Political Satire...The Arab Way

At least her video has a... "message."



(Hat tip: Leila)
More about the video: Juan Cole, Abu Sinan

Have You Been 'Plutoed'?

Don't know what plutoed means? Get with the program. It's been designated the "word of the year". As you may recall, the tiny planet Pluto was evicted from the planetary system earlier this year much to the dismay of many fans. The result? A new word to describe what many consider a humorous twist to this astronomical event. Here's the story:

Pluto may no longer be a planet, but it has a new claim to fame: "Plutoed" has been chosen 2006 Word of the Year by the American Dialect Society.

The society defined "to pluto" as "to demote or devalue someone or something, as happened to the former planet Pluto when the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union decided Pluto no longer met its definition of a planet."

Here's to hoping I won't be "plutoed" by anyone this new year!

Random News Stories

Hunger has been eradicated in the US. Yes, you heard me right. We no longer have a problem called "hunger." It's now called "low food security". The people at USDA are geniuses, really. Now the homeless man in front of my office will be saying, "Hi, I'm hungry suffering from very low food security, can you spare a dollar?"

You know there is something either seriously wrong with CNN or seriously wrong with some of my fellow Americans when you see this headline on their website: Woman Microwaves Baby. It was on the homepage yesterday. Sad, sad world.

Does something happen to politicians after they leave office? Because it seems to me that they start making sense only when they're not in office. Powell now says Iraq is in a "civil war." Or maybe they just have more freedom to speak their mind when they leave.

And to stop North Korea from nuking the world, the Bush administration has thought of a genius plan: no more iPods for Kim Jung Il. Yeah, don't dream of them buddy. We're not going to sell them to you! Nana nana na naaaaa!

Did you know Matt Lauer is 48?! Am I the only one who thought he was 35 or something like that? His make up artist must be good.

Weird Searches

It's really fun to monitor the way people get to your blog, particularly when they search for key words in search engines. Of course nobody will end up on my blog if they search for "politics", "middle east", "occupation", or any other topic that I would normally discuss here. Those are simply too general. Today, however, I noticed many hits on my blog after people searched the words "sniper hit" which led them to a post about my experience when a sniper scare hit the Washington DC region (the 2nd hit on a Google search). I thought to myself, why would people be looking for something about the old sniper story? It must be something else.

I always run into really weird key word searches that have led people to my blog, but this one caught my attention because more than 20 people today came here all looking for the same thing: "sniper hit". One of them, however, searched for "sniper hit Google video" which I then used to search in Google and found a more likely result for their queries. What's even more interesting is that many of them are from Brazil and a few from Vietnam, Spain, Portugal and Germany!

Apparently there is a new game and/or video being posted on Google Video and YouTube called Sniper Hit which is purportedly a "jihadi" video depicting snipers shooting American soldiers in Iraq that has received a lot of attention. A quick search on YouTube showed the first result which seemed to match the news hype, but when you click on it, you get this message: "This video has been removed due to terms of use violation."

Many of the videos, showing sniper attacks against Americans and roadside bombs exploding under American military vehicles, have been posted not by insurgents or their official supporters but apparently by Internet users in the United States and other countries, who have passed along videos found elsewhere.

In a game "Sniper Hit" which is posted on YouTube by a user named 69souljah, a serviceman is knocked down by a shot but then gets up to seek cover.

Why would people want to watch such a thing? Curiosity, I guess, which killed the cat.

Other funny/weird keywords that apparently lead to this blog:

awlad shawari3 (sorry, none here)
"egyptian women" veil gloves
"ellen knickmeyer" genetics (whaaa?)
"one terrorist attack away from a police state" (hmmm)
al sayed hassan youtube
amman call
antiperspirant fasting ramadan (LOL)
britain news anchor wear hijab
bush's reality (or lack thereof?)
cause nine eleven
fady my space (sorry no fady here)
female dress hijab photo talking by phone
google video "sniper hit"
guantanamo extraordinary renditions (yes, we've got that!)
hanan turk pictures after hijab (this common one leads to this post)
hanan turk wearing islamic hijab
hanan turk website
hijab of egyptian actresses
if i break my fast young muslim (umm, then you go to hell...jk)
jordan egregious abuses
living conditions in sharjah
military blog israel
mohammed al-durrah video
mona news presenter lbc
muslim prayer chair (haha, you wish)
occupied territory syria
pictures of hanan turk in her new tv series
pictures of the mabahith
pictures showing how to wash for wudu (instead they got this)
sharing with people who speak your own langguage or different languages
torture slogans (you mean ANTI-torture slogans?)

[technorati tags: sniper hit, blogging, YouTube]

Scattered Thoughts and Memories of the World Cup

I've been wanting to write something about the World Cup, but the never ending cycle of bad news emerging from almost every part of the world, and the Middle East in particular, has made me avoid a topic that appears so superficial in the face of such misery. But I also realize that going on with one's life, enjoying a soccer game or an ice cream cone doesn't mean that one has forgotten about these events, or that one has belittled them. So, with all the games I've been watching these days, it seems like I have to dedicate one post to an event that is truly universal in nature.

So when was the first time I actually became aware of this international tournament?

Apparently during the 1994 World Cup when I had just turned 10 years old (just finished 3rd grade). We spent that summer in Jordan, so the atmosphere was definitely intense. As usual, we were staying with my mom's family, who are die-hard Brazilian fans. The final game was between Italy and Brazil, who tied 0-0 until it came time for penalty kicks. Of course this is a very stressful situation, with my grandfather and uncles slamming fists and throwing hands up in the air, but in the end it was worth it because Brazil beat Italy 3-2.

I remember that within minutes the dark streets were filled with fans cheering, honking horns, and waving Brazilian flags. Needless to say, not many people slept that night. It was very exciting to be on the winning team! As I was rummaging through old boxes of stuff the other day, I found a picture of me that was taken during that summer of 1994. On the back of the picture, I had written this:
Ironically, my dad hadn't come with us to Jordan that summer and he was in the US where the games were hosted. As you can see, my knowledge of this game wasn't that great; how many World Cups did I think there were?! LOL, I think those were my fobbish years :)

I also remember the 1998 World Cup, where on the night of the final game, we were again in Jordan but this time at my paternal grandparents' house. I can't remember if all of them were fans of one team or another, but I think that even though it was between France & Brazil, the fact that Zinedine Zidane was playing made many people cheer for the French. In any case, I don't remember that it was a big deal in Jordan because most are fans of Brazil.

In 2000, I became obsessed with the European Football Championship, watching as many games as I could and collecting pictures of the players from the Internet, newspapers, and magazines. I memorized their names and their numbers, and I think the Italians and Portugese were my favorites.

Finally, when the World Cup was held in 2002, I basically didn't even know it was going on! Why? Because I didn't go to Jordan that summer. I spent that summer here in the suburbs of good ol' Washington DC where not many people gave two flips about the games.

So, the real question is, where does my loyalty lie? My familial roots say I should cheer for the Green and Yellow Brazilians. In 2000, I grew attached to Figo and Del Piero.

This year, I found myself cheering for the underdog at times, and for the favorites at other times. I cheered for the Germans and the English, I relished in the Argentinian sweep over the Serbs, I wanted Iran to win, I leaned toward Croatia against Brazil and Tunisia against Saudi. I felt bad for the Americans when they got a "reality Czech" early on, but today, I rooted for them with all my heart. If it was against another team, I probably would've been with Italy. But I felt compelled to root for my American boys and because they really put a lot into today's game. They got elbowed and kicked out, but they kept on fighting, and I liked that!

So the bottom line is: I don't know! I can say that I'm not a die-hard fan of any team yet, and I like it better that way because it will save me the heartbreak and stress, and try to enjoy each game on its own merit. But I might change my mind, so I'll try to keep you updated.

As for watching the games on ART, I'm loving the Arabic commentary by the Tunisian guy but I really don't like the Syrian, Egyptian, and Khaleeji guys. The Syrian guy keeps saying "na3am" too much, like an Arabic cartoon: "na3am, huwa tasalul, na3am". I like the Tunisian guy's accent and the fact that he has so much knowledge of the game and its history; he sounds like a soccer encyclopedia! I haven't heard any of the games with English commentary; I think it would be too boring. The ART studio looks like it's stuck in the 80's, and the Khaleeji guy with the big hair is just wrong! You'd think they made enough money to set up a really nice state of the art studio, but I guess they've just proved again how greedy they are. Oh well.

That's all for now folks, enjoy the games :)

[technorati tags: sports,world cup, soccer, football, Jordan, Brazil, Italy]

Where is Waldo?

before

after

the sea of green

catch me if you can ;)

oh and that's only the College of Arts & Sciences, not the whole class of 2006!
( i couldn't resist not blogging for a day; but i promise to get back to all serious topics tomorrow :))

Automatic Wudu' Machine

Is your mosque suffering from slippery bathroom floors because too many people are splashing around while making wudu'?
Do you notice that people are preforming the pre-prayer Islamic ritual in the wrong way?
Would you be interested in a tool that can help them make ablution the right way without wasting time teaching them how to do it?

Do not fear, the Automatic Wudu' Washer is here!
Coming to you all the way from Aussie land, this state of the art user-friendly technology is for all your wudu' needs. It does everything for you, without wasting or splashing too much water. It even dries you off, so no need for all those paper towels! It's clean, efficient, and very convenient for your home or business :)

(click photo to enlarge)

Order one today!

And for a limited time offer, when you order 10 AWW's, we will send you a complimentary Automatic PRAYER Chair*! Yes, you heard me, a Salat chair! Just pop your butt on the seat, strap your arms to the sides, and your feet to the bottom, and the rest is on us! The chair will move you in all the right directions. Worried about how long your ruku' or sujood will last? No worries! This amazing technology allows you to program how long your sujood and ruku' will last.

BUT WAIT, there's more! The side of the headrest includes discreet earphones which you can put on and click on the chapter of the Quran that you would like to recite. Haven't been memorizing those verses have you? Well, no worries, the Quran recitation system is included and will help you if you stumble on a verse or two! (Heck, if you don't want to read it, just listen!)

Don't miss out, quantaties are limited (the Saudis already ordered 5,000, enough for the whole royal family!)

Please call this toll-free number now: 1-800-LAZY-MUSLIM

[*the Automatic Prayer Chair is a figment of my imagination, but don't be too disappointed, because the Wudu' Washer really is in a store near you (if you live in Australia, but I'm sure they deliver)!]

On Sweet 16's, Rotten Teens (and pre-teens) and Paris Hilton

An interesting piece in this week's TIME magazine discusses the increasingly disturbing trend among teens. No, it's not sex, drugs, drinking, or dropping out of high school. Well, I'm not sure how to put it, maybe frivolously spending money on anything and everything that may be remotely "hot" or has a brand name attached to it. This rant might sound a little off because I'm on lots of drugs right now (Tylenol, Robitussin, and lots of Halls) and because this crap is really getting to me.

I'm so fed up with this focus on money, money, money. Every teen age girl these days seems to own at least one Coach handbag, if not Louis Vuitton, Dooney & Bourke, Fendi, etc. She's at the salon every day, manicures and pedicures every week, and of course designer outfits from the Puma shoes to the Bebe top. Forget the fact that her parents are probably $20,000 in debt, that their credit cards are maxed out, her mom looks like she just walked out of a homeless shelter, and her dad probably works at McD's. The problem is both with girls who can afford but more so with girls who cannot. Of course this a boy's problem too, but I'm not that familiar with what guys are into these days.

Back to the gals and the TIME article. Ana Marie Cox writes about lavish Sweet 16 parties and the hit MTV show that documents these sad displays of superficial glitsy teens and parents who's main goal is to compete with one another.

MTV's highly rated My Super Sweet 16 [...] documents the excesses of privileged youths commemorating the mighty achievement of making it through their 16th year. Shell-shocked parents--always uttering the mantra "It was worth it"--typically peel off checks for upwards of $200,000. We learn that from the Sun Belt to Erie, Pa., the lack of taste knows no ethnic, religious or cultural bounds. You give teenagers $200,000, and they will spend it exactly as you would expect. The parties are the aesthetic equivalent of Hilary Duff MP3s.

Let me repeat... two-hundred thousand US dollars... the cost of about 10 Honda Civics; a nice 2-bedroom flat in North Carolina; I can't bear to go on.

A precocious celebutant makes her entrance via helicopter. A self-proclaimed "divo" (like diva but different) rents out the mall to stage a faux fashion show (prompting a backstage catfight over a limited supply of bustiers). There are hired dancers, a raj-like litter hoisted by hand-picked hotties and an apparent contractual obligation for someone to arrive in a stretch Hummer. I had no idea so many stretch Hummers even existed. No wonder we had to go to war in Iraq.

Oh yes, Iraq... Forget it, I won't even go there.

Some might say I'm coming down too harsh on these kids, let them enjoy their youth for Paris Hilton's sake! If they can afford it, why not, right?

WRONG.
Blasting such shows on the most watched channel by teens is a recipe for disaster. Every girl will want that kind of party, helicopter entrance and all. What's next? Renting out an island? Oops, they probably already did that.
Thankfully, I don't have cable TV for this specific reason. I don't watch much of this trash anyway, but I have seen clips of this show and it's really sickening.
I don't understand how parents can support these things?! The only explanation is that they are reaping the benefits too. Their daughter's party becomes the talk of the town for a week or so. Whooptee doo!

I hate how we are being sucked into this market crap more and more. We can't even buy things that look nice anymore. Handbags that look like the designer's throw-up but has a tiny little label is HOT, and sells for hundreds of $.

Conformity and uniformity make me sick! I hate seeing everyone with the same shoes, same jeans, same handbags! What ever happened to being unique? To standing out? And I don't mean by having a pricier Fendi bag.

What I fear is this...

The series is like an infomercial for class war, and should the revolution come, an episode guide will provide a handy, illustrated list of who should go up against the wall.

This is not an outlandish thought at all. Don't think that we don't have people starving in this country. Look at our screwed up economy, tax cuts for the rich and everything in between. High schools are boiling with these tensions. And don't tell me it's always been like this.

What will happent to our girls? If their future is that of Paris Hilton, someone shoot me now please.

We need a wake up call. I don't know how loud/scary it has to be for us to respond.

Take a look at the full TIME article, it's definitely worth a read.

[technorati tags: teens, society, lifestyle, party, economy, rich, poor, US, MTV, class war]

Da Vinci Mania!

I just bought the paperback version of the Da Vinci Code a few days ago to reread it before the movie comes out. Turns out I've forgotten a lot of what happened in the book, which makes for a great 2nd read. The first time I "read it" was actually by listening to the CD's in my car. So this is my first time reading it from the book itself.

I got the CD's from the library because I simply did not have time to read it (3rd yr college student= one too many research papers). I figured that my half-hour drive to and from university would be better spent listening to the Da Vinci Code than superficial news reports. It was great listening to it because the person reading it knew how to change his voice according to the character, and he was apparently fluent in French so he could pronounce everything clearly and correctly (something I definitely couldn't have done if I simply read it). So I'm glad that now when I read the book I know I'm pronouncing the names right (in my head, not out loud). The funny thing is the names are pretty hard for the average American to pronounce, so it was funny listening to some of my friends pronounce the names like Fache and Sauniere in many different (incorrect) ways.

Anyways, so I love this book because it moves so fast and I don't even notice that I'm reading so many pages in an hour. I'm not a particularly fast or slow reader, but this book makes me feel like I read super fast :)

My Google homepage today had an extra box advertising The Da Vinci Code Quest which is a series of puzzles that you have to figure out and can possible win a variety of prizes, including trips to London & Paris by plane and train, MP3 players, digi cams, laptops, LCD tv's, and even a cryptex replica (for 10,000 finalists)!!! So go try it for yourself, it should be fun, and good preparation for the movie that's coming out May 19th. I love the website for the movie too: www.SoDarkTheConOfMan.com!

As for the actors in the movie, I really didn't picture Langdon to be a Tom Hanks...I don't know why, but that's the beauty of books, you can make the characters look however you want them to look. Maybe when I watch the movie Tom Hanks will convince me that he's worthy of being Langdon, what do you Da Vinci code lovers/haters think?

[technorati tags: reading, books, Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, movies]

Who Said Cell Phones Were Bad For Us?

It's interesting to see how Internet and cell phone technology keeps evolving. Innovations in these two essential communications outlets have always been under scrutiny, and a lot of "bad news" usually emerges about the health risks of phones, or prolonged internet use. Of course these are legitimate concerns, but it's nice to hear about all the good that comes from cell phones and the Internet.

The Economist had an interesting article highlighting a study that looks at the ways the health industry is using text messaging for medical purposes. The goal is three-fold: "efficiency gains; public-health gains; and direct benefits to patients by incorporating text-messaging into treatment regimes." Whether its a reminder for your doctor's appointment, when to take your medication, or when to administer your insulin injection, a simple text message can make a big difference in some people's busy lives. Other messages have a more preventative approach, seeking to dissmenate public health information, such as reminders for vaccinations.

While I definitely see this as beneficial, how far will these "reminders" go? Are we going to be bombarded with messages about not eating junk food, getting our shots, and having our cavities fixed? Don't these outlets usually get abused by corporations for advertising purposes? Trust me, the last thing I want to get is a txt telling me to buy this or that kind of aspirin or toothpaste.

England has experimented with this new technology:

Several trials carried out in England have found that the use of text-messaging reminders reduces the number of missed appointments with family doctors by 26-39%, for example, and the number of missed hospital appointments by 33-50%. If such schemes were rolled out nationally, this would translate into annual savings of £256m-364m.

In some developing coutries, where more and more people have access to cell phones, "health" messages have been particularly helpful:

Text messages have been used in India to inform people about the World Health Organisation's strategy to control tuberculosis, for example, and in Kenya, Nigeria and Mali to provide information about HIV and malaria. In Iraq, text messages were used to support a campaign to vaccinate nearly 5m children against polio.

If this trend spreads, I presume more such reminders, not related to health will pour into my cell phone. "Pay your credit card bill; Take out the trash; Cut the grass; Drink Coke."

Now THAT would be something!

[technorati tags: news, health, technology, cell phones]

Democracy Gone Wrong...AGAIN!

Once again, voters participated in elections across the Middle East that resulted in yet another upset victory. Ibrahim Al-Hakami won the title of "Superstar" in a closely contested race by 53% of the vote over the young Shahad Barmada. International observers reported problems in various SMS voting systems as well as the online system, but called on all parties to remain calm. Future, the Lebanese satellite channel that airs the show (an Arabic version of "American Idol"), warned viewers from engaging in any violent acts. Analysts fear that Syrians might continue their embassy burning rampage by heading to the Saudi embassy in Damascus to protest the results of the election. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad warned that there might have been foul play from the Lebanese producers of the show who he claimed all had grudges against Shahad because of her Syrian nationality. No word yet on reaction from the Saud royal family or the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia both of whom appear to be afraid of the repercussions of such a democratic and immoral contest.

:)

Funny Video

If you haven't seen the SOU speech, this one is much better than the original :)