Call Me Anything But Do Not Call Me Sir... by Jamil Shawwa

I knew that I got older or old, it depends how you and I look at things, when a 20 years old girl called me Sir at a restaurant here nearby the job. I went to my usual place but not in my usual time, and the place was packed by, yes, you guessed it, young people or younger people, couples around 20 something, beautiful girls but all hooked, there was not even one for Jamil to look at just as at least an appetizer. Any way, I sat on my usual booth only for one but on that day I did not get my usual waitress, everything is crumbling around me, I tell you. Instead, I got her mother, a fine Vietnamese woman who was the most gracious. I went ahead and ordered the usual, but the place and the people looked unusual. I was probably the oldest in the crowd, I even felt some eyes looking towards me not with admiration but with some sort of “what is Daddy doing here, go away". I ignored all the looks, and focused on my food until the kids, see I'm old, I'm calling them kids, next table decided to play a little, so the boyfriend threw something at his girlfriend but it did not hit her, what is she thinking, still keeping that boyfriend, is she crazy, instead it landed perfectly next to me in my booth. I looked a little to see what is going on, and the guy looked up to me and apologized saying sorry Sir, then his beautiful companion made it worse, when she gave me a very sensual, alarming swing from her eyes and said with a heavenly voice, Sorry... Sir. I said any time; I meant to say no problem. That is it with me, call me anything you need, but do not call me Sir. To make the story short, I will continue to go to that restaurant; maybe the girls will bring their Moms.

Mr. Brown's Magnum Opus by Jamil Shawwa

The news coming from Great Britain is mixed, no clear picture yet as when the next parliamentary election will be held, though some news is indicating May 8 as the date.

The other piece of information that came from England in the past few days is that the conservative party- Tory- lead by Mr. Cameron has hired the international advertising firm Saatchi to revamp the party's campaign and put life back to the momentum that the conservatives few months ago thought they had to win the next elections.

The polls indicating that the Labour party is closing the gap quickly which makes it an election difficult to predict right now? The third piece of information is the announcement from the biggest tabloid newspaper, The Sun, supporting for the first time the conservative ticket rather than the Labour.

These three pieces if put together- aside from the Sun endorsement- would definitely tell us that Mr. Brown who everyone thought would be another John Major- the prime minister that succeeded Margaret Thatcher in the early 90s- might pull a big surprise and win the next elections.

If he wins, it would be one of the biggest surprises in Britain in generations. I say that for the following reasons: Mr. Brown succeeded the charismatic Tony Blair in a time that the Labour party has been in office for three terms, and one thing about the British is that they like change, probably as any other developed and democratic country, but also the British like to pump new blood in their political life. Tony Blair, as Margaret Thatcher before him, though won the elections did not stay in power for all the terms; the parties do not like to have leaders who stay too long even if they were winning leaders. The second reason is that Mr. Brown governs Britain in a time of economic downturn, housing market is down as in the US, unemployment rising and third which was a big one few months ago but started to lose steam as time goes by is the British participation in the war in Iraq.

These in my opinion are the main reasons that will shape and are shaping the next elections. The other sidetrack was the discovery of a financial scandal that rocked some members of the Labour party whom the news reported accepted bribes or gifts from lobbying groups to pass some projects.

Again, David Cameron does not come across as Margret Thatcher did when she brought down the Labour government and then broke down the solid influence the Labour unions England had prior to her won.

The times anyway are different. Mr. Brown had a guiding light on his side in Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the Exchequer- equivalent to the secretary of the treasury here in the US and usually the number two in the British government hierarchy- who is very articulate, besides the point right now if what he says stands correct or not, and very methodological in his thoughts.

I saw Mr. Darling the other day in a session of the House of Commons broadcasted on C-Span and I was amazed from the attention he got while talking, not only from his party but also from the conservatives, they were all just staring at the person.

In politics and in England this can be the ticket to win the elections. Probably, millions of people all over the UK who are ready to reshape the political map of England also noticed what I have noticed.

I hate to do this, but I am going to do it, and probably I am swimming against the tide or just being so naive that I think a speech from a politician would really make a difference but I think the Labour party might be on the verge of winning the elections. What Mr. Brown lacks in charisma, he does not have it, I used to change the channel when he first came to office, he compensates in steady political temperament and noticeable perseverance.

He withered all the storms since Blair left office, and he absorbed like a sponge the committee to investigate the Iraq war, the financial collapse, the scandals within his party and the multiple resignations of different cabinet members in the past year.

Mr. Brown reminds me in looks and in political shrewdness with our former president Richard- Dick-Nixon without the paranoia and the Watergate scandal. I even want to go further to say that he now looks more confident than Richard Nixon ever was.

Mr. Brown has Mr. Darling, if he wins, whom he needs to keep but revamp the cabinet, maybe change the foreign minister and other key members. He needs to continue to talk about how he has the plan to left Britain from the financial downturn and polish the dust off its status. He also might need to tackle the complete participation in the monetary system with the EU. Mr. Brown does not want Germany to be the only dealmaker in Europe.

*How to Train Your Dragon ........ Critical Review by Jamil Shawwa

The story of this movie begins with a new generation of Vikings prepare to take over the profession of their forbearers, hunting, torturing, and chasing dragons all over the universe. The star of the movie, a boy by the name of Hiccup was not into this business, and therefore was ignored in the first quarter of the movie. He felt that he was different; he had questions about this profession. The story continues with Hiccup as he stumbles with a notorious dragon that could not fly, so he attends to it and created an artificial wing for this dragon. Hiccup called this fearless creature, Toothless. He thought in the beginning that the dragon did not have teeth. The dragon felt the love, and Hiccup kept this relationship hidden from the other Vikings who ridiculed him for not being a real Viking. The story evolved to the point that the secret was uncovered and the decisive moment came when Hiccup threw his weapons and in a show refused to kill any of the caged dragons. His father disavowed him. Hiccup questioned the methods and this way of life and decided that enough bloodshed and enough killings. In a conversation with his father, Hiccup said that the time has come to make peace with the dragons and the father answered but how can we do that and they killed thousands of us, Hiccup answered that we did the same. Hiccup managed at some point to help the Vikings change their way when the dragons nest was uncovered and every one found out that the dragons themselves were hostages to a zealous dragon who kept them jailed in the mountain. While the Vikings were chasing the dragons in that mountain, they released them but angered the zealous dragon. The story keeps going on to show a new alliance between the Vikings and the dragons in the fight against that monster dragon. The story is well done and the visual effects were marvelous, though I opted to watch the cheaper version, no 3D, but still was fantastic. The bottom line is this, everything is possible, and the enemies of yesterday can be allied today. It takes sometimes one courageous person to change the world and the mindset, that person in that story was a weak underachiever, ignored boy by the name of Hiccup.

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* check link to movie trailer at the end of this page.

Germany To The Rescue......by Jamil Shawwa

Germany has just lead- with France- the European Union to create a monetary package to rescue the financially struggling Greece into some sort of an economic relief. The news also indicated that the EU countries agreed on Germany's demand to have the IMF- International Monetary Fund headquartered here in Washington DC- to be involved in the process. I do not have details yet about the technical terms of the deal but the symbols are more important, in my opinion. What an irony, over sixty five years ago, Germany, hijacked by a criminal minded gangs, the Nazis- dragged the world and humanity to disaster, invaded Europe in the name of German purity and refused any offers for peace and inclusion. Now, today, Germany insists, despite the opposition of some European Union members, to include the world community in the financial efforts to rescue a member country. Other European countries wanted to keep this affair within the EU, Germany said no; the world must witness and approve. Things have evolved dramatically for this nation. Germany's creativity and leadership abilities are shaping Europe's present and will continue to contribute peacefully to world efforts. The Germans though are very smart, they still did not want to come across- wisely, so- as leading Europe or as if, they are intervening in another European's country affairs by offering easy money or immediate loans. Germany until the last minute continued to insist that Greece has to meet certain economic conditions to qualify for this rescue package and that there must be an involvement from the world community represented by the IMF to ensure that this process is not an isolationist process or regional process. Smart move from the New Germany.

*Who Are You......by Jamil Shawwa

Background: She tries repeatedly to test him. However, maybe she is fed- up. Let us see.
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She: Who are you..

He: oh, please, not again, I give up; I do not get it

She: you never did sweetie but anyway let us move on.. Maybe there is still hope to reform you.

He: ok, I will go along, whispering, I guess I have no choice, it has been a while, and I need to be nice to her...

She: you are like a man with a thousand faces, I do not know whom Am I going to see tomorrow.

He: a thousand face! You are complimenting me, I wish.

She: your mood swings and habits are just too much

He: You know, honey, you just criticize, you set in that Ivory tower of yours, looking down at me and just give a daily doze of these things that I really can not understand or comprehend

She: you know why I do that, because I am a woman, and you know why you do not understand or do not want to understand, because you are a man...

He: so you really think that we men are and to say it as politely as possible, dumb...

She: this is the least to say, this is the best thing you have said since we started these conversations.

He: I really feel honored to be called dumb by you. Remember, few days ago I was just a mere Jackass. I am climbing the ladder.

She: or maybe you are just going down the ladder, depends on my mood.

He: ok, you win, I can not take it anymore" he is acting because again the goal is to reach the Promised Land"

She: ok, stop, you sound so fake and pathetic, I already told you that I am not in the mood...

He: I am speechless, do you think I am being nice for a purpose, for a goal, for the destination and not the journey. Do you think that I'm saying what I’m saying and doing what I’m doing just to feel your warm and hospitable body, to smell the roses coming out of your nest... you are crazy

She: hospitable body, what is that? Do you think my body is a hotel, an airport runway, planes touch down and fly. You are such an obnoxious pig.

He: yes, darling, you are hospitable and you are like a hotel and you are like a runway, but you are only hospitable to me, and I am your only plane on the runway and I am your only hotel guest.

She: so pathetic...

He: the night is young...


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*Disclaimer:
For entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance with any real life situations or people is just a mere coincidence.
These conversations are not related to any specific person or persons. They are general human conversations from life.

Barack Obama Vs. Martin Luther King ... by Jamil Shawwa

In a health care rally here in Virginia, few miles away from Washington DC, president Obama made one of the last pitches for the American people to put pressure on their elected officials in the House and The Senate to pass a health care reform that the president and the democrats feel is vital to their success politically and their chances to maintain control in congress as well as for the president to win because it was one of the main platforms that he ran on and won in 2008. Having said the latter does not minimize the importance of having a universal health care for all Americans that many presidents since Harry Truman after World War II felt the country needs but continues to be blocked by a conservative point of view lead by the republican party and other right wing groups that feel that this process is another democratic scheme to have a bigger government, more control over the people and more leftist approach. President Obama in that speech at George Mason University did not sound to me like the Obama that ran for office in 2008 and the man that won the minds and hearts of not only Americans across the United States and the world but sounded like the great 50s and 60s civil rights leader Martin Luther king. Here is the problem in my opinion; he should never even try to sound like him, he was elected as the unique Barack Obama and no one else. In the speech, he sounded more like a preacher than a smart futuristic and energetic politician that again won our minds and hearts in 2008. If he tries to be a preacher with some sort of higher moral authority or as if he is here on earth on a mission from God, he should stop now, and he should not proceed. If the American people including myself start to equate president Obama with anyone else except the unique, smart and energetic Obama, then he will lose the next election in 2012. The president should be very careful not to be anyone else but himself. Again, we did not elect him because he was black, or because we felt guilty of the treatments of the blacks and minorities in the past in the United States, but we elected him because he is unique in the way he came across as a different type of politician. Maybe he was fortunate to come in this era and at this time of economic distress and wars that our country is facing abroad not to mention the ongoing war against terrorism, but still he should just look at himself in the mirror every morning and repeat after me, I'm Barack Obama and not Martin Luther king.

Concepts and Cultures. Part III: Croissant for Breakfast by Jamil Shawwa

Who does not like croissant in the morning, who does not like to dip it in an Earl Grey tea or freshly brewed coffee, who does not like to open it in the middle or just cut pieces and stuff it with fresh butter and Jam, who does not like the view of croissant basket. To me, a basket of freshly made, freshly baked croissant is like having real morning roses at the table, to me mornings and croissant go hand in hand and side by side. I had croissant everywhere I went and lived but I am going to mention few places where I had memorable croissant and breakfast in general. I was born in the American University- AUB- Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, my mother, God bless her, is originally Lebanese, now Lebanese- American, and my first memory of a breakfast was at my grandmother’s house few blocks from the Mediterranean sea where every morning you would smell croissant and the toasted French baguette sliced just right, the way I like it, with a platter of few kinds of cheeses including the best Haloum, fresh mint, the way I like it too, and tea, must be Earl Grey and nothing else. I never lived in Lebanon but used to visit the family every summer until 1975 when Lebanon lost it's humanity and engaged in a civil war that showed the real and ugly face of some groups there for over 15 years, but this is not the *subject today. In Gaza, at my mothers of course but also at the **Hummus, fool and the falafel places. Another fantastic place, In Tel-Aviv with the famous Israeli breakfast everywhere, it is amazing in Israel, same breakfast style, of course different layers of elegance among the various places there, but you will find a remarkable buffet breakfast in the bus station and in the nicest hotels such as the King David in Jerusalem or the Tel-Aviv Hilton on the Mediterranean. In Cairo, wow, as well, but maybe the best breakfast in Cairo was my aunt- God bless her soul who married a distinguished Egyptian gentleman, God bless his soul too- breakfast, with the aroma of the fava beans-Fool- boiled eggs, various kinds of cheeses, of course croissant, and other stuff. Another place was at the Ramses Hilton- by the way, I am talking the Middle East up to 1990, when I was last there- In Amman-Jordan at also my aunt house with the labana- thick creamy cheese, and the cheese from Nablus, in the West Bank. In Paris, everywhere, you can grab a croissant on the move. I went so far once to Paris. I first had croissant at le Fouquet's at the corner of les Champs-Elysées and avenue Georges V. and then then had a great lunch there- the best potato purée I had in my life with roasted baby lamp chops- do not get me started, and later went to a Lebanese restaurant for a shawerma sandwich across from the Four Seasons Georges V hotel. I used to afford to travel, not like now, but hopefully the US econmony and mine will be getting better soon. You find croissant almost everywhere in the world, same shape but different tastes, I guess it is as life, life is the same, humans are the same, we all have the same human concept but we are different and in our difference, we must celebrate life. Start your morning with croissant and Earl Grey tea, and maybe you will feel better.

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*Search Lebanon in this blog.
** Small breakfast shops that made all the ingredients fresh every morning. Hummus is mashed check peas, Fool is fava beans, Falafel is mixed parsley and other vegetables that are made in the shape of small balls and fried in hot oil. Google for specific information.

Hiphugger Vs. Jockey by Jamil Shawwa

Hiphugger: you ignorant, you called me hiphunger in a previous article.
**Jockey: Until now, I do not know what is this hiphugger, do you hug the hip or what.
Hiphugger: see, I am wasting my time chatting with an old fashion like you. Wake up and smell the...
Jockey: smell what, you?
Hiphugger: you wish
Jockey: listen, I have to be honest here, to me you are just a barrier, an obstacle
Hiphugger: obstacle to what you narrow minded uptight short
Jockey: I like open spaces and open tunnels, I am not used to see all this stuff.
Hiphugger: please, you should see the admiration I get everywhere I go.
Jockey: they do not admire you; they admire what you hide
Hiphugger: typical you, only one thing in your mid, how to conquer, how to throw me out
Jockey: I am really starting to see a side of you that was not clear to me
Hiphugger: what side
Jockey: I have never appreciated the fact that you protect very valuable assets that you take care of the little things in life, that you feel the pain of the monthly visit and that you have to be pulled up and down many times a day.
Hiphugger: well, you know, I have to do what I have to do.
I mean you work hard too.
Jockey: I guess...
Hiphugger: it is peace then
Jockey: what kind of peace are you offering?
Hiphugger: that we do not make fun of each other, that we respect our boundaries and the assets that we protect, that you do not act like an animal every time you see me.
Jockey: oh my God, how could I resist you, how could stay away from you, how could I stop looking at you, how could I not try to pull a trick or two to convince you to share with me the assets that you are hiding. You are asking me to be someone else, you are asking me to be inhuman, you are asking for the impossible
Hiphugger: I said it before and I will say it again, no peace with you, no treaty of mutual respect, you only think in one direction, you can not see what I see, you do not look at the brains but just at the body, you do not see the colors that I come with, the material that I'm made of, the protection that I give. You are such an animal, but I love you.
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* For Entertainment purposes only.
** Jockey is trademark of Jockey undergarment.

Concepts and Cultures Part II: Garbage!

In the city I grew up in, we used to have as any city or place that has humans, garbage collectors who would come every day to collect the trash, empty the cans, and get their human counterparts ready for a new day and new garbage.

In my city right now, the picture is the same, in the morning, garbage collectors come over, not every day here, but twice a week, but you have to have a contract with a garbage collector otherwise you and your garbage are on your own. In the city I grew as a child and up to finishing High school, Gaza- garbage people or collectors were unfortunately and I am sad to say that either mentally retarded or act as mentally retarded to avoid the daily humiliation from the kids and adults who treated them as subhuman. I know that this concept does not belong only to Gaza but I am sure in other parts of the world as well. I have seen it in Cairo and other cities. I am comparing the garbage here in my country and city, the USA, and the garbage elsewhere. First garbage is garbage but people are not the same. Garbage is the same everywhere but humans differ from one place to another. Actually, I should say that humans are the same everywhere; it is the way we treat humans that differs from one place to another. Let me make it clearer here, to me, and I came to appreciate this fact later on, a garbage collector is as dignified and important as a doctor is, and I am talking a medical doctor. What is the difference, doctors try to cure our bodies and garbage collectors try to clean our homes from the human trash. Both doctors and garbage collectors are vital to our well- being, no one can deny this fact and if you do, try to take care of your garbage on your own for one week. Of course, I am talking here taking care of the garbage by disposing it in the right place and not leaving it in the street or dump it somewhere that it does not belong. Back to the garbage collectors, they come in the morning in trucks, in Cairo, we used to have them on donkeys- I think donkeys are banned now from the streets of Cairo and I know that Cairo still has a garbage problem despite all the efforts to find even foreign companies that are ready to clean Cairo from it's garbage or convince the dear people of Cairo to use plastic bags to place their trash instead of just dumping everything in the container itself and make it dirtier- and I forgot how it was in Gaza, maybe donkeys too. Poor donkeys, we use them to describe the worst mental thing in humans, stupidity, we say what a donkey, or Jackass, to describe our fellow humans, I know that I have described myself as a Jackass before, many times, but I did that to bring some respect or vice versa to the donkeys of this world. I must say that I have respect to this hard working animal. Again, back to the subject at hand- garbage- the collectors of human trash collects our physical trash but who collects our mental trash and who cleans our souls. See the problem here, besides my midlife crises that I'm talking about garbage, we have people that clean our houses, gardens, cars, planes, everything but I think there is one thing that you can not hire anyone else to clean for you except yourself which is you. I understand that you can hire beautiful girls to give a you a Turkish bath- never done it personally but heard of it- but who can clean you from the inside, no one except you. So let us show respect to the garbage collectors, let us say thank you to them from time to time, and let us not give them the looks of disgust as they are cleaning us, at least from the outside.

*Long live the Selfishness!.... by Jamil Shawwa

She: you are selfish
He: say something new, I heard this before..
She: what are you going to do about it?
He: nothing
She: I hate you
He: No, you do not.
She: yes, I do. I cannot believe that I am still talking with you
He: because I love you, and you love me
She: selfish...
He: How can a selfish loves so much
She: Because I make you happy
He: No way.
She: No way what, I do not make you happy?
He: No, I meant, no way, I am selfish
She: Again
He: How could a selfish loves so much, how could a selfish cares so much, can you answer this or these questions.
She: Yes, I can, I saw, I know, you only care to satisfy yourself and no one else, and by the way, you keep saying the same thing over and over again..
He: nonsense, in satisfying myself, I satisfy you, in caring about myself, I make you happy.
She: not really
He: what do you mean?
She: I am not happy
He: what...
She: I am not happy, you heard me
He: can you tell me why
She: because you are selfish
He: again with this broken record, you have nothing to say except for selfish
She: I am trying to find another word to describe you but I cannot find; selfish is just right.
He: you are still talking with me
She: I am trying to reform you
He: but why
She: see, you admit it; you admit that you need to be reformed
He: I admit nothing; I do not even recall this conversation
She: I hate you, you sound like a corrupt politician, and maybe you should go into politics
He: no way, I am not a politician, I hate politics, and I just cannot understand it
She: Yes, you do, you understand it, it fits you, and you are selfish
He: enough with selfish, cannot you come up with another word; have you lost all imagination that you just keep repeating yourself.
She: I am trying to get through you
He: why
She: I want to see if you have thick skin
He: why would you want me to have thick skin?
She: Because I love you and I want to make sure that you can handle me.

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*Disclaimer:
For entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance with any real life situations or people is just a mere coincidence.
These conversations are not related to any specific person or persons. They are general human conversations from life.

*Concepts and Cultures...........by Jamil Shawwa

Concepts- some might say or describe- are buckets where we store and channel our thoughts. Cultures are our backgrounds,also who we are now, we might be the product of many cultures past and present and future, our heritage and from there you can add education and other things that shape the way we think or act. I do not believe that there is any culture on earth right now that has not been influenced someway or somehow by other cultures or itself has not been exposed to the world around it. Explorers and people of courage have been through out history eager to look beyond their borders. This is how religions and science spread and this is how great countries were formed, from people looking for a better place, safer placer, opportunities for better living. All of us humans share these sentiments. We have our fears and our weaknesses; we also have our hopes and our strengths. The struggle between good and evil will continue as long as life itself continues. The concepts of good and evil are universe, all people believe in them but all of them interpret them differently. Enough vagueness, read below, this piece might help you think and see things from more than one lens and from more than one angle. Today, I’m talking about two concepts and two cultures; although I think and I know that they are so intertwined, so integrated and so interconnected but still both of them are voicing concerns that the other does not understand them. Here how it goes; In general, we must make it clear that there is a huge difference between Islam as one of the great three divine religions with Judaism and Christianity and the practice of the religion or the practice of the Muslims. You can say that you are a Muslim, Christian, or Jewish and commit atrocities in the name of the religion; that does not mean anything; it only means that you are evil and not your religion. Some people have risen what has been going on for years and years which is why the west looks this or that at Islam. In fact, I think people should stop using the West as a separate entity as the world in my opinion is no longer divided by west and east or north and south. In the era and age of youtube, Facebook, Twitter and others, we have all become the residents of one world though living physically in different locations. The problem is mutual, In the Arab and Muslim world; schools and culture for decades and until now have raised the children, those innocent creatures, to be afraid of everything that is foreign, everything that looks different. You have curriculums that depict progress as something to be feared. These powers of darkness know that their only chance to survive is to create a culture of suspicion that thrives on conspiracy theories to justify anything that goes wrong in the Arab world. Once you have open, transparent, and democratic societies, the urge to justify yourself or prove to others that you are a peace-loving person or country, would not be necessary. Actions will speak louder than words. On the other hand, the world now is so interconnected that people can see, those who can see, that there is a huge difference between faith with all its purity and actions committed by a minority in the name of that faith. In the same token, people here in The United States would stop questioning on "why they hate us", referring to the Muslims. “Why they hate us" has been the cover story of many magazines, such as Time, Newsweek, and The Economist since the terrorists attacks of 09/11/2001. I said it before and I will say it again, Muslims do not hate The US, they love it, but its is an envious love, it is the love of that sexy girl that you cannot have or you think that you can never have because you never tried. But seriously, we all understand, as I said in other articles, if you want to call them articles, that there are groups of individuals, and not Islam, that their goal is total destruction not only in the outside world but also in their own original countries because when you destruct, when your motive and goal are only to create state of chaos, then it comes to a point that the whole world would be your playground. The bottom line is this, dialogue, interconnections, and keeping the religions away from any accusations and just look at faith as a very private matter that has nothing to do with destruction, would really enable us all to fight terrorism better. It can be done. Again, we cannot be just dreamers, politics play a role and things usually evolve on formal levels based on politics and not how people feel. Still, people can make a difference and can minimize the ability of the few to terrorize and destruct the rest of the world.



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* I participated in discussions with friends on Facebook and thought to copy with some ads-on and modifications my side of these discussions into this blog. Might be interesting to some.

Mubarak of Egypt... by Jamil Shawwa

While President Mubarak of Egypt is in Germany recovering- as the media stated- from a gallbladder operation, the Egyptian people have never been in a state of anticipation for a new leadership the way they are right now. Mr. Mubarak has been in power since October 1981 when he succeeded the late president Anwar al-Sadat who was assassinated in a military parade in that year marking the 1973 war between Israel and Egypt. President Sadat is the one that started the peace process in the Middle East when he went to Israel in 1977 and couple of years later signed a peace treaty that resulted in Israel's withdrawal from Sinai that Israel gained after winning the 1967 six days war. President Mubarak is aging; he is over 82 years old with no apparent successor except for his son that almost all media considers either as the person that will inherit the power after his father's pass or in his father's life if Mubarak does not seek another term in 2011. President Mubarak is a shrewd and savvy politician. He helped and is helping to transform the Arab world in the direction of peace with Israel and has maintained his country's focus on its internal affairs trying to elevate his people standard of living, while making sure that the country is secure from within. His main challenge has been the strong Muslim Brotherhood organization that has been a household name in Egypt long before the military coup that toppled the monarchy in 1952 and established the military as the safe guard of modern, and to certain extend secular Egypt. President Mubarak came from the military, before Sadat appointed him as vice president in 1975; he was the top general in the Air Force and head the Egyptian air force during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. All indications show that if free elections were held in Egypt that the Muslim Brotherhood would control the parliament. Egypt is in sense like Turkey where the military is the guardian of the secular democracy even if a religious party governs. I personally not sure that Gamal Mubarak- the projected successor to his father- is ready to govern Egypt. One thing I am sure about President Mubarak is that he does not and will not let emotions run the show; he will not allow his son to govern unless there is some sort of a coalition within Egypt including the Muslim Brotherhood organization and the army that will allow the son to have a smooth transition besides making sure that the son is capable in leading such a country in the size and the status of Egypt. Egypt also as a regional power coordinates closely with The United States and will not act alone in the matter of whom will be the next president of Egypt. Egypt in my opinion is at a cross road, it is losing it's status and power in the Middle East to the new comers, the Muslim Sunni power lead by Turkey and the Muslim Shiite power lead by Iran. Both countries have much more influence in the Arab affairs than Egypt or Saudi Arabia. President Mubarak style in appointing persons to power has been known to be a thorough one. I noticed that style when he brought a retired general to succeed the very popular late minister of defense Field Marshal Abu-Ghazalah and when he brought a retired diplomat to succeed the then popular foreign minister, now the head of the Arab league, Amr Mousa. Back to the son, Gamal, his main problem is that he never been tested in an election and I know the Egyptian logic behind not allowing him to nominate himself in parliamentary elections; if he succeeds the people will say because he is the son of the president and if he fails, the people will say that the regime failed him to prove that there is free elections. I wrote about Egypt many times here and I said once that the main problem in Egypt is that it does not trust itself; it is the inferiority complex that has it thinking-incorrectly- that it is less than other countries, that it is poor. Egypt is not poor in resources, human or natural but Egypt might be poor in the way it thinks sometimes. Having said that Egypt since it's modern leader Muhammad Ali Pasha- an Albanian appointed by Turkey during the ottoman empire to govern the country in the mid 19th century and whose family governed until the military kicked them out of power in 1952 as I indicated earlier- has been a pioneer in the Middle East in all sorts of education, arts, medicine, and various industrial expertise. The Egyptian people are capable in reestablishing a modern Egypt again. The main strength and advantage of Egypt reside in its peace with Israel. Through that peace, Egypt is a regional power with influence in both the Arab and the Muslim worlds and over the Palestinians especially in the Gaza Strip that it governed until 1967. If Egypt capitalizes on this influence, the peace with Israel, then it will continue to have influence and maybe match to a certain extend that of Iran and Turkey. Finally, it is difficult for me to predict who will be the next president of Egypt, but again, claiming that I know how Mubarak thinks, I will not be surprised if he chooses someone else besides his son. He has surprised people before as I said above and I do not see why not keep surprising. The Egyptian people are eager for a new and strong leadership; Mubarak is aware of this fact.

Fashion and Style ....... by Jamil Shawwa

I did not know what to write until my seven years old daughter screamed all of a sudden and asked me or should I say hit me with a question. The question was what is the difference between fashion and style. For few moments, I went blank, did not how to answer specially that her mother was there, setting next to her and I thought that this might be a trick question or some sort of a female conspiracy to show my daughter and I quote "look, honey, daddy is a Jackass". Then my pride and other things kicked in and I decided to summon my courage, or whatever left of it, and started to answer back with the full throttle and the full horsepower of my aging car and said, yes, yes, of course I know sweetheart. She replied very graciously and said ok daddy, tell me, and she looked at her mother with devious and naughty female eyes that girls -God bless them- develop at a very early age. I must share here that at that moment when the wife and my daughter exchanged looks that I felt so lonely, I was in the middle between the two and kept moving my scared and anticipating eyes between them as if being in a courtroom with the wife as the Judge and the daughter as the prosecuting attorney. Oh, my god, I am in the middle of a cross examination by my seven years old daughter with the wife as the puppet master, it is a setup I tell you, and I fill into it like an idiot. Finally, the decisive moment has arrived and daddy must deliver or I will lose whatever respect that I might still have forever. I said, honey -trying to hopelessly gain some ground- fashion is what you wear today, or tomorrow, it is temporarily and it could change by the season. Fashion also could be a temporarily style, a habit, a book or a movie. Sometimes you hear people saying- they really do not say it publicly, that they are going to the Kennedy Center -Theaters for performing arts and an Opera House here in Washington DC-because it is fashionable to be seen in these circles, or maybe it is fashionable to see this play, anything. Style on the other hand is more long term, it could be considered class or behavior, it is not related to rich or poor, you can be a garbage collector with more style than a politician can for example. I looked back at my daughter, trying to ignore the wife for a moment, and I felt that I lost her. I said baby, the bottom line is that we have to try to act in style. She replied, but daddy, you shout sometimes, you curse in weird language- Arabic- and all the other things that she said and I can not publish here, because it would not be [etiquettesh]- so what are you saying that you are out of style or do not have style or do you have fashion or what, you lost me daddy. I said honey, things happen in life, we are humans, and looked back at her and saw her looking at me with the same petty look that her mother gave me on our wedding night.

The Toyota Recall and the Nixon Cover-up...by Jamil Shawwa

We in the US are all over the place regarding Toyota's recall of over 8 millions of its cars due to faulty sticking accelerating pedals that could cause cars to accelerate uncontrollably. The problem here is not in the recall itself, it happened before not only with cars but also with almost everything that consumers use or drive from food, medicine, toys, and cars. Almost all cars manufacturers have recalled their cars for some defects at some point. The magnitude of Toyota’s recall stems from various factors, first and most important, it is Camry, is the best selling family car in America, so you can imagine the pressure the Obama administration felt and the Senate to [accelerate] an investigation to relax and ease the concerns and the fears of the American consumer. The other factor though no one wants to say it is that it is a foreign car; it is Japanese which have been the best selling cars in America since 1980s. The main published factor though was the alleged cover-up from Toyota. Reports showed that it knew the faulty pedals but did not take it seriously or at least acknowledge it sooner rather than later. Toyota reminded me of our 37th president, Richard M. Nixon or as his close associates used to call him Dick Nixon, Richard's nickname in the US is Dick, like our former vice president, Richard Cheney, we all know him as Dick Cheney. Mr. Nixon back in the early 70s of the last century ordered a group of second rate operatives to break into the Watergate Building over the looking the Potomac river in our capital Washington DC to steel documents from the Democratic party offices. The reason for that to put it mildly is that Nixon was paranoid, he thought that the Democrats- his party is the Republican- are out there to get him, and that they are conspiring to undermine his administration. Nixon ordered members of his reelection committee- he was elected for a second term on 11/1972- to do the break in as the investigation showed later and ultimately caused the president to resign office on 1974 and hand the power to his vice president Gerald Ford. The similarities between the two stories are that both Nixon and Toyota did not come clean from the first moment that these incidents took place and immediately assumed responsibility. Nixon as history has shown and according to the journalists that broke the Watergate Story, Bernstein and Woodward, has lied to the American people and has covered the operation and this snowballed to the point that could have undermined the institution of the presidency in the United States. Toyota did the same thing; maybe Toyota should make a car and call it Dick Nixon.