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.

The Water, the Nile, and The next Negotiations... by Jamil Shawwa

The Middle East -when are we going to stop talking about it, probably never- is not only the land of the three divine religions, it is not only the land of oil and source of energy and life in the world now but also the land of water. As God, who sent the three prophets of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, with the three interconnected messages in that part of the world knew that his sons are naughty and that his sons are not in-line so he created all these things for all of them to share. It is the destiny of the Arab countries including the upcoming and new state of Palestine in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and the State of Israel to continue to live in an internal state of negotiations and cooperation. The three divine religions were born there and that is it. All stop and start there. No way to run from it and no way, for any party to ignore the other, it is just not possible. In the same time, the cousins and the brothers cannot fight and if they fight, they will not win and if they win, then they will fight again. So why not take the short cut, the wise cut and set together. I love setting around, you can learn from me. Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt have water issues, and have challenges that they have to meet soon to ensure a normal flow of supplies and to ensure taking advantage of the water resources that exist in these countries and around including Turkey to both Syria and Iraq; it is amazing if they just share, no one will ever be thirsty again, no drought, nothing, just prosperity for all. We teach our kids to share from the start, we teach them to play together and though protecting their own things, they can still have other kids enjoy playing. The Dead Sea between Jordan and Israel is actually dying if not already started the process, other rivers, Elyarmouk, Ellitani, ElAsi, and then you have in Iraq the Euphrates, in Egypt the Nile. Now, I am practical, I am not a dreamer; maybe this is bad, but anyway, I see channels branching out and running from rivers between Israel, Jordan- oh, I forgot the Jordan River, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. I see those countries setting together, on the experts’ level, I do not want to see politicians ruining everything- at least not in the start, they can screw up later as they usually do, and just talk scientifically and fairly on how we can create win- win situations that will benefit all. Now, you have to talk, there is no other way. Egypt- read further on how it is more involved- is another story, as it does not deal for water directly with any other country in the Middle East, except for Sudan that it shares the Nile River. The river Nile comes from Uganda and through Ethiopia to Sudan and Egypt. There are agreements that give Egypt its share as it is with Sudan the best and the most important clients of the river. The African countries involved are looking to establish their own Dams on the river to benefit. Now, the approach should be not to accuse, and charge the emotions but talk sensibly, though not easy in the Middle East, where the word hypocrisy was created and invented. As for the Nile and the looming conflict looking between Egypt, Sudan and other countries that the Nile runs through, as I mentioned above, let the countries meet on the technical level and talk with an open mind. Egypt is a pioneer in negotiations and Egypt is the pioneer with Israel about much bigger issue, which is the Arab Israeli peace process. Egypt as well can share the Nile to supply Israel, Palestine, Jordan and even parts of Saudi Arabia with fresh water. Now, of course, I am talking general here but it is for the technical experts to make things happen and it could happen based on various analyses. Water as many experts believe might the next big one in the Middle East, and you as a country cannot be stubborn or talk about certain privileges or state things from just a very narrow angle, you must take into account the evolving needs of the other concerned countries and see how you can get a win-win situation, it is not difficult. The negotiations with the State of Israel, the new State of Palestine and countries such as Jordan and Syria will be over water resources as well. The water is there, the technical expertise is there, the talents are there, all you need to do is set and talk, period. Read related articles about the business peace of the Middle East and the art that I wish I were clever at, Negotiations.


Read my pieces on negotiations and the business peace of the Middle East:

http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2005/10/business-peace-of-middle-east.html
http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/02/negotiationsby-jamil-shawwa.html

Maps: Source: MidEastWeb and WikipediA
Map below in green for Lake Victoria, the main or one of two sources for the Nile River

Mosaic.... by Jamil Shawwa

* I have compiled a bouquet of my comments and opinions of discussions that I had with different friends on Facebook and from http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/  in this portrait of thoughts I call Mosaic.


النقاب On Elniqab- Veil- It Should be banned, it is not normal, not human. Now freedom of religion might require that we respect the rights of those wearing it however, when you cover your face, you are covering your identity, yourself, you are afraid, you are surrendering your rights, you are telling the society that I'm not part of you and I do not want you to see me but I want to see you. In my book, this is the ultimate selfishness. Another angle is whither these women are free or forced to wear it. A woman’s face is a gift from God; no human should delete it.

Root of the issue and wither it is relevant:


The reason, the premise and the intent do not and should not apply here; the action speaks volumes. The question is do we or we do not agree with such behavior, and if we agree to let these women cover their faces in free societies or even not so free societies, do or are we supposed to allow for example women, locals or visitors, to walk the streets of Cairo, Amman, and Riyadh warning Hiphugger and underwear only- I understand that this is unacceptable to both women and men, but I’m just making a point. See, the argument can go both ways. Elniqab can be considered an unacceptable behavior and it could be considered against public manners as same as going out in the streets wearing just underwear.


Comment on news that little girls are forced to wear elhijab-headcover- in some government schools in Egypt:

If this news is true, then I have a bigger problem with Egypt than the problems that I have mentioned before. If this is true, then I will go as far as accusing the political system in Egypt of complete weakness and despair. No respected country on earth would allow such things that are outside the system or not authorized. The minister of Education, instead of fining the garbage people or the cleaning people for not collecting papers from the schoolyard, should refer these teachers to investigation immediately. The Arab World is famous of hypocrisy, poor the new generations; I really feel the pain of these innocent creatures. If I were a practicing lawyer in Egypt, I would have filed a lawsuit now against the education minister and subpoenaed him to court to tell us what is going on.

On an administrative court decision in Egypt to ban marriage between Israelis and Egyptians:

Jamil's Comments: The Supreme Administrative Court" of Egypt approves or upholds a lawsuit that was brought before the court by a deranged lawyer to withdraw the citizenship of those Egyptians that marry Israeli women and that the government of Egypt-imagine the retardation- has to approve each case of marriage on a case by case basis case. What else shall I say except for the feeling of sorrow to the status of ignorance and complete and utter blindness to any logic or sense. I have no doubt that Egypt which lead and still lead the Arab and Muslim worlds towards the historic peace and reconciliation with Israel will soon wake up again. Egypt is going through hard Labour in the last fading years of President Mubarak. The Egyptians are confused, lost, they do not know what to do and who they are any more. Still, Egypt has the talents and the history on its side to correct and advance.


On Marriage and Divorce:

Marriage is good of course but if it does not work, then divorce is good too.

People missing with the Original Teachings and the original scripts of the three divine religions:

Some say that if people miss with the original scripts, then this could affect the religions themselves.
Jamil comments: if billions miss with the original recipes that does not take anything away from the original messages. The original is well known and preserved, the fake, the modified, and the tainted, are as well all over. Now, the choice, if you choose to do so, is yours, either you follow the original or the fake or the modified or you do not follow anything at all. It is not for me or any other human to tell another human what they should do, or whom they should believe.
Now, if I were running for a political office, then we would have another story

On garbage piling in the streets of some countries:

The problem is not with the garbage, or the companies or the recycling, the problem is in the people who cause the piles of garbage. The humans feel that their country, their streets, is a big garbage can. Reform the people, and those countries will be clean.

On the nationalization of the press in Egypt and the quality of the government run papers in the Arab world.

Since the nationalization- Eltameem- of the press in 1964, the late Egyptian president Abdel-Nasser nationalized Egypt's spirit and mind as he did to the whole Arab world.

On communications between Israel and Palestine:

One- The Palestinians need to continue to work closely with their Israelis counterparts to slowly buildup the economy of the new Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The voices of reason are working well. The Palestinians must remember and I think they do that their livelihood depends on mutual respect and good and cooperative relationship with the State of Israel.

Two- The two factions Hamas, and Fateh, though Fateh is the Palestinian Authority, want to punish journalists for meeting with their neighbors in Israel to discuss matters of mutual interests. Well, the Palestinian Authority president meets with his ...Israeli counterparts; the Egyptian president does the same and the king of Jordan. Why these leaders can meet with their Israeli counterparts and other layers of the society cannot. Is it because the Arabs say no to normalization until final solution is reached. I say break the barriers, meet with your neighbors in the State of Israel, and if anyone protests, tell them, Tough.

On Hamas:

The players need to find a way to bring Hamas to the table, I think. Like it or not, some sort of coordination has to take place there. But again, we are talking about the Middle East, the holy land, the land of the three divine religions and the ultimate land for the ultimate historic compromise and agreement among the sons of Abraham, Ibrahim.

On Iran:

One-It is very interesting to analyze Iran, not sure what to say. I know one thing, I think Iran is an annoying little bully, who got spoiled, as I said before here, who got used to the attention, who thinks that it is smart, maybe Iran is, who Am I to pretend that I know anything about world politics. I wrote few pieces on Iran on http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/ check them out when you have a chance.
Two- The Iranian president: This demagogue needs to focus on creating the environment for the people of Iran to thrive. Iran, what a great history, geography, oil, wealth, and rich culture has been for generations under rulers who never connected to the people, The Shah and then this group of cartoon religious scholars. Both The Pahlavi family an...d the current regime really have just made Iran the country it is now; an outlaw nation, a corrupt society with no respect. Read few pieces I wrote about Iran.
http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2009/06/rise-and-shine-and-revolt-iran-by-jamil.html   http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2007/03/iran-hostage-diplomacy.html

On the Turkish Ship going to Gaza:

If I were Turkey, I would have asked Hamas, to open a dialogue with it’s neighbor, the State of Israel, and I would have asked Hamas to recognize Israel as it actually does by the fact that it participated in the political process that resulted from the Oslo agreements and it participated in the elections under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority that recognized Israel and established normal relations with it and itself, the Authority, is the product of the Oslo agreements.
If I were Turkey, I would not have sent a ship in the pirate manners trying to put another country on the spot.
If I were Turkey and it has relations with Israel, I would have coordinated some sort of a humanitarian symbolic gesture.
Read the whole thing, again, if needed on: http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/06/if-i-wereby-jamil-shawwa.html

Afternoon thoughts:

She was setting next to him, a butterfly in a ponytail. He was staring, she was ignoring, and all of a sudden, she turned around, looked at him, and ...coughed. Pathetic, maybe, it depends on how you look at things.

On Angels:

You can be an angel and cry, but to be an angel, you also have to smile.

On being madly in Love:

As long as it is both ways, otherwise, it would be really ...out there :)))


Last but not least, on America:

One-The great thing about America is we confront things, we do not run away from realities, we do not fool ourselves, and we continue to find ways and means to correct things. This test has been on going on and off for generations. The way this child felt- preferring lighter color toys over darker ones- does not exist only here in the US but almost anywhere in the world. As the world evolves, behaviors and concepts will continue to evolve, and stereotypes and prejudices will at some point be less obvious or less mentioned as they are now. The media- showing great examples across the board, the family- race really should be irrelevant and the school- does not stereotype kids, or in the name of diversity make kids so self- conscious about their differences, have the biggest burden in leading the transformation. Read my pieces on race: http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/02/americas-obsession-with-colorby-jamil.html
http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/05/visit-to-southby-jamil-shawwa.html  http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/ 
Two-This is America-Rescuing an American teenager in high seas - its hands can reach its people anywhere in the world. This is the country that you call your country, when its citizens are protected wherever they go, when they know that there is something strong and solid that they can lean on, talk to, and have their voice heard. Any country to its people should be... the same, each individual, no matter who he or she is, must feel important, protected and heard. Of course, if you are so reckless, then this is another story, your country still will protect you but then a lesson and procedures must be taken to ensure the safety and the common sense of those that are either underage or very reckless and so adventurous.
Three-Only in America, a theme we hear repeatedly, and it is true. In some countries and cultures when people get rich and famous, they try to pretend that they were never anything but rich. In America, there is pride in showing the road less traveled, the hard work, the modest beginning, the poverty-sometimes, that was, when becoming rich and accomplished.

Jamil


* with some modifications here and there.

If I were Turkey..........by Jamil Shawwa

If I were Turkey, I would not have sent that ship to start with, and if I decided to send it, I would have coordinated with Israel.


If I were Turkey, I would have asked Hamas, to open a dialogue with its neighbor, the State of Israel, and I would have asked Hamas to recognize Israel as it actually does by the fact that it participated in the political process that resulted from the Oslo agreements and it participated in the elections under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority that recognized Israel and established normal relations with it and itself, the Authority, is the product of the Oslo agreements.

If I were Turkey, I would not have sent a ship in the pirate manners trying to put another country on the spot.

If I were Turkey and it has relations with Israel, I would have coordinated some sort of a humanitarian symbolic gesture.

If I were Hamas, I would have released the kidnapped Israeli soldier; I would have stopped and seized all terrorists’ activities and suicide bombing once and for all. I would have stopped the brain washing of the desperate and the innocent, I would have stopped coordinating with Iran, why Iran, not sure...

If I were the Palestinian Authority, I would have asked Turkey not to send the ship, or coordinate a trio, Israel, Palestine and Turkey and put the pressure not on Israel but on Hamas, My God, people, Israel withdrew from Gaza, and Hamas is the occupier now and not Israel.

This insane action is making Israel think ten thousand times before completing the withdrawal from the West Bank. Maybe I am ignorant; maybe this is what Hamas, Iran, Hezbolla and the rest of those who help them want or do not want, maybe they do not want to see a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza. Democracy and peace blind them, eliminate the purpose of their existence. Ok, finally, I may have got it.

If I were the Arab countries, I would have advised Turkey to coordinate with Egypt and Jordan, which have diplomatic relations with Israel.

If I were the State of Israel, I would have warned clearly that I will not allow the ship to cross the waters, I think Israel did that but the message might have been lost in the midst of this craziness from the fanatics and the opportunists in the Middle East whom caused this incident to happen and caused the loss of lives.

Israel is not to blame here; it is the same people, the same countries, the same mentality that caused the Arabs to continue to be defeated for the past 60 years. The mentality of hypocrisy and self-elusion, and arrogance.

The strong do not try to trespass, rent a ship and try to cross into another country with no permission, the strong do not kill innocent people, do not send suicide bombers, do not burn flags, do not step on flags of other countries, do not open the radio high on all these meaningless patriotic songs that would charge the emotions and kill the mind.

The strong and the confident talk, discuss, negotiate, and confront using all the legal and diplomatic means. The weak are those who sneak, smuggle, and kill.

That ship marked the ultimate humiliation for Turkey and for those who participated. I am very disappointed in Turkey; I thought its democracy could be an example for the Arab countries that might be ready to open up their political systems to religious parties that call for secular political and social systems.


There is only one-way to deal with Israel which is dialogue and -I thought that everyone has learned it by now- negotiations, dialogue, unless you are afraid.

Good bye my Dull, No good, Cheap, Chinese Resturant..... by Jamil Shawwa

The time has come-finally- for that place, one of my favorite hangouts to surrender to the forces of time, the economy and the improving taste of people, and declare that it cannot stay in business anymore. Actually, my cheap and dull Chinese restaurant was sold. The other day I went there around dinnertime, early dinner, and there it was, as usual, empty except for a table or two. The head waitress/manager was there, a very smart Chinese Vietnamese woman who is not the owner but related to the owners and has been running the place. The place was sad, and dull, of course, as I said earlier. The workers there told me that the place changed hands and that the previous owners can no longer afford to have it, I am not surprised, it was terrible, and that they sold it-poor new owners- to another family. The other server, originally Spanish, left the place after a fight with the cook in the kitchen where that cook lost his temper, and in the same day, he lost his job, and pushed her. That girl left the place after- as my Vietnamese head server told me-ten years of services. The only reason that I used to go to that place is that they allowed smoking- I mentioned it in another piece in this blog- but since Virginia banned smoking in restaurants, I stopped going there. See, if it was not for the smoking and the multiple free refills of soda, I really would not have gone even close to that place; the food was horrible, I mean the buffet, menu orders were a little better. That other day when I went, I ordered something and the wrong plate came, again no surprise, had to return it, got an apology but did not get a discount, see another reason that this restaurant is no good. Any way, that server told me that if the new owners do not treat her well that she will leave, of course, why stay. Sometimes you can read the writings on the wall, meaning that you can tell what will happen before it happens. The signs could be there, the warning signals could tell you not to do something or do something but we just do not look, do not want to look or maybe we are so arrogant that we choose to ignore those signs. For that restaurant, I knew that there is no way that it can stay in business with that cooking and cooks fighting in the kitchen and empty tables. I must say though and maybe that was another reason for me going there; the service has always been very gracious and welcoming- not generous though besides the fact of the multiple refills. One thing I like about America is that you can usually get multiple refills of coffee, soda, soft drinks, at almost any establishment. That is it for me this morning, nothing more to say.

A Scene From a Corner Table....Lunch Time In America...by Jamil Shawwa

It is lunchtime here in the US, around 12:00 PM. The place is one of the usual ones, my same table when I am eating alone, a table for two at the corner of the restaurant with a view to the whole place. I go there, the servers and the hostesses stopped even saying anything to me, I just go and set, sometimes it is not available, and I have to choose another, yet less strategic table. Lunch is a choice of either the buffet or A La Carte. I chose the cheapest, the buffet, though not necessarily or even not at all less quality. I situated myself, the waiter arrived with the Soda drink and a glass of water, I do not drink, otherwise, a very cold glass of Bear would have hit the spot today, but the Soda was nice, I am content. About 12 to 14 tables in the place with a divider or a big paravan that separates the place into two sections for those who require more privacy. The patrons are mostly from near by companies, the area is the hub and a suburban of Washington DC, about 6 miles south of the capital and about 4 miles north of my house.




Table one: must be Jamil... starting to move to the buffet and glancing around to survey the surroundings not for charming girls, there were none today, but for learning the eating patterns of the patrons... bad habit I have, snooping around to see what people eat and how they eat.







Table 2: a couple in the mid 40s probably married, they were eating but not talking, and they were not looking at each other.





Table three: a man and a woman, maybe co-workers-They work for the same office; I noticed the badges- talking about the new IPad while moving for a second round, it is all you can eat.







Table 4: group of mixed people, men and women talking business and new software that company is launching soon.







Table Five: politics-oh, thanks God, some people are making sense. The topic is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Some where happy with Obama's handling and some compared him with George W. Bush and the handling of the Katrina hurricane few years ago- Meaning not happy with Obama.







Table Six: that was it for me, could not hear anything else except for moving lips and the noise of the forks and knives.







It is lunchtime in America. Between 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM, America moves in doves outside the offices, they go out, enjoy lunch, in restaurants, in bars, no drinks unless you were an executive and you do not mind; to fast food, anywhere but outside the office. Go to Washington DC, to the parks around the White House, the Potomac River, Georgetown and people are eating and talking. America likes its lunch and America actually likes its three meals. Once, years ago, a smart and very attractive waitress told me that the lunch usually for a table or a person does not exceed 45 minutes, and this is how restaurants usually calculate their turn around business and calculate the profit. They expect each table to finish the whole meal in 45 minutes. At that time, this did not make sense to me, and actually, I thought that she was trying to tell me to have some etiquette and not to stay long because she wants to have other customers using my table and a new tip rather than my usual 15% tip. Today, I looked and calculated the time for me and other tables and she was right, I personally did not need to use more than 45 minutes. I looked at my watch- the phone clock, my watch is broken- by the end of the meal and it was around that period. I am going to tell that waitress, she is still in business in one of the luxury hotels near by. I used to go there more often but our economy hit me as well as millions of Americans and many of us are happy-or have no choice but to be happy- with our reasonably priced yet tasty hangouts.

The Fountain of The Female Power.....by Jamil Shawwa

I am wondering here through the deepest waters of all, the unknown, the most dangerous area in the human psychic, the female power. I have to say and admit that I have never been more inspired than when in the company of female friends, companions and, believe it or not, the wife. The inspiration of course could be positive or negative but still an inspiration to do something or write. Millions and millions of people, thinkers, philosophers, Politicians, and even the worst forms of humans’ traffickers, pimps, through out history and until now and tomorrow have struggled to answer one question: where is the female power, where does it reside, where is the hub. What makes a female look so fatal that can make the strongest men succumb and surrender like babies in a candy store; maybe I just answered my question. Why women companionship to most men is the ultimate joy, and why some men if not most prefer a female conversation rather than a male, I understand the male and the female bondages but still when the female inters a room, the bondage- among men- disappears and the appeasement appears. Why do we stand before women speechless, why do we want to make them happy, and why we do not like to argue with them. The direct answer probably would be because ultimately the goal is the same, to conquer the unconquered, to reach the motherland, to land where everything is warm and friendly. Now, that was the obvious, that of course I will not deny or challenge, but there is more to the female than the obvious. Her strength comes from being a female, the opposite, maybe women apply the same logic here, but we are talking about the female power now. They say opposite attract, it is in everything, in physics, in the batteries when you put the positive and the negative, not that women and men either this one or that. The examples are abound and tremendous and overwhelming; the bottom line is that no one can really venture into this area except the female itself. The other day I was in a restaurant and I saw a mother giving her maybe six or seven years old daughter a twenty dollars note. The girl did not have any pockets so her mother asked but where are you going to put the money and the girl did not answer, she just reached to her shirt and tucked the money underneath. Amazing, I have seen women doing this all over the world; their safety net is their chest, or the top. I have seen it the Middle East where women would hide or keep their gold in their chests. However, how this seven years old girl knew where to keep the money, how did she know that this is the place to hide and keep; the answer is; it is natural to the female; she did not need to be taught. Her power is her body, and this is it, I think, women trust their bodies more than anything else does; it is their safety net, their intimate friend, their trusted companion.

The Muslim, Christian and Jewish Brotherhood... a view ...by Jamil Shawwa

For the strict purpose of this article, I am going to use two major powers- and then branch out- in the Middle East right now to make the point, The State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran. See, from the names of these countries you probably would know what I am going to talk about. I agree with the title or the name of Israel and I do not agree with the name of Iran. I do not agree with countries adding a religion or nationality to their names. Now, Israel can -and I said before- explains or decides that it is a Jewish state and Iran if it changes its name can decide that it is an Islamic country- as long as it is not in the name itself and as long as the countries that put a description respect civil liberties. I know in Israel, you can be anything and still live your life normally; you can have a mosque, a church and a synagogue. In Iran it is not the same, women have to cover their hair, have to abide by certain restrictions and the country imposes its description or it's version of religion on its citizens and others, Israel does not.

Few days ago in a discussion, I said-concerning the Muslim Brotherhood organization- that the official number of its members if it exists does not mean much to show the real strength of the group. The strength of the Brotherhood stems from many factors. The main factor in my opinion is that they are banned, and this makes them look mysterious and make ordinary people intrigued by the fact that the state keeps cracking down on them. Based on media and public pulse reports, the group could win the parliamentary elections not only in Egypt but also in Jordan, Syria, and other Arab countries if it is conducted completely freely. I know this scares moderates, liberals, and conservatives who feel that the religion's place is not in politics, or who oppose the theological system of government. The Muslim Brotherhood and other religion based political parties can participate in elections but only if they adapt the following: They must respect and obey civil liberties and civic societies, must respect and obey the liberal constitutions. They must obey and respect the people’s will in not using violence and terrorism to achieve political gains. They can of course have their political agendas and political maneuvers but they must recognize the right of the State of Israel to exist side by side with the new State of Palestine. The problem is not the Muslim Brotherhoods; the root cause resides in the Arab regimes, they are not elected freely, and they do not have the legitimacy to govern. Another problem is the constitutions of many Arab countries, how can you ban the Muslim Brotherhood and other religion based political parties if the preamble of many Arab countries constitutions states that the region is the only source for legislation. Contradictions and hypocrisy, I think.

I just cannot see going back as countries and cultures to have theological states although we have been seeing and witnessing a strict or even fanatic interpretation of the three divine religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam across the world. People are suffering from mental, spiritual vacuums, frustrations, disillusionment and financial distress. They are resorting to purity, spirituality that is found according to the minds of most humans in the holy books or faiths, in the beliefs. The different sects and interpretations within each faith still tear people apart. Religions in my thinking are personal, private, use them the way you want, cherish them, but to yourself and do not impose them. Go to your synagogue, to your church, to your mosque, to your temple, if you want but again do not force them. Mine is not better than yours and vice versa, should be the mantra. In Europe, there are political parties with a religion adjacent to its names, such as the Christian Democratic Party in Italy, but Italy is just Italy, not a theological state. The parties there though cherish the principles, do not impose them to change the state into a theological state. In the United States, we do not have parties with a religion name in particular but we have groups, such as the life groups that do not believe in abortion besides those who do not mind it. Fighting democratically for what you believe is fine, arguing, debating, deliberating, all are good as long as we stick to dialogues and not violence. Free societies usually do not strict political or religious parties from existence; you can have for example, a Jewish Brotherhood, or Christen Brotherhood or as in the Middle East right now and for generations the Muslim Brotherhood. I want to go further and say why not having all these organizations in the Middle East if someone or groups are interested. This is the point I want to make, if you allow a Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East, then you cannot ban a Christen or Jewish Brotherhoods in the same place. The followers of the three religions exist and they have or should have the same rights. I really do not see a problem in naming a political party with a religion as long as this party respects the civil liberties and the civic and liberal societies that in my opinion the Middle East should be based on. The New Middle East, as I said before, will include both Israel and Palestine and will be based on civil liberties. Societies will evolve from using religions to attract or search for identity to have strong political processes based on the needs of the people and the changing times. Finally yet importantly, religions will always have tremendous force on its followers especially in a place like the Middle East, the birthplace of the three divine religions, but tolerance-probably- will prevail in general.

*State of Love V....He Is Not A Robot... by Jamil Shawwa

She: I am having mixed feelings, different thoughts. It seems that I like to contradict you in every occasion, maybe I am not interested anymore, maybe I am intimidated by you...

He: is it your time of the month?

She: stop this thing every time I express how I feel or open up to you and start saying what my mind try to keep.


He: sorry but I cannot endure this anymore, I have so far endured all kinds of experiments with you, I have survived the mental connection test, the mood swings, the ups and downs. Not sure what to do anymore. I do not want to be a lab mouse, a guinea pig for your eccentricities.

She: you are a quitter; you give up very easily. You do not feel for your love, you do not want to have it the hard way, you want to set in bed or watch TV and you want me in your lap. You are the best in cuddling, loving and caressing. You are an old fashion type of a man, an office type with a secretary or two- if you can afford them- you are a prince that thinks that he is a frog.


He: I'm not a robot, buy a machine with buttons so if you are in the mood for mental stimulation, you can just push a button, if you are in the mood for mind games, you can push another button, and if you want to make love, then, I guess, you can just push a third button. You are not looking for a human being. I am not a machine, I am not a robot, I am not going to set everyday and wait. I do not like scripts, never did, I do not like tests, never did. Maybe I might be a quitter, maybe I am a prince that thinks he is a frog, but I am not accepting the status quo, I am not surrendering, I will keep trying. I might be a quitter because I'm saying no to you, but in my mind, in my mind I'm  saying to you that I feel a winner tonight, never felt better than this moment, I'm free, again, so goodbye and all the best in your experiments.

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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 observations from life.

*A Visit To the South......by Jamil Shawwa

I live, and reside in the capital of the south, The Commonwealth of Virginia, so I am considered a southerner. I love the south; I think it has class, tradition, sometimes too much tradition. However, my southern style is combined with being adjacent to our nation's capital, Washington DC, so I am a southerner with a northern style; like both but happy to be closer to the north. The south of the United States is historically referred to those states that were hardheaded in regard to abolishing slavery, and that hot or hardheaded mentality lead to the civil war between the southern states I.e., Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, etc and the north which represented The Unites States. The war ended-thanks God- with the south being defeated and the rebirth of this great nation, The USA. The southern states still with variations here and there cherish the memory of the civil war and in some pockets, some put the confederate flag- the symbol of the south during the civil war- side by side with the US flag. Having said that, America has come a long way since then, continued to grow, indulged and opened its borders to tens of millions of immigrants that made the US demography right now the country of all with no specific dominance of a particular ethnic group. I like southern food, mainly fried, sometimes too fried and greasy for my taste, but I like it. If you drive a little deeper into Virginia, 30 miles south and above from Washington DC, you will see the rural areas, the farms, the mountains and the more laid back people, the closer you get to DC, like any metropolitan area, the closer you get to the high rhythm of life, the traffics, the speed, and the hustle and bustle of the city. Today was the day for me to go to one of these country style southern eateries, I do not want to say restaurants, because really you feel as if you are going back in time when people used to put their horses out side these saloons or eateries. I went inside and was greeted with a nice little old lady, around 75 years young, and was seated. When I ordered Earl Grey Tea, the whole place looked at me, maybe because I was loud or something or maybe because they felt that this person does not belong here, he should have ordered an all-American coffee not tea. Any way, I ignored the looks and ordered my other favorite breakfast, Pancakes, oh, my God, I can eat pancakes every morning; one of the venues to my heart-there are many venues- is an old fashion freshly prepared hot off the griddle pancakes with maple syrup and real butter. Pancakes came and I thought that I would have a breakfast of a lifetime but I was disappointed, it was greasy, as if it was fried, those southerners, and not flat put on a flat surface to be prepared slowly. I ate it and looked around and I asked the server, the seventy-five years young little old lady if the owners are still running the place, and she answered no, but it is now part of a chain. That is it, part of a chain, basically as McDonald, a factory that mass-produce things for the people just to get full. I finished my food, and my Earl Grey tea, paid my bill, left a decent tip and went out, I looked back, gave another look and said goodbye to the old south. America now is not south and north, and I like it the way it is now, America is everything and everybody, America is all faiths and religions,. America is all styles and Shapes. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to go to that restaurant and witness the abolishment of the old south.




* Some of the best and the brightest that America brought came from the south. The heart and soul of the US military reside in the south. This article is looking at an angle in the south but it does not represent the completely rich southern experience.

The Customer with the Big Nose! ... by Jamil Shawwa

I came to realize today that I might need to diversify my eating-places portfolio; I think I am starting to get more vibes than usual from my regular Vietnamese hangout. For the past few days, the sister of the owner who happens to be a server there has been bringing her six years old daughter; not sure why, maybe just to help or maybe she wanted to send a message to all the customers that she is happily married with children, not that anyone ever tried to be fresh with her or anything. She is warm, hospitable, I mean the sever, and very good in what she does. the other day she was having a native breakfast, did not get the name, but it was made out of thick milk, bananas and other fruit that looked like apples; it was so tasty and so sweet. Just for those that wonder, her breakfast time was my lunchtime. Probably I am getting either old so my lunch is getting earlier or my work schedule requires me to eat early, or both. Any way, back to that smart server and her six years old daughter. The child runs around and helps her mother with utensils and other lightweight things and smiles at the customers. So when I come to the place, she would say hello and help and chat a little, maybe her mother told her that this guy is a regular but I hope that she did not tell her that I'm regular for the girls, which truly I'm not, just regular for the food. any way, all of a sudden and out of the blues, today, this child decided to change her welcoming patterns to me, so instead of hi and hey, she came running to the table after I situated my self and got ready to order my usual, and she just threw the big one at me and said hey, you are the customer with the big nose! What big nose, no way, I said, and she answered yes you are, and she went running back to her mother who was smiling in a naughty but nice way from behind the counter. I was going to give this child a dollar today to buy candy but the big nose remark got me thinking as how this child- kids can and are very preseptives- know or would notice a big or small nose, and is there a conspiracy from my Vietnamese waitress to send Jamil a message that just focus on the food and nothing else. Well, any way, I will continue to go and might give a dollar to that child after all; I mean she just said what she saw, or maybe what her mother saw :))

The Indian Restaurant... by Jamil Shawwa

The Indian Restaurant is open for business, actually, it has been open for business for years and years but not until recently that the Indian restaurant picked up momentum. It is everywhere now, all over the world, in every major and metropolitan city. The Chinese restaurant phenomena should watch for that neighbor from the south, it is gaining ground and it has the learnt the secrets of how to spread restaurants wherever their people go. The food is very diverse, very colorful and very tasty. It accommodates all tastes from the natives, to the seekers of new flavours and new styles. India is huge, over a billion, another scale to compete with China, a nuclear power, enough said. Back to the food now, India has multi ethnic groups, different languages and dialects, different living standards and thriving international presence. It is so contradictory and its food might represent its diversity and its unity in the same time. The ingredients of the Indian food is the same, the spices are the same, the colors are the same but when you put a Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jewish Hindis, the cooking will not be the same. Their country is like their food, very diverse but in the same time once you cook, you will use the same ingredients. India is everywhere now, in food of course but also in IT, the computer technology, and programming. They go everywhere and they succeed, they do not care where they are, it is completely irrelevant to them, what matters to them is that they succeed. There is some kind of occasional religious tension in India but it is not hindering its political process. You see the diversity, again, in the restaurants; Hindus mostly eat vegetable, Muslims and other faiths eat everything. There are restaurants that cater to the veggies, I am not saying Hindus, because it does not exist, and there are restaurants that cater to all. You go and choose, you will be eating next to someone who is completely your opposite in eating habits, no problem, no intrusion, no preaching as why you are not like me and that I'm not like you. They do not have it, they have poverty but they have nuclear missles, and reactors. India loves the UK, Great Britain, and the British loves the Indians; the Indians are trustworthy, they are hard working people. They look up to England and they want the British to be proud of them, they recently bought Jaguar and Landrover, and tomorrow one of them will be the British Prime Minster. India is not an aggressor, this is a big point and credit in world politics and it does not seek world dominance, which again is a good point for them. India just wants to succeed, and it will do it everywhere it's people exist in any place in the world.

*State of Love IV.....He Bows... By Jamil Shawwa

He: What is next for us? I now feel that every time I want to make love with you or even attempt to start the process- oh my God, I started to talk like you- I have to check if you are mentally stimulated and that your mind is into it. What do I need here a radar detector... every time that I want to come near you, or start a new conversation hoping that it would be the one that would hit the jackpot and will lead eventually to your womanhood. You are making me too self-conscious about the whole thing, you are taking the spontaneity out of the lovemaking, you are just being like a machine, I have to make sure that it is well oiled before I turn on the engine. I am depressed, every part of me is urging me to just jump and do it, but you are standing or setting there with these cold eyes like a schoolteacher waiting to give me a passing grade or like a guard on a borderline checking my identity cards before letting me in to the other side, the greener side. I cannot handle it anymore; I am looking for love and not a robot. You have become so cold since our last lovemaking; you have become so distant, so not appealing. I only used to look at you to get aroused, not anymore. So tell me more, even in bed, if I turn around and want to hug you or kiss you or touch you, the way I like to do because I just can not keep my hands off you whenever you are with me, do I need to wake you up or ask for permission to see if your mind is there before doing anything. Do I need to give you a news bulletin before touching...?



She: keep talking, I am starting to feel the vibes coming from my mind to every part of my body, do not stop talking, your words, your voice is stimulating my mind, my heart and my body. I hear your voice inside me before even you touch me, my little thing is crying and hitting hard, my heart is jumping and my mind is telling me, go for it.. Do your work, you primitive beast.



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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 observations from life.

Jerusalem, Israel and the Arabs .... by Jamil Shawwa

Now and not tomorrow, Israel and the Arab countries especially Jordan, Egypt- both have diplomatic relations with Israel- with Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian authority must start talking about Jerusalem- maybe they have, what do I know- the city of the three divine religions, the city of love, the city of the synagogues, the churches and the mosques. This city should be preserved as an international and historic landmark. I do not think that there are cities on earth more significant historically or religiously than Jerusalem, I said in previous pieces here how the city is destined to be inhibited by the three divine religions and by the followers of these religions. When you look at the big picture, you realize that this means almost the whole world past, present and future. Jerusalem is looked at and towards from Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and that is the world. In China, Japan, South East Asia included as they have followers of the three divine religions. Now, the Arabs must drop their famous hypocrisy, pretension, and start the long march towards a historic finally peace between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. As I said before, Jerusalem will continue to be the capital of the State of Israel. In the same time, I said that Jerusalem in its eastern parts would be the future capital of the future state of Palestine. Jerusalem will always and it should be an open city, no barriers and no fences, no fights, and no terror, no destruction and no hatred. Start the dialogue now even before the final status on the West Bank and Gaza strip. We have four legitimate entities with the popular support to do it. The State of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian authority. Use the arts of negotiation with no prejudice, and set and talk, converse. It is not a dream, I do not like to dream it, I like to do it. I do not dream for peace between Israel and the Arabs, I want to make it happen. The voices of despair, darkness, terror will shut up for the last time- or they can continue to talk as long as they do not use violence- once the process starts. I know the Arabs, I have family in Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and in many  other Arab countries and of course here in the US- and I know Israel, I have as I said before very distinguished friends that I call family in the State of Israel, and I know how they long for peace. Again, Israel will be integrated in the new Middle East as a viable country with the state of Palestine in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Israel will join the Arab League, needs to change the name though to something like The Middle East Union, MEU, and it will be fantastic for commerce, and the well being of the people of the Middle East. Enough- As the late Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin said- suffering. the Arab people in their vast majorities are the most affected by this condition in the Middle East, every excuse on earth is used in the Arab countries for not doing the right thing for their people which is the historic conciliation with the state of Israel. We can dwell on the past, cry on things that we do not control, continue to weep and call things Nakba or Naksa or we can stand up, and talk. You do not lose anything when you talk, but you lose everything even your own self-respect when you hide your face in the sand and pretend that nothing around you exist.

*State of Love III......She Rules..........By Jamil Shawwa

He: but how can we maintain this momentum, how can we continue this level of lovemaking


She: we agreed that it is not the romantic love, it is not the ah and oooooh love, it is stronger, it is the mind love

He: indulge me please, I feel lost, for the first time I feel that I am not in control. Love but not love, mind-making love, are you creating a revolution in the love making process, as we know it.

She: I am! but I am not! It has existed forever but people thought that it comes from the heart though it really comes from the mind. I am of course talking here about the normal love making process; I am not talking about the love making that exists because of any other factors.

He: any other factors? What is this? Am I talking with an analyst here or am I talking with a sensual female that drove me nuts in the number II state of love conversation.

She: I drove you nuts because my mind was in full gear, in full satisfaction, in full desire, and my body just responded naturally to a very stimulating conversation.

He: that is too much for me, too much calculation, too much mind or whatever processing, I just want to make love, can we please do it, I am in the mood.

She: I am not! We are not animals here; I must feel stimulated before...

He: honey, love, baby, cutie pie... come to daddy...

She: my heart is telling me go, my body is pushing me to respond to you playing with me, I can not resist your hands and fingers, and your body indulging, but there is something missing...I can not..

He: Something is missing alright, for sure...too much thinking, you do not feel my love, my touches, we were unbelievable last night, until this brain thing came between us. Please honey, give your mind a break, let your body talks, listen to your body, it is begging you.

She: no dear, my body is not begging me, you are the one that is begging and it is so pathetic... honey, talk to me, stimulate my brain.

He: (busy roaming his everything all over her)

She: baby, stop, no more for now, I cannot make love with my body, I cannot make love with my heart, and I have to make love with my mind. I know it is hard, I know it is unnatural, I know that we are revolutionizing the love making process, I know it feels as if we are machines, but we are not, my mind has to get warm before my body part does.

He: ok, you go ahead and revolutionize the love making process, as for me, I'm not a revolutionary person, I go by the flow, and I'm very happy with the good old fashion love making process, where I use my other parts to make things happen and give my brain a break and just let the animal senses do the job

She: well, with me, tonight, right now, your animal senses cannot work.

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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 observations from life.

*State of Love II a Sequel .......by Jamil Shawwa

He turned around in a very slow motion, in a very lazy way, more like rolling rather than turning and there she was with her eyes wide open, wearing nothing but her sensuality and a little warm cotton blanket that complemented her vibrant, silky and warm body as if it was part of hers. Her looks were so confident and satisfied as she was walking through his motions- with her eyes only- noticing every movement he has been making even before he woke up, looking towards him as if she was expecting him to look, roll or turn. He said good morning,

Good morning, she said, and gave him the smile of the victor, the satisfied, and her long by the shoulder, as he likes it, straight hair added vigor to her smile.



He: I am so happy

She: I am happy too

She: it is amazing

She: what

He: we were both together, in the same time, it rarely happens

She: rarely very true

He: how

She: not sure, and I do not want to know

He; you are right, why ruin the moment

She: no way, I still feel it

He: really

She: of course, it is still with me

He; oh yes, I remember now, we immediately slept

She: yes, we could not move from the bed and the bed did not want us to leave, there was a little of a struggle there but the bed won as if it wanted everything that happened to stay still.

He: I wonder if we can repeat the story, the action, I wonder if we can hit the replay button and have it all over again with no changes, just duplication

She: no way, I do not want to duplicate, I do not want to repeat the same thing; I do not.

He: but you said that it was something that rarely happens

She: yes, and that is why I do not want to duplicate...



He: so is it love



She: no, I mean it is not love the way we say and feel love, it is stronger, as if our minds who made love and not our bodies. Our minds made love even before we met. What followed was natural. It is so strong; we can make love to each other any time anywhere, even if we were not together. What we had was not love; it was the meeting of the minds in a very complicated way with the love making as the climax of that meeting.

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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 observations from life.

Religions In Public Schools....by Jamil Shawwa

I was fortunate enough to exchange some ideas with very distinguished friends on Facebook and I thought to bring my notes regarding religions in public schools into this third and final trio on public education. I believe in the separation between religions and public schools, Religions in public schools cannot be taught because of the diverse- in open societies- background of the students. Religions also are a private matter between the person and God or the persons' faith and whom they worship. Countries at some point must choose if they want to adapt secularism or theocratic form of government. Having a mix will not and does not work. There will always be conflicts between the two. In the United States, religions are not taught in public schools, period. There are countries though with special status as the Vatican and to a certain extend Saudi Arabia that the teaching of the religion is in the core of their existence. In the case of the Vatican, it is clear, as the head of the Catholic Church. In the case of Saudi Arabia, the country really is not a regular country with regular form of government but is fully based on the religion or the alliance between the royal family and the Wahabi sect of Islam. The family runs the country affairs and the Wahabi runs the religious foundation. It is for the Saudis as any other country to decide if they ever have the chance to decide. For the rest of the world, Parents who are interested in teaching their kids religions, any religion, can do that through private education. When students go to higher education, colleges and universities, they can study anything they want if it is their choice. Public schools by definition, is the main, free primary education for all. See the links below. While at school In Gaza and Jerusalem, my heart broke during the religion class every time my colleagues who happen to be Christians would leave the classroom and go to another classroom. This should not happen; no one should ever feel different based on religion, race, color, cultural background, language, gender, etc. Maybe the logistics demanded this situation, but the style and the procedures matter. That practice existed and probably still exists in The Middle East even in private schools. Still, public schools are different, they are usually funded completely by the taxpayers’ money and it is for all. I agree that students from other religions had their religious teaching but the point I want to make is that those who happen to be Christians had to leave the classroom, and not us the Muslims, why? Because they were few students, less than 5% sometimes of the class population. This was humiliating. Now, maybe if we all had to leave that class and go somewhere else, maybe the picture would have been easier to swallow. Again, people will differ about the role of religions in society, I think religious schools can exist and should exist in any society as parallel to the public education. In the United States, you can send your children to any kind of schools as long as it is authorized and licensed by the state. We have here Jewish schools, Christian schools, Muslims, Hindu, etc.


In Cairo University, also, the non-Muslims were required to go through Islamic laws and the Quran teaching concerning the legal system classes because it is part of the legal system. Again, what if a society decides with their 100% free well that they want the religion to be part of the system and that they want the religion to be taught. In that case, religions in law schools for example must be taught to all because it is part of the legal system and has nothing to do with coercing a student to learn something that is not part of their beliefs.

During our Facebook discussion which actually was triggered by a piece of news that came from Egypt stating that there were acts in certain areas of forcing non-Muslims to read and memorize verses of the Quran. I replied stating if that practice exists, forcing nun-Muslims to read and memorize verses of the Quran, then this is a crime by itself in my book and it should immediately be banned and fought by all legal means.



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Read: http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/04/public-education-in-united-state.html
http://arabamericanwire.blogspot.com/2010/04/education-in-arab-world-by-jamil-shawwa.html ...

Public Education in the United States... Political Analysis by Jamil Shawwa

In Brown Vs. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), The Warren Court, in reference to Earl Warren, the United States Supreme Court Chief Justice, the *Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students and denying black children equal educational opportunities unconstitutional. That ruling at that time reestablished The United States Supreme Court active role in shaping and reshaping the nature of the political system in America. Public education movement started in my opinion from that day on. In 1957, President Eisenhower used the ultimate federal power by sending troops to Little Rock, Arkansas- Hometown of Bill Clinton- to open the road and the path for nine black students to attend an all white public school. That action has not been done since reconstruction that followed the civil war between the south and the north. President Kennedy in the early 60s did something similar. All these historic events were the foundations to the current public school system that we have now here in the United States. The system politically is not perfect yet, states specially in the south until now tries to rezone certain districts to avoid just appealing as discriminatory, making sure to try to avoid a one ethnic public schools. Of course, it is there now but not based on segregation among ethnic groups but mainly due to the demographics. **The public school system provides the rights to all children in America to have a free education until grade 12, or the end of high school. The system is run by the states with overall ***legal supervision and monetary influence from the federal government. The education concept in America is different than any other country or at least it's purpose is highlighted in a way that you do not find in any other society as ****Jeanne Lombardo explains and I quote "Yet, many Americans also believed that too much learning might set one citizen above another, thus violating the democratic ideals that education was supposed to promote. Education should, in the minds of ordinary people, be geared to provide direct practical benefits. It should focus on providing training for a livelihood. Anything beyond that was considered elite." when I first went to school, then college, and then to the graduate school, my goal really was to obtain the degrees but the concept above makes all the sense. Education is not a goal by itself or it should not be a goal by itself, it is a vehicle to a goal, better living, more enjoyment and giving back to the community that you live in and personal prosperity. Our public schools though the concept is excellent; the practice is not. The system is falling behind in many states and within each state for many reasons. Teachers are not inspiring children as they used to do, they are worried rightly so in part about there livelihood, schools can downsize and either relocate teachers, moving them to part time or laying them off. Some teachers as here in the District of Columbia, Washington DC, have been fighting to keep the tenure system, which in a way provides employment for life though many are not qualified. Michelle A. Rhee, Washington DC School Chancellor has been pioneering this effort of breaking the tenure system. I know Washington DC and I know some other areas, and I know the teachers and I know that the system needs to be reformed.

*****"Waiting For Superman" a movie that tells the stories of many children across metro areas in America as Washington DC, Los Angeles, and New York City that focused on the deteriorating state of our public schools system across the country. It shows stories about kids who could not read or do math and it shows according to it's writer, see footnote below, how our kids are getting depressed because the system is telling them that they are below average and that they can not keep up and that they are in a sense do not belong here. Our kids are suffering; the way we grade our first grade and second grade kids is appalling, so complicated that when I looked at my daughter's report card I got shocked, first I did not understand and had to bring an interpreter, the wife, who said that she does not recall having the same thing when she was a kid and then I went to my regular teacher-parent conference and that teacher looked at me as if I was coming from outer space or some sort of an alien. The kids in second grade are judged based on 14 categories, again, I, with two law degrees could not understand who is the genius or the lunatic, it depends on how you look at things, which came up with such system. What are we trying to do here, are we trying to create a super human, and are we trying to outcast any child that might appear as normal or not genius.

I had lunch today with a gracious lady friend who told me that her relative's 12 years old daughter was required to do an Excel sheet with graphs and point markers, what is that, and present a power point presentation. Ok, we need to compete and we need to be the best in everything but at what price, and if we are doing it, are we succeeding, and if we have been succeeding, why are we importing scientists and medical experts, doctors and nurses from all over the world to cover the shortage we have here. I must though intercept myself here to state that America has and will always be the place that will attract people from all over the world to come and succeed. This is how America was built and this is part of America’s genius, it is really the melting pot of all human civilizations. After that interception, I have to say that to continue that strategy, we must as well take care of those at home and continue to promote a solid inspiring education. The kids are afraid and they should not, the teachers are worried and sometimes not qualified and they should not. One more thing, to those mad geniuses that created the grading system and the report cards and all these psychological tests to check the abilities of our normal kids, I have one or two words, get a life.


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* wikipedia

**wikipedia-Public education can also be post-secondary education, advanced education, or universities, colleges, .... University Press of America. ISBN 0-7618-3331-5.

*** States have to comply with the constitution of the United States and federal court decisions and federal laws.

**** suite101.com

***** http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2010/04/what_to_fight_for_in_americas.html

*A Journey in a Woman's mind...by Jamil Shawwa

She is confused,

She is angry

She does not know what to do

She thinks that she is in love

Nevertheless, she does not know how to handle

He is different,

He is stubborn

He is strong, or maybe he thinks he is

She is weak, or maybe she thinks that she is weak

She thinks that he is strong

She might have misunderstood his kindness as a sign of
Weakness

She has someone that she does not love

Or she thinks that she does not love

She is bored with her life or thinks that she is

She is confused, but not desperate, she fluctuates and
changes her mind faster than a bird switching or flying from tree to tree, or a crazy driver swaying from lane to lane, not knowing where to go or how to go...

She is not willing to enjoy the ride or the Journey. She is only looking for the destination.

She does not know that in order to reach the destination, you must go through the Journey

She might have finally realized that she is best if she is left to the way she is, no change needed, change is difficult, and sometimes it is just not needed. She prefers security to happiness.

He wishes her the best, and wishes her love and stability; she deserves them, every human does.


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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 observations from life.

*I have a Headache; I am not in the Mood.......by Jamil Shawwa

She: I am not in the mood

He: you are never in the mood, not sure what to do

She: not sure what to do with what? The lovemaking or me?

He: well, now this is a cheap shot. I meant you. No problem there in the lovemaking.

She: try new things, you always do your routine, I am bored.

He: well, why do not you be creative this time and try to finesse me...

She: Not in the mood, I have a headache

He: oh, yeah, the headache story...again, it is the oldest trick in the book

She: what do you mean; you think I am lying, and what book are you talking about?

He: The lovemaking book, anyway, but it has been a month since you have been having these headaches, maybe you should examine your head_ he is saying that maliciously, he means her mental status.

She: no, I am ok, it comes and goes... and I got the real meaning by the way, do not try to be clever.

He: yes, it comes and goes when I come and it goes when I leave the bed. I notice things, you know, I am not completely blind as you think.

She: well, you have to live with it.

He: until when

She: until I am in the mood

He: oh, very kind of you, so you want me to be on a leash, a poppy dog, you call and cuddle when you are in the mood and kick away and lock somewhere when you are not in the mood. Well, no more.

She: no, honey.

He: please do not honey me; I have not tasted it for over a month and it all because of you

She -maliciously-: I have few Jars in the kitchen; help yourself.

He: oh, thanks a million, I live here and I do not know where the honey is

She: you asked

He: you know what I meant; stop playing mind games

She: I do not understand; I am not excited anymore, I mean, I do not get excited easily anymore.

He: why don't you take some hormones, they might help, even you

She: even me, ok, I will let it pass this time. It is not the hormones, I checked, I am ok.

He: well, then, this left only one other reason for your condition, maybe... me.

She: I do not know, it is not the same

He: the same! You just said that you do not want to do it because it is the same routine, now you are saying that you do not want to do it because it is not the same... I think we might need to test your mental status, Love.

She: Love... you have not called me love in quite some time

He: I have been calling you, but you have not been listening, you see my lips moving but you do not hear me. You look at me and I am just a ghost.

She: honey, stop it, not sure what happened but I am starting to feel your words in my ears, your picture is getting clearer, I see the real you. Baby, it seems that the headache is gone all of a sudden, not sure why, I'm starting to feel my body more; it is talking back to me, it is urging me to do something, it is kicking all over. I am starting to notice things in you that I have not seen in quite some time, at least from this angle. Go ahead, use the same routine, and do not change a thing...

He: well, I am...

She: Shush, turn off the lights and wrinkle the sheets.

He: Yes, Ma'am



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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 observations from life.