Rara Avis' Realm

Hello again

2010-06-14T02:59:00.002-04:00

I have just read four of my previously published posts and could not help but reminisce the joy I then experienced in writing them which is equal to the one I had reading them almost 3 years later.

Hence, I decided to take it upon myself to make a promise to myself and, undoubtedly, to the 3Ws to resume the activity within my blog.

Let the good times begin again!

Hiatus break!!

2008-07-29T23:26:00.001-04:00

Sorry peeps, but I got to take a break from blogging a bit. I just can't seem to find enough time for all of this. So i'm going on a break or rather hiatus..

What a shame

2008-05-19T20:33:00.002-04:00

Since my last malnutritioned post, I have been so preoccupied with my busy academic and friends-full life, that I could only browse and browse and read other peoples' blogs and not updating mine.

So, here comes the update in no particular logic or order
1- My acne problem has cleared up, only to be replaced by another type of annoying smaller version of it :-S
2- I realized that the less I stress, the more glow I emit and the cuter I look afterwards.
3- Newsweek is weak and the Economist is my new addiction
4- I could be so bored at times, that I would actually buy some trinkets online to be shipped to me from Japan to decorate my gadgets with.
5- I am writing this right now in an attempt to avoid my statistical analysis of some useless data that adds nothing to the world or my personal growth for that matter
6- I am becoming more and more superficial as I grow older (at least this is how I see myself now) (No! I refuse to be a superficial woman!)
7- I miss the Gulf and want to elope there, alone!
8 - *Staring at the ceiling at the college's library*, ahhh I wish it is not almost 9 pm now and I do not have to go home with my final incomplete again!
9- Will Hillary quit already? and make news channels interesting and worth watching once again
10- I am so super glad that my peeps (Russians) have resumed their control and won the GOLD at the Ice Hockey World Championship! (It took us 15 years!)
11- On the other hand, I'm very ashamed at the JEM's attack on our Capital in the Sudan. Wallahi fa'9i7a le alhukuma!!! Allah yistur 3ala alli jaee.

That's it for now, better resume analyzing my data

Missed blogging :-)

Men, cars, women, dogs, SMALL, big

2008-02-14T16:48:00.001-05:00

Just tell me! What's up with big men and small dogs, and small women and big cars?!

I'll be back to vent out!

Ibrahim El-Salahi lecture in NYU

2008-01-26T23:37:00.000-05:00

This is an event I hope all Sudanese support.

Check it out

Moral Deterioration

2008-01-18T16:08:00.001-05:00

Look at what happened to us (Sudanese). 20 years ago we were praised and referred to as the prototype of morality, decency, honesty, and all the other virtues. What happened to us?

Someone explain it to me!!!

Russian Perspective on the Sudan

2008-01-04T12:39:00.000-05:00

Southern Sudan is learning to smile again, according to Russia Today website. A three part report from the southern border of the Sudan, a Russian correspondence conducted some journalistic work and broadcast its first part

Not pollyannaish at all

Gibbons plans for 2008

2008-01-02T00:18:00.000-05:00

According to the Telegraph, Gibbons is contemplating China.

And this article, on the Buzzle enumerates a number of advices to the notorious teacher, should she venture to cause another wave of my culture is holier than thou's :-)

Quite funny

John Granville, Rest in Peace

2008-01-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

My heart goes out to Granville's family in Buffalo, NY and elsewhere. May his soul rest in peace.

At the wee hours of the first day of the first month of 2008, John, aged 33, was shot as he was driven home by his Sudanese driver, Allah yihamu, returning from a New Year's party. Most articles on the net rehash the same information.

Some of those could be read here, here and here.

A compendium to this CV and his radio distribution project in the Sudan could be found at the USAID website

John’s fellowship focuses on community participation in government and NGO capacity building in South Sudan. Using tools such as community needs assessments and interactive problem solving models, John works to create collaboration and cooperation between citizens and government. Currently he is working to bring radios to the population of South Sudan in order to maximize the impact of USAID’s broadcasting initiatives in the region.
John is a former Peace Corps volunteer and has worked in Sudan as a consultant for USAID and GOAL-Ireland. With GOAL, he designed and implemented an HIV/AIDS Participatory Action Assessment. He has studied as a Fulbright Fellow and received an MA in International Development and Social Change from Clark University in 2003.

In my humble opinion the perpetrator(s) could be

- Sudanese: which I wouldn't entirely dismiss given the latest surge of hardcore Islamist sentiments towards anything and everything Western.
- Al-Qaeda: regardless of what's portrayed in the media about that organizations elements in the Sudan, I do not find a direct causal relationship between John and his activities in particular and their resentment other than him being an American diplomat.
- Non-Sudanese: After my last visit to the Sudan I was dumbfounded by the aggrandizing infiltration of Ninja non-Sudanese women in my very neighbourhood who were married to mid-calf jilabiya wearing, bear growing followers of the Prophet from Syria, Somalia and Iraq. Those did not hide their scornful stares at ME, in my own court, for my non-Islamic appearance.

Whoever the perpetrator is, they fill me with opprobrium for their heinous act of shedding the blood of an innocent soul (I do not care if he was a CIA agent working undercover as an USAID worker). This assassination is an act of shame!!!

Condolences to AbdulRaham Abbas' family too. Inna lillah wa innah ilayhi raji3oon.

Benazir Bhutto ASSASSINATED

2007-12-27T15:20:00.000-05:00

I still am shell-shocked!
I did not believe it when I read the headlines on the BBC.

The first woman head-of-State of and Islamic country has been brutally killed with a shot to her neck and another to her chest as she was leaving an election rally this afternoon, before the assassin set off a suicide bomb.

May Allah rest her soul in peace and my heart goes out to her family and friends. No one should depart this Earth in such a fashion

Best RSS Reader!!!

2007-12-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

I am usually 5 minutes late in catching up with gossip. But when it comes to technology and computer related stuff, I am at least 5 years late.

Anyhow, since I have decided to conserve some of my energy and time, I began using the so-called RSS Readers. My first choice, and last for now, has been the Feed Reader or quoi? This software brought back the memories of my dial-up connection in the ME. I enjoyed the luxury of not having to type the URLs of my favourite sites, blogs, and newspapers, but the updates were really slow. Thus, I removed it!

I would really appreciate it if you folks share with me your experiences and what you use for your RSS Readers. I think I got used to saving time and my lazy self cannot properly google it

Merci mille fois

Toilet Wedding

2007-12-23T20:37:00.000-05:00

I think Charmin has gone just a bit over the board and the bride went a lil' loco. Why on Earth would any bride want to wear a toilet paper made wedding gown. One would answer me, an eco-conscious, green-minded bride. I think I will assent to that. But tying the knot in the loo, and a public one, for that matter is certainly insane.

On December the 19th of this year, a Kentucky couple from Lexington were pronounced a man and wife in a public toilet, and a temporary one also. She wore a wedding dress made of toilet paper. You can't discern that, but in my viewpoint it looked very cheap and cheesy.

Read about it here, here and here.

La! ahhama haja innu the gown won a 2007 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest sponsored by Cheap Chic Wedding (I intentionally wouldn't post a link to their site. The idea is ridiculous). Don't these people have anything more meaningful to do?!

Are Russians the Black Whites?

2007-12-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying that YES, I will be stereotyping and here I am practicing my right to free speech. Therefore, I suggest that this post is looked at as an amusing piece that many of us, the Russian Women, can identify with. Also, many of our traits are shared with our African-American sistas. I just love observing that everyday on the streets of the hotchpotch of this metropolitan city of NY

Here are a few of the things I've noticed:

First, most Russian women are in love with the bling bling and the mink furs. That grandeur has no limits. Anything and everything worn must shine like a 10 Carat diamond. Also wearing tight outfits and giving mini-skirts a new definition :-)

Second, Russian women like to be spent on graciously and lavishly. An uxorious man exists to spend on a woman and that's about it :-)

Third, most Russians are able to get along and adapt into living in neighbourhoods of non-Whites. The only whites I see in predominantly African-American or Caribbean blocks are the Russians. Oh for goodness' sake, Russians drove out Black communities from Coney Island :-)

Four, just check the most recent Russian rap songs. The beat is so cool and hiphopish I actually feel proud we've assimilated into that genre so smoothly.

C'est tout for now

You scratch my back, I scratch yours

2007-12-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

This is Russian politics (and perhaps others'), but if you scratch my back I will scratch yours. I will assure you the presidency, but only if you guarantee my premiership. But then of course, the PM office will be more influential than that of the president's.

Oh, Medvedev, what a silly lil' boy you are. (I will elaborate on this later)

Volodya (diminutive of Vladimir) never ceases to amaze me.

Sneak Peek

2007-12-15T13:54:00.000-05:00

So far these are the posts that I did not publish because one of the following:

They are controversial, and might cause me trouble
Lack of expressive words that could convey exactly what I want to say
I'm being lazy

But, I promise, I will very soon :-)

So you think you're all DAT?

2007-12-14T02:12:00.001-05:00

I hate subways! They are filthy, stinky, crowded, depressing, dungeon-like, leaking, rat-infested, beggar/vendor dwelling, artist/dancer Hall of Fame. Is it not enough that I have to commute using those means? Must I endure these daily sightings и к этому by paying what I could fill my car with, had I been able to drive it to work, in yet again more congested, toll-infested, pothole marked roads!!!!!!!

So these are the conditions and the scenes I see before I get to work/school, so why should my day be any better?

Anyhow, what bothers me even more, is the disgusting subway riders that shove, push, and stomp you. I mean c'mon! The other day I was boarding a train during the rush hour and his dimwit who was already on stood facing the boarders and deliberately pushed everyone away who, God forbid, brushed against him, with full force!! What a baboon!

Oh Goodness, there are so many incidents that I can stay here forever reciting them, but those morons need to know that they are nothing but animals! 7ayawanat!
From now on, if you push me I'll push you like there is no tomorrow! I will step on you with my heel and I don't give a hoot what you'll do you, you chimpanzee.

Back to Sudan; two men, five years, infinite agony

2007-12-13T20:26:00.000-05:00

Finally after more than five years, two Sudanese detainees were released from Guantanamo. Adel Hassan Hamad and Salim Mahmoud Adam .

Watching their brief interviews on TV, filled me with a rush of immense anger that was only attenuated by my sense of helplessness. One of the detainees described his detention as being buried while being alive. Sad indeed.

But, I am very glad they've reached their loved ones in the Sudan

Read about it here, and please have a look at the ridiculous comments which reflect the opinions of a majority, rather than a minority in the US of A.

related site : Project Hamad

Absurdity

2007-12-12T14:06:00.000-05:00

Well , Dr. Phil of Prayer, this is ludicrous
and this portrayal you've done demonstrates nothing but your xenophobia and bigotry

Absurd!

وااااااه فضيحتاه

2007-12-11T22:53:00.000-05:00

ياخوانا لي متين إحنا حنكون مفضوحين قدام الخلق والعالم ؟؟؟

يعني اللي يسوا وما يسواش بقى شايفنا ناس متطرفين اللي في أقل حاجة بنادوا بالإعدام. وحسي جات المقالة دي عشان توري الناس أن الشعب السوداني شعب مهوس بالجنس منذ الأزل. يعني ما معقول الأجانب بقوا دايرن يعرفوا سر الطلح وحفرة الدخان
!!
ما معقول ما معقول؟ يعني هي دي الحاجات اللي بتميزنا عن باقي الشعوب؟ الطلح والدخان؟ أها والحاجة الجاية شنو؟ التمباك والسعوط؟

يعني وين العادات والتقاليد والممارسات التانية؟ ولا هو بس الختان؟ وقطع الرحط؟

أنا متأكدة إنو المقال ده ما إتكتب إلا عشان واحد سوادني ولا سودانية وروا الحاجة دي ، اللي بتحصل جو البيوت، للخواجة. ده شنو القرف ده؟؟؟؟

وواااااه فضيحتاه

Iranian Exiles in the U.S.

2007-12-11T16:34:00.000-05:00

What: Screening of a Film "Caught Between Two Worlds" by Simin Farkhondeh & Persheng Sadegh-Vaziri

When: 12/12/2007 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm

Where: 365 Fifth Avenue in New York, NY at Segal Theatre

Summary: Depicting the lives of Iranian exiles in in the U.S., this documentary tackles acculturation, language, the traumas of revolution and the hostage crisis, religion, and life in post-9/11 America.

Have a sneak peak to decide if you want to watch it

Panel Discussion on "Tolerance and Theocracy"

2007-12-10T13:34:00.000-05:00

I know the weather isn't encouraging at all in NYC, but if you are interested in Iranian domestic politics, carpe diem !

Today, at

Kellogg Conference Center - 15th Floor School of International and Public Affairs Columbia University 420 West 118th Street

A panel of prominent scholars will hold this panel to inaugurate the newest issue "Religion and Statecraft". Among the speakers are Dr. Abdul-Kareem Soroush, the vociferous Iranian secular / religious reformer scholar. I admire his writings and staunchly believe that change is feasible through his vision.
Actually, he has been dubbed the Erasmus of Islam by the Finns

P.S. It seems that his webpage has been terminated for some reason. It contained a collection of his essays and excerpts from his books.

Perfunctory yet inciting remarks!

2007-12-09T06:38:00.000-05:00

Words must be well thought about before uttered. I did sympathize with Ms Gibbons when she was jailed in Sudan, but I do not understand her when she expressed fear of being raped in prison.

"I had no justification for thinking that. But that was my worst terror - that they would come in and teach me a lesson by raping me or that they would hit me."

That would have been an interesting headlines "Raped for defaming religion". Shouldn't Ms Gibbons as an academic refrain from throwing such remarks in such a perfunctory fashion?

More here

Arab Women Journalists, I consider Stars

2007-12-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

As I was checking yet another post on the blog of my fellow countryman, Sudanese Thinker, I was pleased to find out that Mona Eltahaway, the award-winning Egyptian/American journalist has joined the blogsphere.

I have been reading her articles across the 3Ws for quite some time now, and love her eloquence and zeal in educating the others of Islam, Middle East, and Muslim women. She's been contributing to many online magazines, journals, newspapers among which are:

The Post Global of the Washington Post
The Saudi Debate
The Christian Science Monitor

Another shining star in the 3Ws, I must bring inhere, is Sally Bishai, who as an Arab-American Copt is determined to share her perspectives with the rest at her site, which is full of interesting pieces under the mystic superficies.

Maybe you can have a look at the two interacting here

Site to answer nature's call

2007-12-07T22:28:00.000-05:00

If you live or plan to visit the United States, and Cali, Ohio, NY, Ontario, MA, IL, Oregon, PA, MN, GA, WA, or DC precisely, you will find this site very helpful when nature gives you a call. The site is MizPee

I haven't had the pleasure of visiting other cities in the US, but know enough of NYC. If you gotta go in the middle of the street, you have three choices; ignore it, hold it, or let it go. There aren't public restrooms and the story goes way back to the 1990s. Have a look

Thankfully, this season, NYC is trying to accommodate locals and visitors alike with 20 posh toilets. Actually, they are temporary and organized by Charmin, not the City of NY, and at Times Square only!

Anyhow, if you or someone you know ends up here or in another metropolitan city in the US, help them to MizPee. The website contains addresses to the public restroom in the vicinity of the place that you specify, reviews, suggestions, chance to add toilets, send the ones you find to your cellphone and even "looisms", or toilet trivia

Amusing idea and very very helpful

Purple Bottom!!!!!

2007-12-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

This morning my whole "Thank-God-It's-Friday" mind-set has been ruined by the sight of a flat and limp behind of a fat cow. As I was rushing through the underground paths of the subway, submerged in my own thoughts of how to get the best out of this last day of the week, I was shaken back to reality when my eyes were violated with that repulsive mass.

What turned me off is not the unpleasant figure, nor the tightness of the pants which defined all the imperfections, but the phrase that ran across that behind. No, it wasn't "Juicy" or "Pink". I was able to discern "Purple Bottom" and that's when the crazy naked man who lives in a solitary confinement inside my brain started running around in circles to help me understand what the heck that expression meant. "Purple Bottom"? Oh God!!! I was so infuriated by that scene that I could visualize myself flogging her behind until it really turned purple.

Anyhow, when I landed back to Earth from my diabolic thoughts of torturous ways of punishing stupid women who have no other means to attract attention other than with such means, I squinted my eyes..... Then, from staring at that "so-called bottom", I was able to read "Apple Bottom"

Apple??? Apple??? are you frigging kiddin' me? That flappy patty is an apple? MY FOOT is an apple you disgusting moronic cow!!!

شُفع الزمن ده

2007-12-03T00:26:00.000-05:00

طبعاً كباقي السودانيين أنا حريصة جداً على إنو أفراد أسرتي الصغار يتعلموا العربي. كان ما تعليم مدرسي بكل تفاصيل النحو والقواعد والبلاغة ، إن شاء الله كلامنا العامي ده.
شخصياً ما بفوت فرصة إلاَ وأحاول إن أقلب الونسة عربي قح.

الليلة بقى النتيجة ظهرت! بعد ما في شافعة بعرفها متربية هنا وبتتكلم عربي مكسر سوت ليها مصيبة، أبوها جا جاري. قلت بالعربي السوداني حقنا ده لزول جنبي "الليلة البت دي دقست".

البت إتلفتت علي وقالت ليك بي لهجة عامية صرفة "أنا أصلي دقست لمن إتولدت" وضحكت وفكت الجرية

والله شفع الزمن ده

My First Voting Experience

2007-12-02T21:04:00.000-05:00

Today, it snowed in New York City and walking under the lightly falling snow flakes amidst the barren trees, the weather somewhat resembled the Russian one, but of course to a lesser degree.
I was also prepared to cast my very first ballot, in the first full-swing proportional representation legislative elections of the Russian Duma.

Busy as I am, I was able to arrive at the Voting Center only past 19:00. To my surprise, the process was very smoothly run that the whole thing took, at most, 10 minutes. And yes, I consider that to be very fast, since I lived during at the Soviet Union times and queues were one of the trade marks of that period of time.

Anyhow, greeted and seated, one of the members of the Consulate General took down my passport's info, asked me to sign next to my name and ushered me into the booth. 1,2,3... Their's and my job were done!

Many of my friends mocked me for actually going to cast a ballot. They argued the elections are rigged. I think that's irrelevant. In my opinion it is a civic duty that any citizen of any country owes his/her country. Complaining and fulminating is futile. If change is what we want to see, we have to practice what we have, both right and duty, to achieve it. Our civic duty.

Take care all

Russian Legislative Elections 2007 (New York)

2007-11-30T02:25:00.000-05:00

The first Russian Legislative Elections on a complete party-list proportional representation is to take place on Sunday, December 2nd.

Personally I feel very excited. Rather than listing the 14 parties whose candidates we'll have to chose, who anyone can google or check at wikipedia, I thought I would post the locations of the Voting Centers in New York City.

in Manhattan - The Consulate General of the Russian Federation at 9 East 91 Street, New York, NY 10128 (btw 5th and Madison Avenues)
4, 5, or 6 train to 86th Street

in the Bronx - The residence of the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN at 355 West 255 Street, Bronx, New York, NY 10471 (Right off Moshulo Avenue)
1 train to 242 Street OR BxM2 Express to Riverdale w/254 Street

in Brooklyn - The Millennium Theatre at 1029 Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, NY 11235 (btw Brighton 11th and Brighton 12th)
Q train to Brighton Beach (B trains don't run on the weekend)

Don't rush fellow citizens, the voting hours are from 8:00 am to 8 pm. Don't forget your passports!!!

P.S. if anyone has other routes to the Bronx, don't hesitate to suggest it
P.P.S. the subway trains are my personal suggestion to be the nearest to the stated locations

One website, multiple libraries

2007-11-29T18:25:00.000-05:00

That's exactly what I am searching for. As a matter of fact, I have stumbled upon this sort of website that would search the book I'm looking for at the different libraries in my city; public and college libraries alike. But alas, I didn't bookmark and after spending more time that I can spare googling I find this post to be my last resort hoping that someone might help me

I probably spend more time looking for that one website than I would have researching each database of all the libraries in NYC separately.

So, who knows what I want?

Women are more law abiding than men

2007-11-27T14:06:00.000-05:00

They are!

Sex tourism has been the impetus for those out there who would cross the oceans to reach far lands where members of the opposite, or the same, sex with their exotic features and tanned beautiful bodies would perform the wildest of their fantasies, albeit at times in sordid huts, for peanuts.

So far they were older white males who were the culprits of violating young girls and boys. The fad now is prevalent among women in their autumn years. Preferring to have "non-business like" fun with salubrious young Kenyan men in their 20s, these British women gaily call it "havin' fun" in lieu of "safe sex".

I don't know how anyone can find this to be harmless pleasure, but I think it is sickening to manipulate the deteriorating economic conditions of these Africa dudes, or dudettes, and especially by old sagging horny libertines.

The bright side is that all guys are NOT under the legal age. Two thumbs up, ladies! *disgusting*

Extreme Engineering

2007-11-27T02:24:00.000-05:00

As I was aimlessly wandering the byzantine alleys of the 3Ws, I stumbled upon this wonderful post at an interested blog.

Those of you interested in extreme engineering designs, check out deputydog's post

It is one of the largest hydraulic engineering structure on earth used as a storm surge barrier and, according to Wikipedia, ‘the largest moving structure on earth’. The maeslant barrier in the Netherlands.

Check the images

Conspiracy Theory in Unity High School?

2007-11-27T01:43:00.000-05:00

If surveyed, the world's most popular name would be Muhammad, I'm certain.
The most recent "one" to be named was a teddy bear, in Khartoum, Sudan, of all the places. Don't fret, the decision has been arrived at in the most democratic fashion one could imagine; by voting.

23 students decided the teddy bear should be named Muhammad. Not Ali, not Bobby, but Muhammad. Their teacher, however, one Ms Gibbons, was taken into custody by the Sudanese authorities and jailed. According to State media she could be charged with blasphemy. Serious charge indeed! Interestingly enough, the complainers were the parents who brought their grievance to the Ministry of Education.

Now, I have two questions?
1- Was the Ministry of Education hibernating back in the day when we had "Taha Al-Qurashi" series? For those of you who do not know who Taha Al-Qurashi is, he is the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and the series, though not referring to the protagonist as the Prophet, but a regular student who kept getting diarrhea and getting admitted to hospital. *All I could remember*
2- What's the sudden interest in school activities by parents and State alike?

I guess they have exposed themselves to one of my favourite articles by Fareed Zakaria, "The Rise of Illiberal Democracy".

Croatia, Russia, and England

2007-11-25T14:40:00.000-05:00

If it weren't for the Croatians, who beat the Brits 3-2, the Russian football team would have been disqualified from Euro 2008 Championship.
And if it weren't for Henry's gaffe, who mispronounced some words from the Croatian National Anthem, the Croatians might not have gotten "their luck of the Irish" to the detriment of the Brits.

In my view, this kinda luck, obviates any need for virtuosity or training. All one needs is sheer and mere luck.

Amazon.com Re-classifies "The Israel Lobby" book as Conspiracy Theory

2007-11-25T13:28:00.001-05:00

My favourite professor has once discussed this book and it's credibility in terms of basing their explanation on theoretical ground rather than empirical observation. It is also on my "to-read" list.Amazon.com has just re-classified "The Israel Lobby" book by Harvard and Chicago U profs as a "conspiracy theory". Have a look at the most popular items in Conspiracy Theories. Anybody has a clue how it was classified before? But regardless of the category it was listed under, I think it is a conspiracy of a conspiracy

read more | digg story

Don't know him. Don't want to be him

2007-11-18T15:22:00.000-05:00

Name: Vitaly Kaloyev [Russian: Виталий Калоев]
Age: 51
Occupation: Businessman
Citizenship: Russian
Ethnicity: North Ossetian
Tragedy: Loss of Family (Wife, son and daughter)
Accident: Bashkirian Airlines Flight 2937 Mid-Air Collision
Date: 1 July 2002
Site: Uberlingen, Germany
Crime: Killing a flight control officer, Peter Nielsen, of the Swiss company Skyguide
Verdict: Eight years incarceration

Recently, the Russian media has been intensively covering the early release of Vitaly from one of Swiss prisons. The Russian public opinion have expressed mixed emotion towards Vitaly's vendetta in Switzerland, but I am sympathetic. As a father who flew to Switzerland to scavenge for the bodies of his loved ones to be the first to identify his little girl at the crash sense and carry her, it is indisputable that his shock must have been insurmountable. What added insult to injury is the position of the Swiss company that sided with her employee, Peter Nielsen, who, according to Vitaly's testimony, shoved and threw Vitaly family's photographers on the floor when the former knocked at the latter's door seeking apology. That's when Vitaly stabbed him 5 times to death.

It's a classic example of an eye for an eye situation. I reiterate I sympathize with Vitaly, and my heart goes out to Peter's family for the loss of their loved one. Important to note, Vitaly waived the monetary compensation given to him for his loss to the Swiss family.

What a tragedy .......

I hate Thanksgiving

2007-11-17T23:10:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I do not know the whole history of the discovery of the new lands, other than the naive Indians sloshing through the blue oceanic waters to greet their European killers, but I know for a fact that I hate the celebration behind it.

I hate the colours; brown orange autumn colours. They are depressing to say the least
I hate the food; sweet potatoes? pumpkin? corn bread? It's only the turkey that I can tolerate
But most importantly I despise the fact that people celebrate the killings of the native people of those islands and the main land that the culture is trying to sugarcoat with Thanksgiving.

Thanking my foot! Do the Aussies or the Kiwis celebrate their occupation of Australia and New Zealand? And do we actually need a set-up date to be thankful for what we have? Or is it just a way to justify our consumerist addictions?

It's never MY fault!

2007-11-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

When is it that humans will admit and assume responsibility for their misdeeds, mistakes and otherwise unfortunate events?

I gave it a little thought, and if not all, at least most people blame anything and/or anyone but themselves 99% of the time. It's someone else's fault that one's life is not flowing smoothly, and if it isn't that someone's fault, it is God's will (which is again outta our control).

Deep down inside, as a procrastinator, when I am sweating at the 11th hour to submit that application online, I am as equally racing my thoughts of whom and what to blame if my application doesn't get through and my goodness gracious, if it doesn't, it's the computer's fault, the server's malfunction, even the full moon's fault that I didn't succeed.

When is it that humans, and me, will assume responsibility and say it to the world, YES it is MY fault. Personally, I doubt it if I'll ever muster that much courage. But, that's not my fault...... I was born a chicken :-S

Men and Insecurity Complex

2007-11-16T00:28:00.000-05:00

RA: Jus' tell me you don't want to help me get that gig.
VIP: No, it is not so. But you're jus' "too smart"
RA: Oh! and that's a disadvantage??
VIP: Well.... yeah!
...........
RA: So, he doesn't want to hire me?
VIP: You're too pretty *gesticulating a fiery hand gesture*
RA *offended*: Meaning I'm too much in all aspects huh?
VIP: ...........

That was a part of a conversation with a VIP I've known since before my birth.

Men perceive women as dangerous species capable of plotting devious plans to attain their goals. And, they whine about their inability to understand how our cerebral transmission work. But, for women, the smart and confident ones that is, achieving that perfect balance between asserting themselves without invading the comfort zone of men, is difficult task to say the least.

Maureen Dowd, a fine intelligent woman, beautifully describes how women avert this dilemma

Professional women in their 20s are growing deft at subterfuges to protect the egos of dates who make less money, the story said, such as not leaving their shopping bags around and not mentioning their business achievements. Or they simply date older men who might not be as threatened.

But in a recent article, Lisa Belkin, in quoting a Catalyst research, states:

that women who act in ways that are consistent with gender stereotypes — defined as focusing “on work relationships” and expressing “concern for other people’s perspectives” — are considered less competent. But if they act in ways that are seen as more “male” — like “act assertively, focus on work task, display ambition” — they are seen as “too tough” and “unfeminine.”

So, insecure men! Which of the above stances you prefer?

Politically Correct?

2007-11-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have had enough of adhering to "politically correct" terms. Not a sentence or comment can be passed without weighing its "correctedness" for the fear of offending someone or something for that matter. Suddenly using the word homosexual is incorrect but lesbian and/or gay is more appropriate.

What if I am gay but not really gay *you know what I mean?*

Linguists and etymologists must be suffering huh?

The world is going nuts I guess, or at least it is beginning to.

So, if you're self-conscious about being politically correct, refer to this list. It might help you

Update!

2007-11-15T20:01:00.000-05:00

Alright, this has been a long break.
Let's see what have been done
1- Finished my thesis (that was hard labour!)
2- Punished myself by enrolling in graduate classes completely impertinent to my field of interest.
3- Read a couple of psychotic novels
4- Went to a hairdresser for the first time in my life and decided to let my hair grow (the two do not have a causal relation)
5- Developed a sense of interest in fashion and cooking :-S
6- Used hot vodka to cure my flu (God's forgiveness)
7- Cut off a couple of people out of my life, added a couple others

And now I shall sit down and ponder my future plans......
But most importantly, blogging will resume

ta-ta

Heart Broken Orange

2007-11-15T00:31:00.001-05:00

Heart Broken Orange
Originally uploaded by `Unique~Pink`

Something to laugh at
yet another orange banana tale

I can't wait!!!

2007-08-01T00:48:00.000-04:00

Goodness! if you only knew how I miss posting and how I want to be back!
But unfortunately I am overwhelmed by a number of academic endeavors that are consuming my time in it entirety

Time to go back

wait for me :-)

Multi-culturalism in Estonia

2007-07-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

Estonia has been a very interesting example of public policies concerning group-rights in mostly homogeneous nations.

Being the ardent fan of Kymlicka's notion of multiculturalism I am, I find Estonian policies appalling to say the least, and certainly galling!

Not only did their authorities move the statue of a Soviet soldier as a symbol of those who fought the Nazis, from the center of Tallinn (the capital) back in April, but are trying now to bribe (the article in Russian) the local Russian schools to convert to Estonian!

Russians are the largest minority in Estonia, almost a third of the population but are denied not only the rights of the Estonian nationals, but also those of regular citizens.

Very galling indeed!

Sudanese Festival in NY

2007-07-28T14:57:00.001-04:00

UPDATE
I know I kinda lag behind, but I uploaded a couple of pics on flickr from the Sudanese Festival. More will be coming up

check those for now

Men who gossip

2007-07-28T00:08:00.000-04:00

A dear friend of mine says all the good men died in WTO on the 11th of Sept, and today I have to agree with her.

What's up with men who gossip and backbite and get their noses in some other people's businesses? How would you categorize those?

And now I have to switch to Arabic!

يعني بالله بذمتكم الرجال ديل رجال؟ وقت بتناقلوا الكلام وبتعاوروا وهي كان شوفتوا فلانة ما قالوا سافرت هناك و علانة ما عرسوها وشنفلانة ما طلع عندها ورم.
هل دي هي طبايع الرجال؟ القطيعة والنميمة؟ وبالمناسبة يعني المشكلة إنو مافي زول بيوقفوم عند حدهم بل بالعكس النسوان اللي ما عندهم شغلة بصفقوا ليهم ويقولوا ليهم هل من مزيد!

ظاهرة مقززة للغاية والمقرف فيها إنها منتشرة عند السودانيين بطريقة بشعة! يعني من دون العرب إحنا رجالنا الفايقين بحبو يتقصوا أخبار الناس ويتشمشروا في الرايح والجاي. ياخ مافي سوداني إلا ويسألك سؤال منكر ونكير. بت منو؟ ساكنة وين؟ جنسك شنو؟ قريتي وين؟ وحتى كان حاولتي وبطريقة واضحة توريه إنك ما دايرة ونسة يقلب الهوبة عشان يوريك إنو زول مهم ومتحضر وما أدراك،، وبكرة ناس الولاية كلها تعرف اللي عرفوا بكل التفاصيل زايد الشمار والفلفل وبقية البهارات.

ياخ أبقوا رجال وسيبوا حركات النسوان ليهم! إتقوا الله!!!!!!!!

سلام عليكم

LOGO tv channel

2007-07-24T16:50:00.000-04:00

Out of boredom, I've been flipping through my TV channels and stopped at one of them as a film was starting. It was "When Night is falling", about a relationship between a lesbian and a bisexual woman. Nothing strange. Then, during the commercial breaks I noticed this click list the channel itself advertised. They had on it best 50 movies, so I decided to visit their website to see what they were.

The first thing that grabbed my attention is a sidebar ad from orbitz with a guy hugging another on the beach, not the usual scene.....hmmmmm

So I find the click list of the best 50 films and tada, they are the best LGBT films

So, this is an entertainment TV channel for LGBT community. Very interesting!

Censored Report on Darfur

2007-07-24T02:03:00.000-04:00

It is up to you to take a position, or not. My co-blogger, Drima, posted on a documentary prepared by Nabil Kassem, from Al-Arabiya News Channel two years ago but never broadcasted it, not to my knowledge at least.

Watch part 1

Watch part 2

Busted! Human Organs trafficking ring apprehended

2007-07-24T00:32:00.000-04:00

I didn't know that a kidney cost $ 30,000, and that actually some sold it for that price.

Anyhow, I'm always late, and now the ring has been caught in Israel. Check it out

Just as I was thinking of selling my second kidney!

Is it true?

2007-07-23T01:54:00.000-04:00

is it true?

For film lovers

2007-07-22T12:17:00.000-04:00

Those who are into contemporary, meaningful and short films could check the latest Golden Apricot 4th Yerevan International Film Festival site

UPDATE on Sudanese Concert in New York

2007-07-21T23:22:00.000-04:00

I went, I sat, I stood, I ate, I chatted, I met acquaintances, I clicked pictures, I danced, I gossiped, I flirted, I enjoyed the beautiful songs and singers and BOOOM! as usual my Sudanese people acted in the most irresponsible manner. Well, first of all and right in front of the stage two guys just decided to throw a couple of punches at each other and not stopping it until the security had to intervene to pull these two cocks from each other while one of them was shouting out the most common Sudanese swear expression "3alai al6alag ma ba'7ali!"

This will sound alright if you compare it to this sign ! The whole objective of the festival is to bring Sudanese people irrespective of their creed, color, ethnicity or race together to attempt as people express our unity, and just that! Our dream is to live in a unified and peaceful Sudan! And there they were, those who cannot stick to the message intended and just had to fling political messages in. It was, and is a shameful act to mix politics with cultural and social events!

You two, who were carrying those signs, must be very ashamed of yourselves!

New York City explosion

2007-07-18T21:57:00.000-04:00

So in New York City, we don't need terrorism to stall the whole city. At 5:56 pm, this afternoon an explosion of a 24-inch steam pipe, resulted in a big crater on the intersection of Lexington Avenue and 41st Street, a street I used to tread daily around that time. Just to think that I could have been among the injured, if not a casualty, sends the shivers down my spine.

For goodness' sake, how is it possible to have such a thing happening in a city where taxes eat up a big chunk of one's salary! The whole infrastructure in the city is a mess. When the sky is raining cats and dogs, as it did this morning, the subway system becomes flooded and trains don't run from one borough to another for the whole day as it did today with Queens.

It is a relief though to hear the mayor, Bloomberg, admitting the failure

There is no reason to believe whatsoever that this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure

I did a hell of a walking to get from point A to B on that side of the City and clicked a couple of pictures with my cell.

1st Annual Sudanese Music and Dance Festival

2007-07-18T12:55:00.001-04:00

It is more than what I thought it was.
Apparently what I had assumed a humble attempt of Sudanese artists to sponsor the idea of a "Unified Sudan" is actually the 1ST ANNUAL SUDANESE MUSIC AND DANCE FESTIVAL.

Check what afropop published! It will even be broadcasted on www.staytunedtv.tv

Dawn Elder, the Director of Programming for the Internet all-music and dance site said that the channel will be producing the concert video of the event for a worldwide streaming as a "Recorded Live' event.

Russian men and African women

2007-07-17T23:32:00.001-04:00

Apparently, and to my surprise, Russian men are into dark-skinned African queens more than many might have expected. As an ardent fan of Russian talk shows, I often hear ludicrous racially implied comments by unrefined men and women who find the act of marrying from non-Russians or generally non-Slavic partners is analogous to treason to the Motherland.

Enough with the bollocks, because internet analytics have shown interesting trends among the neo-Russians.

Procrastination

2007-07-15T00:13:00.000-04:00

Well, lately I received this txt msg from my nutty friend who is full of contradictions stating the following "Procrastination is like masturbation, you're enjoying it initially but end up f***ing yourself"

Oh, isn't it just so true, for procrastination that is. In every field, level of education, or career we're always advised to plan ahead and give ourselves enough time to fulfill the assigned task. But who actually follows this advice? Not me, not you and certainly not them.

I, for instance, work the best under stress. If it is not the 11th hour, my creativity is in its below standard mode. I feel the rush in my brain and veins as I race the time in completing the assignment. I must admit though that in a hindsight I realize that certain things could have or should have been done differently.

That's it..... go back to work!

World Trade Organization

2007-07-14T23:14:00.000-04:00

Here I was browsing the 3Ws trying to get into the details of the workings of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and I stumbled on a number of both interesting and important links:

- For the organizational charter of the WTO organization, here is where you need to go.

- For a general insight into the WTO workings, the publication titled "Understanding the WTO" is very informative, but rather lengthy (116 pages). It could be downloaded as a pdf file in its entirety or, if you please, by chapter.

- For the benefits of WTO trading system, check the list of TEN points

- For the common misunderstandings of WTO, check this page

- And, if you're interested in interning with them, bear in mind that you've got to have an undergraduate degree and are already enrolled in a graduate programme for at least a year. Additional information is at this webpage

That's all folks!

what were the odds of that jab?!

2007-07-14T15:04:00.000-04:00

Athletes safety has always intrigued me with javelins flying during sports' tournaments, and tada what I have feared took place recently in Rome during Golden League Competitions.

A javelin thrown by the Finnish Tero Pitkämäki, jabbed the French Salim Sdiri in the right side of his torso, inflicting minor injuries, but yet it is a serious incident that necessitates implementation of serious organizational and construction changes.

Quick recovery Salim!

Sudanese laws and Rape victims

2007-07-13T20:07:00.000-04:00

a recent report by Refugees International, a well known NGO based in Washington DC, has exposed the loopholes existent within the Sudanese laws that expose rape victims to more abuse and trauma.

The report is titled Laws Without Justice: An Assessment of Sudanese Laws Affecting Survivors of Rape; which can be downloaded and read in full at their website.

I have not had the chance to read it all, and many of you would not have it either. An introductory to the report could also be read in this article at Refugees International newsletter.

Let me know what you think

Salam

Sudanese Concert in Central Park, New York

2007-07-13T19:51:00.000-04:00

If you're in New York, or the surrounding areas and are Sudanese, interested in the Sudan, or simply wanting to hear a different sort of music, here is an event, actually a concert by prominent Sudanese singers among which is Sharhabil Ahmed (photo) and Al Balabil taking place on Saturday, July 21, 2007
from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM in Central Park SummerStage. The complete list of the singers is found here

It stays that the event is supported by the Sudanese Information Center, which I was not able to find information on, but if you do, do let me know, I'll appreciate it

Come and enjoy the beautiful culture of the Sudan

Skin Progress

2007-07-08T17:34:00.001-04:00

Yeah, my skin is clearing up despite my intermittent adherence to the regime. My next appointment is in another two weeks and I must finish with my medication, even if I have to take suicidal double dosages.

I'm beginning to go out make-up free. Beach! here I come!!

Day of Love and Faith protectors; the Russian St. Valentine's Day

2007-07-08T13:54:00.000-04:00

Today,the 8th of July is when Russians celebrate their St. Valentine's. Perhaps I should be more precise, the Christian Orthodox Russians do.
Family Day, or the Day of loving couples, commemorates the strong love story of Prince Peter and the village girl Fervonia, who were both canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church after their death as Brother David and Sister Euphrosinia (the couple went into a monastery as they aged)
Anyhow, you can consider it a fable. I'm a sucker for love stories. So *wink wink* I'm expecting a gift !!!

and No, not a marriage proposal, as many couples did in Murom, Russia, where the couple lived in the 12th century.

May all your lives be filled with love, warmth, and understanding :-)

The new SEVEN wonders

2007-07-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

A lot of debate has been going on all over the media for the NEW 7 WONDERS. Unfortunately, being the 5-minutes-late individual I am (I will write about the difference between individual and person some time later), I missed voting or even posting about it to enlighten others to vote.
Anyhow...
So this Swiss-based corporation, The New Open World Corporation, took upon itself the burden of proposing the new wonders. Before I speak of the new ones, let's see if you know what the old ones are. Yeah, you're right, the Pyramids of Giza is one of them (everyone knows that, you silly), the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is another, but what about the rest?
They are, and it took me months to memorize as a child (I earned the title nerdy!):
1- The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
2- The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
3- The lighthouse of Alexandria
4- The Colossus of Rhodes
5- The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The new ones could be found here, among which is the beautiful monuments of Petra (photo above) in Jordan.

The interesting part is that the voting wasn't as benign as they claim. If you've got money you got more votes. If you've got internet, you were lucky too.

07.07.07

2007-07-07T14:20:00.000-04:00

I am a superstitious person and an ardent believer of numerology. the number SEVEN for no reason makes me feel relaxed, maybe coz its divine. You might ask me what is divine about it. The heavens. Oh, sorry for the atheists.
I tried googling some of its mystical features or powers, if you please, and a lot of information is out there that I won't bother to post here.
For some reason, today I feel energetic and finally was able to do the research I've been postponing forever. Maybe I'm just being my superstitious self again :)

How about you? Anything interesting on this interesting day?

Russia beats South Korea

2007-07-05T01:04:00.000-04:00

Vladimir Putin's visit to Guatemala augured well for the beautiful resort of Sochi. Putin's speech, both in English and French while presenting the city's candidacy to the IOC, was very impressive if compared with the Korean counterpart.

I am extremely happy as this will be the first time Russia hosts Winter Olympics. Better start planning that trip already.

Hard luck South Korea.

УУУУУРРРРРРРРАААААААА!!!!!!!

Day in 3 Cabs

2007-07-02T00:18:00.000-04:00

Well today we've had a nice weather with cool breeze, warm sun and partly cloudy skies. Lovely!
2:30 pm: I hop into a cab driven by a man way into his 60s. This turned out to be a ride full of relaxation as well as sense of sarcasm. Half into our ride, he asked me whether I minded having the radio on or not, to which I responded negatively. As he turned it on, it was none other than the tenor, Luciano Pavarotti. The old man smirked and said, this is my rap. We continued listening to Pavarotti, followed by Mozart's Requiem, of which I was told by this highly educated man was completed posthumously by another composer, whose name I cannot recall now. Later, my mind was assuaged by Beethoven's lunar sonata.

6:00 pm: I take another cab for another 30 minute ride. Unlike the earlier one, this cab was more than ordinary. Quiet in the start and later noisy because of a loud babble of Urdu to bring my ataraxic state of mind into an end. The disturbing and moreover loud rattling with his buddy, or buddette, on the other side of the phone, carried on until I was dropped half a block away from where I specifically requested. Therefore, NO TIP given.

10:20 pm: My 3rd and last cab of the day. Most interesting though. The driver was a Muslim guy, later on and from the accent I concluded that he was Egyptian. Reticently driving, he decided to talk in the final minutes to my place. I was told that the number of cabis is going to plummet after November. Attempting to understand the reason for such an orphan comment, he turned the light on and passed me a pamphlet. I glanced at it and looking at his visor I saw a huge button "NO GPS". Unhappy with the process of installing a digital dispatch by NYC TLC, he expressed his concern of being monitored by Uncle Sam. According to him, its been implemented to track Muslims and Arabs, the majority of cabis.

Raising Awareness Fashionably

2007-07-01T13:50:00.000-04:00

Kenneth Cole is one of my favourite brands. I like it for its sense of simplicity and sophistication.

Today it has launched this "Awareness Campaign" which mission is

a charitable initiative that supports a number of worthy social causes. We're launching this important campaign with a collection of graphic T-shirts that do good while looking good.

But of course, many of us don't need a shirt to voice their opinions

Pound Sterling, Orange Revolution and FSB

2007-06-30T22:33:00.000-04:00

Litvinenko, God bless his soul, died in November 2006 under allegations from the British authorities that the Russians poisoned him. If you ask me, I advocate capital punishment for treason, if it were.

Recently, an overt espionage war has begun between the Russians and the Brits. The Brits, enthusiastically continues to throw accusations at Russians (Andrei Lugovoi) of killing the former KGB agent, which he in turn assures would not have been achieved without assistance from the MI-6. The Russian bear, on the other hand, continues its attempts at recruiting former FSB agents for counterespionage.

Enough with the introductory remarks. I read this article [Russian] which confirms what the International Herald Tribune also published. Vyacheslav Zharko (photo above), a Russian citizen and a former employee of the FSB, resorted to his former employer seeking protection as he feared for his life, he claimed.

Allegedly and according to the state-owned NTV channel, Zharko worked both with the tycoon Berezovsky and MI-6. What a coincidence! He revealed being recruited by the MI-6 since 2002 to gather important economic as well as intelligence information for the Brits.

The Russian addendum is that Vyacheslav Zharko revealed the missing link. According to him, Berezovsky (who has a Phd in embezzlement, and not math) was actually supported by the Brits to finance the Orange Revolution in Ukraine based on the information Litvinenko provided him with.

The Pound Sterling is still a strong currency, I reckon.

Sudanpedia

2007-06-30T14:39:00.000-04:00

As a Sudanese, I've been subjected to the most ludicrous inquiries about my home; the Sudan.
"Isn't it in Asia?"
"No, you dimwit!"
And of course, lately I've resorted to identifying Sudan with Darfur. Sad but what to do? And even then I get the ever more laughable questions.
"Oh, you don't look Sudanese"
"I'm from the Janjaweed!"

So, here I've decided to post something about Sudan, every now and then, for the world to learn.

Well, its very interesting to find different results when googling with different languages. I've attempted it with Russian and found this interesting site: The Central Bank of Sudan. When I googled it in English using the keyword Sudan, this site didn't appear until the 10th page , in the Russian attempt, the 1st page.

Our currency, fluctuating between the Pound and the Dinar, reflects our mosaic social and ethnic fabric. So I highly recommend you check it out.

Obsequious Behaviour

2007-06-29T16:14:00.000-04:00

In our days and times, knowledge, specialization and creativity is secondary to connections. Its very unfortunate, but almost always it is.

It has become a normal thing to use words such as "networking" as an excuse for attending professional gatherings. And since it has become a socially acceptable mode of meetings, I myself had given in. But what I cannot stand is the OBSEQUIOUS BEHAVIOUR this networking entails. It sickens me to see little puppies waggling their tails while leaving lip imprints on Big Shots' behinds. And as much as it upsets my stomachs, it relieves me and makes me laugh myself silly on how disgusting and pitiful the perpetrators of this shameful behaviour look like from aside.

Now, it is important to underline that obsequiousness has different manifestations dependent on gender, age and brain-weight. Ladies, revealing cleavages and calves makes you look more like a bimbo than a professional employee capable of getting things done.

Guys, using Shakespearian English and engaging in topics of extremely high complexity based on your superficial perusal of ONE article in a local newspaper does not reflect depth, but, on the contrary, shallowness. Furthermore, getting nodding responses from people in the business must not be interpreted as their approval. Again, DEPTH of insight is needed here, and you haven't gotten it.

But, haven't you noticed my friend? A$$-connoisseurs do not compete against each other. They'd rather gang up against those who use their taste buds for gourmet food. Therefore, we often have these two teams in most gatherings: the would-do and the would-never-do.

I have always believed in this adage: Birds of a feather, flock together.

Every man for himself

2007-06-24T14:40:00.001-04:00

That's exactly what it is these days. Can't depend on anyone to lend you a hand, let alone do something for you. And silly you, you would do the somersault to make someone feel better. And I blame noone but your pathetic self for not being smart enough to recognize that this is what this current time is all about, every man for himself !

That reminds me of what Ali ibn Abi Talib كرَم الله وجهه said:
وذقت المرارات فلم أجد أمر من الحاجة إلى الناس

To be in need of someone makes one weak, and I'm talking about favors! Oh how I hate those, and miss the days when I did everything myself instead of being feeble and burdening myself with reciprocity and repayment. Furthermore, all the negative emotions that surface when your favor can't be done, such as disappointment, hurt, anger. Why do you need those?!

Depend on yourself you wimp and do everything by yourself and for yourself. That will make your life harder but you'll feel better about yourself, for there is no better feeling than debt-free feeling.

Anti-War

2007-06-23T14:11:00.001-04:00

Last week I have watched two foreign films that if made compulsory in educational institutions we would be living in a peaceful world.

1-Иди и смотри [Idi i smotri] (Russian 1985) translated Come and See. This is the last movie directed by the late and renowned Elem Klimov. The film portrays the psychological deterioration of a youngster , Florya, from a Belorussian village during WWII (or as we dub it in Russian, the Great Patriotic War) as the Nazis began encroaching on the borders of Soviet Union. The protagonist, Alexei Kravchenko was an incredible actor who himself declared he wasn't sure he was able to mentally survive the shooting of the film. The scenery is very realistic both physically and psychologically.
Highly recommended: to people interested in history, psychology, war ethics and human rights. Not recommended: to the weak-hearted.

2- Rachida (Algeria, France 2002). A much milder civil war film which narrates the life of a school teacher in Algeria in the 1990s. It is directed by Yamina Bachir and in it she creatively combines the modern and the traditional in the daily life of a young Algerian woman. This woman is Ibtissem Djouadi (a pretty green-eyed newbie) who played the character, Rachida, with a complete devotion and talent
Highly recommended: to all
Not recommended: to all those who don't try to understand our Muslim way of living.

Ranking FIRST, disputed

2007-06-23T13:06:00.000-04:00

The Failed States Index of 2007 caused a commotion, among my fellow citizens, who are also skeptical but with different approaches.

Read my query, and also take a look at Sudanese thinker and Black Kush.

Acne blog

2007-06-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

Salam world!
finally I mustered my courage and paid a visit to a dermatologist. It was not as dreadful as I've been fearing for some time now. Diagnosed with what I already knew I had, the doc suggested that I get an injection. Yes! a facial one, and no it was not Botox, I am naturally wrinkle-free :-). But that has set my mind whirling with the possibility of Botox injection in far-future. The procedure is pain-free.
Finally I was prescribed a regimen for 4 weeks. The countdown has begun!

I am optimistic, except for the fact that one medication has hair-loss side-effects.
Is that why the doc was bald?

متلازمة بنات دول مجلس التعاون الخليجي

2007-06-21T21:53:00.000-04:00

لا ده ما مرض. ولا أقول لكم حاجة؟ حالة، وحالة مرضية كمان

معظم بناتنا السودانيات اللي إتربو في الخليج بيعانوا من المتلازمة دي. والأعراض كالتالي:
1- الدلع الفائض واللي بيتمثل في مجموعة من امراض أخرى سمها صديق لي بأمراض الدلع (كالجلد الحساس، المعدة الحساسة، الأزمة، الأنيميا، وغيرهم)

2-الطلبات و التوقعات الغير واقعية من الوالدين، الأخوة، والعجب من "الجكس" يعني ما ممكن يا بنات الناس تكونوا دايرين أي حاجة شوفتوها مرة واحدة في مسلسل أسترالي عرضوه في قناة الشارقة، خصوصاً لو المطلوب منه عايش في قارة تانية.

3- حب السيطرة: وبالعامية كده "فاكنها في روحم" لي يعني معظم بنات الخليج مقتنعات إنهم بنات كول وراقيات وفاهمات في كل شي في الدنيا وبالتالي بيظنوا إنهم أدرى وأي زول يتجرأ يناقش النقطة دي ولا أي من النقاط المذكورة أعلاه بياخد على راسو وبيعيش ليهو في مسلسل خليجي اللي الأحداث فيهو بتجر أيام طويلة وبيكون فيهو لغة مشفرة ما بيفهما الطرف الثاني لأنو البنت ذاتا ما فاهمها وبتكون بتواصل فيها بس عشان المسلسل ما يخلص

أفتكر كده كفاية
ومن دون زعل لأني بس بحاول أعمل نقد ذاتي :-)

AFI Lifetime Achievement Award

2007-06-20T01:28:00.001-04:00

I know it's rather late, and you've missed it, just like I did *sobs*, but my baby has been rewarded the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award of 2007! ATTA CARLITO.

Serpico possesses unparalleled artistic talent and has always given himself in totality to any role he'd been assigned. The way he adopted his characters is unsurmountable.

I do not refer to his recent flicks, but even the ones filmed in 1970s. Do yourself a favor and check them all out, you'll be showering me with thanks forever...

Baby, I love you :-)

Sudanese talent

2007-06-19T22:37:00.000-04:00

I heard about this competitor, Khalid Hassan, but never got a chance to hear him until today. Not bad at all

wish him good luck

Are you in LOVE?

2007-06-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

Check against the following 12 signs and you'll know
TWELVE:
When you're on the phone with them late at night and they hang up, you still miss them even when it was just two minutes ago.

ELEVEN:
You walk really slow when you're with them.

TEN:You feel shy whenever they're around.

NINE:You smile when you hear their voice.

EIGHT:When you look at them, you can't see the other people around you, you just see him/her.

SIX:They're all you think about.

FIVE:You realize you're always smiling when you're looking at them.

FOUR:You would do anything for them, just to see them.

THREE:While reading this, there was one person on your mind this whole time.

TWO:You were so busy thinking about that person, you didn't notice number seven was missing

ONE:You just scrolled up to check & are now silently laughing at yourself.

So that is why he is Sir Rushdie now!

2007-06-19T15:32:00.002-04:00

As usual, being a couple of days late, the Arabs have finally awoken up to the splendid recognition of Salman Rushdie's creative writings.
Today, Al-jazeera News Channel in its "In Depth" daily segment, in Arabic ما وراء الخبر, discussed the underlying political reasons for Rushdie's honours. References were made to European glorification of secular and liberal ideology even if at the expense of denouncing religious beliefs. Thus, the laudatory support of individuals like "prodigy" Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Taslima Nasrin.

Check it out here, it will be uploaded soon.

Yay! my country is ranking FIRST!

2007-06-18T13:24:00.000-04:00

My country, the Republic of the Sudan, has again ranked the First. But I am not proud at all, and somewhat skeptical. According to the Failed States Index for 2007, Sudan is the most susceptible state in the world to failure.
Based on social, economic and political indicators, these rankings, by the Foreign Policy Association and the Fund for Peace organization, are from unclassified statistical data.

Very disheartening and embarrassing, but as I previously said I'm skeptical. Who gathered these data? If it's the state then wouldn't it doctor these statistics to its own advantage. If non-state actors conducted the research and gathered the data, which politically failed state will allow strangers do so to harm it?

The Foreign Policy Association answers this question rather ambiguously

Q: What methodology was used for the ratings?

A: The Fund for Peace used its Conflict Assessment System Tool (CAST), an original methodology it has developed and tested over the past decade. CAST is a flexible model that has the capability to employ a four-step trend-line analysis, consisting of (1) rating 12 social, economic, and political/military indicators; (2) assessing the capabilities of five core state institutions considered essential for sustaining security; (3) identifying idiosyncratic factors and surprises; and (4) placing countries on a conflict map that shows the risk history of countries being analyzed.

For the Failed States Index, FfP focused solely on the first step, which provides snapshots of state vulnerability or risk of violence during a window in time. The CAST software indexed and scanned tens of thousands of open-source articles and reports using Boolean logic. The data are electronically gathered using Thomson Dialog, a powerful data-collection system that includes international and local media reports and other public documents, including U.S. State Department reports, independent studies, and even corporate financial filings. The data used in each index are collected from May to December of the preceding year. The software calculates the number of positive and negative “hits” for the 12 indicators. Internal and external experts then review the scores as well as the articles themselves, when necessary, to confirm the scores and ensure accuracy.

Italicized red clauses are the ones that boggled my mind, they shouldn't have the same effect on you.

Well, I don't need all this to tell me that life is hard in Sudan and that WE NEED A LOT OF CHANGE AND REFORM!!!!!!

Writer's block

2007-06-17T17:47:00.000-04:00

Somebody help me! I am suffering from a writer's block and please don't tell just start writing or brainstorming. It has all proved futile.
For some reason I have become prone to writer's block more often than before. I could spend hours on end evaluating different views, critically analyzing them, and formulating my own arguments just to find out that someone has already thought similarly.
It is frustrating because I am lagging behind in all my projects and many of them are past due. It's affecting my morale and I feel further sluggish and disheartened.
Why is it happening?
Ohh goodness this is so galling!!!!

He is Sir Rushdie now!

2007-06-16T22:59:00.001-04:00

So Rushdie has been knighted! I wonder why? and I am not challenging his literary achievements, just simply wondering whether this nomination has been "politically" motivated.
Isn't it just interesting that of the two knighted, one is a staunch provocateur who would not seize any single opportunity to defame any Islamic practice?
The British Affirmative Action was also employed in the list of honorees who received the CBE titles (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) such as Christiana Amanpour, Chakrabarti the civil activist and Barry Humphries cross-dressed as Dame Edna Everage, or CMG ( Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George) that was awarded to the former (or perhaps still) Russian spy Oleg Gordievsky.
What a diverse group! Interesting enough none was an Arab. At least not to my knowledge. Yeah we're fit to be labeled terrorists and sentenced to 136 years only.
But please do not blame Queen Elizabeth II. She was merely celebrating her birthday (for the second time). The process of nominating and choosing candidates is complex and administered by an Honours Awards Committee in which the Prime Minister has the final say. I am sure Her Majesty was aghast at all those honorees herself.

Your Majesty, if you're reading this, that makes us two.

Are we the Arabs different from Iranians?

2007-06-13T14:01:00.000-04:00

Apparently we are not! I mean our beloved President, who doesn't look so presidential, did include Iraq in his axis of evil.Iranians won the trophy there too.
But I find a lot of difference between us. First, ethnically the Arabs, just like Jews, are Semitic: Iranians are Aryans. Linguistically, Arabic is a Semitic language, again similar to Hebrew and Aramaic, and not Yiddish. Persian belongs to the Indo-European family and a distant relative of Sanskrit. Culturally and historically and despite the legion of religious and folkloric similarities, we've chosen different paths following the defeat of the Persians by Arabic troops some time in the 7th century.

But do Americans spot these differences? Unfortunately not, and being insistent on explaining that to them is a tad tedious. Ergo, using kindergartener's lingo I would suggest watching Maz Jobrani's clip on the difference between Arabs and Persians.

Funny yet true

Don't get me mad! ahhhaaa

2007-04-17T00:57:00.000-04:00

To all my friends who laugh their lungs out when I attempt to act like a G and snap my fingers into a Z, you could see that I'm not the worst impersonator out there

ahaaaaaaa! don't you be messin wid me and mah Gs yo! *chewing mah gum*

Check it out!! I found myself in the dictionary!

2007-04-05T18:06:00.000-04:00

Rara Avis --

[noun]:

A level headed person who always makes the wrong decision

'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Chatting with ignorants

2007-04-04T01:24:00.000-04:00

This conversation gave me an idea on how to reply to those clueless critters who breathe my oxygen! Read ahead and it might inspire you too.

A stranger was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, "Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger."

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, "What would you like to talk about?"

Oh, I don't know", said the stranger. "How about nuclear power?"

"OK," she said. "That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat grass, the

same stuff. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out

a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do

you suppose that is?" The stranger thinks about it and says,

"Hmmm, I have no idea,"

To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know shit?"

Mr. World 2007

2007-04-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

Don't know about you guys, but I never knew there is such a pageant for men! And there it was on the news, a bunch of men competing for the title of Mr. World 2007 in Sanya, China. The pageant , once started in 1996 by Miss World Organization, was to be held annually but was held only four times until now.
The contestants looked so cute on TV, but unfortunately, not so attractive on their photo shots and then only, after a search of the criteria and the scale against which these gentlemen were measured that I found out it was not so much about their looks, again because they are not as attractive as you ladies would hope, but for their charm and physique. The winner was the Spaniard, Juan Garcia. I personally don't think he is that attractive and would have proposed the sexy and cute Brazilian macho for Mr. World 2007.

If you think you're being shallow reading this, I feel the same, but hey beauty is to be admired (not to be touched) :-)

Sad but True

2007-04-01T12:41:00.001-04:00

What is optimism?

It is when the crosses in cemeteries are perceived as pluses *a random comment by a Russian intellectual on a TV programme*

"сильно побитые об детей ремни" meaning "severely torn belts from beating kids" *comment by a Russian host on a home solutions programme while arranging belts and other small items, he laughed after it so I guess it was a joke.*

N.B. I will keep updating this post as more "sad but true" phrases come by.

Delta should be an Omega!!!

2007-04-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

I am advising everyone to avoid flying Delta. This airlines has the worst service anyone could have in their worst nightmares. Leaving aside their sad kids meals and one coke per three passengers, their staff are the rudest and most unprofessional critters out there!!!

I flew them once, only because I didn't know, it was one of those partnership flights. My petite friend and I (who is slim too) felt we were squeezed into a sardines can for how tiny and uncomfy the seating was. Can you imagine me being a human filling if I were flanked by two human buns? Nothing was working, not the headphones, not the stewardess call button, nothing. SO UGLY!!!!
But that's all trivial when it comes to food, and I'm not a big food fan, but what they serve is not adequate to feed a stray dog with. Beverages were shared between two to three passengers, and wine bottles, were to be paid for (that left me shell shocked for the entire torturous flight).

The reason I decided to write this post tonight is because a friend of mine was stung by them today. The poor lad had a flight he was enthusiastically looking forward to just to have this bubble burst minutes before the flight. Arriving at the airport a good deal of time before boarding he was confronted with a rude staff member at their counter who had the guts to tell him that he can't fly as the plane was OVERBOOKED!!!!! yes! you read it right.

OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!! OVERBOOKED!!!!!

is that even possible? Delta is not worth having bus lines let alone airlines. My friend was not given any explanation whatsoever, spent long hours running from one building to another in search for a supervisor who is actually a phantom that none of you who decide to fly their cheap airlines will ever find. The only assurance he's gotten was that he is confirmed for tomorrow.

Let's all hope he reaches his destination....

and you Delta you're nothing but an Omega!!! (even that is an overestimation)

Time & Money

2007-03-27T15:00:00.000-04:00

I have always been puzzled by these two concepts: time & money. I mean how mutually exclusive they are if any. The famous universal adage says that "time is money" and I add to it "if you see the money, don't waste any time".
Recently, I have been asking my friends, and even random people I barely know, of what's more important to them and which would they chose to have more of, if they are given the choice, time or money??

I, for one, want more time. Additional 6 hours a day will be AMAZING! There are so many things I want to do; going back to my scrapbook, augment my orchids collection, clean my bookshelves, watch more of Al-jazeera, or even return the books I borrowed from public libraries long time ago.
But then again, if I had more money, many of those tasks I've been dreaming of accomplishing would have been completed quicker and better (shopping for orchids online or paying my sibling, GENEROUSLY, to return the books for me).

For the majority of people, the best formula would be T + M = 1. Meaning, the less money you have the more you need to utilize your time, and conversely the less time you have, the more you need to employ your dinero. Imagine the worst scenario though, having less of either and squandering the other.

Note to self : Take control of my time! Take control of my time!

I'm back, I'm back!

2007-03-26T17:58:00.000-04:00

Last time I made an entry here was more than a year ago! Time flies huh? I still remember struggling to understand this whole blogging phenomenon and trying to adjust the links, the images and all the rest.

Anyhow, I thought it is a must that I write something on this cyber wall and vow to come back later!
Goodness, i should have been out of my house 7 minutes ago....

lata!

Them and US

2006-03-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

US pilots unsuccessfully crossing the river in a competition in Abu-Dhabi, whereas the Russian pilots did a great stunt in China (that is not a reflection, its two jets)

Ambien invasion

2006-03-19T15:15:00.000-05:00

being so sick for 10 days now with the storm of flu that invaded NYC lately, I am finally back a little feeble but nonetheless back.

Andy Borowitz, one of my fav comedians was able to co-relate results of a recent study on Ambien with the War on Iraq

peruse his analysis here

Cute kitten...Awwww...

2006-03-04T17:59:00.000-05:00

I love this picture so much. Not only for the bright colours of the sheets on the couches (it was an outdoor seating of a cafe) but also for the way the lil' kitten yawned...Wow, so cute...Awwwwwwwww.....

Subway dancing kids!

2006-03-04T15:17:00.000-05:00

As I was changing trains on NYC subway, I saw this bunch of kids freestyling and twisting and turning with those amazing moves. Although I was running late, I decided to check them out, and sad thing I did that! as one of them was twisting on his head with his legs asunder he hit the bag where they collect the donations, and the whole thing shot at me (the only thing I remember is that blurry thing flying at me) and indeed it hit my head.

What I found most galling is that one of them actually came up to me later and insisted I should pay. I told him I want a compensation for that bag missile! I also didn't have the guts to take pictures of them after that...

INSOLENCE!

Not only Finn-shed but also Czech-ed out!

2006-03-01T10:20:00.000-05:00

didn't get to get to the semifinals, and now failed to get the bronze. the Czechs beat us and got the broze, left Torino empty-handed

I am so disappointed with the Russian ice hockey team. Don't know what to blame? coaching? morale?

My speculation is that in Toronto 2010, Russians will have a better younger and more experienced players.

Indigo is on strike

2006-03-01T10:17:00.000-05:00

My little Beta fish, Indigo, is on strike I guess. He is eating too little and hardly swims. This state of inertia he confined himself too caused him to put on some weight. I got him a filter today, and changed his diet to brine shrimp. I hope he gets better. I really feel gloomy when he is depressed...:-(

Russia Finn-ished

2006-02-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

I lost my voice, I lost my hope, coz Russia lost today in its ice hockey game in the semifinals to the Fins:(

despite my sincere cheering and rooting, my home team lost!!!

two of the players were penalized, third one had a fractured finger, and the rest malnutritioned (or so they looked to me) how could we possibly win? on the other hand, the Fins had a great defensive tactic.

I'll wear brighter colors tomorrow hoping we will beat the Czechs

Zodiac signs

2006-02-23T21:56:00.000-05:00

don't know about you fellows, but I do believe in zodiac signs. Its not that I read them religiously, but I think people born under one signs share common traits.

Cancers are moody
Libras are stubborn
Virgo are tidy and skillful
and the list can go on and on

But I think I am getting obsessed trying to know the sign of everyone I encounter. "Hi, what's your sign?"

Waste of time?

2006-02-18T11:29:00.000-05:00

Growing up in the Arab World (different parts), with the little technology availble there and then, I tried my level best to get information from wherever. But the language was the barrier; so little was available in Arabic, even in terms of magazines and books, forget internet since the dial-up connection was more torturous than pulling teeth. But even then, we, from that part of the world, knew more than alot of the new world folks did. However, our tidbits were generic and not up-to-date.

Chattin with a friend I grew up with not too long, I was shell-shocked, when he told our years in the Arab world were a waste of time (he is in Europe now). His argument was that we did not learn any foreign language to a perfection, we were isolated in terms of information (its dissemination is very slow).

What to do? I guess we do need to catch up with the supersonic speed of the rest of the world; put more emphasis on teaching foreign languages, have high-speed internet (for self-learning purposes). I know for a fact if I had to browse with dial-up again, I'd spare my nerves the agony.

Joining the Cyber World

2006-02-17T14:17:00.000-05:00

Yuri Gagarin declared "Poeykhali" which is "let's go" in Russian .
Graham Bell said "Mr. Watson - come here - I want to see you."
Armstrong announced, as he was making his first step: "That's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."

I was wondering what should my first words be to the outer world, and there the bulb flickered. SALAM ALL! Today's world is full of antagonism, war, conflicts on all levels, and what is needed is Salam, peace for all. Too utopian I agree, but could be achievable.