Mosque in America Part III by Jamil Shawwa

The real story of Islam with America did not take place until 1979 and the start of the cleric’s revolution in Iran. Before that, America looked at Islam from the lens of looking at the Arab countries and the Arab world as a whole. The Arabs in America started to come and immigrated to the new world, the United States, in the late 19th and early 20th century and the majority of them in the beginning were Christians and Jewish residents and citizens of the Arab countries who fled to America from the oppressing and suppressing ottoman empire and the local governments there. America since then and until the last quarter of the 20th century looked at the Arabs as part of the overall majority of the population, that they are not different, but like the Italians, East Europeans, some French and the Greeks- the residents of the Mediterranean- darker than the so-called majority but part of the majority. In the mid 50s and 60s America started to look at Islam from a second lens, when many African Americans in the height of the struggle to gain civil rights and equal opportunities, looked around and from their perspective and from their point of view found in Islam, a religion that believes in equality, that it contains in it’s verses clear verbiages that there is no difference between an Arab and a non Arab except in the strength of their belief and faith. There were Malcolm X and the creation of the Nation of Islam, and then came the biggest effect and internal exposure, which is the rise and conversion of Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali and to Islam. I think that was a turning point in the relation between Islam and America, no one in my opinion has exposed Islam at that time to America like Muhammad Ali. The whole world loved this boxer and he was to the contrary of Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam, on more peaceful side of the message and maybe closer to the Arab original Islam than the previous one; Nation of Islam, run right now by Farrakhan. It is though must be said that America looked at that part of Islam as not the regular Islam, the Arab Islam, but as part of the struggle for civil liberties and looked at the African Americans Muslims as not part of the overall so called regular Muslims. As a matter of fact, there is truth to that overview which is the Islam preached by groups in the US such as the Nation of Islam is not the version used in other countries and not in the Arab World; in the US, African American Islamic style is more closer to the evangelical Christianity in type and style as the heads of these Islamic organizations calling themselves ministers instead of Imams and have sermons and such. Muhammad Ali still drew the attention and very cleverly- intentionally or not- toured the Arab and Muslim countries and established a connection and bondage; Malcolm X did the same before him but Malcolm was portrayed as very radical and even violent. In 1975, following the fourth Arab Israeli war, Saudi Arabia lead the oil boycott to the Western world and that was a turning point as well in the relations with Islam but still the focus was on the Arab as a whole and not necessarily Islam. The media started after that to connect Islam and the Arabs and started to mix between the belief and the politics, looking at the religion as the reason for the problem rather than looking at the politics and the people. In 1979, following the fall of the Shah, which is a by itself a story, because the US decided that it was time for him and the imperial regime to go, the Iranian clerics revolution started, won, captured Iran and then the hostages of the American Embassy and the longest ordeal for Americans. That episode was a huge humiliation for America and the former president Carter did not handle or did not want to handle. America decided again to let that version of Islam, the Shiite Islam to win and thrive and in the package came the rise of a different Islam, not the core Sunni Islam as the majority of Muslims believe but what I like to call the Iranian Islam. The radical political system that for the first time in modern history- mid 18th century maybe- used the religion with all of its' magnetic power to portray and create a struggle between the divine religions. The regular/average person in the street did not see anything else but radicals calling themselves Muslims hijacking, kidnapping and killings, as in the same period the series of kidnapping American and Westerners in Beirut Lebanon. Everything was working to elevate Islam to world prominence but in a radical and not friendly way. The whole world started to fear the Arabs and Muslims not because they were competitive but because of the oil and because of that portrayed Islam, that is the radical version, not necessarily only the Iranian version but other versions that are more radical and more deadly. In the 90s, we witnessed the rise of the so called the Mujahedeen, those mainly Arabs and Asians, Pakistanis and Afghani fighters who fought with America, Europe, and the Sunni Arab countries, the soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Those groups proved the deadliest, the most fanatic and from that point we started to see the rise of a third or fourth version of Islam, run mainly by Sunni Arabs from Saudi Arabia and Egypt, from wealthy families and from highly educated classes. The message, this version, used later on to portray Islam as not a religion, lest to say a divine religions, but a tool to destroy civilizations and ways of life and liberties. That version of Islam, contrary to the Iranian Islam which mainly is a media propaganda more than action, lived up to it’s reputation and expectations and it started the terror stream with the 1993 first attempt at the world trade center in New York City and then the ultimate terror attack on America, the 9/11/2001 destruction of the twin towers in New York City, the attack on the pentagon and the explosion of a hijacked plane in Pennsylvania. From that point on although America started to draw the distinction between the evil powers of AL-Qaeda, Taliban and other terrorists, radicals and fanatics, the average person already established a foundation that the evil is not in the person but in the religion. The average person in America in the process were helped or actually was mouth fed hatred through organizations and religious groups that in the name of the divine Christian religion portrayed Islam as whole and in parts as an evil tool and that is not American and it is not "one of us". It also did not help that the new Pope of the Catholics called in a conference in Europe, Islam as a religion of violence. In America, Catholicism is very strong, but the message was among certain Protestants and Catholics. Still the majorities of Americans are smart, pragmatic, practical and like to learn, if there is a country in the world that like to be better, to learn more, to seek justice, it is America. The great example right now is in the debate going on, in the Mayor of the city that was attacked on 09/11 and his support to the mosque to be built where it is now. The exposure I think will benefit Islam; will show America that it is- as Muslims believe- a divine religion as Judaism and Christianity, followed by almost two billions of people, that in Islam the teachings are clear, it identifies Moses and Jesus as prophets of God as Muhammad and the majority of Muslims like any faith are normal, peace loving people. America is also watching and seeing incidents and terror attacks from those that call themselves Christians trying in the name of the divine religion to harm Muslims just because of their religion. The most recent example is the attack by a fanatic in New York City just few days ago, on a Taxi driver after that fanatic asked him about his religion and the Taxi driver answered by that he was a Muslim.

Mosque In America...Part II by Jamil Shawwa

Before I get to the bottom line here, I heard in the news that the Imam-the head of the proposed mosque- went on a trip to Arab and Islamic countries to get guidance on how to deal with the mosque issues in New York City. If it is the case, then we have a problem. First, the Islamic and Arab countries are the last on earth to give a comprehensive advice regarding their own affairs and their dealing with their own people, they have no credibility in and out, lest to say to give an advice on an American issue first and foremost. The mosque is not an Islamic world or Arab world issue, it is an American issue, and the mosque is an American mosque. It is an American problem. Second: this Imam, if the story is true, would have made a mistake in transforming again an American issue to the outside world, what next, go to Iran, the masters of deception, hypocrisy and demagoguery to get an advice. This Imam would, if it were the case, put an end to what it looks like a decent and normal request to build a place of faith that got all the necessary licenses. The issue right now is not Muslim, mosque, or ground zero buildings, the issue goes deep into what we believe in as Americans, do we believe in our constituation or do we believe in the constitution if it fits certain criteria and certain people or certain beliefs. Do we believe that Islam is part of the American recognized package of faiths or not, and I will go further, do we believe that Islam is an American religion as Judaism and Christianity or not. Everyone who is standing for everything that is American is being tarnished and distorted and on top of the list is the president of the Untied States who is getting accused of everything that there is to be accused of because he acted as any president should act and protects the rights granted in the US constitution to all Americans. There is a campaign to terrorize anyone that stands for the constitution and this must be stopped, not because it is right or wrong, or because people are asking other people to be kind or nice, far from it. It must be stopped because it is unconstitutional and must be fought using all the legal means.    The conversation right now is getting even more dangerous in my opinion. Those that are opposing the idea of the mosque altogether are expressing it freely and directly which is healthy. The problem in my opinion resides with those that are not opposing the mosque creation and building, but is with those that are opposing the location and the signals of having it next to ground zero in New York City. These voices ranging from Sara Palin, to Karen Hughes, George W. Bush's press secretary, to others in the media, asking Muslims to understand the feelings and to appreciate the emotions of those that lost loved ones during the 9/11 terrorists’ attacks. Those voices are the dangerous ones, they are asking the Muslims to go to a corner, to be isolated, to have certain areas that they can build their mosques on and that they cannot, they are asking the Muslims to be treated like the Japanese during World War II, isolate them to protect them. Today is New York City ground zero, tomorrow is a mosque location in Tennessee, next week who knows. Maybe we will start hearing voices asking to expel Muslims from the United States because we care about them and we do not want to hurt them. We are hearing all kinds of things that are to say the least against everything this Republic called America was built on. We are hearing people asking to repel the 14th amendment to the constitution that grant US citizenship to any one that is born in the US, we are having demagogues running the State of Arizona and creating a law that would create in that desert state on the border of Mexico a police state; the federal government right now is fighting this law rightly so as unconstitutional. The stories goes on and on. In the news today, a woman claims that she did not get a job at Disney because she wears the Hijab, head cover. Muslims are afraid to say what they are and what they believe in, stories of people all over the US afraid of going to Friday prayers, the weekly prayers for Muslims, equivalent to Saturday for the Jewish faith and Sunday for the Christian faith, fearing that they will be exposed. Where are we now and where are we heading; all this must be stopped, all these none-American fear campaigns, though it is fine to express freely, must not go beyond expression. If we allow few tens of people amongst over 308 million Americans, the US population according to the 2010 Census bureau, to terrorize the media and the politicians and dictate a life style that to say the least truly very dangerous, but deny legitimate entities, by legitimate American citizens form expressing their legitimate and constitutional right to build and practice their religion anywhere in America, then, in my opinion, this would be a catastrophic constitutional breach that should be fought using all the legal and the constitutional means. For God's sake, we allow anyone to build anything in America as long as they have the necessary licenses. As silly as it might seems and sounds, I like this Right to continue.

Mosque in America....by Jamil Shawwa

I compiled this piece from comments, among other notes, that I wrote so far about the Mosque debate that is going on in New York City and in America right now. Islam has never been exposed in the United States the way it is right now, and I just love the exposure. Exposure creates on the long run understanding, debates and deliberations create acceptance to facts or opinions or at least they create an opportunity for inclusion rather than exclusion. This -so far- peaceful fight about building a mosque and an Islamic community center in New York City is healthy; it is bringing America more closer to religious tolerance, it is making the words of freedom of religion and freedom of speech not only mere words but actions. The Mosque issue is getting political; is it not every issue, it is also bringing up Obama’s background again, people are connecting Obama’s heritage from his father's side to his stance on the mosque. The president's family from his father side is Muslims- as he said- but he is not. Again, the debate is in part political and people from both sides of the isles will jump on this Mosque business and try to score some points, settle some accords, and satisfy the few that have this point or that. November and the midterm elections are coming, so let us watch and see. But regardless, we need to start looking at people not from the very narrow lens of whether they are like us or not but from the wide spectrum of who they are, what they stand for and what are their actions and behaviors. America needs to see Islam from the window of that it has more than one billion and a half billion followers who believe that Islam is a divine religion as Judaism and Christianity. America showed its' greatness and its' ability to evolve and be smart when it elected Obama as president. I think the Mosque issue is giving the Americans a fantastic opportunity to look closer at the relationship between religions and people. Religions, all of them, especially the divine ones, as believers believe, are words of God. Actions and interpretations of the religions or a religion are completely different from the religion itself. You have good and bad, criminals and decent, terrorists and those who believe in change through peaceful means, among all three divine religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. But America is embracing Islam and it is evolving. We will continue to have people who love and hate, like and dislike, so let it be, it is part of human life, but at the end- in America- practicality and pragmatism will prevail as a general rule when it comes with dealing with events and people regardless of their background. The interesting part of all this debate is not the mosque or the building or the people, but the location. The project to be completed would be in a building very close to the grounds of the 9/11 terrorists attacks. From the president, to Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City rejecting the calls against building a Muslim community center near ground zero. Bloomberg also criticized Sara Palin for her tweet few weeks ago asking "peace-loving Muslims to reject the mosque". This Palin does not seize an opportunity to prove everyday to all of us as to why we prefer Jennies' to some human beings. The regular person in the street, everyone is getting into the mix and voicing an opinion. I like it! I like it when people talk and debate and discuss; it is so civilized. At the end of the day, America must stand by its' original principles of freedom of religion, and freedom of speech. Once we surrender this right, then we would be surrendering every right in the Bill of Rights that was written by the founding fathers, and we surrender our constitution and our liberties. The building of the Mosque in New York City got the needed approval. I mean, this is America; it is for all faiths and believes. Same position I would have taken if it was for a church or a synagogue or any place of worship. I would have used the same words and the same sentences if this happened to a synagogue or a church. As for some behaviors from some people calling the Mosque or the people who are running it as terrorists just because of their belief, it is unfortunately human and you find it in every country and every nation on earth. Different concepts and issues but same behavior. It is a free country and people can have and share different opinions.

Doctors and Plumbers...Part V....by Jamil Shawwa

The doctor with a title of assistant professor kept calling, he wants to do more exams and said that he wanted to make sure, because he was surprised from the results of the previous exams. He said that he cared and maybe he did, but again he was the same doctor that kept saying it is nothing else but Cancer, and kept going on and on how to cope with this disease. The patient decided to go along; I mean that doctor was like a used cars salesman trying to convince the poor buyer that this is the deal of century. He suggested another full Ct Scan, called the Pet Scan which covers the whole body and this of course has to have appetizers with it or before taking it; liquids and such that makes the patient afterward wants to live in the bathroom to get rid of all these liquids. The exam was done and the professor was amazed again, it seems that this doctor keeps getting amazed every time he conducts or orders an exam as a first year medical student. This is the same doctor that asked me in previous articles If I were in the medical field when I questioned the necessity of all these exams and I said no and that I belong to another "distinguished" profession; Law. Maybe they got scared when I mentioned Law and decided to do all the necessary and the unnecessary exams just in case, they thought maybe that this person might be trouble. The necessity has always been for patients to have a PCP-Primary Care Physician- that would act like the straw in a drink, or like the hub and the point of contact and would act on behalf of the patients to coordinate all types of exams and then address with eh patient. If you do not have a PCP or a qualified PCP then you might be in trouble because of the contradictions sometimes in the diagnosis and the contradiction in providing the information or channeling it accurately to the patient. Another important job for the PCP in my opinion is to provide a history of the patient and include the emotional part of the treatment. Sickness sometimes might look like a serious disease but it might turn to be something that the patient was born with or something that looks like a serious disease I am concerned about millions of people who go away victims to medical malpractice, ignorance, and doctors/students experiments. I think medical institutions should have like some restaurants a quality control department that would check the food and the dishes before delivering to their customers. The PCP can act in this capacity but in the same time, the hospital must do the same. Prevention in everything is paramount, meaning to try to predict things before happening and put the necessary measures to prevent and then act swiftly once they happen, because you would have a process in place. Prevention, predictability like any business in the name of the game, I say business because medicine is a multi billion dollars business in the USA and you cannot ignore this fact, but it is the business of life, and therefore the measure must be elevated to the highest level of transparency, competency, prevention, predictability, accuracy, and thoroughness. Might cost at the front end, but when it comes to the bottom line it will save tremendous amount of money but most importantly, it will save lives, even if it saves one human being.

Doctors and Plumbers…..Part IV by Jamil Shawwa

The biopsies are finely here, and the doctors are cheering but not necessarily the results but the process. See, right now in the hospitals, specially the educational ones, those that are connected and part of the colleges of medicine, professors, who are in the same time treating doctors, take an opportunity to experiment their mental and medical strength. Who else would be genipigs on their experiments than the patients. The medical apparatus has to go through the process, the checklist, the procedures, what the book says, and what the lab reports indicate. In the midst of all this, the patient is last to be concerned about. As long as all in place, so supposedly, the patient will be fine, the patient is the last concern, he or she is that invisible annoying creature that doctors feel would probably destroy their mental heaven of living in an unreal world of book theories. They hate it when the theories collide with reality; they hate it when they are wrong. Some prefer that the patient would just disappear than for them to be proven wrong. The biopsies are here, and the doctors this time after the cheers above are in shook. The theory again collided with reality, what they have learned have proven to be wrong for now, but still wrong, but they will not admit. all the reports. All the so called examinations, all their fake degrees and robes and their tags with the title doctor on them, maybe by mistake instead of putting, plumber, they put doctor, proven again to be wrong. These doctors are like those psychiatrists that become themselves the residents of mental institutions because what they have Learned in many cases crash on top of the real thing, that the human is unique and no amount of study, lab reports, biopsies, would substitute from the need to dig deep and treat each human as the unique creature, that they are. The biopsies are here, and the results are negative, I can hear the cries all over the hospital, not the cries of joy but the cries of shame and embarrassment, they are, the geniuses, so called doctors and plumbers, are proven wrong again. They look at their degrees and they start to question everything, the theory, the seven years for medical school, their professors. See, they were taught that the theory is never wrong, that if the theory and reality collide, then reality must be wrong, then the patient must be wrong, then the patient is not responding to the theory, see how dangerous this mental analysis is, the patient is the last of the concern, they-the patients-are just annoying creatures that doctors must attend to them, to prove their theories, nothing more, nothing less. The biopsies are in, and the doctors are scrambling to see what they can do, what went wrong, not with them, but with the patient, the results are in, and now it is time for the war room at the hospital to come up with a genius answer to their mistakes, to their negligence, to their arrogance, to their elitist look at anything and anyone that is called human, the book, in their book, is more important than the human, the human is the genipigs, nothing, no one, the book is everything, the book that got them their degrees and not the human. They must adhere to their professors, books and theory no matter what and in that course, the human is irrelevant. The biopsies are in and the plumbers/doctors are still in the war room, with the red light on, the doors closed, studying not what went wrong with them, their theories, their diagnosis, all that is irrelevant, what is relevant to them is how they can save face, that is it what all about, saving face and behind and not saving life, saving life can wait, but the theory cannot. The biopsies are in and the war room is still in and everyone is waiting for the big one to decide, and the decision is here from the big one, of course you need to inform the patient of the results but then you must follow that or doing that, with straight face, with a disappearing smile, with a serious demeanor and you must tell the patient that you care about them, that it is all about the patient and that, it is all about saving life and not saving budgets, and not expanding the hospital and not about buying another managed care, or taking over another investment, and it is not about the stock prices and the shareholders, and that it is all about you, the genipigs, the nobody, the annoying creature, that is called a human being. The biopsies are in and the resolution is; more tests, more Scans. The biopsies are in, but the reassuring result that all doctors were waiting for is not in, all the doctors/plumbers wanted really is for the theory to be proven right, is for the theory to match the results. But it did not, it did not, and the only solution is to order more of the same, more torture to the patient, more running around different labs to satisfied the craziness in those that were for seven years been tortured by the medical apparatus, and now, that they have themselves become part of that apparatus, it is their time to practice the same thing, it is time for them to enjoy the joy of showing how the theory is paramount to anything else; the problem is in you, the human being.

The Druze Leader, Walid Jumblatt, El-Beik, ( البيك, وليد جنبلاط‎) Analysis by Jamil Shawwa

*El-Beik Switches positions and switches alliances faster and more frequent than a baby in a candy store- I love to keep using this analogy. He learned the lesson early on and mastered the deadly political game in Lebanon.

A deadly game for those that do not know how to play it or do not want to play it, but not for the Beik.

In 1976, at the height of the Lebanese civil war, his father the former and late leader of the Druze in Lebanon and the leader of the Socialist Progressive Party, was assassinated by the usual suspect in Lebanon, Syria, El-Beik knows that and the whole world knows that-could be others but Syria for years carried that 'honor'; the honor of being known as the killer and the assassin and the murderer in Lebanon.

His father, Kamal Jumblatt, was not like the son, probably he would have wished to be as clever as the son, maybe he would have been here and the son still in **El-Mukhtara being the playboy he is and leaving the politics and baby-sitting Syria to his old man.

***The Druze, a tribe, a religion, a way of life, exists in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel. There is a whole mountain area in Syria named after them, the Druze Mountain, in Arabic, Jabal El-Druze. The most prominent Druze families have been Jumblatt, Arslan and Al-Atrash in Syria, Jumblatt is the strongest now and he has been for years, Arslan succumbed to this fact. Still, the two families are relatives; I think Walid’s mother is from the Arslan family, Mai Arslan. Walid Jumblatt is also considered the supreme leader of the Druze all over the world.

He managed to gather them from all countries where they exist, in two conferences so far, the first was in Amman- Jordan few years ago and the second was in Lebanon just few weeks ago; every leader came including the Druze leaders in Israel. In Israel, the Druze live well, they are loyal citizens of the State of Israel and they serve as soldiers and officers in the Israeli military.

In Lebanon, they maybe have the most say; they make and break things as every clan or religious group in Lebanon. In addition, Walid Jumblatt in Lebanon plays the role of the Arab Nationalist who he is not and the Arab nationalism itself is an idea and an illusion that never really flew or got traction anywhere, it was a romantic concept that never been explained, identified or materialized and probably never will unless new thoughtful inclusive leaders come along and recognize all ethnic groups that make up the Middle East now.

Walid runs and leads the Democratic Progressive party and claims to be the savior of the poor and he is one of the largest landlords in the area. In Lebanon, the tribe, the group, the family is more important than the country, in Lebanon, there is no country, but a land that is divided by old families and deep-rooted hatreds.

Alliances change and leaders who do not keep up are assassinated. Walid Beik mastered all this. In 2005, the Sunni leader and former prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated, the whole world condemned, and the United States ordered Syria to leave Lebanon, Syria has been in Lebanon since 1976 as a peacekeeping turned occupying force and did not leave until after 2005 and the assassination of El-Hariri.

Jumblatt at the time accused Syria directly of assassinating Hariri and called the Syrian president Bashar El-Assad, retarded and criminal. He stayed on that position until recently, it was time again to switch sides, there is an international criminal court waiting to indict the suspects in Syria and Lebanon for the assassination of the Lebanese leader El Hariri.

Now, few days ago, Elbeik paid a visit to his on and off enemy, Syria and Bashar El Assad, and declared from there that Syria is a "true" ally of Lebanon and that he made a mistake by condemning Syria.

Actually, he apologized for being honest, he knows honesty is a not a word the Lebanese political politburo likes to hear, it is not a word the Lebanese or the Syrian regimes understand or believe in or appreciate. In politics anyway, it is not easy to be honest and maybe you do not have to or you cannot be honest all the time but some can master the game more than others.

El-Beik so far has done it.


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* Old, original Turkish- from the day of the Ottoman Empire- title of respect. The rank used to start with Afandi, then Beik or Bek, then the top, Pasha. Now in the Middle East, these titles are used but not officially, they are not titles given by the state any more.



** The residence of the Jumblatt family and the symbol of the Druze power and presence.



*** "Theologically, Druze consider themselves "an Islamic Unist, reformatory sect". The Druze call themselves Ahl al-Tawhid "People of Unitarianism or Monotheism" or al-Muwaḥḥidūn "Unitarians, Monotheists." source and qoute from Wikipedia.

Doctors and Plumbers... Part III... by Jamil Shawwa

The issues persist when tests do not give a clear picture and doctors scramble to either assume the worst, speculate or improvise to show that they know what they are talking about. Patients now are like customers in fast food outlets, fixed menus, same ingredients; most doctors do not have either the knowledge, training or the time to dig deep. They admitted it, that they cannot dig deep, software and machines do the job and prescribe. They do a biopsy and they say that it will take few weeks, then they call the following day and say, tests results are ready but it is inconclusive and that they need to do another biopsy. Another thing that is big these days, which is being frank with the patient and straightforward about their condition, which sometimes can come across as obnoxious especially if the same doctor repeats the same thing. the conversation was as follow- I just want to tell you that it is cancer, I mean that is it, it is cancer,  but we do not know how serious it is and how big, and where and how and if and but. Imagine how such nonsense would help a patient who is supposedly with a serious disease. You signal to the doctor to be discreet but then they ask you- Sir, are you in the medical field, and you answer, no I am a lawyer by education, conversation ends. Right now, there are many players in the medical field, insurance companies, pharmaceuticals experimenting medicines, labs, specialists, malpractice and lawyers ready to jump on medical mistakes; the fear of being sued for wrongful diagnosis, I mean the doctor also performs with fear of being sued for either negligence, stupidity or just bad luck. Therefore, we have also to understand that doctors perform under tremendous pressure, I am not going to be so hard on them, it is not easy, I fully understand. Insurance companies decide as well, on the type of treatment covered, unless a doctor overrides them and usually it is not easy or that common. In order for you to get a custom tailored treatment, you have either to be a millionaire, top executive in companies, top government official, or work for institutions that have excellent coverage. Still, there is one factor that could make a difference which is the power of your perseverance, insisting to get the exams, being proactive on your condition, if you can, and just keep trying. It is tough to be sick, and may God bless you and have mercy on you if you have one of those plumbers/doctors.

Doctors and Plumbers ..Part II by Jamil Shawwa

The story gets complicated, that is the relation between the treating doctor and the patient, when the sickness is not related to one area in the body and it needs different departments and doctors to be involved. So, now you have few things going on, and each doctor has an interpretation from the angle of his or her field only. Here is the problem, you get an exam that would clear that very narrow area from anything bad and then you find out the next-door neighbor, and in this case, another adjacent organ is not well. The question is why that doctor could not see the big picture or even the full picture. The questions keep going, is it possible that they saw it but because it is not their specialty they either ignore or refer to someone else. Do doctors have the time with all this volume to give each patient the time they deserve. I really do not think so. Once there is a picture or there is clarity, you start looking for that doctor, if you find one, which can connect the dots together and provide an analysis to what needs to be done. I do not think it happens efficiently. The other day a doctor came to the patient and asked her if she knew what the next step would be and what kind of an examination is next. I am astonished to say the least. A treating doctor would ask the patient such a stupid question. Then after that or before that you have another layer of doctors who somehow related to that sickness coming and asking the same questions that other doctors asked. The patient is in dilemma here, to keep answering or show an attitude. Either way is painful. The answer I have is that those badly trained medical providers are going based on what the management company of the hospitals are asking them to do, a routine that does not make sense, that rob the profession from it’s glorious mission of saving lives or at least trying to save lives. So the patient typically with an interdepartmental sickness would be in a limbo of what is the next step, the doctors, each talking on his own, from his angle and then maybe at some point coordinate. Here is what it should be done from a management point of view. Once an example of that magnitude- the condition- arises, the hospital or someone or group should assign a point of contact, hub, a doctor of course, that would coordinate all activities and all information would be channeled through him or her and then to the patient. One voice for the many. It can be done, and hospitals should not talk budget too much otherwise they need to get out of this profession of saving lives and get into a similar profession or position and save toilets and pipes, and be plumbers.

Doctors and Plumbers...by Jamil Shawwa

Professions intertwine in a very interesting way when you stop, or you do not, but look or notice the similarities. Probably all human professions from the Garbage collector or the sewage worker, that is if we agree that these professions are maybe the lowest or at the bottom of the rank, to the head of state, president, queen, king, emperor, or as in the case of *Kim Jung IL, the most prominent and talented leader, whom has the title of the supreme leader, have something to do with essential human functions**. I am now and for the purpose of this article have for some time intrigued by the unbelievable and uncanny similarities between plumbers and Medical Doctors. They both deal with life function that without it no human can live or at least, cannot live for long. Plumbers maintain the functionality of the toilets, bidets, faucets, water pipes, gas pipes and then making sure that these pipes function for it's or in the direction of it's ultimate purpose. I mean I do not have to be graphic here, but you know, the restroom and the bathroom routine, I mean what if it's clogged, you bring the plumber, and this plumber would use many tools to ensure the smooth flow of the business in the toilets or the bathtub where it should ultimately reside; which is the sewage and from there we have another human function and another story. Doctors are the same, the have a body that is already there, and their job, if they do it right, is to ensure that all these pipes and all these organs function normally. Their job, the doctors or the talented ones at least, is to detect and prevent. Detect signs of certain things that might come your way and prevent those things or other expected things from developing into potential malicious objects, of course as much as they can do, sometimes no one can do anything. The magic word here I think is try, Doctors these days, generally speaking, do not try. Humans to them are numbers, objects, annoyance that they have to deal with. Technology have advanced so far that some doctors put their patients on a computer that will run a cycle of their symptoms and then prescribe the suitable medicine from the point view of the software, and at the end, the doctor, in this case, actually, the Jackass, would come, put a smile on his or her face and shake the hands and wish you well. See, doctors have become like greeters in Malls or shopping centers, their job is to greet you at the entrance and then wish you well when you leave. In between, you really deal with scores of nurses, lab technicians, and more nurses. Plumbers in a way are the same, except that they do the job themselves, they usually come to your home when a pipe is broken, a toilet is clogged, and similar things. The good ones, fix, detect possible signs of future or down the road problems and plan a prevention roadmap. See what I just wrote, it could be a mantra for anything in life. Again, fix, detect and prevent. The majority of the plumbers and the medical doctors are no longer do the things, I just mentioned. They fix, temporarily until it breaks again, and then they fix again and the cycle continues. Countries and among them the richest as the United States spend billions every year either in government funds or charities on research to prevent diseases, to fight epidemics, in advertisement on how do this and that but they do not invest, or invest enough in the most important aspect of this process or prevention in my opinion; the medical doctor, the student, the graduate, the resident. Universities- where it all should develop- are even worse; I have met many so-called resident doctors that I had to tell them what to do, what to check, what to detect, how to treat each human as a unique person that he or she is and not just a case. It is a shame the state of medicine not only here in the United States but all over the world. Go to the Middle East, and your heart will be broken. Invest in the human being and your investment will quadruple, and will multiply in a magical way, one investment, could save at least one life. To me this is the ultimate investment.


*Read: The Iraqi Donkeys Association: http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/07/iraqi-donkey-associationby-jamil-shawwa.html
**Read: Garbage: http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/03/concepts-and-cultures-part-ii-garbage.html

Mama, the birds are knocking, a view from the E.R .......by Jamil Shawwa

He is preparing for his Friday visit, as he does every Friday, but this Friday is not as any other Friday. It is bringing memories of his Father's birthday that happened to be on Tuesday of this week and bringing memories of that day in that place with that doctor when they spread the news that his father had an incurable form of cancer. This deadly unbeatable terrorist decided to visit this family again, after the father, it is the mother's turn. The thoughts are mixed with tears coming from his eyes, with all those visits and all these places that he used to take his mother to, spend few hours and take her back. All she wanted he guessed- late as usual, as any parent is to spend time with her sons and daughters, it did not matter where and it did not matter how long as long as it was with her son, on a Friday; his day off during the week. The thoughts continues as he drives, she used to live in another building with his sister and she used to stand by the window in that highrise knowing in advance when her son would arrive just to get ready; she hated to dress up before he arrives, and she did not like his tricky ways of calling her from far enough so when he arrives, she would be waiting for him and he would not have to wait by the entrance staring at the glassy door waiting for her to arrive so he would jump and open the door for her. She used to look forward to those visits from that son. He is getting closer to her new house, she just bought a new apartment with his sister, moved in, and started to have a new life and she is looking forward to new things, she wanted to visit Niagara falls, who knows, maybe she still could. His father passed about thirteen years ago couple of months from now, it was October, and when he passed she cried her lungs out, he was her companion, maybe their life was not all honey and milk but he was her companion. She looked in that night at him and said that the one who loved him has died, and he replied that God bless you, you are here. Now, it is her turn but who knows, God bless her, she is with him, it does not mater how long, it is so irrelevant with a disease like cancer, it is a minute by minute, moment by moment, smile by smile, touch by touch. No looking forward here, really, it is just looking and capturing this moment and the rest to be dealt with when it comes. He arrived, with heavy steps, called in, his sister opened, went to his mother who looked with weak eyes, and talked with heavy voice, she was in her new bed, enjoying the views of the outside, he can see her birds knocking at her windows, she loved to feed the birds, she would even in the nicest restaurants insist in taking the soft heart of the bread, crumble it, put it in a tissue, put it in her bag so she can feed her birds. Those same birds probably were the ones that have been knocking on his windows trying to send him a message that he got, as usual, late. They, the birds, for the past two weeks have been coming, same time that terrorist has started to attack this innocent creature that never in her life has been happier than when she used to see other people happy. He has always been amazed at this mother, her happiness in giving others what she has, what she owns. His father God bless his soul was the same. They both were like that; they were happy helping people even when they did not have much. All they wanted, just that really, was appreciation or good treatment. Nothing more. They were very generous but they both would revolt if they were treated badly. He kissed her hands as he usually does and her cheeks. He told her you look fantastic, it is time for lunch. She looked, smiled, and said that she cannot, maybe next week; she said that with a smile, not as clear as the first one. He insisted as he usually does, maybe he is selfish, he wanted to have his lunch in his regular time, but not this time, he was not selfish, he really wanted to treat his mother to an exclusive lunch at his exclusive place, but it did not meant to be. His sister broke the news, the hospital called and she was to be admitted to do further examinations, so instead of the Friday lunch at that place, it was the Friday at the Emergency Room; Cancer is prevailing again, he is again hitting the pure and the innocent. He is again sending the same message as the rest of the terrorists all over the world, which he, Cancer, will hit hard, and will strike bad. He is telling us to add him to the list of his peers, the terrorists, to the list that we have, we have to add actually all the names of this one terrorist, and he has many names and many faces. The bag is prepared, but this time not to deliver a baby as she did when she delivered her sons and the daughters, the bag is prepared today to take it with her to the E.R. They drove in two cars, got into the E.R, into the Triage Room, and then admitted inside the E.R. From there, the journey began, the routine started, doves of nurses coming and going, few doctors appearing and disappearing, tons of questions asked and tons of answers delivered. After that ordeal, she was admitted to her regular room, her room for the coming few days. She got situated, turned the TV on to her favorite channel, went for another exam, C-Scan and came back. In all this, she did not forget her son, the demanding one, the spoiled one with his routine that was broken today; he did not care, he is enjoying every moment with his mother. She ordered him and his sister to get some lunch, actually, it was an early dinner, and she requested some, a consume, chicken. He ate and they ate, the atmosphere is somber, but not depressed, the doctors had to be frank with her and told her the expectations and the diagnosis; strangely, she felt wonderful after that, as if a burden has been lifted off her tired shoulders, she was quiet, normal, smiling, she is happy, no more torture, no more wondering, no more speculating. She looked back, I remember, and up and down and all of a sudden, the bird that she used to feed, came knocking again, she looked at him, and to his astonishment and amazement, she pointed to her bag, and she got an old tissue, handed to him, asked him to go out and spread the bread crumbs. She said do not worry, the birds are following me, they are as he is, have a routine, and they expect their meal on time so go and feed them. She looked again, and said that she read what he wrote yesterday and raised her head and smiled and told him, hey listen to me, we are going to beat this terrorist this time, go and feed the birds, smoke a cigarette as you usually do and come back, we have work to do.

The Deadly, the unbeatable Terrorist…by Jamil Shawwa

None can beat him, it is just unbeatable, billions spent to catch him, but no use; he is invisible. He exists everywhere, in every country in every town, in every society, everyone knows his name, how he looks but no one still can catch him, no one can beat him.

It does not know the rich or the poor, it does not know the Muslim, The Christian, the Jewish, the Hindu, the Buddhist; to him they are all the same and they all hate him and he hates himself.

He does not give early warnings, though sometimes it knocks hard, it uses all kinds of weapons to alert, to indicate that something terrible is coming, the lucky might escape him, to the majority, it just strikes once and that is it. It might give you some time, but usually not long.

Horrible, horrible thing, you cannot negotiate with him, you cannot talk to him, you cannot even try. He does not talk, he strikes. If he disappears in one part, he appears in the other. You eliminate him here, and it appears there, or maybe he has relatives everywhere, or maybe while in the process of striking, he just creates smaller killers that come from him and through him to attack the different parts, those that are vital and those that are not, See, to him the attack which counts, and not who and where.

None believed and believes that it could be them; people are arrogant, lazy, ignorant or just too laid back that they keep saying impossible, it cannot be me; I did not do anything to hurt him, it is impossible to attack me. They do not know that the most pacifists might be and in millions those that are attacked first.

A monster that branches out mercilessly, a blind attacker, a terrorist, a pit-bull with no cure. It attacks the good and the evil, those that pray and those that do not believe in anything. When it attacks, it does not ask for an identity card, it does not ask for a passport. When it travels, it does not need a permission or Visa to arrive or to land, no one can stop him, no one can detect him and if detected, it cannot be eliminated. Once it hits, it is usually deadly. It is the worst killer since the beginning of humankind and humanity.

He knows that every human being hates him but he does not care, he knows that it hates himself, but to him, it is a badge of honor, no one ever scared humanity as he does.

I will reveal his name, but I do not have any advice to beat him, nor does anyone have any advice to eliminate him, if they tell you they have, then they are just disillusioned. Cancer is the name and horror is the game! Enough said.

The Iraqi Donkeys Association…….by Jamil Shawwa

Four stories- all are real and that is the beauty of it- in the news last week inspired me to write this one. 

It started few days ago, as I was browsing the newspapers, I came across a very exciting piece of news about my favorite animal, the Jackass. The news stated that in Kurdistan Iraq- see, Iraq now in actuality is divided between the Shiite, the Sunni and the Kurds- where the rich soil of oil exists and still new fields to be discovered- a political party by the name of the Iraqi Donkeys Association was licensed, was recognized and granted permission to operate by the regional Kurd government. 

I did not hear anything about taking the opinion of the central government in Baghdad, but anyway, no matter what is the opinion there, we all know that it is irrelevant, the Kurds run their affairs either Baghdad likes it or not. The president of Iraq is a Kurd now, a symbolic position as the actual power resides in the prime minister -Shiite- but still symbols matter in a country that has been suppressed under the former Baath party and other dictators since the bloody coup of 1958 that toppled and killed the royal Hashemite family, cousins of the current royal family in Jordan. 

Back to the donkey association; this political party elected a board of governors and gave the members titles range from mule- the result of a relation between a horse and a donkey- for the big ones, and donkey fort regular members or the rest. Their radio station brays and hee-haw all the time and the headquarter of the party is in a stable, that is a donkey’s stable. 

The second story came from Newark, New Jersey where the Mayor of that city decided as part of his brainstorming or his braying to eliminate the toilette papers from the restrooms of the government offices, imagine, even a real donkey would be embraced to do such thing. 

The third story came, where else, the former capital of the proletarians, Russia, where a group of Nouveau Riche business people decided to parachute a donkey for advertisement purposes. 

The fourth and last so far, you know, it is still open for more members to join- I can add as we speak or write or bray- came from the father and the symbol of the human Jackals, Kim Jung IL of North Korea who threatened to declare war against the United States of America. 

Anyway, as soon as the Iraqi Donkey Association heard of the other three related story, they issued a declaration announcing the beginning of regionalizing and globalizing the donkey association to be a power in the world today, I mean you have the EU, you have the UN, The Arab League, the African Union, and other unions, so why not the donkeys. 

Anyway, the Kurds of Iraq who established the association sent the invitations, and the delegates started to arrive in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan in Iraq. The first to arrive was the big one and the inspiration, Kim Jung IL, then after that the Russian delegation headed by Vladdmir then came the Mayor of Newark. 

But all of a sudden while all the delegates were in the airport, two new planes asked for permission to land, oh, my God, screamed the head of the Iraqi donkeys association, we do not have enough hay to feed all these unexpected guests but wait a minute the uninvited guests were given permission to land: The first was Muammar Al-Gaddafi of Libya, the second plane had the Iranian Revolutionary guard symbol on it’s tale or bottom, it depends on how you look at things and how you look at Iran mullahs, and it carried Ahmadinejad the president of Iran accompanying him Hassan Nasrala (Rasputin Lebanon) of Hezbolla in Lebanon-another donkey and worst. 

The Iraqi said ok, no problem, the more the merrier. The delegates assembled in the big stable of the donkeys’ world headquarter and the first line of business was to elect the board of governors of the world donkey association.




 Here are the results:

Kim Jung IL: Chairman (son Kim Jong-un took over)

The Russians- Vladimir qualifies after the Russian olympics drugs usage elimination: Vice Chairman

And:

Gaddafi: Treasurer, you know. the oil money of Libya can buy all the hay the association needs. Gaddafi killed during the 'Arab Spring'

The Mayor of Newark-New Jersey: Chief Executive office- after his success to eliminate the toilet papers from the city offices; who can compete with that.

Hassan Nasrala-aka Rasputin: Chief Operating Officer- Do you blame them, he, in 2006, had Beirut burned run for its life

The host country head of the Iraqi donkeys association was elected director of recruitment; after all, he assembled all these geniuses.

Ahmadinejad: director of propaganda, who can beat him in this (no longer president, Hasan Rouhani replaced him both here and in Iran)

And the story continues; this is just the first chapter….

PS: I should not have announced this article on Facebook before actually publishing it, I got an email while writing from the Iraqi Donkeys Association chairman inviting me to cover the event or be on a video conference, and it seems that they appreciate my efforts to spread the hee-haw all over the world. I responded and I said how could I address such dignitaries, I am just a commoner. He responded back and said what about an honorary membership, I said thanks; I appreciate the gesture!

Updates 08/08/2010:

New board members:

1-Chavez: president of Venezuela...ongoing stupidity regarding attacking the US, nationalizing foreign investments, making his oil rich country an outlaw country, fighting with neighbors specially Colombia for n reason. (Chavez died and was replaced by worse-Maduro who is one of the top donkeys in the world of politics today.

2-Zardari: President of Pakistan: on an international Tour while his country is drowning under floods. (no longer president)

3-Abed Atwan, owner of Al-Quds Al-Arabi, an Arabic London based newspaper. Ongoing articles about the Middle East that show demagoguery beyond belief, expert in twisting the news and put a spin on everything that defies reality.

4-Dr. Laura Schlessinger, a famed psychiatrist turned a Jenny. Kept using the N-word, a degrading racial slur, on a radio show while talking to an African-American listener. She did it in a way that only a 'Jenny' would do.

5- Osama Saraya, The Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Ahram, editor in chief, who altered the picture of President Mubarak to make him look walking in the front, in the White House gathering of the Middle Eastern leaders prior to the resumption of the negotiations, rather than in the back as the actual picture showed. He admits and says that he did it as an Expressive picture to show Egypt's leading role in the resumption of the negotiations in The Middle East. (no more editor)

6- Sarah Palin, a US presidential wanna be, a loser as vice president nominee in the 2008 elections with the republican nominee John McCain. Used terms that are controversial to describe her critics, last but not least was her usage of “Blood Libel” to describe her critics who accused her that he political rhetoric has incited criminals like that one who did the random shooting in Arizona, which killed and injured many people including a congresswoman Giffords.

7- Donald Trump: For repeating efforts to make a jackass of himself. He has been relentless in pushing to join the group, and finally he got it. Trump earned the "honorific" for keep questioning President Obama credentials as a an American citizen. (Trump was elected President of the United States in November 2017)

Chapter II:

1- All the selected members must be alive, the board cannot make fun of the dead, and it would be disrespectful. Yes, the Iraqi Donkeys Association can behave better than some humans can sometimes.

2- Terrorists and killers are not included-while Nasrala qualifies as a killer her but he is a part of a game of politics in the Middle East. The Donkeys Association cannot have under its name, low life killers.

3-The board applies only to those who hold public office or public figures; regular, private citizens, friends, family, Facebook members and no social participants will ever be subject to such thing.

(Edited and updated as much as possible) 

*Lebanon Summer 2010... by Jamil Shawwa

Lebanon since its creation and independence has had a shadowy government; a militia on the side that sometimes was more powerful than the state itself.

In the 50s, it was the Syrian National Party, in the late 60s and 70s it was the PLO, in the 80s and until now the Shiite’s Iranian backed and creation Hezbolla,

The situation throughout these decades has been very fragile and always resulted in clashes and the worst started in 1975 and ended formally in 1990 with Al-Taef agreement in Saudi Arabia. The problem in that agreement is that it recognized a special status for this Hezbolla as a resistance power and to whom; you guessed it, to the usual excuse- the Arabs use, for all their deficiencies- Israel.

While Israel withdrew from Lebanon, Hezbolla is still there, not only that but in 2006, Hezbollah triggered a war when its operatives abducted two Israeli soldiers on the border in South Lebanon. The situation now cannot be sustainable, I mean, it is just not normal, and it has been not normal in Lebanon for almost, as I mentioned earlier, sixty years.

The reason for this update is the calls in Lebanon right now to evaluate the destructive role of Hezbollah and turning  it into a regular political party rather than a mafia that terrorize the Lebanese people on a daily basis.

We also have the special international court that is investigating the assassination of the late former Lebanese prime minister Rafik El-Hariri in 2005 and the father of the current prime minister Saad El-Hariri expected decision to indict individuals that belong to Syrian intelligence, Lebanese internal security and Hezbollah in that assassination.

Hezbolla threatened that in the case of such indictment that they might move militarily against their own country. What next, anything, we could see another civil war, or we could see the end of Hezbolla or the end of both; Lebanon as we know it and Hezbolla as we do not want to know and want to erase from our memories as the rest of these groups that their job was and is to just distract and destruct.

Concepts and Cultures IV: Buddha for Business and Buddha for Worship….by Jamil Shawwa

The Vietnamese waitress caught me staring at a statue for Buddha on the floor with candles and platter of fresh mangos in front of it so she volunteered to say before I opened my mouth that this food is for the gods. She said that knowing you all this time, I knew that you would not leave this thing alone without your usual curiosity. She continued to say that she has been counting how many days until I would say something. She did not give me a chance to respond and kept going as if she was on a mission to explain, she was doing it with pride, and her eyes had a sparkle in them as she was talking. She said that it is ok to put that one on the floor as it is Buddha for the business, to bring good luck to the business and then she pointed out to another Buddha- it looked more dignified- on top of a shelf and she said that one stays up as it is for worship. I showed my admiration to the education. I asked her about the fruits in front of the statue and who is going to eat them and she said that they will eat the fruits, of course! She said that when they bring new fruits, they eat the old ones, so they keep placing the food and taking it from Buddha’s front. She got warmed up on her religious beliefs and said that the Vietnamese burn fake money when their beloved ones pass as they might need this money to buy things in the other life that they are going to, my waitress believes that you need money wherever you go. Again, I expressed my gratitude to this information that I found very interesting. When she asked me about what I think, I politely thanked her and told her that I do not have any comments. It is not my place to express opinions on others beliefs; my place is just to learn, appreciate and be thankful that someone took the time to explain and teach.

The Midnight Love Express, part II by Jamil Shawwa

He stirred emotions in her that she thought that she suppressed,


She started to feel her feminine side that she forgot,


She started to feel her body that she neglected,


She is noticing parts that she thought no longer exist,


She is in love but she will never tell,


She is so proud, so stubborn, so engraved in her ways that she will never give up,

She is so used to her comfort zone that she well never admit.

The Obama Midterm Review...by Jamil Shawwa

Congress passed the Wall Street/Financial Reform bill that the president will sign into law. It is a comprehensive financial package which main purpose is to prevent the sharp fluctuations that lead to the collapse of markets in the past three years; the collapse- in fact- started in the summer of 2007. Previously, Congress passed and the president signed into law the economic recovery package and the health reform bill that ensures coverage for all Americans. Obama is also handling BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Internationally, the president is managing the North Korean nuclear issues, and Iran nuclear threat. He is moving towards stabilizing the situation in both Iraq and Afghanistan; just appointed a new commander for Afghanistan operations and his replacement for the Middle East. As for the Israeli/Palestinian question, Obama is handling as his predecessors did –carefully- the establishment of a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, side by side the State of Israel. Having said the above as a summary of what Obama has been doing in the past first two years of his presidency, the picture on the ground is different, Every political expert, pundits, every report, even the White House spokesman is pointing out to a big defeat, at least on the House side of Congress, for the president party, the Democrats, in the upcoming midterm election for Congress in November. I am not an expert, but I am shocked as an American at Team Obama, the White House staff, the experts that helped engineering Obama’s historic victory in 2008. Why the polls are showing low rating for the president, why are we not feeling his success and his achievements in such a short time. Historically, the democrats have been put into tests more than the republicans and historically the American people though electing democratic presidents did not really fell in love with them, so Obama here is not an exception, but the president has another burden that no other president ever had to “endure”, he is an African American so it is double jeopardy for him. Any time we elect a democrat president we tell this president, we elect you, now do miracles, fix everything and then once it is fixed we go back to our republicans who will spoil things financially and then we start over again by electing a democrat to fix. As for the republicans, we, it seems, do not expect much from them, we elect them whenever we need to reduce taxes, that the democrats invoked on us or when we feel that we need a hawk in the White House to take care of evil all over the world. We trust the democrats internally and we trust the republicans externally, outside the United States. In 2008, the American people were very excited to see Obama but in the same time the country was in deep financial troubles, housing markets collapsed, unemployment rising, and the Credit markets disappearing, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were not really moving in the right direction, the Middle East stalling, but mainly the internal front and not outside the US that was relevant I might say in the election of Obama. In few words, the picture was bleak. We have been excited about his arrival to the presidency more than we have been in generations and we looked at him as the great savior, imagine, what a burden. Therefore, the bottom line here is that we are very hopeful to have Obama as our president but in the same time, we are telling the president, your burden of proof is higher; the bar is higher for you. Yes, we elected you, but you have to prove yourself everyday that you are up to the responsibility. If we look objectively at the competition, you can very well see that no one so far stands out as a real Competitor to Barack Obama on either side of the Aisle, Democrats or Republicans. Let us for a moment examine the evidence here; on the republican side the only stars, if I can use this term, is Sara Palin, the Tea Party group and some extreme radio and TV commentators, in other words, pinheads, enough said, No brainer, no doubt about it. No program, no traction with the real issues. Obama is confronting serious problems, he is digging deep into America's soil, and in the process of cleaning and reforming, he is getting much dirt thrown at him, and he just needs to keep going; President Obama has no choice but to keep going forward, if he gets angry, they will point and say, look, it is because of who he is, if he keeps blaming Bush for the economy, they will say, look he is not up to the job. If he ever looks in the mirror and say, wow, I'm an African American and I'm the first president and I made history and people for that fact have to elect me again or have to forgive me or have to say let us give him another chance, if he ever does any of the those things I mentioned, then the president will not be reelected in 2012. Obama needs to do one thing, look forward, go back to the tone of 2008 that elected him as president, continue to motivate and inspire the American people. So far, the choice is clear, to me at least, but he must go out, he must campaign relentlessly from now, and he must show how he is succeeding. As the president of the United States, he must be the master salesman of all.

*FIFA South Africa........... by Jamil Shawwa

The first time I watched- rather comprehended what was going on-  was the world cup in 1974 and it was both Germany and Holland-The Netherlands- that captured the lights and the attention- It is amazing how certain things stick in mind, like the first game you watch, or the first book you read or the first girl you love or think you love until the next one comes along or until the girl you really love comes along, It seems that love has to present itself in every conversation- It was also the temporary end of Brazil’s rein over the cup during Pele, Brazil legendary player.

Brazil won the 1970 cup, Pele retired after that game, and Brazil played in 1974 and lost. The final game was between Holland lead by Johan Cruyff and West Germany- as it used to be called at the time- lead by Franz Beckenbauer. West Germany won after an exciting game.

This year we had Spain and The Netherlands- Holland- competing over the most important sports title on earth and Spain won. It was historic for couple of reasons, it was the first time that both finalists’ teams have never won it before and it was played and organized by an African country, South Africa. The organization was fantastic, and the host country was so gracious and luckily, it took place while South Africa historic leader Nelson Mandela is alive.

In reviewing the winners and the losers, the criteria was based on patterns and performance. For example, Argentina to me was one of the biggest if not the biggest loser for a simple reason, when you go on a winning streak and all of a sudden, you lose 4-1 as they did to Germany in the Semi final, then there must be something structurally wrong. Brazil on the other hand was not a big loser per say although it did lose and did not continue beyond the 16th round but it's performance was mediocre all along, so no surprises.

The US continued its pattern of reaching the second round and leave so it is not a loser. As for Germany -the contender always to win the cup- it had a predictable and normal pattern of performance, won most games, lost to Serbia in the first round, and again to Spain but continued and got the third place. Spain and The Netherlands had also a predictable pattern although no one including all the experts expected them to reach the final game.

People watched and put politics aside-maybe- and just enjoyed the sportsmanship of the game, the clean competition- some were not but still- and the winner Spain who in this year also won the Cup of Europe and its teams Real Madrid and Barcelona have been among of the best in the world for generations. Nevertheless, Spain never won a world cup until this year.

Netherlands is the same although it had other opportunities to reach the final game and stopped short from winning. Yesterday, The Netherlands did not need to give us any excuse for not winning nor did it have our sympathy; Spain had exceptional performance in both sportsmanship and delivery. Spain was the better team in the final game all along; they deserved it fair and square. Netherlands needs to lick its wounds, review itself, and reform its behavior. You do not have to be very aggressive to win. But you always have to be very skilful to win.

That was the story of the Netherlands today and the story of Spain the winner of the South Africa 2010 world cup. Football as all competitive sports is about manners and sportsmanship but it is also about winning. Africa right now is on the map as maybe every country that played in the finals and maybe every country on earth, Technology more than ever made it possible for every human being on earth – if they choose to- to watch the game, hear about it or be part of the celebration. People through different social engines on the internet were connected in a way that has never existed before with live conversations around the globe about the final game and every game.

We  were experts as usual, we all had opinions, and we all posted and talked about it. What a celebration of human connectivity it was.



*Trademark of: Fédération Internationale de Football Association

The International Federation of Football.

*Divorce Socrates Wife, Part II: Husband and Wife... by Jamil Shawwa

Wife: I had the best vacation since we got married


Husband: I am glad that you did, I wish I were there with you.


Wife: question asked, question answered.


Husband: I see; vacation was nice because I was not part of it


Wife: well, you have a very demanding life style, a routine, and a system, who can handle such things.


Husband: a loving wife, maybe. If love was there, anything could be handled


Wife: you do not need a wife; you need a robot, someone with no feelings


Husband: I disagree; I need a woman that can understand, a woman that has grace, a woman that can appreciate


Wife: appreciate what? Not sure what to appreciate. But let us pass on that last note, and go back to your statement, of I need, what about me, I need all the above and do not have them in you


Husband: I agree, it is mutual, and I meant it that way, the things I mentioned should be mutual and should be demanded by the husband and wife.


Wife: there is no meeting of the minds, and there is no meeting of the hearts


Husband: I said that before in many writings, the meeting of the mind, the thought must be in first before the hearts and the bodies can meet.


Wife: what are you looking for, a new wife, go ahead, be my guest, I can find one for you if you like.


Husband: no thanks, I appreciate your gesture and you kindness, but there is no way that I would repeat the same mistake twice, first, marrying you and now asking you to find me a new wife; it would be as if I will be marrying you all over, again.






*Disclaimer: any resemblance with any real life experience is just a coincidence; for entertainment purposes only.

America and Rania 07/04/2010.... By Jamil Shawwa

Today, 07/04/2010, Rania turns eight years old, and America turns two hundred and thirty four years young, what do they have in common,

You both are young in age and in spirit

You both are looking to the future

You both are strong and stubborn

You both are resolved and resilient

You both are kind and generous

You both like to be treated well

You do not tolerate injustice, the way you both see it

You like to play fair, though sometimes you like to make sure that you are well heard and listened to

America at two hundred and thirty four years young is looking forward, America does not look back, America still likes to learn; It prefers humility with strength over pride with weakness.

America knows that peace cannot be protected with well wishes only, it knows that to spread peace, you need to make sure that you are watching your surroundings as a hawk, as it's symbol, the bald eagle.

America is for all and it consists of all, so there is no way for anyone or anybody or any creed or religion to claim exclusivity over America; it does not exist.

Some call America the melting pot and some call it the salad ball, different stuff, colors, shapes in one ball, area, or country. I just call it the good old USA.

In protecting itself, America protects the world, and in what might seems and looks as selfishness to its people or over protecting its people, is actually the ultimate generosity, America does not discriminate between domestic and foreign, a peaceful Japan, or Korea, or Nigeria, or Israel or Palestine, or England is a peaceful United States.

America invented the modern business practices, it reinvented the modern diplomacy and it created new meanings to the word empire or the sole superpower on earth. America does not colonize, it does not occupy, and America wants the people of other countries to run their affairs. America believes truly in win- win situations in business and politics, it does not believe in win- lose, because America knows that it's ultimate interest is to have winners around it, to be surrounded with prosperous nations and countries. See the genius, if you are prosper, then I am prosper, if you are rich, then you will enrich me; it is the supreme rule that will continue to carry America through future generations and generations as the sole super power.

Happy birthday America, today is your day and tomorrow too...

Company’s Conference...by Jamil Shawwa

It is very early in the morning, around 6:30 AM, employees of the company from different locations and operations are starting to arrive at the conference location resided in a hotel adjacent to a university. The conference itself will not start until 9:00 AM but with traffic anticipation, it is better to arrive a little or too early rather than arriving late; you might miss the continental breakfast, Translation: Tea, Coffee, Juices, Croissant and pastries. The first thing after the arrival was to locate the entrance, then the room itself then the other related objects that are necessary to make the conference successful i.e.: restrooms, smoking section, etc after that think of planning the way back after the conference ends, you know, you have to think out of the box and of the traffic around the nations’ capital. In the midst of all these planning, the conference reason might become irrelevant, at least to most of the participants, they are just excited to get away from the office and have free beverages, breakfast and lunch, these conferences happen just once or twice a year, so you have to take advantage here of the seasonal corporate generosity. The attendant or the receptionist who has been doing the same exciting and challenging job for over twenty yeas -preparing the name tags, setting up the tables with the appropriate numbers, making sure that each table has water, glasses, pads and pens for those that pretend that they are actively participating and taking notes, was there trying to smile and laugh at jokes made by smart people trying to be very funny at that very early hour in the morning, already prepared the name tags, you pick yours, make sure that your name is spelled correctly, as a matter of fact, it is just psychological, even if your name is spelled wrong, it is too late to correct. Once you are done with your nametag, and placing it usually on the upper left corner of your blazer, it is business casual, no need for a tie, though some wore them, as for the female participants, mostly trousers and jackets, not many skirts today. Inside the conference room, there are twelve tables with eight seats at each one, and your tag has a number as well as your name so you know where to set, you cannot change tables if you see an exciting woman setting at a table that is not yours and you cannot throw a smart remark here or there, you have to act professionally even if you are not and pretend that you are serious and composed. The conference is starting to take place, the tables are getting filled, people saying hello to those that they know or they do not know, remember, everyone should act friendly, you cannot set alone and frown, they might think that you are not a team player, Translation: put-up with the silly stuff and pretend that you care about others and that you prefer the team over yourself- tall order here- otherwise some might think that you are politically incorrect or the worst, mentally challenged. The top executives are on table twelve, notice not table one, they arrived with their laptops, sat down, opened their laptops, their Black Berry, and acted as if they were dragged to be here and not to be bothered at least not until the conference starts, and then they can put on their motivating hats and play the game. The humming and the chatting is all over and all of sudden, number two started to talk, an introduction as why is the meeting taking place and you start hearing the clichés, new terms in the corporate words; moving the needle, do not drop the ball- Translation: the first, do above and beyond, the second, take responsibility. Might consider the other guy, Translation: the competition. Do not focus on the price, Translation: sell the company and the products. Wrap it up, Translation: not sure, but you cannot interrupt. He then introduced the big one, the top executive who before the introduction has left his seat at that famous number 12, and went at the end of the room, where I was seated- usually, my table is at the far end of the room, I have a nice view though- the big one comes running, as soon as the introduction is made, from the end to the front as if someone is after him with a stick, and he starts looking, surveying the place not believing that he has hired all these people, Translation: losers, those employees, looking at their watches and wondering what is it for lunch. Anyway, the big one starts to talk about the bigger picture, see, number two talked about the big one, but number one talks about the bigger ones. As you reach higher position, your talk focuses on big stuff and not small stuff that are left for people like me for example. The higher you are the closer you get to the sky and the smaller things look to you. Once you are on top, you really cannot see anybody but yourself, you are kind of above the clouds. So usually, the conference starts on earth and ends up on earth and the skies are in between the start and the end. The big one also has to come up with his own words of wisdom, he cannot leave the stage wide open to number two so he also starts talking about how it is all about people, Translation: the little people. And that you- the small guys- are the engine that runs the company, translation: you are nobody. That if change to be made, it has to be made by you and no one else, Translation: again, you are nobody, do not fool yourself or/and we will fire a bunch of you soon, so I am giving you a heads- up. He then got warmed up and started to critique the operations and how we are like little islands- he is correct here- that we do not talk to each other and that has to be changed, not sure when though. Once he warmed up completely, he started rolling by saying; you are the first line of defense, Translation: again, you are nobody. Keep the momentum going, Translation: otherwise, you will be fired. All sounded perfect, but what is it for lunch, whispered one unmotivated and ungrateful participant. By the time the big one finished, he disappeared from the room and left it to number two who himself started to look hungry after that big motivating speech and was saved by the bill, when the clock hit 12:15 PM, Lunchtime. As all know, you need to organize lunch, that was maybe the most challenging part of this conference, how can you organize the people's movement towards the lunch buffet next door, the stampede started to happen, the huddle started to form, when all of a sudden, number two said that it all starts and ends here, Translation: company's success and not yours and the way we organize lunch lines, so we go to lunch but we must go by the order we are seated. Again, mine was the last table, and I had to wait.

The Midnight Love Express...Thoughts by Jamil Shawwa

She looked at him, raised her head with her hair covering part of her captivating eyes and said innocently or seemingly innocently... did you call on me, are you looking for me, I thought that I heard your voice.





He just looked back, he was looking all along, but pretending that he was busy doing something, he looked left and right up and down trying to escape but there is no way, he knows that he is powerless even if he tries,






She was still looking at him; and in what seemingly innocent eyes and in what seemingly innocent looks, lies beneath the ultimate female manipulation, the ultimate female naughtiness and the ultimate female heaven.






He cannot say one thing, he cannot open his mouth and he cannot tell her anything, he only owns one part of this conversation, he owns his part, or he thinks he does, he owns his ability to look and suffer in silence.










Her looks are those of the discoverer and the explorer and his are those of the hopelessly and forever romantic coming out of a Romeo and Juliette novel.

Talk With Israel… Do not Be Afraid….. by Jamil Shawwa

Dear Arab and Muslim countries,


I have a modest request, as an Arab American, and as a Muslim and as someone who was born in Beirut- my mother is Lebanese from a Lebanese family- and my family from my father’s side is from Gaza and lived in Gaza for years, I ask you to pick-up the phone, or text message or email your neighbors and friends in the State of Israel and just say hello!

To the leaders of the Arab countries and the Muslim countries, do the same, talk to Shimon Peres, Bibi Netanyahu and Ehud Barak and all the leaders in Israel.

To the Palestinians, they are doing it daily, but why not more, do the same. Egypt’s Mubarak is doing it as well as King Abdullah II of Jordan and many, many others that do not publicize.

To the State of Israel, I know how it feels sometimes to be alone, a state and country in the midst of the Arab and Muslim countries, but do the same if you can, pick up the phone, or email and suggest a conversation.

Talk in the area, in Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, Cairo, Amman, Damascus, Baghdad, or Haifa- oh I love Haifa, the food there is amazing- no need to go anywhere else, your destiny is already written, and you will never be able to run from it, you are all there, The State of Israel, the State of Palestine and all the other countries in the Middle East.

Use civility and the power of reason, deliberation and mind to talk, discuss, and negotiate, nothing to lose and mountains to gain.

Talking is one thing, probably, that differentiate all of us from other God’s creatures, and we are blessed with the ability to talk if we choose to.

Talk on all levels, schools, sports, politics, just talk.

Pick up the phone, all of you, and dial the numbers, and if you do not have the numbers, just go ahead and Google them, just do something useful, different, if you have to, and productive today and not tomorrow. Do not wait, do not sneak around, do not pretend, and do not stab in the back. The power of conversation is the ultimate power, because it is endless, it cannot be stopped and it cannot be fought.

Thanks but No Thanks, Ardogan; Political Inferiority Complex, the Arabs, Turkey and Iran by Jamil Shawwa

The way the Arab world and some other countries are rallying to glorify the new and coming Turkish role in the Middle East reminded me of the old days of glorifying the defunct Soviet Union so claimed then support of the so called Arab causes; both are vain, unrealistic and disillusioned. The Turkish role might be emerging, and the Turkish past connection to the Arab world during the politically and socially retarded Ottoman Empire, might be bringing some nostalgia to those that feel so depressed about their internal affairs and themselves that they forgot over 600 years of the worst political system in history; the Turkish and Ottoman Occupation of the Middle East, that are just running toward Turley because it sent a little ship with some hotheaded persons trying to get into Gaza in a very immature way. To that extend the self-disrespect of the Arab countries and many Arabs, to that extend the desperation and the self-elusion, to that extend they surrendered the mind and the brain if they had any to such act. Same thing is happening with Iran, all these desperate movements that run to Iran hoping of the so-called great help or Iran would be the one that would restore the Arab and Muslim respect in the world, amazing to say the least. Iran is the last country that cares for the Arabs or the Muslims, that is the Arab Sunni Muslims, Iran through history never been in good terms with the Arabs and it will never be unless or until the political systems in both Iran and the Arab countries change to  democratic liberal systems. We are talking thousands of years for Iran and hundreds of years with Turkey. Therefore, what has changed to make the Arabs long back to the terrible years and centuries of both Iran and Turkey. The Turks and the Iranians did not change and the Arabs did not change. All is the same if you look closely, same pattern of resorting to someone else to talk on your behalf that has been the story of the Arabs through history, negotiating by proxy, talking by proxy. It is the same inferiority complex that stained the Arab countries and the Arab world, that they cannot deal with others directly or maybe they are so proud, actually so afraid, to deal with others, they do not want the mask to slip. It is a shame what I see right now, people glorifying the Turkish role, what Turkish role are you looking for, twenty two Arab countries cannot deal with each other and are afraid to deal with Israel that they look for couple of dusty old and defected empires, Iran and Turkey, to speak on their behalf. Same when the Arabs looked towards the Soviet Union, and got the biggest defeat in modern history, the Six Days War of 1967. Even internally, poor Arabs, In the 50s and the 60s looked at the biggest deceive and the biggest joke by the name of Gamal Abdel-Nasser who promised them the Promised Land and crushed their illusions in 1967. What is going on, why the self disrespect, people changing their names to Turkish names, running to Turkey like the lost in the desert dreaming of a drop of water. Wake up, deal with Israel directly; Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority gained tremendously when they followed the conventional wisdom of just talking. Today, the Turkish prime minster, said that Turkey wants to be to the Arab world as the Ottoman Empire was; thanks, but no thanks, Ardogan, do not try to compensate Turkey's inferiority complex towards Europe by looking East.