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.

Toilets... by Jamil Shawwa

The title speaks for itself, but if you allow me and indulge me in elaborating a little on this title, subject, that is vital to all living creatures, humans and animals, the title might make more sense, and less disgusting as some might think it is. First, I have a declaimer to make, this subject has nothing to do with my midlife crises, it is something that I have encountered in the past and still encounters until now. Now, when I was a law student at Cairo University, we had the toilets in the basement, in the law school, and next to them, we had a little mosque where students can pray. It was a shame to have these two areas side by side, however, it would have been ok, if the toilets were decent but they were not, they were awful, not dirty necessary but over all, in my opinion, not human. Moving to Washington DC, we have a nice mosque in the most prestigious street in Washington DC. The view from the outside is majestic, from the inside, it is a combination of people living there, cooking and just having all sorts of things. The toilets as in Cairo law school are in the basement, next to the women praying section, and the view is the same, terrible. You go there to clean up before praying and it is an annoying process that probably make many people feel that praying at home is just much less hassle. I must say though that the wife does not like to go into my bathroom for some reason, she has signs for her and the kids not to come close. So, not fair. Back to he DC mosque toilets; no paper towels, not enough lighting, toilets are old fashion before the industrial age where you have to bend the knees, a hole, no toilets- that goes for both men and women, terrible. I just do not get it, what is the same factor between the toilets in the law school next to the little mosque in Cairo and the toilets in the mosque in Washington DC few blocks from the White House and the residence of the vice president; both places are run by the same mentality, same style of thinking, same people. You can go to the moon, or anywhere, but if you are the same as you were from your began, then nothing changes.

*Tibet to China and India as The Vatican To Italy... by Jamil Shawwa

The Tibet spiritual leader the **Dalai Lama was here in Washington DC few days ago and met our president Barack Obama. Meeting the president even for just a photo opportunity gave the visit a very high visibility and irritated China that does not recognize Tibet as a sovereign nation. China and Tibet have been in conflict for decades and centuries as Tibet tries to maintain it is own identity in face of China. Another player that is not visible here is India, which controls the Tawang province that has the most Tibetan sacred monastery, and it is located on the border of china and considered part of India. It seems to me from glancing quickly through the history of this conflict that China will continue to claim sovereignty over this province as it does over another province though considered a country; Mongolia. The uniqueness of Tibet is not political but religious and spiritual. This uniqueness might give the Tibet a chance to have a special status, it does now but it seems that it is not enough for the Dalai. China can continue to have Tibet under its overall umbrella and issue a special status to Tibet where this province can be a country and has ambassadors, a government and president, or as in the Vatican a spiritual leader. There are few examples here in the world right now, we have Monaco and Liechtenstein but the best example that can be emulated in my opinion is the Vatican. See attached maps and sources for more relevant information.




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* Source Google.
** Tibet practices Buddhism, which is mainly same as China but has its own specialties. For more information, please Google China and Tibet.

*Cafe Talks……Obama’s Middle Name...by Jamil Shawwa

Cafes, Bars, Restaurants have been through history the place where people mix eating, drinking, smoking- though it is getting harder and harder for the smokers to find a safe heaven- with talking. Strangers setting together in one place, either individuals or groups, and just venting. Accordingly, the places that I just mentioned have been a great source of news, gossips, information, conspirators, dating, and love making- stop it, I'm just stretching it- or just as everywhere else in the world the daily hangout place for the retired. So you can, if you want and have the skills- I am not good at it- listen and record all types of stuff that people do. It is amazing the information that you can get hanging in a popular place like Starbucks, for example. I know some people might say but who has the time for all these observations besides you, and the answer is that there are few that are interested in poking in other people’s lives and business if for nothing but just to amuse or entertain themselves. The other day, I went to one of my breakfast places near work and as I was standing outside for a quick cigarette before entering the place that is by the way in Virginia- which used to be the cigarettes capital of the United States before our wise politicians banned it altogether, I mentioned it in another blog here- Any way, I was standing there smoking by few news stands, those machines that dispense papers, as I used to smoke by the toilets in planes, and I came across two gentlemen looking at the cover stories from behind the glass window of the box that has the papers, you have to insert coins to get a copy but these two were not interested in buying a paper per say but just reading for free the headlines. I am not going to mention their ethnicity as I really trying hard to live up to what I write**. One man looked at the other and asked; do you know Obama's Middle name. The other man kept looking at the paper display without answering, so the first one continued- as if the point he needs to make must be made whether that person answered or not- his middle name is Hussein. The man kept looking at the display, maybe he did not know what to answer or maybe he was thinking of how relevant Obama's middle name to the headlines in the few papers on display. All the headlines that morning were talking about Obama's health plan.

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* I will start having a series titled Cafe Talks
**Check my article here, America's Obsession with Color.

State of Emergency...by Jamil Shawwa

It is here, it has arrived, no way to run from it and if I try to run, there is no place to hide. This day is finally here, after two months of anticipation, preparations- mostly psychologically- and anxiety, the day has arrived. I am in bed, still trying to avoid the inevitable, the already done deal. I hear garage door opening, for some reason, I can hear my garage door from my bedroom, very strange. Any way, the car enters the garage, the wife is driving, and garage door closes, slowly and heavily, as if even the garage door is protesting the inevitable. I hear noises; I do not want to leave the room- trying to stall- but whom am I kidding. I leave my room, to the other place, and then back to my room, and down the stairs. I turn off the house alarm, but even the alarm does not want to go off, as if it does not want to open the door without protest. Key door clicks, wife enters and then, the big one is facing me, that is it, it is Sunday that comes once every two months by the minute like a Swiss clock and I'm face to face with her, the joy of my life, the music to my ears, I extend my hand slowly but whom am I kidding, a handshake is never enough, I must give a warm, sincere hug. I open my both arms and I welcome her to my house; my mother -in-law- is here. Enough said, no more words, the ink has dried.

GOULASH! by Jamil Shawwa

Please, do not let me start talking about one of my all time favorite dishes, Goulash. I pay anything - not true, I am not rich- for a good old fashion Hungarian goulash, the real one and not the one the wife cooks. I fell in love with the dish maybe when I was 10 years old, when our parents used to take us to a small by the road cafe and grocery, can you believe it, in the middle road between Gaza City in the Gaza Strip and Ashkelon in the State of Israel, used to be called, Mafkim, maybe the spelling is different. I think the place was part of a *Moshav, I really do not remember, but I remember my favorite dish the Goulash. Oh my God, the taste, the texture and the looks are still in my mouth until now- like, seriously, making love with a beautiful woman that never gets old. Any way, the servers and cooks , whom lived in the Moshav, raised the cattle and grew the tomatoes and potatoes, would bring to your table a hearty, orange red- this is how the fresh tomato broth should look like- ball of Goulash, chunks of beef, potatoes, and tomato broth. I keep repeating myself, cannot stop; the look is fantastic, the taste is heaven. I tried to match the taste in other parts of the world but nothing topped that little, tiny, off the road to Ashkelon, Moshav cafe.
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* For more information, Google kibbutz and Moshav.

Domestic and International Terrorism .....by Jamil Shawwa

The Texan, Andrew Stack III- from Texas, USA- that crashed his single engine plane into a US federal building that hosts the IRS- Internal Revenue Services- killing one person and injured few others is one of those that many consider domestic terrorists. According to news reports, this well off, well educated person, did his terrorist act against America- The IRS is a federal and not state agency, we consider these acts and the law could consider such acts as crimes against the US government- because he was not happy with his life, the loss of his job, angry over the role of the government in society and other reasons.

People who knew him- and I quote from news reports- described him as “brilliant”. People have always said that there is a fine line between brilliance and madness. I wonder if this applies to that person that if survived and tried would have been considered a terrorist.

Terrorism is not related to a specific culture, people, and never a religion, but it is unfortunately part of life and governments must confront it and be ready for it on a daily basis. We have in the US individuals and small groups who live on the fringes of society, who believe that the federal government controls their lives and they need violently do something about.

Unfortunately, those individuals decided that terrorism is the best way although our country is free for all to talk, organize and form anything they like peacefully.

We have seen other domestic terrorists such as Timothy McVeigh who blew up a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995 because he was angry at the federal government, and probably like this angry pilot, just angry with themselves.

The domestic terrorists here are as bad as Al-Qaeda and other terrorists’ organizations; their aim is not to reform or adopt a cause but their purpose is to destroy just for the sake of destruction. These groups and individuals should be mentioned. The freedom of speech and all other freedoms seize to exist for those who choose violence. Now and  throughout history, we have witnessed groups that the world dubbed as terrorists, because they were, but turned into regular political parties in their countries and ironically part of the political system and guardians of peace and stability.

The following terrorist organizations and individuals: *The Japanese Red Army, Andrew Stack III, Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, Timothy McVeigh,**Baader-Meinhof, ***Brigate Rosse, just to mention few are not one of them. They are pure destructive groups.
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* The Japanese Red Army: International Marxist terror
organization that still exists but not as active as it was it the 60s and 70s. Source:www.britannica.com
**Baader-Meinhof- German terror organization that in 1998 abandoned its terror according to a press release. It was active in the 70s and 80s.Source:www.britannica.com
***Brigate Rosse- Italian terror organization that wrecked havoc in Italy especially in the 70s and it reached its climax of terror when it assassinated the former Italian prime minister, Aldo Moro. Source:www.britannica.com

A Quick Drop By Tony's Pizza.....by Jamil Shawwa

The buzz at work is Tony’s Pizza; everyone eats it, talks about it, makes love to it and just short from creating a pizza statue in the halls of the company to immortalize it. I never tried Tony's until couple of days ago when I decided to break my routine and sway from going to my usual restaurants and usual menu to try this so called Pizza Heaven. I'm by the way is a pizza enthusiast, I love it, but I love it plain, original, cheese and tomatoes, thin crust. Well, my favorite is called- as you can imagine- the Margarita Pizza. Through the years, I came across few good ones such as the following places: in Jerusalem- I mentioned it in my Jerusalem piece here- at Richie, in Cairo at few places if I remember well, La Mamma , I think this is how it is called and spelled, it used to be, maybe until now, at the Cairo Sheraton in Giza, adjacent to Cairo. The third one was at the Nile Hilton, Cairo as well, at the Pizzeria. There was also one in Alexandria- Egypt, but forgot the name. Another one was- unbelievably- at the Pizza Hut in London, one of the best pizza and salad bar that I had in my life. In the US there are few, nothing so far tops our New York City Pizzerias and I have couple of places here in Virginia. I drifted as usual, but back on track, I finally went to this Tony's Pizza, and as soon as I entered the place, I was confronted with four persons at the cashier standing in line side by side and amazingly by the order of their height, maybe originally Italians or some Spanish, whom my first impression of them was, what a group of mentally retarded people. I feel terrible to say that, but this was my first impression. They looked at me, from the first second, all of them, with a crooked smile and start whispering and looking at each other. I think the way I felt about them was mutual, because I also interpreted their look at me as look at this jackass, not sure, maybe because I'm expressive, and probably people can read the way I feel from my looks, I make lots of facial expressions. The bottom line is that I truly believe that our first impressions were mutual. Finally, I bought couple of slices, no drinks, I had some in the car and went outside and ate the pizza. It was great, actually, but I am not going back to Tony’s.

*The Israeli Arabs and the Evolving Identity of the State of Israel...by Jamil Shawwa

Years ago and throughout different periods, I came across people who happened to be Arab citizens of the State of Israel.

The original Arab population in Israel is that population that did not leave towns and cities in 1948 after the State of Israel declared its independence and what followed of the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948. My interaction with the Israeli Arabs first came to surface when I went to a boarding school in Jerusalem by the name of St. George school- the actual boarding house was few miles away at the YMCA in Ramallah -the temporary capital of the Palestinian Authority lead by Mahmoud Abbas- we had students from the so called inside the green line- an artificial line that separates the State of Israel from the West Bank according to the **1949 Armistice lines established between Israel and its neighbors (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria).

The students from Israel of course were Israeli citizens, the rest of us were, as my self, Unidentified- Gaza, or Jordanians- mainly the West Bank. The friends and colleagues from Israel always felt torn apart between their citizenship and residence to the state and their historic belonging to the Palestinian people in the historic pre 1948 League of Nations British mandated Palestine. I personally would have advised them that there is no problem; you can be a German Israeli, a Palestinian Israeli and such. No need to pretend that you are ashamed of this and that, no need at all. Back on track, these students always felt- while with Palestinians, from the West Bank and Gaza- the need to show that they are part of the overall so-called Palestinian struggle to gain independence.

Moving to another era that took place in Cairo-Egypt after the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1979 following the historic visit to Jerusalem by the late Egyptian president Anwar Al-Sadat. I stayed for few months in a little hotel in Cairo that was also attended by tourists from all over the world and among them were tourists from Israel that some happened to be Arabs. In that hotel, that I stayed while attending law school at Cairo University, we used to set in the restaurant in the evenings and just talk.

At one time, couple of the Israeli Arabs confided to me, they felt comfortable with me for some reason because the subject is so sensitive, that they prefer to live under Israeli rule than to go back under Palestinian or Arab rule.

These two friends said and I quote" we prefer to live in hell under Israel than to live in paradise under the Arabs" end of quote. I was not shocked, knowing the Arab political system but I was pleased that they felt this way. They are now citizens of the state of Israel, their job is to be smart citizens and productive citizens, and they can of course continue to ask for equality and such as long as they use peaceful means.

The Arabs in Israel live well in their homes and towns, they attend universities and they have representation in the parliament, the Knesset. They still have not reached the top political and military positions but this is normal and things will change for them as long as they remember that they are citizens of Israel and their loyalty should go to the state that they bear its' citizenship.

The political and social systems in Israel will develop as the peace process with the neighboring Arab countries gains solid ground, and once there are peace treaties and normalization of relations among all countries in the new Middle East, the life of the Israeli Arabs will evolve to more relaxed relations.

 The Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will have a state and there will be a Palestinian state in the future, however, the Israeli Arabs must look at the new state as a neighboring state with special ties. They know that they do not want to move there and they know that they want to continue to be part of the state of Israel***. Israel can as the debate goes right now to have it's identity as a Jewish state and in the same time move to ensure a multi-ethnic society that will allow qualified people to govern regardless of their ethnicity. The Arabs in Israel will use their relations to both Israel and Palestine to be one of the bridges that cross the spectrum between Israel and the Arab countries.


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* Israel population consists mainly of Jewish and Arabs. The definition of Arab population in Israel relates to both Muslims and Christians. There are other groups such as the Bedouins and the Druze. The Arabs are exempt from serving in the Military, the Druze and the Bedouins are active members of the State of Israel Defense Forces. The demographics according to the CIA-The World Factbook, total population is 7,233,701 divided as follows: Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
**Source from Wikipedia
*** Read my blogs: Ahmad Tibi, Danny Ayalon, Khalid Mashal, Avigdor Lieberman. Also, read An Article From Haaretz: Israel & Palestine, Multi-Ethnicity for related details and Jerusalem.

Missed Opportunities....by Jamil Shawwa

What triggered me to write this piece is a news wire about some official stating that and I quote “this might be the last chance to make peace in the Middle East". I have heard this statement few hundreds of times, same statement, different people from different countries. In another context, you hear the words, missed opportunities, all the time and every day. Some mean business opportunities, some might mean a charming woman, or women and some might just mean anything that they should have had or got and missed. Not going to the bathroom in the morning could be a missed opportunity for some. I have my own interpretation for the so-called missed opportunities for peace in The Middle East, in the holy land, the birthplace of the divine religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I personally do not believe in that statement, Missed Opportunities, I do not believe, I know it sounds weird and it sounds that my midlife crisis is getting worse, but I really think that we, the people form the Middle East or as in my case, the people who originally came from the Middle East, did not miss any opportunities for peace. Peace is not a romantic word, it is not a wish, and it is not something we should only pray for. It is an action, a well, a desire, and it is first a political process. This political process depends on the desire of the countries involved, they want to make peace or they do not, nothing else. It sounds so oversimplifying a historic conflict, but it boils down to the political well and process. My mother God bless her wakes up every morning praying for peace for the Jewish people, the Arab people, Muslims and Christians, and all people on earth. This is fantastic, but we need an action plan with the prayers, I need to see an agenda, and as I said earlier, desire. I was once having lunch at a nice Turkish restaurant in the suburbs of our capital Washington DC- one of the best places for grilled lamb chops- and I heard the server, a Turkish man, replying to us talking about peace by saying, brother, there will never be peace in the Middle East. I am not that pessimistic, and the server could be realistic but I am sure that there will be peace in the Middle East but it will not be any peace, it will not be regular peace, it will be a special peace, a practical peace, a peace of the need, it will start that way. Real peace happens not with governments, but with people talking freely, it happens when the political systems in the Middle East- including Iran and Afghanistan- having regular, secular, maybe Islamic Turkish style governments. When we have due process, when we have elected officials and when we have a liberal system that protects the rights of all people in that part of the world. The Middle East is rich; it is rich by its culture, religions and oil. It is the place where money, power, and religion mix in a very dramatic way, a violent way sometimes. Peace is coming but it will not be a regular peace, it will be a custom-made peace. Finally yet importantly, for some reason, I feel that I have no clue what I am talking about.

Arrogant Bastards... by Jamil Shawwa

The other day, I went with some friends from work to a near by Irish pub. I love those pubs although I no longer drink alcohol. The atmosphere is great, service is wonderful, hosts are very attentive and hospitable and the Sheppard’s Pie is an all time favorite. Any way, we sat at the table, got the menu, I ordered my usual soda soft drink and the girls and boys from the office started to stare at the Beers menu, what a selection, makes your mouth waters. The correct word for beer at the pub is Ale. I took a glance maybe to remember the good old days- read again my blog, A Voice From The Past, to see how I addressed this statement, the good old days. Back to the subject at hand, which is the beers menu, the names were amazing, but one name for a draft beer - fresh, not in bottles- stuck in my mind. The name of that beer was, the Arrogant Bastards. Of course, I just could not set still when the server came around to take the order and I jumped ahead of the group and asked her if they still have arrogant bastards in the place. She looked back, a little annoyed, maybe because every customer tries to make fun of the name and she had it, and said that they are out of the bastards but they are fully stocked with new beer that I might be interested in trying, she does not know yet that I only drink soft drinks, I asked her, sure, and if it is in the menu, she answered back and said no it is very special and that they do not put it in the menu but they offer it for those that ask for and can not get the Arrogant Bastards. I said ok, so what is the name, or brand. She gave me a good look from upside down and said, Jackass. I looked back at my group who blasted in laughter and I fired back, and said that it is fine, get four jackasses to this group. She did not let go and said oh, I thought that you are five Jackasses and not four. The Sheppard's Pie was good though.

Valentines's Day 02/14/2010.......by Jamil Shawwa

The feast of love, Valentine’s Day. We in the USA will celebrate it tomorrow. We will celebrate not only love but will celebrate life with all its components. Tomorrow we will invite that special- or just family- one to lunch or dinner, or maybe just coffee, we will look in the eyes and say, happy Valentine’s Day, thank you for being with me, thank you for sharing this moment with me and thank you for allowing me to love you. I am amazed, trying to be polite here, at some authorities specifically in some Arab Gulf countries who are citing religious reasons for preventing its people from celebrating love. Show me one religion that bans such celebrations. Enough extremism and manipulation in the name of Islam, or any other religion. Religions brought to earth to spread love and humanity and not fanaticism, terrorism and extremism. I am shocked at these backward, no brains that set in their Ivory towers telling people what is right and what is wrong. It is time as we celebrate love, to ignore those Ivory towers, back rooms, voices of darkness and despair, and go out and celebrate love, all kinds of love. It is not for me or anyone else on earth to tell you how you should celebrate or if you should celebrate, as long as it is your choice. Happy Valentine’s Day.