No Daddy to open a fizzy Champaign, no Mum to put a delicious cake with candles in the middle of the table, no Farzan to set a dazzling firework and even no Payrow, Khavar, Payman, Parviz, Rokhshid… to help him and watch the spectacle. And therefore, no mood to take a toast. Where’s She to sit beside me? Just me and the kids whom I have to entertain by making a surgery on my lips to produce a smile… And memories of the passing year.
Just few hours left to farewell 2004. Jesus Christ! 2004! Oh Nazarethan! You are getting older and older, but will you ever get wiser? Of course, I do not intend to pin all misdoings of your greatest follower on you, but everything is being done in your name and in the name of your younger fellow Mohammad.
If you are really watching me or by any chance flying around my head and laughing at our indisposition please, make a favour and be a Saviour. Save the world from the one who puts your stamp on whatever he does. The one who said: “I believe that God wants me to be president” and many believe that You made him president again. The one who kills thousands of people around the world ruthlessly declaring that “the Lord of life holds all who die, and all who mourn”. The one who gets too excited by his temporary successes and roars: “There is power, wonder-working power in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people”. The one who does not realize why he is hated by millions of people across the globe and stupidly puts a questioning confirmation: “But we are so good! Why do they hate us?” Please tell him why he is the only one who adores himself indeed and whoever voted for him had been misled by his lies and there own illusion. And please tell him that he is actually forming the very axis of evil he assumes he’s fighting now…
The year began with his State of the Union address full of bushisms. And plentiful of claps and applause by his surrounding poodles in the White House.
With his doggy eyes stinging the cameras he said:
“As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure. (Applause.)”
Please tell me if a single word of him was true. He has occupied the world, as he admits, by hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, but has it created any hope for the oppressed? Is it really delivering justice to the violent? Can’t you see those atrocities and their consequences in Iraq and Afghanistan on a daily basis? Crying children, women and elderly people? Can you recall what happened in May? Exactly. The very Abu Graib prison abuse scandal which made headlines around the world and caused the biggest embarrassment for the whole American nation. They were supposed “to bring hope to the oppressed”, to deliver democracy and freedoms. And that was the way straight to American world: if you don’t like our values we will torture you naked and take your photos in humiliating poses.
How can you forget Fallujah with over 1000 killed “insurgents” and more “collateral damage” not recorded in American resources? How can we distinguish a partisan from an insurgent in Iraq these days? Which one is a freedom-fighter and who’s a terrorist? Who does define these terms? In such a case, I can call George W. Bush the biggest terrorist of the globe with the same success. That’s him who’s terrorising alongside with his buddy Osama Ben Laden. Do you remember my anecdote about 3 Bees? Don’t want to bother myself with recollecting the third one. Not worthy.
2004 was the year of prosperity for terrorism. Wrong American-led policies ended up with 200 people getting killed in Madrid in March, 300 people, mostly children, losing their lives in Beslan in September, suicide attacks in Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Turkey, let alone Iraq adn Middle East. So, is it actually what “making America more secure” means? Listen, dude. If you wanna build up a strong fort by devastating the forts around, at the end of the day you will be the loser. The growing number of your foes will unite and build a stronger fortress to fight you. Haven’t you said this axiom to your fellow, Christ?
Poor African nation of Sudan lacked the precious oil and had to face a major humanitarian crisis, after a two-year campaign of ethnic violence waged by government-backed Arab militias against black tribal farmers. Reports say 70,000 people were killed and more than one million displaced in the western Darfur region of the country. So, what Mr. Bush doing then? He was scrutinizing the geological map of Sudan and could not see any lucrative adventure in that piece of the globe.
The passing year was full of political elections, but the political map has changed just slightly. The same ex-Enron adviser Hamid Karzai presided in Afghanistan with George’s Christian blessing and same George seized the power in the biggest empire of the world by ridiculing his weak opponent. Nevertheless, Ukrainian battle was a historic one for the country. The leader of the current government’s opposition Victor Yushchenko allegedly was poisoned with Dioxin in an assassination attempt before the election and as a result he’s inherited disfigured face features from the campaign. However, it seems he has won the battle and said: “Ukraine has been independent for the last 13 years, but from now on it will be free!”
When will somebody say the same about Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan or Iran?
The most painful event and the biggest tragedy of 2004 took place just a day after your Christmas, Jes. Exactly like last year in Bam with about 30 000 dead Iranians. This time it was a powerful evil tsunami (like powerful evil Bush administration) in South Asia. The most powerful earthquake in 40 years hit the shores of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Somalia and Kenya killing about 120 000 people. Thousands more are still missing… I can’t call that a happy end, Jes.
This is when your follower and Mohammad’s siblings have to show the grandeur and humanity of their beliefs. US, as the richest country of the world, has pledged $35 m and Saudi Arabia as a biggest oil-based economy - $10 m. This is a matter to compete for, say, with Britain who’s pledged $96 m. Shame on you, Washington!
So, that would be my toast for tonight: to see ashamed Washington becoming more human and civilised, since it has seized the world power and its ruler must be wiser, Jes.
Try your magic to put some brain under his scalp, Jes. Unless you wanna show him the way out of the White House in 2005 straight to the International Court in Hague.
Where is your glass? Found it? Cheers, Jes!
Friday, December 31, 2004
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
My Fair Tsunami
Her eyes became blue for whole last three days and she left the blueness of her eyes in the depth of the sorrow of my ones. I still hear her gasps and mutters. They still spin around my ears and I see her image of Great Sorrow walking around the house hastily and searching the pictures of her brother she hadn't known she’d lost just a while ago. “Where’s my Little Mouse? Mushake man ku? Kasafat! Chera bordish az man?! You, bastard! What have you done with him?!” The words were addressed to the skies and if her anger was a wave of an ocean, it could have created another tsunami to smash three times as many shores as have been smashed in Asia recently.
The glance pictures of him became withered and squashed in her hot trembling nervous hands. She would take it away even from me, if I would try to have a look. She was cross with the world and unfortunately, I was a part of it.
But then she felt a need to hug a body and spill out her enormous grief and anger on one’s shoulders. She found my normally wide shoulders thinner, since her anguish was extremely huge. My words were useless… “Especially sentences”. Could have Jesus Christ come down on his “birthday” to cope with the grief we had? Could have he explained what and when and, most importantly, why? Why have they decided to take him away after 20 years of robbing hearts and minds of dozens of people around? He was clever and kind; he was beloved by his family and mates. So, why?!
No, he was busy. Jesus had his birthday party thrown all around the globe. The globe which had not yet braced itself for a huge disaster – a real tsunami, with a big appetite, which would take over 50 000 lives away… Much more than 3 000 in New York over 3 years ago. The US has pledged $15 million. Is it more than America’s daily military expenditure in Iraq? Are you nuts?!
However, she left. Her tears washing her pretty face, her eyes attached to the “little birds”, her lips whispering words of gratitude and love… she left. And we will miss her heartfelt laughter and merry greetings while opening the door for 3 whole weeks. May Ahura Mazda be with you and bring you back home safe and sound, my Bird!
The glance pictures of him became withered and squashed in her hot trembling nervous hands. She would take it away even from me, if I would try to have a look. She was cross with the world and unfortunately, I was a part of it.
But then she felt a need to hug a body and spill out her enormous grief and anger on one’s shoulders. She found my normally wide shoulders thinner, since her anguish was extremely huge. My words were useless… “Especially sentences”. Could have Jesus Christ come down on his “birthday” to cope with the grief we had? Could have he explained what and when and, most importantly, why? Why have they decided to take him away after 20 years of robbing hearts and minds of dozens of people around? He was clever and kind; he was beloved by his family and mates. So, why?!
No, he was busy. Jesus had his birthday party thrown all around the globe. The globe which had not yet braced itself for a huge disaster – a real tsunami, with a big appetite, which would take over 50 000 lives away… Much more than 3 000 in New York over 3 years ago. The US has pledged $15 million. Is it more than America’s daily military expenditure in Iraq? Are you nuts?!
However, she left. Her tears washing her pretty face, her eyes attached to the “little birds”, her lips whispering words of gratitude and love… she left. And we will miss her heartfelt laughter and merry greetings while opening the door for 3 whole weeks. May Ahura Mazda be with you and bring you back home safe and sound, my Bird!
Friday, December 17, 2004
Home, Sweet Home...
It was a greatest dream, however not complete. I wanted it so much and I enjoyed it terribly...
The holiest person in the world was just by me for a whole month and I could see her eyes every morning, blinking as a star in the sky and asking if I want to wait for the car with Zarrine or whether I’m leaving on my own or am I going to the office today at all? Her worried voice over the phone: “I’m still waiting for you, my son… Why are you so late tonight? Didn’t you tell me that you wanted to enjoy your annual leave in here? But you are still working! Come back home as soon as you can!”
As those beautiful old days, when I was in pain from the severe control of the family. The same control I’m calling “beautiful” now. I felt as her little naughty baby, the most rebellious one, who preferred to spend his days outdoors with his thoughtmates and comrades. And sometimes with his first loves… For whom the house meant a bed to sleep. It made me feel a bit guilty too, as it used to do in those far-away beautiful days and I wanted to go back home as soon as possible.
But how? They were there! The people I had craved for so much. I could breathe from the same air with 2 fairest ladies in the town who I love as much as my own sisters. 2 drops of beauty: internal and external.
I remember how I managed to trouble their minds by my stupid question: by and large, do you really feel happy? Do you really need a husband to have a complete feeling of happiness? And their answers were as sincere as they could be. When I made up my own conclusion about the level of their happiness, both of them nearly burst into tears and insisted that they were the happiest people in the world! I think even if they are not the happiest ones, they are still very happy people of the world.
However, as I told before, the dream was not completely sweet. There were moments of bitter truth in the social and political life of the country that could and did damage my mood and an unhealthy wind from London was devastating at the end of the dream.
Most of all, I missed all of them; all my angels back in London. Now I am flying to them on the iron wings of a plane with no patience to embrace each of them one by one to present my hottest and sweetest kisses.
As you see, one can never feel complete. Wherever you go, the sky is of the same colour. It is not the soil in London or Moscow or Dushanbe or Teheran that can provide you with happiness; it is about the souls on those soils that can form up your happiness… I wish they could gather under one roof one day to make my happiness full and complete!
The holiest person in the world was just by me for a whole month and I could see her eyes every morning, blinking as a star in the sky and asking if I want to wait for the car with Zarrine or whether I’m leaving on my own or am I going to the office today at all? Her worried voice over the phone: “I’m still waiting for you, my son… Why are you so late tonight? Didn’t you tell me that you wanted to enjoy your annual leave in here? But you are still working! Come back home as soon as you can!”
As those beautiful old days, when I was in pain from the severe control of the family. The same control I’m calling “beautiful” now. I felt as her little naughty baby, the most rebellious one, who preferred to spend his days outdoors with his thoughtmates and comrades. And sometimes with his first loves… For whom the house meant a bed to sleep. It made me feel a bit guilty too, as it used to do in those far-away beautiful days and I wanted to go back home as soon as possible.
But how? They were there! The people I had craved for so much. I could breathe from the same air with 2 fairest ladies in the town who I love as much as my own sisters. 2 drops of beauty: internal and external.
I remember how I managed to trouble their minds by my stupid question: by and large, do you really feel happy? Do you really need a husband to have a complete feeling of happiness? And their answers were as sincere as they could be. When I made up my own conclusion about the level of their happiness, both of them nearly burst into tears and insisted that they were the happiest people in the world! I think even if they are not the happiest ones, they are still very happy people of the world.
However, as I told before, the dream was not completely sweet. There were moments of bitter truth in the social and political life of the country that could and did damage my mood and an unhealthy wind from London was devastating at the end of the dream.
Most of all, I missed all of them; all my angels back in London. Now I am flying to them on the iron wings of a plane with no patience to embrace each of them one by one to present my hottest and sweetest kisses.
As you see, one can never feel complete. Wherever you go, the sky is of the same colour. It is not the soil in London or Moscow or Dushanbe or Teheran that can provide you with happiness; it is about the souls on those soils that can form up your happiness… I wish they could gather under one roof one day to make my happiness full and complete!
Friday, November 19, 2004
I'm a Stranger in Moscow
The wind of change predicted and well-described by the Scorpion over a decade ago has turned the Russian capital upside down and you guys, who haven't visited Moscow after the Collapse, prepare to face a hybrid mega polis decorated (and sometimes distorted) by new super-modern metamorphic things (sometimes they look like buildings).
However, the Bolshoy is still the same, but not the same anymore. I mean, the shape of the world-known theatre has not changed. And perhaps the very factor makes it look a bit paler and miserable in front of the new buildings overshadowing the old one. Tonight it had Lady Macbeth on. Probably a new Russian imaginative performance written on the basis of the old Macbeth. I did not bother myself with popping in to the theatre and as a westernized creature went on shopping.
It was snowing as if on my demand. Before flying to Moscow I was dreaming of a snow-coated Moscow with whirling snowflakes and the kids rolling snowballs. I could not see the kids of course, as in many other Western capitals, let alone snowballs. But the snow hosted me generously. Thanks, Mother Nature!
Perhaps I was dreaming of a heavily-snowing city to find at least one more difference between the Westernized capital of the biggest country in the world and Western Europe. However, the golden bell-shaped heads (kupola) of some historic buildings are a good reminder that I am in neither Western Europe nor Asia, but something in between. A perfect image of Eurasia.
I called it a hybrid mega polis, because it is ruled by both socialist and capitalist standards simultaneously and it is hard to draw a firm line between them indeed. Nevertheless, one can see more capitalistic atitude in everything rather than the socialistic one.
Moscow train walls are covered with posters advertising different, mainly foreign companies; you cannot pass by a Christian Dior (CD) boutique without getting caught by a wide-smiling well-dressed dealer and usually she makes you pay for her great efforts, beautidul smile and the thorough use of Blend-a-Med toothpaste and loads of Orbit "whitening" gums trailed in Moscow channels every 5 minutes. It makes one recall the Soviet Moscow with its fat gloomy sales assistants who were reluctant to move away from their stools to serve a customer (and even the very word of "customer" was regarded as a pathetic capitalist invention not worthy to use in "the freest, happiest country of the world). Christian Dior was a creation of the Devil and had no way to the Soviet shops. But now one of the CD boutiques looks right to the Red Square and its model pictures stare proudly at the Mausoleum of Leenin... One of the glamorous CD dealers makes me buy three fashionable items from her glassy boutique and even gives me a promotional Mat Control tube! The price makes me re-think my location: am I in Moscow? The wind has changed it indeed...
The train opens the door and I can see a very old typical Russian woman with a headscarf wrapped around her neck sitting on a pompous marble metro bench. She extends her leaf-like skinny palm in the hope to see a glitter in it shortly. But the hope is very feeble, so that her right hand goes down again gradually and joins her left one on the top of a stick. Or she is too weak to hold it extended for a long while. Then she goes on shaking, although it is not cold inside the tube at all. She does not look at the passers-by and her head is approaching her tightly-kept knees... The door closes with the same Soviet-style: "Beware! The doors are closing! The next station is Paveleckaya!" The wind has not changed it at all...
The municipality workers are salting the roads to prevent any possible casualities on the quickly-formed ice around the town. But snow is covering the soil with a dazzling carpet again and grey pigeons start drawing beautiful four-ended starts by walking on it and the pigeon-made pattern looks like a piece of arts. It seems I still do like this city: no matter if the wind has or has not changed it...
However, the Bolshoy is still the same, but not the same anymore. I mean, the shape of the world-known theatre has not changed. And perhaps the very factor makes it look a bit paler and miserable in front of the new buildings overshadowing the old one. Tonight it had Lady Macbeth on. Probably a new Russian imaginative performance written on the basis of the old Macbeth. I did not bother myself with popping in to the theatre and as a westernized creature went on shopping.
It was snowing as if on my demand. Before flying to Moscow I was dreaming of a snow-coated Moscow with whirling snowflakes and the kids rolling snowballs. I could not see the kids of course, as in many other Western capitals, let alone snowballs. But the snow hosted me generously. Thanks, Mother Nature!
Perhaps I was dreaming of a heavily-snowing city to find at least one more difference between the Westernized capital of the biggest country in the world and Western Europe. However, the golden bell-shaped heads (kupola) of some historic buildings are a good reminder that I am in neither Western Europe nor Asia, but something in between. A perfect image of Eurasia.
I called it a hybrid mega polis, because it is ruled by both socialist and capitalist standards simultaneously and it is hard to draw a firm line between them indeed. Nevertheless, one can see more capitalistic atitude in everything rather than the socialistic one.
Moscow train walls are covered with posters advertising different, mainly foreign companies; you cannot pass by a Christian Dior (CD) boutique without getting caught by a wide-smiling well-dressed dealer and usually she makes you pay for her great efforts, beautidul smile and the thorough use of Blend-a-Med toothpaste and loads of Orbit "whitening" gums trailed in Moscow channels every 5 minutes. It makes one recall the Soviet Moscow with its fat gloomy sales assistants who were reluctant to move away from their stools to serve a customer (and even the very word of "customer" was regarded as a pathetic capitalist invention not worthy to use in "the freest, happiest country of the world). Christian Dior was a creation of the Devil and had no way to the Soviet shops. But now one of the CD boutiques looks right to the Red Square and its model pictures stare proudly at the Mausoleum of Leenin... One of the glamorous CD dealers makes me buy three fashionable items from her glassy boutique and even gives me a promotional Mat Control tube! The price makes me re-think my location: am I in Moscow? The wind has changed it indeed...
The train opens the door and I can see a very old typical Russian woman with a headscarf wrapped around her neck sitting on a pompous marble metro bench. She extends her leaf-like skinny palm in the hope to see a glitter in it shortly. But the hope is very feeble, so that her right hand goes down again gradually and joins her left one on the top of a stick. Or she is too weak to hold it extended for a long while. Then she goes on shaking, although it is not cold inside the tube at all. She does not look at the passers-by and her head is approaching her tightly-kept knees... The door closes with the same Soviet-style: "Beware! The doors are closing! The next station is Paveleckaya!" The wind has not changed it at all...
The municipality workers are salting the roads to prevent any possible casualities on the quickly-formed ice around the town. But snow is covering the soil with a dazzling carpet again and grey pigeons start drawing beautiful four-ended starts by walking on it and the pigeon-made pattern looks like a piece of arts. It seems I still do like this city: no matter if the wind has or has not changed it...
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Farewell
The most dovish member of the US ruling machine (i.e. its external caterpillar) is leaving his post. The only person who did not agree with mad hawkish ideas of CBR (Cheney-Bush-Rumsfeld), but finally had to agree with the vampires and became one of them. Presumably one of 3 vampires (or all of them with one accord) had stung him too deeply, so that he appeared in the UN GA ill-starred session with his lie-coated report on WMD in Iraq. He even was equipped with all necessary satellite pictures of the Saddam’s maleficent belongings. His lie-based speech caused a big incurable scar on his profile and he joined the vampires for good.
Good bye, C. Powell! I am sorry that you’ve lost your dignity under the temptation to keep your bloody portfolio.
Good bye, C. Powell! I am sorry that you’ve lost your dignity under the temptation to keep your bloody portfolio.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Pitiful Imperialists
It is really outrageous to see how some cruel brainless imperialists are trying to take an advantage of a grief-stricken Iraqi girl’s blog! Just a couple of days ago she’s lost her beloved relative – her sister’s father-in-law and wants to share her sorrow with the people around the globe. But they are coming forward with stupid words like “freedom is worth to sacrifice”, “tomorrow will be brighter with us behind you”, “yesterday we saved you from Saddam’s hands and tomorrow we will bring peace and freedom to you”, “I wish I could take you to our safe place”…
They have destroyed her hometown (Mosul) and now they want to offer her to go to their place; as a guest, of course, who should feel obliged to them for good. It seems according to their imperialistic theory, there should be just one safe haven in the world and it shouldn’t be anything else, but America. The rest of the world must be destroyed, destabilized distorted and retard. Everybody has to feel inferior to the Greatest Country with Smallest Brains in the world.
She says that her relative got killed by 2 American bullets. But they cannot believe it. To them, Americans are angelic and not capable to kill innocent people. Human error? It can never happen with Americans. They are too clever and smart. Hostility? No way. They are the most civilized and polite people in the world… You know that baseless snobbism of the Greatest Evil, don’t you? Usually I laugh at their helpless arrogance, but now I feel very angry, just because they dare to use a little girl’s sad topic to humiliate Iraqi nation and non-Americans. They shamelessly pretend to feel sorry for her and demonstrate their fake snobbish compassion to her…
I have invited them to chat with me here or in Bushism. I doubt that any of them will turn up. Most of them who swear at me are Anonymous, which means “with no balls”.
We’ll see what happens. You can follow up Najma’s story at this crucial point of her life by yourself too. She’s just 16.
http://astarfrommosul.blogspot.com/
They have destroyed her hometown (Mosul) and now they want to offer her to go to their place; as a guest, of course, who should feel obliged to them for good. It seems according to their imperialistic theory, there should be just one safe haven in the world and it shouldn’t be anything else, but America. The rest of the world must be destroyed, destabilized distorted and retard. Everybody has to feel inferior to the Greatest Country with Smallest Brains in the world.
She says that her relative got killed by 2 American bullets. But they cannot believe it. To them, Americans are angelic and not capable to kill innocent people. Human error? It can never happen with Americans. They are too clever and smart. Hostility? No way. They are the most civilized and polite people in the world… You know that baseless snobbism of the Greatest Evil, don’t you? Usually I laugh at their helpless arrogance, but now I feel very angry, just because they dare to use a little girl’s sad topic to humiliate Iraqi nation and non-Americans. They shamelessly pretend to feel sorry for her and demonstrate their fake snobbish compassion to her…
I have invited them to chat with me here or in Bushism. I doubt that any of them will turn up. Most of them who swear at me are Anonymous, which means “with no balls”.
We’ll see what happens. You can follow up Najma’s story at this crucial point of her life by yourself too. She’s just 16.
http://astarfrommosul.blogspot.com/
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Who's Been Defeated?
I am getting rare in my own blog. Sorry for that. Just busy with packing and pre-travel duties.
However, probably some of my “friends” have been waiting for my opinion on Arafat’s funeral and, as one of them put it, “People are honoring this Terrorist, WHY?”
Just because people who are honoring him do not consider him a terrorist, let alone “the founder of the modern-day terrorism”.
Arafat was the only person who succeeded to turn his PLO into a dynamic movement to bring up the Palestinian question and put it forward to the world, to emphasize Israeli atrocities and calamities of the Palestinian refugees. He endured many years of exile, deprivation and factual house arrest, but he did not bend under inhuman pressure of his Israeli and American foes. He stood firmly loyal to his own and his nation’s ideas of liberty by accepting the right of existence of his rival state - Israel too.
He was the most secular leader of his nation and did not allow fanatic groups to alter his moderate policies. Furthermore hardliners as Al-Aqsa Brigade obeyed only him. He became the symbol of Palestiniam resistance and he has done a lot for Israelis too.
By accepting Israel’s right for existence in the region he was accused of treachery by many Palestinian, Arab or Muslim groups and governments. But peaceful co-existence was his greatest ideal and he did not surrender. That’s why people, regardless to their nations, glorify them.
Another factor is wide-spreading global anti-American feeling. Many enemies of America & its marionette state of Israel are getting even more popular than before and in various parts of the world. So that if you condemn Tony Blair today, the world will love him tomorrow. If you will praise Khamenei, the world will turn its back to him instantly. Just because the world is against you, didn’t you know that?
Will the world honour George Bush or Ariel Sharon’s carcasses in the same way? Will their dead bodies be brought to three countries and glorified by all three nations? Will anybody, except for their wives, shed a drop of tear for them? I know that even you doubt it and save your precious tears for a more worthy occasion, my neo-fascist American dudes.
I was sharing my view with my friends for the last couple of days that Arafat’s death was a victory for Palestinians – a victory they have never dreamt of.
Arafat had served as an excuse for Israeli government to breach the laws and to break their own words after each agreement. They used to accuse him of harbouring “terrorists” and encouraging them. Certainly with no proper evidence. Now they have lost the scape goat and again will they be revealed as the main obstruction on the road of the peace.
Secondly, Arafat’s death has unified different rival Palestinian factions and groups and has put the cornerstone of the Palestinian unity. Now Palestinians have got at least a shrine to guard and regard as a symbol of unity.
And finally, Palestine can exercise democratic principles by chosing its own leader. Undoubtedly, Arafat could have been elected its President whenever he wished due to his incredible popularity among Palestinian masses. But now Palestinians can elect their leader exculively based on the political and personal abilities of the candidates.
Therefore, dear Palestinians, keep your heads upright and go forward towards the light visible at the end of the tunnel.
However, probably some of my “friends” have been waiting for my opinion on Arafat’s funeral and, as one of them put it, “People are honoring this Terrorist, WHY?”
Just because people who are honoring him do not consider him a terrorist, let alone “the founder of the modern-day terrorism”.
Arafat was the only person who succeeded to turn his PLO into a dynamic movement to bring up the Palestinian question and put it forward to the world, to emphasize Israeli atrocities and calamities of the Palestinian refugees. He endured many years of exile, deprivation and factual house arrest, but he did not bend under inhuman pressure of his Israeli and American foes. He stood firmly loyal to his own and his nation’s ideas of liberty by accepting the right of existence of his rival state - Israel too.
He was the most secular leader of his nation and did not allow fanatic groups to alter his moderate policies. Furthermore hardliners as Al-Aqsa Brigade obeyed only him. He became the symbol of Palestiniam resistance and he has done a lot for Israelis too.
By accepting Israel’s right for existence in the region he was accused of treachery by many Palestinian, Arab or Muslim groups and governments. But peaceful co-existence was his greatest ideal and he did not surrender. That’s why people, regardless to their nations, glorify them.
Another factor is wide-spreading global anti-American feeling. Many enemies of America & its marionette state of Israel are getting even more popular than before and in various parts of the world. So that if you condemn Tony Blair today, the world will love him tomorrow. If you will praise Khamenei, the world will turn its back to him instantly. Just because the world is against you, didn’t you know that?
Will the world honour George Bush or Ariel Sharon’s carcasses in the same way? Will their dead bodies be brought to three countries and glorified by all three nations? Will anybody, except for their wives, shed a drop of tear for them? I know that even you doubt it and save your precious tears for a more worthy occasion, my neo-fascist American dudes.
I was sharing my view with my friends for the last couple of days that Arafat’s death was a victory for Palestinians – a victory they have never dreamt of.
Arafat had served as an excuse for Israeli government to breach the laws and to break their own words after each agreement. They used to accuse him of harbouring “terrorists” and encouraging them. Certainly with no proper evidence. Now they have lost the scape goat and again will they be revealed as the main obstruction on the road of the peace.
Secondly, Arafat’s death has unified different rival Palestinian factions and groups and has put the cornerstone of the Palestinian unity. Now Palestinians have got at least a shrine to guard and regard as a symbol of unity.
And finally, Palestine can exercise democratic principles by chosing its own leader. Undoubtedly, Arafat could have been elected its President whenever he wished due to his incredible popularity among Palestinian masses. But now Palestinians can elect their leader exculively based on the political and personal abilities of the candidates.
Therefore, dear Palestinians, keep your heads upright and go forward towards the light visible at the end of the tunnel.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Listen To Them Closer!
No? If you go closer to their mouths you can hear the following gigglings and barkings:
The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinians' history...
We hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfilment of the aspirations for an independent democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbours.
US President George W Bush
The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East.
Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
(It is) good that the world is rid of him... The sun is shining in the Middle East.
Israeli Justice Minister Tommy Lapid
The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinians' history...
We hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfilment of the aspirations for an independent democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbours.
US President George W Bush
The recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East.
Israel is a country that seeks peace and will continue its efforts to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians without delay.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
(It is) good that the world is rid of him... The sun is shining in the Middle East.
Israeli Justice Minister Tommy Lapid
I quit smoking, but Iraq is still burning
In Washington, the head of US terrorist network President George W Bush has praised the US-led forces in Falluja for their "hard work... for a free Iraq". Meanwhile, a Falluja inhabitant describes the city as completely damaged and says, “The Americans are bombing everywhere," adding that water and electricity had been cut off.
Ironically the US is trying to stabilize Iraq ahead of January’s poll by the Falluja massacre. The plight of 50 000 of its civilians out of its 300 000 pre-war population is unclear. Presumably they are going to present bleeding liberties for a free Iraq by victimizing 50 000 more civilians. Never mind. They are not American. Neither white Caucasian race even. They are Semite. What makes it worse is that they are Arab. And the word of “Arab” in Bush’s vocabulary has been pre-recorded by his makers as Untermensch.
The more I mull over Bush and Bushism and their unbelievably funny and sad adventures in the world, I get more convinced in the need of changing the complete political system in the US and eliminating the terrorist network altogether and liberating the world from the Biggest Evil. This is not only Bush or Clinton who can change the weather in the globe. They can play a miserable part though. The main thing to be changed is American consumerism, materialism and moral oblivion. They ought to wake up to realities and stop asking stupid questions: “oh goshshshsh! Why do they hate us? But we are sooooo gooood!” No, dears, you would not have deserved it, if you would have managed to be as good as human beings.
We have to go back to the jungle, a thinker has said, perhaps just predicting the end of the path you are following, my dudes. Maybe the jungle holds the key. It seems you have to return to your jungles and make your American values like arrogance, stupidity, materialistic fundamentalism, fanatical beliefs, dishonesty, aggression, brutality and inhumanity things of the past by solitarily thinking over the same question “why are you hated so much by so many people all around the world?”
I feel sorry for those who follow their stupid leaders slavishly by sacrificing the dearest things they’ve earned during their lifetimes – their children or siblings. They victimize them for CBR (Cheney-Bush-Rumsfeld)’s nonsense; for nothing, nihilistically, sheepishly. It makes me recall the bereft mother of a soldier from “Fahrenheit 9/11”. She did sacrifice her son and then regretted. But the remorse came too late.
I am sure that the parents of 11 American soldiers struck and killed in Falluja can realize the meaning of the words of the Fahrenheit mother much better now. But again the remorse comes too late. By no means will they be remembered as heroes or liberators of Iraq. Do not forget that even in diplomatic language American & British dual terrorist partnership in Iraq is called “occupation” and the forces are known as “occupying forces” or “occupiers”, not “liberators”. So, do not let your children to change their toys into real guns (most of them are merely 18) and shed innocent bloods. Do not burn and bury their today and tomorrow, their name and dignity, their honour and humanity. That’s a way to get your respect back, dudes.
The most loyal representative of Bush in Europe who even does not feel ashamed to be called the British Prime-Minister has opened his curving mouth on his thinning face to say a couple of words on American terrorist attacks on Falluja. And talking about the insurgents he has said: “All of them are foreigners! They are not Iraqi” and they have to leave the country. Maybe what he says is true (while it is not at all). But how about Bush or Blair’s troops in Falluja? Are they Iraqi? Was Blair’s granddad somehow related to Iraq? Is Saddam Hossein Bush’s twin brother? That’s what I call political stupidity and whatever going on in Falluja is political short-sightedness.
Dudes, has anyone got eye-brightening drops in there to pass on to poor George?
Ironically the US is trying to stabilize Iraq ahead of January’s poll by the Falluja massacre. The plight of 50 000 of its civilians out of its 300 000 pre-war population is unclear. Presumably they are going to present bleeding liberties for a free Iraq by victimizing 50 000 more civilians. Never mind. They are not American. Neither white Caucasian race even. They are Semite. What makes it worse is that they are Arab. And the word of “Arab” in Bush’s vocabulary has been pre-recorded by his makers as Untermensch.
The more I mull over Bush and Bushism and their unbelievably funny and sad adventures in the world, I get more convinced in the need of changing the complete political system in the US and eliminating the terrorist network altogether and liberating the world from the Biggest Evil. This is not only Bush or Clinton who can change the weather in the globe. They can play a miserable part though. The main thing to be changed is American consumerism, materialism and moral oblivion. They ought to wake up to realities and stop asking stupid questions: “oh goshshshsh! Why do they hate us? But we are sooooo gooood!” No, dears, you would not have deserved it, if you would have managed to be as good as human beings.
We have to go back to the jungle, a thinker has said, perhaps just predicting the end of the path you are following, my dudes. Maybe the jungle holds the key. It seems you have to return to your jungles and make your American values like arrogance, stupidity, materialistic fundamentalism, fanatical beliefs, dishonesty, aggression, brutality and inhumanity things of the past by solitarily thinking over the same question “why are you hated so much by so many people all around the world?”
I feel sorry for those who follow their stupid leaders slavishly by sacrificing the dearest things they’ve earned during their lifetimes – their children or siblings. They victimize them for CBR (Cheney-Bush-Rumsfeld)’s nonsense; for nothing, nihilistically, sheepishly. It makes me recall the bereft mother of a soldier from “Fahrenheit 9/11”. She did sacrifice her son and then regretted. But the remorse came too late.
I am sure that the parents of 11 American soldiers struck and killed in Falluja can realize the meaning of the words of the Fahrenheit mother much better now. But again the remorse comes too late. By no means will they be remembered as heroes or liberators of Iraq. Do not forget that even in diplomatic language American & British dual terrorist partnership in Iraq is called “occupation” and the forces are known as “occupying forces” or “occupiers”, not “liberators”. So, do not let your children to change their toys into real guns (most of them are merely 18) and shed innocent bloods. Do not burn and bury their today and tomorrow, their name and dignity, their honour and humanity. That’s a way to get your respect back, dudes.
The most loyal representative of Bush in Europe who even does not feel ashamed to be called the British Prime-Minister has opened his curving mouth on his thinning face to say a couple of words on American terrorist attacks on Falluja. And talking about the insurgents he has said: “All of them are foreigners! They are not Iraqi” and they have to leave the country. Maybe what he says is true (while it is not at all). But how about Bush or Blair’s troops in Falluja? Are they Iraqi? Was Blair’s granddad somehow related to Iraq? Is Saddam Hossein Bush’s twin brother? That’s what I call political stupidity and whatever going on in Falluja is political short-sightedness.
Dudes, has anyone got eye-brightening drops in there to pass on to poor George?
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Brutality of Time... Oh Forget It!
These bloody Christmas advertisements make me feel older than I am. They give me the knowledge of the brutality of time. Time which kills so many beautiful and tearful moments of our lives and moves us along a fast river to an unknown future with unknown joys and tears…
However, the fact remains; all of us have to accept this brutality silently and we can like it or lump it. Thinking over those past moments sometimes is a perfect recipe for disaster. But looking at the future with hopeful pairs of bright eyes could be a recipe for success. That’s what I was doing today by dripping few brightening drops into my tired eyes and keeping them wide open, while searching a source of the light… And I found it!
Probably I am going… I’d better keep it secret until the tickets reach my hands.
And the new boss, who I saw today for the first time, left a very good impression: down to earth, elegant, polite and surprisingly he knew my name and position in the office! My dearest ex-colleague has introduced me to him absently. Usually the first impression is the last impression. It gives me more hope for more rapid development in our job – widening the section, improving the facilities and broadening the audience.
A terrible lapse occurred in today’s programme and I cannot believe that an editor could be so editorially wrong in his words. He announced that the Palestinian leaders have gathered in Paris to discuss the question: how and when to announce Arafat dead? While the question was still suspended and nobody knew if he was dead! Incredible! And he even added that presumably in 2 hours his death will be announced by PLO. 8 hours have passed after that. No crucial announcements have been made so far.
I wanna leave politics for a while in this blog. But it doesn’t mean that I was completely out of it today. You can check that for yourself in bushism.blogspot.com and uncivilrights.blogspot.com
That’s a good entertainment, anyway!
However, the fact remains; all of us have to accept this brutality silently and we can like it or lump it. Thinking over those past moments sometimes is a perfect recipe for disaster. But looking at the future with hopeful pairs of bright eyes could be a recipe for success. That’s what I was doing today by dripping few brightening drops into my tired eyes and keeping them wide open, while searching a source of the light… And I found it!
Probably I am going… I’d better keep it secret until the tickets reach my hands.
And the new boss, who I saw today for the first time, left a very good impression: down to earth, elegant, polite and surprisingly he knew my name and position in the office! My dearest ex-colleague has introduced me to him absently. Usually the first impression is the last impression. It gives me more hope for more rapid development in our job – widening the section, improving the facilities and broadening the audience.
A terrible lapse occurred in today’s programme and I cannot believe that an editor could be so editorially wrong in his words. He announced that the Palestinian leaders have gathered in Paris to discuss the question: how and when to announce Arafat dead? While the question was still suspended and nobody knew if he was dead! Incredible! And he even added that presumably in 2 hours his death will be announced by PLO. 8 hours have passed after that. No crucial announcements have been made so far.
I wanna leave politics for a while in this blog. But it doesn’t mean that I was completely out of it today. You can check that for yourself in bushism.blogspot.com and uncivilrights.blogspot.com
That’s a good entertainment, anyway!
Monday, November 08, 2004
US attacks Iraq rebel stronghold
US-led troops seized control of a hospital in the west of the cityUS-led forces have begun a full-scale attack on the insurgent stronghold of Falluja in central Iraq.
The move, which had been expected for weeks, came after interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi gave the go-ahead.
The BBC's Paul Wood reports very heavy fighting and the sound of massive explosions as US and Iraqi government troops battle their way into the city.
Earlier, they took control of the city's main hospital and two bridges over the Euphrates River.
Falluja is a predominantly Sunni Muslim city that has been a hotbed of resistance to the US-led occupation of Iraq following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime last year.
Many of its citizens have fled to escape the fighting, but there are still thought to be tens of thousands of civilians in the city.
Thousands of US and Iraqi troops, backed by tanks and aircraft, are attacking two northern areas of Falluja where insurgents are said to be massed.
Ahead of the assault, a massive aerial and artillery bombardment took place.
Our correspondent reports that the initial phase of the operation has seen the clearing of booby-trap bombs on the main routes into the city.
He says a US marine officer has told him that huge 2,000lb bombs have been dropped on insurgent positions from aircraft.
Darius's note: Any civilians down there?
The move, which had been expected for weeks, came after interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi gave the go-ahead.
The BBC's Paul Wood reports very heavy fighting and the sound of massive explosions as US and Iraqi government troops battle their way into the city.
Earlier, they took control of the city's main hospital and two bridges over the Euphrates River.
Falluja is a predominantly Sunni Muslim city that has been a hotbed of resistance to the US-led occupation of Iraq following the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime last year.
Many of its citizens have fled to escape the fighting, but there are still thought to be tens of thousands of civilians in the city.
Thousands of US and Iraqi troops, backed by tanks and aircraft, are attacking two northern areas of Falluja where insurgents are said to be massed.
Ahead of the assault, a massive aerial and artillery bombardment took place.
Our correspondent reports that the initial phase of the operation has seen the clearing of booby-trap bombs on the main routes into the city.
He says a US marine officer has told him that huge 2,000lb bombs have been dropped on insurgent positions from aircraft.
Darius's note: Any civilians down there?
Bushism
Are you interested in whatever happening with Bush, about Bush, inside Bush, beside Bush, behind Bush, beyond Bush? Go to the link provided!
Hyenas & Odd Sounds Underneath
The hyenas are waiting with their saliva dripping into the oil. They are anticipating his death before tearing apart his carcass.
And he is dying or has died already after leading a disillusioned robbed nation; giving the nation new aspirations for brighter future which had been stolen by the neighbour and never existed anymore.
35 years of struggle – humility and honour; transforming PLO into dynamic force that made Palestinian cause known worldwide (1969), fleeing to Beirut (1982), narrowly escaping death in Israeli air raid on PLO headquarters in Tunis (1985), accepting his neighbour’s right to exist in a part of the occupied territories (1988), returning from exile triumphantly and setting foot on Palestinian soil for the first time in 26 years (1994), winning Nobel Peace Prize along with Rabin and Shimon Peres (1994), making first visit to Israel in secret trip to offer condolences to Rabin's widow, after the latter got killed by an ultranationalist Jew (1995), losing his three helicopters under Israeli attack in Gaza City, getting grounded and effectively confined to West Bank town of Ramallah (2001), rejecting Sharon’s offer of permanent exile (2002), getting diagnosed with gallstones (2003) and later hospitalized in Paris (2004).
He had many mistakes too, as anybody else has and didn't intend to act as a cupid. But he was the only person able to re-unite the dispersing nation. He was and is hated by radicals of both his own and hostile nations.
But now he is taking his last breathes or has taken already. But officially he’s still alive and he’s still the PLO leader. The leader who enjoyed the vast support of his nation, so that even the most powerful evil of the world (US) could not remove him. They (US & Israel) tried to sideline him, but in vain. Again and again they had to notice his existance. But now they are joyful and just watching with great intolerance of a hyena.
Even George Bush senior, who’s very close to grave himself, saw “an opportunity” in his death today by saying: “I think there is an opportunity and I think Tony Blair was heard loud and clear in Washington about what he was calling for”.
By “Tony Blair” he means the British poodle of America who’s turned into a hyena beside Arafat’s bed too. He’s flying out to Washington for talks with Donkey-elect next week. As if he’s terribly worried over the fate of the Middle East, he’s demanded America’s active involvement in renewing the peace plan. Demanding! LOL. Can a poodle demand anything from its owner? Negative. Another pantomime is on.
By the way, American Daddy has warned the entire Europe not to offend his sweet child, his moody George. And again the poodle was handy. The Old Evil just backed Mr Blair’s warning to European leaders to wake up to the reality of President Bush’s re-election.
While he was saying that on BBC1’s Breakfast with Frost, Big Bush could not help stop yawning and producing odd sounds underneath. Perhaps because he’s completely relaxed now. America is gonna dance under his family’s drum for 4 more years. Probably until he leaves the world he’s destroyed.
However, hyenas are still waiting…
Can anyone see a lion’s silhouette approaching from behind of the Sun?
And he is dying or has died already after leading a disillusioned robbed nation; giving the nation new aspirations for brighter future which had been stolen by the neighbour and never existed anymore.
35 years of struggle – humility and honour; transforming PLO into dynamic force that made Palestinian cause known worldwide (1969), fleeing to Beirut (1982), narrowly escaping death in Israeli air raid on PLO headquarters in Tunis (1985), accepting his neighbour’s right to exist in a part of the occupied territories (1988), returning from exile triumphantly and setting foot on Palestinian soil for the first time in 26 years (1994), winning Nobel Peace Prize along with Rabin and Shimon Peres (1994), making first visit to Israel in secret trip to offer condolences to Rabin's widow, after the latter got killed by an ultranationalist Jew (1995), losing his three helicopters under Israeli attack in Gaza City, getting grounded and effectively confined to West Bank town of Ramallah (2001), rejecting Sharon’s offer of permanent exile (2002), getting diagnosed with gallstones (2003) and later hospitalized in Paris (2004).
He had many mistakes too, as anybody else has and didn't intend to act as a cupid. But he was the only person able to re-unite the dispersing nation. He was and is hated by radicals of both his own and hostile nations.
But now he is taking his last breathes or has taken already. But officially he’s still alive and he’s still the PLO leader. The leader who enjoyed the vast support of his nation, so that even the most powerful evil of the world (US) could not remove him. They (US & Israel) tried to sideline him, but in vain. Again and again they had to notice his existance. But now they are joyful and just watching with great intolerance of a hyena.
Even George Bush senior, who’s very close to grave himself, saw “an opportunity” in his death today by saying: “I think there is an opportunity and I think Tony Blair was heard loud and clear in Washington about what he was calling for”.
By “Tony Blair” he means the British poodle of America who’s turned into a hyena beside Arafat’s bed too. He’s flying out to Washington for talks with Donkey-elect next week. As if he’s terribly worried over the fate of the Middle East, he’s demanded America’s active involvement in renewing the peace plan. Demanding! LOL. Can a poodle demand anything from its owner? Negative. Another pantomime is on.
By the way, American Daddy has warned the entire Europe not to offend his sweet child, his moody George. And again the poodle was handy. The Old Evil just backed Mr Blair’s warning to European leaders to wake up to the reality of President Bush’s re-election.
While he was saying that on BBC1’s Breakfast with Frost, Big Bush could not help stop yawning and producing odd sounds underneath. Perhaps because he’s completely relaxed now. America is gonna dance under his family’s drum for 4 more years. Probably until he leaves the world he’s destroyed.
However, hyenas are still waiting…
Can anyone see a lion’s silhouette approaching from behind of the Sun?
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Chicken, pilau & Bush
The firework display was amazing. The kids enjoyed it very much and Tahmine too. We organized a sort of picnic with Haroon and his family and spread few rugs to sit and eat the food taken from our places.
The firework lasted about half an hour and was a good amusement for all of us, and white wine I shared just once or twice with Tahmine and Esphandiar made me feel even better. We had appetising chicken sandwiches made by Haroon and very delicious pilau cooked by Tahmine. The music was rocking the hill and moving us from side to side too. Apparently Tahmine wanted to dance on the stage or closer to it; she mentioned several times that she missed Shamsiye very much. No doubts, they could have danced together and attracted many attentions… mmmmmm
Usually Haroon hates political talks during friendly chats and as soon as one opens one’s mouth to pronounce Blair’s name, he shuts him up very quickly by changing the topic. But tonight he sounded more political than ever and I had to stop him this time.
A relative of him didn’t want to miss the opportunity to tell us a joke:
“Three guys have saved George Bush from drowning (probably in the ocean of blood poured by him in the world – D.).
Bush wants to thank each of the three guys for saving his life. The first one wants a flight on a jet he’d never tried before. The second one wants a world cruise on the President’s private yacht. But the third chap makes an unusual request:
- Mr President, I want you to organize a proper state-funded glorious funeral for me.
Bush is confused:
- But you are such a young chap! Don’t you think it’s too soon for you to think of funeral?
- No, dude. As soon as I tell my Dad who I’ve saved, he will kill me”.
Thus, we came home laughing at the Super Clown (with Bloody Hands) of the world.
The firework lasted about half an hour and was a good amusement for all of us, and white wine I shared just once or twice with Tahmine and Esphandiar made me feel even better. We had appetising chicken sandwiches made by Haroon and very delicious pilau cooked by Tahmine. The music was rocking the hill and moving us from side to side too. Apparently Tahmine wanted to dance on the stage or closer to it; she mentioned several times that she missed Shamsiye very much. No doubts, they could have danced together and attracted many attentions… mmmmmm
Usually Haroon hates political talks during friendly chats and as soon as one opens one’s mouth to pronounce Blair’s name, he shuts him up very quickly by changing the topic. But tonight he sounded more political than ever and I had to stop him this time.
A relative of him didn’t want to miss the opportunity to tell us a joke:
“Three guys have saved George Bush from drowning (probably in the ocean of blood poured by him in the world – D.).
Bush wants to thank each of the three guys for saving his life. The first one wants a flight on a jet he’d never tried before. The second one wants a world cruise on the President’s private yacht. But the third chap makes an unusual request:
- Mr President, I want you to organize a proper state-funded glorious funeral for me.
Bush is confused:
- But you are such a young chap! Don’t you think it’s too soon for you to think of funeral?
- No, dude. As soon as I tell my Dad who I’ve saved, he will kill me”.
Thus, we came home laughing at the Super Clown (with Bloody Hands) of the world.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Life is funny and sad
Life is funny and sad. Funny because even idiots can rule the world, sad because even idiots can rule the world.
World is not gonna change for 4 more years, unless something unscheduled will happen and change it.
The biggest carriage has chosen a donkey again. Just because the passengers were blind.
World is not gonna change for 4 more years, unless something unscheduled will happen and change it.
The biggest carriage has chosen a donkey again. Just because the passengers were blind.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Will the World Change?
The polling stations in the US are still open and the destiny of the country and the world still blurs. The reason indicates the more suitable person for the post of the President of America. Unfortunately that reason does not belong to everyone in the country.
Yesterday Shoku was suggesting a wonderful idea: the US election voting should take place all around the world, not just in the States. Why? Because the US does not deal with its own issues and problems only and claims to be the solver of the global problems. Therefore their elections must concern all the world. The choice of Americans will touch everybody's lives. How could we be ignored then? It is not fair, dudes!
The suggestion must be directed to the UN and one day it will be. If the US (with Bush in power) will disobey the UN resolution, Bush will have to follow Saddam's path. Doesn't it sound cool?
Another atrocity happened today. A filmmaker who was the great-grandnephew of the painter Vincent Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death on an Amsterdam street Tuesday after receiving death threats over a movie he made criticizing the treatment of women under Islam, AP reports.
"A suspect, a 26-year-old man with dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, was arrested after a shootout with officers that left him wounded, police said.
"Filmmaker Theo van Gogh, 47, had been threatened after the August airing of the movie "Submission," which he made with a right-wing Dutch politician who had renounced the Islamic faith of her birth.
"Police had kept watch on Van Gogh's house as protection immediately after the film's release, but it was dropped because there was no concrete evidence of a threat, public prosecutor Leo de Wit said".
The world is getting blinder. Going back to the caves we left ages ago. Everybody wants to usurp God's right to take a life. Killers are weak, we know that. Only a weak person is not able to take a challenge.
Cowardice is getting more common day by day and the notions of "nobleness" and "humanity" are giving their place to "savagery" and "xenophobia". I condemn both sides of the conflict, holy warriors of Crusades and Jihads. The world is suffering under their their blind mutual hatred. And the biggest super power of the world is encouraging the hatred. Alas, our fates depend on blind vampires...
Let's survive till the dawn. Will the world change?
Yesterday Shoku was suggesting a wonderful idea: the US election voting should take place all around the world, not just in the States. Why? Because the US does not deal with its own issues and problems only and claims to be the solver of the global problems. Therefore their elections must concern all the world. The choice of Americans will touch everybody's lives. How could we be ignored then? It is not fair, dudes!
The suggestion must be directed to the UN and one day it will be. If the US (with Bush in power) will disobey the UN resolution, Bush will have to follow Saddam's path. Doesn't it sound cool?
Another atrocity happened today. A filmmaker who was the great-grandnephew of the painter Vincent Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death on an Amsterdam street Tuesday after receiving death threats over a movie he made criticizing the treatment of women under Islam, AP reports.
"A suspect, a 26-year-old man with dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, was arrested after a shootout with officers that left him wounded, police said.
"Filmmaker Theo van Gogh, 47, had been threatened after the August airing of the movie "Submission," which he made with a right-wing Dutch politician who had renounced the Islamic faith of her birth.
"Police had kept watch on Van Gogh's house as protection immediately after the film's release, but it was dropped because there was no concrete evidence of a threat, public prosecutor Leo de Wit said".
The world is getting blinder. Going back to the caves we left ages ago. Everybody wants to usurp God's right to take a life. Killers are weak, we know that. Only a weak person is not able to take a challenge.
Cowardice is getting more common day by day and the notions of "nobleness" and "humanity" are giving their place to "savagery" and "xenophobia". I condemn both sides of the conflict, holy warriors of Crusades and Jihads. The world is suffering under their their blind mutual hatred. And the biggest super power of the world is encouraging the hatred. Alas, our fates depend on blind vampires...
Let's survive till the dawn. Will the world change?
Beware!
And of course, I haven't forgotten about the most crucial day of the year. The biggest carriage of the world is going to choose its driver today. We'll see if it will be a real driver or a donkey again.
"Friendly" Conversation in American
However, you can go to the link herewith and see what I was doing tonight: a very "friendly" conversation in American. Bye for now!
Technical frustration
Blogger.com is playing up with me tonight and I couldn't publish a very long posting of mine. But now gotta go to bed. Tomorrow (I mean, later on today) I'm working and it is after 2 days off work... Gonna be hard as usual... Especially hard to get up after the time has altered
Saturday, October 30, 2004
The Triangle of Death or Droning of the Bees
He appeared on the screens again and seeded horror in American hearts ruthlessly; just less than 4 days before the biggest event of the year. He was not spitting blood and seemed very cool-headed, while posing in front of the camera with his gentle gestures. He made the clearest claim of responsibility ever regarding 9/11 attacks by saying that the reasons behind attacks still exist.
The most worrisome remark for Americans and the rest of the world was his threat on fresh attacks and his statement that the security of Americans depends on neither GW Bush nor John Kerry, but on US policy.
According to BBC quoting Al-Jazeera, “Bin Laden says he first thought of attacking the US after watching the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982”.
But why didn’t he implement his morbid ideas before, as soon as they appeared in his dark mind? Presumably because he was terribly engaged in another jihad preps against the Soviet Union and the country who was backing Israel in Lebanon was actually a powerful supporter of him. Probably it was not an appropriate time to do that then. He knew that he could not hit two huge birds with one stone and wanted to reach them one by one. And he was still feeble and not that experienced in evil deeds and just used to cherish his morbid ideas and his current position in the world. He knew the future, but America didn’t.
In the eyes of the US he was a narrow-minded unimportant slave who could serve them by threatening the Soviet interests. Furthermore, he was a wealthy slave who put in use his finances for the sake of their common plans willingly. And he was from a Saudi family very close to an American top elite family. His immediate relatives used to shake Bushes’ hands in Texas or back at home in Arabia. The US by no means regarded him as a terrorist. He was an ally on the side of democracy. He was amongst the liberators of Afghanistan. But then the tide turned.
The tide turned and things have come to a pretty pass when today we read The Lancet’s revelation that the Iraq war has cost 100 000 Iraqi lives, civilian lives with more than a half of those women and children killed in the US-led air strikes. As Independent puts it on its first page, “this is the first scientific study of the human cost of the Iraq war”. Clare Short has asked a logical question: “When will Tony Blair stop saying it is all beneficial for the Iraqi people since Saddam Hussein has gone? How many more lives are to be taken? It is no wonder, given this tragic death toll that the resistance to the occupation is growing”.
Actually the question must be put to Bush the Junior, the Saviour of his Father’s dignity and the Retaliator too: “Sir, how many more lives do you need?”
And the same question could be asked from Osama Ben Laden: “Sayyed, how much more blood do you feel thirsty for?”
We can see a perfect Triangle of Death.
By the way, “nervous and angry” British Black Watch arrived in the Triangle of Death in Iraq earlier today to replace Americans (and to support GW Bush’s falling candidacy). More troops, more clashes and more blood. Another Triangle of Death created by the first Triangle.
I dream a perfect day with three B’s (Bush, Blair, Ben Laden) sitting in Hague and answering questions similar to Clair Short’s one: “why did you allow your religious hatred, your thirst for oil, your toadyism to destroy so many lives, to ruin so many cities, to stop beating so many hearts???”
But in reality the stings of the three Bees have gone into the body of the wounded world too deeply. It takes decades to take them out.
The most worrisome remark for Americans and the rest of the world was his threat on fresh attacks and his statement that the security of Americans depends on neither GW Bush nor John Kerry, but on US policy.
According to BBC quoting Al-Jazeera, “Bin Laden says he first thought of attacking the US after watching the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982”.
But why didn’t he implement his morbid ideas before, as soon as they appeared in his dark mind? Presumably because he was terribly engaged in another jihad preps against the Soviet Union and the country who was backing Israel in Lebanon was actually a powerful supporter of him. Probably it was not an appropriate time to do that then. He knew that he could not hit two huge birds with one stone and wanted to reach them one by one. And he was still feeble and not that experienced in evil deeds and just used to cherish his morbid ideas and his current position in the world. He knew the future, but America didn’t.
In the eyes of the US he was a narrow-minded unimportant slave who could serve them by threatening the Soviet interests. Furthermore, he was a wealthy slave who put in use his finances for the sake of their common plans willingly. And he was from a Saudi family very close to an American top elite family. His immediate relatives used to shake Bushes’ hands in Texas or back at home in Arabia. The US by no means regarded him as a terrorist. He was an ally on the side of democracy. He was amongst the liberators of Afghanistan. But then the tide turned.
The tide turned and things have come to a pretty pass when today we read The Lancet’s revelation that the Iraq war has cost 100 000 Iraqi lives, civilian lives with more than a half of those women and children killed in the US-led air strikes. As Independent puts it on its first page, “this is the first scientific study of the human cost of the Iraq war”. Clare Short has asked a logical question: “When will Tony Blair stop saying it is all beneficial for the Iraqi people since Saddam Hussein has gone? How many more lives are to be taken? It is no wonder, given this tragic death toll that the resistance to the occupation is growing”.
Actually the question must be put to Bush the Junior, the Saviour of his Father’s dignity and the Retaliator too: “Sir, how many more lives do you need?”
And the same question could be asked from Osama Ben Laden: “Sayyed, how much more blood do you feel thirsty for?”
We can see a perfect Triangle of Death.
By the way, “nervous and angry” British Black Watch arrived in the Triangle of Death in Iraq earlier today to replace Americans (and to support GW Bush’s falling candidacy). More troops, more clashes and more blood. Another Triangle of Death created by the first Triangle.
I dream a perfect day with three B’s (Bush, Blair, Ben Laden) sitting in Hague and answering questions similar to Clair Short’s one: “why did you allow your religious hatred, your thirst for oil, your toadyism to destroy so many lives, to ruin so many cities, to stop beating so many hearts???”
But in reality the stings of the three Bees have gone into the body of the wounded world too deeply. It takes decades to take them out.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Russia & Tajikistan: Friends Again
EURASIA INSIGHT
by Kambiz Arman 10/28/04
Russia has strengthened its strategic foothold in Central Asia with an unprecedented plan for military and economic cooperation with Tajikistan. A far-reaching strategic agreement allows Moscow to establish a permanent military base in Tajikistan and gives Russian companies opportunities to gain controlling interests in key Tajik economic sectors.
The agreement, signed on October 17 during an official state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Dushanbe, completes a stunning reversal in bilateral relations, which just a few years ago were infused with acrimony. In the months following the September 11 terrorist tragedy Tajik President Imomali Rahmonov explored closer ties with the United States, while distancing Dushanbe from Russia. . Of late, Russia has worked diligently to restore its geopolitical position in Tajikistan. Helping to force a reevaluation of Dushanbe’s diplomatic calculus was Tajikistan’s approximately $300-million debt to Russia.
The centerpiece of the Tajik-Russian deal is a base for 5,000 troops for Russia’s 201st Motorized Rifle Division. Establishing a permanent outpost in Tajikistan has long been a goal for the Kremlin. Analysts believe that the presence of US forces in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, along with NATO’s intensifying interest in the region, deepened the Kremlin’s resolve to secure a Tajik base.
Contrary to earlier Tajik objections, Russian commanders will be based in the capital, Dushanbe, with troops deployed in the southern cities of Kulab and Kurgan-Tyube. At the October 17 ceremony to open the base, Putin declared that "the base will boost peace and stability in Central Asia and throughout the former Soviet republics," the news agency RIA-Novosti reported. The Moscow daily Komsomolskaya Pravda added a more aggressive interpretation: the base, the paper wrote, will act as "a firm fist to protest Russian interests abroad."
A 49-year lease on an anti-missile warning system at Nurek topped off the base agreement. Under this deal, Russia will gain access to the Soviet-era military space observation center at Nurek and also an Okno anti-missile system. The handover was a clear quid pro quo: in exchange for granting Russia control of Nurek, Tajikistan will see $240 million of the $300 million in debt it owes to Moscow written off.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov commented that the Nurek facilities – leased at a nominal fee – will provide "a feeling of confidence as a minimum." Rahmonov, meanwhile, described the debt deal as "lifting a weight" from Tajikistan.
So far, Western governments have reacted calmly to the latest developments. On October 20, the day Putin left Dushanbe, NATO Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer flew to Tajikistan to sign a transit agreement for NATO flights into Afghanistan. The alliance uses air bases in Tajikistan, as well as US bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, to provide aerial support for its operations to the south. While stressing the desirability of "stronger" ties with the Central Asian state, de Hoop Scheffer told reporters that the defense collective did not see the Russian base agreement as cause for alarm. "There are good ties between NATO and Russia," he said. "Russia is not our rival."
That tone was an echo of earlier comments by US Ambassador to Tajikistan Richard E. Hoagland, who said a Russian base would not dampen US relations with Tajikistan. "Tajikistan, as any other independent nation, has a right to decide what is in its national interests independently," Hoagland said, according to Itar-Tass.
For now, the need for economic assistance appears to be driving Tajikistan’s diplomatic decisions. Overall, Russian private and state-owned companies are expected to invest up to $2 billion over the next five years into the Tajik economy, Putin said during his October 17-20 visit. In a country with an estimated GDP of just under $7 billion for 2003, that could grant Russian firms a sizeable interest in the local economy.
In addition to the debt relief provided for in the Nurek agreement, Tajikistan also stands to receive a $250 million investment in the Sangtuda hydroelectric station from Russian energy giant Unified Energy System (UES). Sangtuda has already secured up to $200 million in investment from neighbor Iran. Analysts have forecast that the UES involvement in Sangtuda, the country’s second largest hydropower station, will pit Russia against Iran. Yet Rahmonov already has made clear where Tajikistan believes its interests lie. "The activity of Russian companies has stepped up in Tajikistan, although all possibilities have not [been] used yet," Itar-Tass quoted Rahmonov as saying on October 16. "Foreign investors show more interest in our projects, including in the field of hydropower engineering. But we prefer our old friends and partners."
In return for giving Russia a stake in the 670-megawatt station, Tajikistan will see an additional $50 million of its debt to Russia cleared, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told reporters on October 16. "As a result, we will receive an appropriate block of shares after the construction of the plant is finished," Kudrin said. The construction project, with an estimated cost of between $320 million and $550 million, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008.
Construction, begun in 1987, stalled with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. If the station is not completed or if Russia does not receive an unspecified number of shares in Sangtuda, the $50 million debt will be reinstated, Kudrin said.
A similar assistance strategy appears to hold for another Tajik energy complex, the Rugun hydroelectric dam, located 110 kilometers to the southeast of Dushanbe. RusAl, one of the world’s three biggest aluminum companies, will provide $560 million to get the project, stalled since the 1980s, off the ground, Itar-Tass reported. In addition to its Rugun investment, RusAl will also pony up $600 million over the next five years for construction of an aluminum smelter in southern Tajikistan.
All told, the company plans to invest more than $10 billion in the Tajik economy within the next decade.
A key instrument in Russia’s efforts to restore its influence across the broader region may be the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO), which was established in 2002 as a regional free-trade vehicle among member states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. So far, frequent bickering among member states has frustrated attempts to promote free trade in Central Asia. At the organization’s October 18 summit in Dushanbe, Russia joined the organization, pledging to help address regional issues including hydropower, trade and the struggle to contain Islamic radicalism. With Russia’s inclusion, some analysts predict that the organization could gain fresh momentum – an analysis reflected in Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s words of welcome. "Russia will be a factor for stability in the region. We have always acknowledged and continue to acknowledge Russia’s historical and strategic interests in the region," the Uzbek leader said.
Editor’s Note: Kambiz Arman is the pseudonym for a Tajik journalist.
by Kambiz Arman 10/28/04
Russia has strengthened its strategic foothold in Central Asia with an unprecedented plan for military and economic cooperation with Tajikistan. A far-reaching strategic agreement allows Moscow to establish a permanent military base in Tajikistan and gives Russian companies opportunities to gain controlling interests in key Tajik economic sectors.
The agreement, signed on October 17 during an official state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Dushanbe, completes a stunning reversal in bilateral relations, which just a few years ago were infused with acrimony. In the months following the September 11 terrorist tragedy Tajik President Imomali Rahmonov explored closer ties with the United States, while distancing Dushanbe from Russia. . Of late, Russia has worked diligently to restore its geopolitical position in Tajikistan. Helping to force a reevaluation of Dushanbe’s diplomatic calculus was Tajikistan’s approximately $300-million debt to Russia.
The centerpiece of the Tajik-Russian deal is a base for 5,000 troops for Russia’s 201st Motorized Rifle Division. Establishing a permanent outpost in Tajikistan has long been a goal for the Kremlin. Analysts believe that the presence of US forces in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, along with NATO’s intensifying interest in the region, deepened the Kremlin’s resolve to secure a Tajik base.
Contrary to earlier Tajik objections, Russian commanders will be based in the capital, Dushanbe, with troops deployed in the southern cities of Kulab and Kurgan-Tyube. At the October 17 ceremony to open the base, Putin declared that "the base will boost peace and stability in Central Asia and throughout the former Soviet republics," the news agency RIA-Novosti reported. The Moscow daily Komsomolskaya Pravda added a more aggressive interpretation: the base, the paper wrote, will act as "a firm fist to protest Russian interests abroad."
A 49-year lease on an anti-missile warning system at Nurek topped off the base agreement. Under this deal, Russia will gain access to the Soviet-era military space observation center at Nurek and also an Okno anti-missile system. The handover was a clear quid pro quo: in exchange for granting Russia control of Nurek, Tajikistan will see $240 million of the $300 million in debt it owes to Moscow written off.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov commented that the Nurek facilities – leased at a nominal fee – will provide "a feeling of confidence as a minimum." Rahmonov, meanwhile, described the debt deal as "lifting a weight" from Tajikistan.
So far, Western governments have reacted calmly to the latest developments. On October 20, the day Putin left Dushanbe, NATO Secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer flew to Tajikistan to sign a transit agreement for NATO flights into Afghanistan. The alliance uses air bases in Tajikistan, as well as US bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, to provide aerial support for its operations to the south. While stressing the desirability of "stronger" ties with the Central Asian state, de Hoop Scheffer told reporters that the defense collective did not see the Russian base agreement as cause for alarm. "There are good ties between NATO and Russia," he said. "Russia is not our rival."
That tone was an echo of earlier comments by US Ambassador to Tajikistan Richard E. Hoagland, who said a Russian base would not dampen US relations with Tajikistan. "Tajikistan, as any other independent nation, has a right to decide what is in its national interests independently," Hoagland said, according to Itar-Tass.
For now, the need for economic assistance appears to be driving Tajikistan’s diplomatic decisions. Overall, Russian private and state-owned companies are expected to invest up to $2 billion over the next five years into the Tajik economy, Putin said during his October 17-20 visit. In a country with an estimated GDP of just under $7 billion for 2003, that could grant Russian firms a sizeable interest in the local economy.
In addition to the debt relief provided for in the Nurek agreement, Tajikistan also stands to receive a $250 million investment in the Sangtuda hydroelectric station from Russian energy giant Unified Energy System (UES). Sangtuda has already secured up to $200 million in investment from neighbor Iran. Analysts have forecast that the UES involvement in Sangtuda, the country’s second largest hydropower station, will pit Russia against Iran. Yet Rahmonov already has made clear where Tajikistan believes its interests lie. "The activity of Russian companies has stepped up in Tajikistan, although all possibilities have not [been] used yet," Itar-Tass quoted Rahmonov as saying on October 16. "Foreign investors show more interest in our projects, including in the field of hydropower engineering. But we prefer our old friends and partners."
In return for giving Russia a stake in the 670-megawatt station, Tajikistan will see an additional $50 million of its debt to Russia cleared, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin told reporters on October 16. "As a result, we will receive an appropriate block of shares after the construction of the plant is finished," Kudrin said. The construction project, with an estimated cost of between $320 million and $550 million, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008.
Construction, begun in 1987, stalled with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. If the station is not completed or if Russia does not receive an unspecified number of shares in Sangtuda, the $50 million debt will be reinstated, Kudrin said.
A similar assistance strategy appears to hold for another Tajik energy complex, the Rugun hydroelectric dam, located 110 kilometers to the southeast of Dushanbe. RusAl, one of the world’s three biggest aluminum companies, will provide $560 million to get the project, stalled since the 1980s, off the ground, Itar-Tass reported. In addition to its Rugun investment, RusAl will also pony up $600 million over the next five years for construction of an aluminum smelter in southern Tajikistan.
All told, the company plans to invest more than $10 billion in the Tajik economy within the next decade.
A key instrument in Russia’s efforts to restore its influence across the broader region may be the Central Asian Cooperation Organization (CACO), which was established in 2002 as a regional free-trade vehicle among member states Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. So far, frequent bickering among member states has frustrated attempts to promote free trade in Central Asia. At the organization’s October 18 summit in Dushanbe, Russia joined the organization, pledging to help address regional issues including hydropower, trade and the struggle to contain Islamic radicalism. With Russia’s inclusion, some analysts predict that the organization could gain fresh momentum – an analysis reflected in Uzbek President Islam Karimov’s words of welcome. "Russia will be a factor for stability in the region. We have always acknowledged and continue to acknowledge Russia’s historical and strategic interests in the region," the Uzbek leader said.
Editor’s Note: Kambiz Arman is the pseudonym for a Tajik journalist.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Stop Tearing Apart Your Body!
He’s lived a life which many people, including Ariel Sharon envy him for, despite the fact that he is hated by a plenty of his internal and external opponents. Even Islamic Republic of Iran widely-considered as the protector of the Muslims’ (particularly Palestinians’) rights turned his back to him and accused him of betraying the Palestinian interests.
However, Yasir Arafat during 75 years of his life proved himself as a most charismatic Palestinian figure and all other promoters of the Palestinian case tend to be seen in his shadow, rather than independent on him. Since only Arafat is the most popular figure who came in the known on the wave of the Palestinian resistance, occupied its leadership and as it seems now, he will stay in that position until his last breath. This is happening against American and Israeli wills, who have tried to overshadow him as much as they could, by promoting other Palestinian personalities, but in vain.
However, at the moment Arafat’s extreme popularity may have uneasy consequences for his successor. Nobody knows if he has pre-designated anyone for that post. And the weight of his popularity might be too heavy for his successor.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s constitution, Arafat would be succeeded by the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmed Korei. But still, we are talking about a Constitution which has yet to be fully ratified.
Arafat’s death used to be considered as a pink dream of the Israeli government. And I believe still it is. But Sharon’s administration is trying to act more humanly by allowing Arafat to leave his compound if he needed. The angry dying Arab has denied the offer.
Nevertheless the offer was renewed and Arafat was allowed to make a 4-minute-journey to Ramallah hospital and to go back to his compound straight away, before his Israeli rulers would lose their temper and would speed up his death. Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz even showed more humanity by permitting Jordanian doctors to examine him. God bless you!
But it’s the same person Israel accuses of fomenting violence in the Palestinian territories. The same Yasir Arafat confined to his compound by the Israeli army since 2001. A man who believes exactly the contrary of Israeli accusations and convinced that he is trying to free his own nation from the oppression of the occupiers.
Certainly, his role was not effective enough in attempts to calm down the intifada and this point served as a pretext for Israelis and Americans to sideline him. But his apparent effortlessness was not and is not worse than Israeli plenteous efforts to deepen the conflict. I can’t even believe in truthfulness of the Tuesday’s decision to dismantle the Jewish settlements in Gaza Strip. It is just incredible given Israeli records. Something else should happen…
And it will happen with no Yasir Arafat as the main Palestinian leader to regard and no other figure to substitute him fully in a short period.
While they are closest bloody brothers! They speak in 2 very close Semitic languages. The words for “hello”, “father”, “land”, “five”, “house” in Arabic and Hebrew sound very similar and give up their close kinship: “as-salaam 'aleykom” – “shalom aleykhem”, “abbun” – “abaa”, “arz’” – “ezr”, “khamsa” – “khamsha”, “bait” – “bet”… Even the words of “ebri” (Hebrew) and “arab” (Arab) derived from the same root with the same meaning: Bedouin (nomad).
Thus, remember your common ancestors and lay down your bloody guns, Semites! And let us live a life without the angst of seeing your pains. Ahura-Mazda will forgive you, if you will forgive each other…
It seems my sixth predecessor, who I don’t know, was a good preacher… but whatever I said, was from the bottom of my heart.
However, Yasir Arafat during 75 years of his life proved himself as a most charismatic Palestinian figure and all other promoters of the Palestinian case tend to be seen in his shadow, rather than independent on him. Since only Arafat is the most popular figure who came in the known on the wave of the Palestinian resistance, occupied its leadership and as it seems now, he will stay in that position until his last breath. This is happening against American and Israeli wills, who have tried to overshadow him as much as they could, by promoting other Palestinian personalities, but in vain.
However, at the moment Arafat’s extreme popularity may have uneasy consequences for his successor. Nobody knows if he has pre-designated anyone for that post. And the weight of his popularity might be too heavy for his successor.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s constitution, Arafat would be succeeded by the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmed Korei. But still, we are talking about a Constitution which has yet to be fully ratified.
Arafat’s death used to be considered as a pink dream of the Israeli government. And I believe still it is. But Sharon’s administration is trying to act more humanly by allowing Arafat to leave his compound if he needed. The angry dying Arab has denied the offer.
Nevertheless the offer was renewed and Arafat was allowed to make a 4-minute-journey to Ramallah hospital and to go back to his compound straight away, before his Israeli rulers would lose their temper and would speed up his death. Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz even showed more humanity by permitting Jordanian doctors to examine him. God bless you!
But it’s the same person Israel accuses of fomenting violence in the Palestinian territories. The same Yasir Arafat confined to his compound by the Israeli army since 2001. A man who believes exactly the contrary of Israeli accusations and convinced that he is trying to free his own nation from the oppression of the occupiers.
Certainly, his role was not effective enough in attempts to calm down the intifada and this point served as a pretext for Israelis and Americans to sideline him. But his apparent effortlessness was not and is not worse than Israeli plenteous efforts to deepen the conflict. I can’t even believe in truthfulness of the Tuesday’s decision to dismantle the Jewish settlements in Gaza Strip. It is just incredible given Israeli records. Something else should happen…
And it will happen with no Yasir Arafat as the main Palestinian leader to regard and no other figure to substitute him fully in a short period.
While they are closest bloody brothers! They speak in 2 very close Semitic languages. The words for “hello”, “father”, “land”, “five”, “house” in Arabic and Hebrew sound very similar and give up their close kinship: “as-salaam 'aleykom” – “shalom aleykhem”, “abbun” – “abaa”, “arz’” – “ezr”, “khamsa” – “khamsha”, “bait” – “bet”… Even the words of “ebri” (Hebrew) and “arab” (Arab) derived from the same root with the same meaning: Bedouin (nomad).
Thus, remember your common ancestors and lay down your bloody guns, Semites! And let us live a life without the angst of seeing your pains. Ahura-Mazda will forgive you, if you will forgive each other…
It seems my sixth predecessor, who I don’t know, was a good preacher… but whatever I said, was from the bottom of my heart.
The Dream I Knew
A closest friend of mine says in her blog:
"She dreamt that the walls in her house have cracks, and after some time she saw her house ruined and she knew her children were in there. She started crying wailing “God why did you let it happen, how could you let it happen!?” and she heard a voice in reply: “I tried to talk to through those cracks on the walls but you could not read me…”
And she cuts short there. Out of a blue I felt that I knew the continuation of the dream (but in my narration her house was still erect with the very cracks):
"Suddenly she realized that the light she was thirsty for, was coming in through the very cracks of the wall; for she had never bothered herself before with thoughts about a window in her gloomy hut. And the kids were watching the game of light and shadow produced by the cracks and enjoying themselves. The Sun rays started caressing her craving skin and she just wanted to give herself up to the rays she had never touched before. She wanted to get a proper sunbath, but still was afraid to leave the hut.
She picked up a knife and unconsciously started drawing new lines on the wall and transforming them into new cracks and letting the illuminating power to sneak in and brighten up the hut. She noticed that her hand with the knife was trembling and all her body started shivering and her heart was the main cause of the tremble. After realizing the notions of time and place she found herself wailing as a widow, weeping histerically and murmuring a sad song she'd sung in her granny's funeral. Her distorted voice made her realize that her wail was over and now she was laughing histerically...
She closed her door to everyone just watching the dancing light which was still pouring in through the cracks and her eyes were completely out of control, re-producing the water she had ever drunk in her lifetime and her lips were playing games by curving in both ways: up and down...
Before the dream was over, the Crack-maker came in with a guilty look in his timid eyes... But her lips found a perfect state: they went up and didn't come down again until she woke up in her hot and humid bed.
She looked out of the window. The street was swimming in the mild spring sunrays.
"She dreamt that the walls in her house have cracks, and after some time she saw her house ruined and she knew her children were in there. She started crying wailing “God why did you let it happen, how could you let it happen!?” and she heard a voice in reply: “I tried to talk to through those cracks on the walls but you could not read me…”
And she cuts short there. Out of a blue I felt that I knew the continuation of the dream (but in my narration her house was still erect with the very cracks):
"Suddenly she realized that the light she was thirsty for, was coming in through the very cracks of the wall; for she had never bothered herself before with thoughts about a window in her gloomy hut. And the kids were watching the game of light and shadow produced by the cracks and enjoying themselves. The Sun rays started caressing her craving skin and she just wanted to give herself up to the rays she had never touched before. She wanted to get a proper sunbath, but still was afraid to leave the hut.
She picked up a knife and unconsciously started drawing new lines on the wall and transforming them into new cracks and letting the illuminating power to sneak in and brighten up the hut. She noticed that her hand with the knife was trembling and all her body started shivering and her heart was the main cause of the tremble. After realizing the notions of time and place she found herself wailing as a widow, weeping histerically and murmuring a sad song she'd sung in her granny's funeral. Her distorted voice made her realize that her wail was over and now she was laughing histerically...
She closed her door to everyone just watching the dancing light which was still pouring in through the cracks and her eyes were completely out of control, re-producing the water she had ever drunk in her lifetime and her lips were playing games by curving in both ways: up and down...
Before the dream was over, the Crack-maker came in with a guilty look in his timid eyes... But her lips found a perfect state: they went up and didn't come down again until she woke up in her hot and humid bed.
She looked out of the window. The street was swimming in the mild spring sunrays.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Smiles & tears, talks & walks...
A day full of smiles and tears of Tahmine, semi-scientific talks and walks with Esphandiar to Alexandra Park and Wood Green and back home, Anoush & Mehrnoush's laughters and quarrels... A quiet Sunday and TV... Tina Turner suffering under her husband's fists and legs, ruthless bastard beating and kicking the bird of the decade, before she gets enough and runs away from her skunky husband and starts a new life enjoying the fame and glory of a real pop star in America.
It was just one event of the relief of a prisoner. But imagine how many other women are tolerating the same situation or even worse than that. Tina's husband wanted her money only as... Oh my God, such a coincidence! I just recalled a movie which I saw last week on 2 sisters from Moldova forced to go to Serbia, while they'd been promised to be taken to London. And right now the second part of the series is on!
The sisters find themselves among a gang of bastards with many other girls like themselves to serve as sex-slaves. They had to give all the money they earned through pain and shame to those bastards... And ironically, some American troops in Kosovo were involved in sex trafficking. The series' name is the same "Sex traffic". It is based on real fatcs.
I said "ironically", because whatever I say these days ends up with finding another American "virtue", while I sincerely don't wish to do that! Believe me, tonight I just wanted to say few words about Tina's pains and compare it with the calamities of, say, Tajik, Uzbek, Afghan or Indian women in their families , but the thread of my thoughts took me to American topic again. Without any intention. It seems realities are too americanized these days. And thats a consequence of it.
I wished not to work tomorrow, I mean later on today, but this is my duty. Let me crawl to my bed a bit earlier tonight. I doubt it though.
It was just one event of the relief of a prisoner. But imagine how many other women are tolerating the same situation or even worse than that. Tina's husband wanted her money only as... Oh my God, such a coincidence! I just recalled a movie which I saw last week on 2 sisters from Moldova forced to go to Serbia, while they'd been promised to be taken to London. And right now the second part of the series is on!
The sisters find themselves among a gang of bastards with many other girls like themselves to serve as sex-slaves. They had to give all the money they earned through pain and shame to those bastards... And ironically, some American troops in Kosovo were involved in sex trafficking. The series' name is the same "Sex traffic". It is based on real fatcs.
I said "ironically", because whatever I say these days ends up with finding another American "virtue", while I sincerely don't wish to do that! Believe me, tonight I just wanted to say few words about Tina's pains and compare it with the calamities of, say, Tajik, Uzbek, Afghan or Indian women in their families , but the thread of my thoughts took me to American topic again. Without any intention. It seems realities are too americanized these days. And thats a consequence of it.
I wished not to work tomorrow, I mean later on today, but this is my duty. Let me crawl to my bed a bit earlier tonight. I doubt it though.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
3rd Dorud
The drizzling rain was murmuring all the day making my eyes watery too. Don't know why, but drizzle makes me feel too nostalgic and takes me back to my old days in a country called Tajikistan built up by direct involvement of Ahura-Mazda with the most beautiful rivers and pastures and the most breath-taking mountains...
The fusion of the rain and what was coming out of my eyes (don't wanna name it precisely) did not give up my melancholic mood to strangers. Even if it did, does anybody care in here what is happening in someone else's heart? Individualism has built up a high and strong barrier between everybody in this society and I should have felt confused and irritated if somebody would have asked me about my state. In that case I am supposed to wear a stupid look like "sorry, what the nonsense you said?", then redden and tremble with anger just thinking "how s/he dared to approach me and interfere in my personal affair?!" and then at best spit with disgust on the floor, at worst on his/her face.
Good news: Siddiq Barmak has recovered after his yesteday's terrible headache caused by fasting. Did you know that it is Ramadan month for Muslims now going on? The Q & A session went on very smoothly. It was a good one contained of praises and challenges sent by our audience from across the globe. Perfectly ballanced. Although there were some furious messages accusing Barmak of anti-Pashtoon and/or anti-Islamic approach in his work, I reckon his Osama is a real salvation for war-stricken ruined Afghan film industry.
And now, at 1:30 AM again those big mouthes on the screen speaking about Iraq. Tony Blair is shouting with a distorted voice and angry look that "sending Black Watch (British troops) to Iraq has nothing to do with the American elections!" And he is shouting out that message amidst the furious voices of many backbenchers, as if trying to overshout and silence all dissident voices. The more obvious the lie is the louder the liar shouts. Just in order to nail the deceit in the public opinion. But fortunately, that nail is usully curved and useless in Britain. It seems that most of the people in here are aware of the real purpose of the additional force detachment to Iraq.
Tony is a real crony of George's. I'm sure if George will burp in a party, Tony will beg a pardon from guests. Which means he's more than a crony for George. He wants to enhance George's broken face in eyes of many Americans who do not approve getting deeper into the Iraqi quagmire by losing their children and popularity across the world. American popularity fatally damaged by Bush and his cronies.
Thus, by sending the British Black Watch to fight under American command Tony is providing his George with an ace to defeat John Kerry; to enable him to brag that his tight ties with Tony will prevent many Americans from meeting their deaths in the Arab land. British troops can replace them and they are doing! So, my dear country fellows, follow me and vote for me!
The funny thing: such a grotesque figure still enjoys certain popularity in his country, while half of the world is laughing at him and the other half is crying from the pain given by him; while nowadays the formerly popular America has to listen to anti-American slogans chanted in more and more countries of the world. Few days ago I could hear them just beside my house from a European anti-american gathering. Thousands of back-packers were cursing a guy who has played with the world's destiny.
However, all three presidential debates between the two main rivals revealed the funny side of his personality even more than before. It was a real fun to watch it for me, while chewing Iranian pistachious and sipping a black coffee to keep myself awake up to the end of the comedy. Then I understood there was no need for coffee. George was funny enough and John Kerry was clever enough to make a perfect company for me.
Oh my God, look at the time! 2:15am with no comedy? Awake? Magic of the blog!
But the time in my blog is not showing the right time yet. Gotta fix it, but not now. Too late.
Bedrud!
The fusion of the rain and what was coming out of my eyes (don't wanna name it precisely) did not give up my melancholic mood to strangers. Even if it did, does anybody care in here what is happening in someone else's heart? Individualism has built up a high and strong barrier between everybody in this society and I should have felt confused and irritated if somebody would have asked me about my state. In that case I am supposed to wear a stupid look like "sorry, what the nonsense you said?", then redden and tremble with anger just thinking "how s/he dared to approach me and interfere in my personal affair?!" and then at best spit with disgust on the floor, at worst on his/her face.
Good news: Siddiq Barmak has recovered after his yesteday's terrible headache caused by fasting. Did you know that it is Ramadan month for Muslims now going on? The Q & A session went on very smoothly. It was a good one contained of praises and challenges sent by our audience from across the globe. Perfectly ballanced. Although there were some furious messages accusing Barmak of anti-Pashtoon and/or anti-Islamic approach in his work, I reckon his Osama is a real salvation for war-stricken ruined Afghan film industry.
And now, at 1:30 AM again those big mouthes on the screen speaking about Iraq. Tony Blair is shouting with a distorted voice and angry look that "sending Black Watch (British troops) to Iraq has nothing to do with the American elections!" And he is shouting out that message amidst the furious voices of many backbenchers, as if trying to overshout and silence all dissident voices. The more obvious the lie is the louder the liar shouts. Just in order to nail the deceit in the public opinion. But fortunately, that nail is usully curved and useless in Britain. It seems that most of the people in here are aware of the real purpose of the additional force detachment to Iraq.
Tony is a real crony of George's. I'm sure if George will burp in a party, Tony will beg a pardon from guests. Which means he's more than a crony for George. He wants to enhance George's broken face in eyes of many Americans who do not approve getting deeper into the Iraqi quagmire by losing their children and popularity across the world. American popularity fatally damaged by Bush and his cronies.
Thus, by sending the British Black Watch to fight under American command Tony is providing his George with an ace to defeat John Kerry; to enable him to brag that his tight ties with Tony will prevent many Americans from meeting their deaths in the Arab land. British troops can replace them and they are doing! So, my dear country fellows, follow me and vote for me!
The funny thing: such a grotesque figure still enjoys certain popularity in his country, while half of the world is laughing at him and the other half is crying from the pain given by him; while nowadays the formerly popular America has to listen to anti-American slogans chanted in more and more countries of the world. Few days ago I could hear them just beside my house from a European anti-american gathering. Thousands of back-packers were cursing a guy who has played with the world's destiny.
However, all three presidential debates between the two main rivals revealed the funny side of his personality even more than before. It was a real fun to watch it for me, while chewing Iranian pistachious and sipping a black coffee to keep myself awake up to the end of the comedy. Then I understood there was no need for coffee. George was funny enough and John Kerry was clever enough to make a perfect company for me.
Oh my God, look at the time! 2:15am with no comedy? Awake? Magic of the blog!
But the time in my blog is not showing the right time yet. Gotta fix it, but not now. Too late.
Bedrud!
Saturday, October 23, 2004
2nd Dorud
A long day with a late start and a sad ending...
A mate behind a chatline and my apathy do not allow me to share all my today's adventures...
The only frustrating part of my day-time work: couldn't get Siddiq Barmak for a question and answer session we had agreed about a couple of days ago. He's left his house in Kabul in terrible headache for a hospital... Hope he feels better by now and will be available tomorrow.
The sad part was related with tonight's Evening Standard with Margaret Hassan's hurting picture on the first page: a face of pain, sorrow and fear under command of Iraqi captors. A British-born woman who's dedicated 30 years of her life to that country, who had critisized Western powers for their sanctions against Saddam Hossain's Iraq, who had ignored her friends' warnings about possible threats against her life and their advice to leave the country... Now she is pleading the British people to save her life, begging Tony Blair to withdraw troops from Iraq, to prevent her from facing Ken Bigley's fate, who was beheaded by similar animals just few days ago...
Why should our lives depend on donkeys who carry big carriages called Super Powers, who has ruined thousands of fates and has blackened thousands of futures?
Why does Margaret has to beg and accept humiliation in order to get her own deserved right to live a proper life? How come some human-shaped animals can deprive her from divine right of living? How can they usurp the right of God to take away somebody's breath? Can they achieve any liberty by a murder or by threatening to kill a human being, a Woman? Will these atrocities open the wide shut eyes of the Donkeys to realities?
I doubt it very much. Ken Bigley's story circulating in the press for quite a few days disappeared from mass and mouth media as soon as he lost his precious life for nothing by nothings. Blair got away with a slight heart problem fixed up immediately in a high-ranked hospital and left his Hammersmith heart-op hospital with a wide smile on his untrust-worthy lips. G.W. Bush even didn't bother himself to learn how to pronounce the vistim's name. But apparently the killers haven't learnt a lesson from it and are demonstrating the evil, dark and savage side of an animal called human-being again...
But meanwhile, the third page of ES proves again that life is a weird gizmo. Madonna is still busy with her Kabbalahism, throwing extravagant parties with more than 1000 police officers drafted in to protect the Kaballahist singer and her dear guests, probably the potential followers of the ancient form of Jewish mysticism. 1000 police officers for our dear singer, who I like indeed... while Margaret Hassan needs just one protector and there is none... Pathetic paradox, innit?
And there was a funny part of my day today as well. My colleagues were trying to contact an expert on international affairs. There was an automatic answering message with the American National Antheme at background: "Hello. This is President George W. Bush. You have reached my number: 0, 7, 5, hmmm 8, 0, umm don't remember, 6,9. If you wanna negotiate just leave a message. Otherwise, it is war!"
And I left a message saying: "Hhallo Prresident Bush! Dis is Osama Ben Laden, calling from Torra Borra. You know hhow to get back to me! So, give me a call! Dank you!"
People are trying to dig up a fun out of their calamities, nah?
So, my day was funny, happy, bleak, sad, annoying and cheering at the same time, as the Life itself is.
A mate behind a chatline and my apathy do not allow me to share all my today's adventures...
The only frustrating part of my day-time work: couldn't get Siddiq Barmak for a question and answer session we had agreed about a couple of days ago. He's left his house in Kabul in terrible headache for a hospital... Hope he feels better by now and will be available tomorrow.
The sad part was related with tonight's Evening Standard with Margaret Hassan's hurting picture on the first page: a face of pain, sorrow and fear under command of Iraqi captors. A British-born woman who's dedicated 30 years of her life to that country, who had critisized Western powers for their sanctions against Saddam Hossain's Iraq, who had ignored her friends' warnings about possible threats against her life and their advice to leave the country... Now she is pleading the British people to save her life, begging Tony Blair to withdraw troops from Iraq, to prevent her from facing Ken Bigley's fate, who was beheaded by similar animals just few days ago...
Why should our lives depend on donkeys who carry big carriages called Super Powers, who has ruined thousands of fates and has blackened thousands of futures?
Why does Margaret has to beg and accept humiliation in order to get her own deserved right to live a proper life? How come some human-shaped animals can deprive her from divine right of living? How can they usurp the right of God to take away somebody's breath? Can they achieve any liberty by a murder or by threatening to kill a human being, a Woman? Will these atrocities open the wide shut eyes of the Donkeys to realities?
I doubt it very much. Ken Bigley's story circulating in the press for quite a few days disappeared from mass and mouth media as soon as he lost his precious life for nothing by nothings. Blair got away with a slight heart problem fixed up immediately in a high-ranked hospital and left his Hammersmith heart-op hospital with a wide smile on his untrust-worthy lips. G.W. Bush even didn't bother himself to learn how to pronounce the vistim's name. But apparently the killers haven't learnt a lesson from it and are demonstrating the evil, dark and savage side of an animal called human-being again...
But meanwhile, the third page of ES proves again that life is a weird gizmo. Madonna is still busy with her Kabbalahism, throwing extravagant parties with more than 1000 police officers drafted in to protect the Kaballahist singer and her dear guests, probably the potential followers of the ancient form of Jewish mysticism. 1000 police officers for our dear singer, who I like indeed... while Margaret Hassan needs just one protector and there is none... Pathetic paradox, innit?
And there was a funny part of my day today as well. My colleagues were trying to contact an expert on international affairs. There was an automatic answering message with the American National Antheme at background: "Hello. This is President George W. Bush. You have reached my number: 0, 7, 5, hmmm 8, 0, umm don't remember, 6,9. If you wanna negotiate just leave a message. Otherwise, it is war!"
And I left a message saying: "Hhallo Prresident Bush! Dis is Osama Ben Laden, calling from Torra Borra. You know hhow to get back to me! So, give me a call! Dank you!"
People are trying to dig up a fun out of their calamities, nah?
So, my day was funny, happy, bleak, sad, annoying and cheering at the same time, as the Life itself is.
Friday, October 22, 2004
Dorud, which means hello!
Whoever is reading this page, dorud bar to! I mean, hello and peace to you!
Hope you are in an appropriate mood to read these lines without falling asleep in halfway or spitting on the monitor with disgust (which is a way to calm oneself down, probably through feeling of embarrassment and the sense of guilt which follows spitting... whatever!)
I am Darius, a little drop of this multi-billion-drop ocean, who has his own things to say. Physically live in London, mentally belong to the Greater Iran, philosophically consider the whole Galaxy my own home, as if it has been bought by my lately Dad ages ago.
Do whatever I wanna do, live however I like to live and trying to say whatsoever comes to my mind. And expect the same from you as well, my readers. Drop a line, if not feeling too lazy!
I will get back very shortly and won't let you miss me too much.
Bedrud, which means see ya!
Hope you are in an appropriate mood to read these lines without falling asleep in halfway or spitting on the monitor with disgust (which is a way to calm oneself down, probably through feeling of embarrassment and the sense of guilt which follows spitting... whatever!)
I am Darius, a little drop of this multi-billion-drop ocean, who has his own things to say. Physically live in London, mentally belong to the Greater Iran, philosophically consider the whole Galaxy my own home, as if it has been bought by my lately Dad ages ago.
Do whatever I wanna do, live however I like to live and trying to say whatsoever comes to my mind. And expect the same from you as well, my readers. Drop a line, if not feeling too lazy!
I will get back very shortly and won't let you miss me too much.
Bedrud, which means see ya!
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