and their Armies where about to catch Nazi Hitler. But the UK would have intervened and with their and the French’s Empire, (remmember De Gaulle was based in Algiers from 1942) would have not sit idly.

Polio like any illness is bound to have found vaccine, just like Insulin was discovered in Canada, and just like the first organ transplant was done in South Africa. Israel was almost founded by the Balfour declaration which was drafted by Arthur Balfour, who was the Foreign Minister at the time and his Grandchildren still are Earls of Balfour. The Soviet Union recognized Israel just as soon as it was Declared a state, and would probably have rather have it as a satellite or ally because it was very skillfully managed. It’s all political. I support your friends’ enemies and you support my friends’ enemies.

Saddam was a military man who rose in the ranks of the Baath again supported by Britian, where it not for the French fear of King Faisal and the British support of Baath, Saddam would not have been able to continue, also, the US supported Saddam in his war against Iran and therefore if the US was not there the world might have to deal with an Islamic empire, or wait, maybe the Shahanshah wouldn’t have been ousted by Khomeini. It is too hard to tell because the CIA was involved in many programs.

Money is produced as a direct result of human effort, which would still be here without the US, and since a big chunk is concentrated in the US, the world would probably be richer since the money would be spread over many people.

Radi