Writing on the Best Coast

We Are the World: Fans say Good-bye

A little over due, but still not too late. I documented these moments last month. Fans, from near and far, say good-bye to a Musical genius.

For complete photo sets please visit my flickr page:

The Day MJ Left Us  and We Are the World

Words from our new President Obama

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

President Obama, January 20, 2009

For the Complete Inaugural Address by President Obama please visit: 'There is work to be done'

photo credit: AP

Photo & Post: Interest Rate for Hope is .0%

Another photo that is standing outside waiting in line for the flickr club. A little photo greeting for your Friday. I hope it's chock full of goodness and a great start to a wonderful weekend.(Yeah, I do use words like "chock full"; In writing mostly, not in dialog. That would just make me weird.)

Try not to be blue, if you are among many that are freaked out by the current state of economics in our good 'ol U.S. of A. Or perhaps you are among the statistics. Do what you can, with what you got, and go forward. What is done is done. It had been brewing for a while now.Sounds too easy right? Well, it's not, for many. But, a strong positive will, will at the very least provide some kind of padding.

Sadly, many Americans have suffered tremendously as a result of this mortgage crisis, unemployment, financial down turn. Instead of getting angry, let's use that to propel us forward.(okay, allow yourself the time to vent)  Use your experience as a reason to question your financial planners, government officials, and yourself. What can we do to get better? How did they get us here? How did I get here? What can I do to prevent this? Alleviate this? Did some of us push our boundaries? Or were some CEOs beyond greedy?

Here is a good article from Lifehacker: How To: Know When to Can Your Financial Planner.

Oh, not to rain on our ticker tape parade, but the national debt is now at:CLICK and growing. Where did this come from? What are we going to do personally to prevent debt? Reduce our personal debts?

People suffer. Some more than others. So, let's help out each other anyway we can. If we know someone who is out of work, let's keep their pride and dignity in mind, and offer any leads for employment, words of encouragement, etc. We all can afford to get in the habit of helping each other when in real need. This is a reminder to myself as well. Let's try to remain positive and get through this. Because, as the saying goes, "when you've hit bottom, the only way to go is up". I am an optimist. I am a  firm believer that families affected by this will remain steadfast, positive and bounce back, better than ever. God willing.

Alright Lovelies, Have a gee-orgeous Friday.
With Love,
Farida

Photo: one more image from the Hawaii vacay. Click to enlarge.

Could Water be an analogy for money? Water recycles. Hmm...think.

Emotion filled Portraits by Platon in the New Yorker

The September 29, 2008 issue of the The New Yorker magazine introduced me to the emotion capturing portraits by photographer Platon. The portfolio in the magazine titled, Service is about military families and the soldiers themselves. The New Yorker has in the recent month produce some controversial covers, but I must say this pictorial was whole.

The pictures convey so much unfiltered emotions. You can listen to Platon's interview with his photo subjects too, on the audio page of the New Yorker HERE.

You can also visit Platon's personal website HERE. Or check out his "Platon's Republic" on amazon HERE.

Photographers amaze me. Really, they can draw out stories that are always present. Sometimes it takes a lens for someone to look closer. No?  Their stories are woven with feelings. That is apparent. Sharing the stories is what journalism, documentaries, and photojournalism is all about.

I scanned a few from the series to share with you. Do check it out online if you wish to see the whole series. HERE. [click to enlarge image]

 

Ike, please spare Galveston and Houston.

[photo credit]Gosh, this is some scary **`#. I guess by now everyone is glued to their favorite cable news channel watching the drama of Ike unfold. Craziness, I tell you. Houston, being my home town of 27 years--is under alert. (moved up to Dallas 3 years ago). Some of my family is luckily in the suburbs of Houston, gathered together and anticipating the landfall of Ike. My friends in Friendswood, are braving it out. Geezus, they got a generator, foods, battery powered radio and their cameras.

Me, I am here. Totally unaware of the monster called Ike, till yesterday. Yeah, you could say I was pre-occupied with my own busy-ness under the big rock called life the last week.Sucks. I caught up with my Luvvies today.

All I can say is I believe in the power of positive thoughts and prayers. I intend to pray and offer any kind of support I can. Lots of my friends and family decided to stay in the burbs of Houston, rather than trekking on a long 10 hour drive to Dallas. I don't blame them. I remember when Rita was about to hit town, the sheer insanity of traveling on Interstate 45 to Dallas. We turned around after being in the car for 6 hours, and went back to ghost town, and rode it out. Luckily, nothing happened. Rita, spared us.

Galveston has been a special place for me. I spent almost every other Saturday back in 04 at Crystal Beach with my friend Sarah G. on our writing excursions. A way to tap into our creativity in nature. So many good memories. My old apartment literally was a straight shot to Galveston, roughly 45 minutes.

Yeah, Galveston is no Pacific. Muddy brown waters and dull beaches. But, it has this energy to it. The mysterious undercurrent of lives lost from the big Hurricane of Galveston. It has an obscureness that is engaging. Maybe bc it was the closest thing we had to revel in Ocean waters. Houstonians, love their mini trips to the Bay, Kemah, and Galveston. No doubt. memories. there.

Hurricanes and Tropical Storms are no joke. Houstonians are accustomed to the standard process by now. I remember in '01 Allison really ripped through Houston's downtown and Medical Center. I remember driving out to the Greenbriar/Shepherd bridge over Interstate 59 and seeing it underwater. A surreal experience.

So I ask you Ike, please spare the lovely people of Galveston and Houston. They are good people. Change your mind, disband, do whatever you can--please be chill with my friends and family.

You all are in our prayers.

Love,
Mermaid
aka Farida

Top 10 most horrifying Hurricane Maps
Texas Braces for Hurricane Ike

Farida's Galveston pics

Rest in Peace Jenny

I saw her last year. I was totally mesmerized by her size and her intense eyes. It made my heart a little weak when I sensed some sadness. There she was behind glass, being ogled by some fifty curious people. Flash photographers, screaming toddlers, and then of course, the usual admirers.

I took a picture. Because, she was going to be the only Gorilla, I would ever come across in my lifetime. Her sanctuary in a zoo.

Animals have a special place in my heart. I haven't traveled the Serengeti, or trail blazed along the edge of the Amazon, or watched a regal Polar avenge the ice. I have appreciated my backyard birds, the domesticated Cat and found delight in different flora found in north Texas.

So I took a picture. To pay tribute to a moment. Another one of God's beautiful creations. So different from us in all ways except the process of life.

If this is sentimental so be it. I am not a Parent right now. But I do wonder if my children's children will ever get to see animals in their natural habitats. Or are we going to pay tickets to see the remaining species eat, sleep, and live publicly, in "simulated" conditions.

Jenny was the World's oldest Gorilla in captivity. She died last week at the age of 55 years at the Dallas Zoo. She died from a stomach tumor. :( For the complete article click HERE.

Below are some pictures I took of Jenny.

my thoughts on Bhutto

I have never lived in Pakistan. I am not versed on any Pakistan Political party's policy, nor am I an expert. I have heard various critics and views of Benazir Bhutto's legacy. For me her death, it still a tragic and senseless death.
Stepping away from the political premise and standing on a human level. Assassination, murders, homicide and suicide bombers, are undoubtedly cowardly attempts of political statements.

What is achieved by killing numbers of innocent people? What message has been conveyed? Killing in the name of any Entity or politics is a gross misinterpretation of humanity and reasoning. Any thinking and feeling person with the love of the Creator would never take his own life and the lives of others to make a senseless point. It is sick. These kinds of act fire those negative stereotypes and false notions about Muslims. As a Muslim, I am sickened by any act of terror in the name of God.

Like I said, I am not a critic of foreign and domestic policy of Pakistan. I will tell you this much, the assassination of Bhutto is not going solve anything. Its only going to create more sad headlines and leave people of that country torn, furious, and fostering more dismay and lack of faith in a solid government.

I can say this much. She was an eloquent, educated and brave Woman to once again try to fulfill her purpose in Pakistan. I cannot say anything about her intentions for the country. But from a human level, she was Woman who did at one time give some hope to other Women, trying to break the barriers of gender lines in Pakistani government. Regardless of her poor choices and decisions. She still took risks. I have heard so much negative feelings about her role in Pakistan. But regardless, as a Woman I am sad. As a Human being I am sad. I feel Pakistan is in a fragile state. What does this mean now? When will these nameless and faceless murderers understand that taking any life is not going to solve anything.

Praying for Peace in Pakistan, and everywhere else that is burned and cut by barbaric acts. :(

from a discussion ..

I sincerely believe if we as individuals seek peaceful resolutions in our own personal lives, then as a country, we can revive the spirit across the board. Indeed there are many peace activists on Capitol Hill voicing their dissent, their views, and passion. There are not enough, in comparison to  passive and apathetic Americans. To revive our country's spirits, we must start with our local communities. Then from there, we should carefully vote for the right Person in Government office. We need to learn to divest and walk away from unethical practices. We need to support however we can, whether it's time, voice or money, the active Peace campaigns and right Man or Woman for Public Office.

Ideally, it would make sense in my world, if we would just take a vow of non-violence and talk things out. I would love to see our leaders and community leaders have an open forum and really listen to one another. I would love for the millions of Americans to tune into Inner City America TV, Darfur television, Palestine Television and Iraq Television. I  wish Americans would pay respect to the fallen Soldiers, who just followed orders. I wish for us to not buy into marketing slogans and glossy magazines. There is a world outside our Tube. If we turn it off, we might just learn more about ourselves. We might just feel the need to ask the questions we should have asked. 

Farida

King on the Revolution of Values

"America, the richest and most powerful nation in the world, can well lead the way in this revolution of values. There is nothing, except a tragic death wish, to prevent us from reordering our priorities, so that the pursuit of peace will take precedence over the pursuit of war. There is nothing to keep us from molding a recalcitrant status quo until we have fashioned it into a brotherhood."

Martin Luther King Jr.
"Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam"

King on Compassion

"Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and non-violence when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his quesitons, to know of his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition."

Martin Luther King Jr.
"Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam"

Writers Strike

Ah, yes, far be it from me to use my creative wit and share with you my thoughts on the strike. I will refrain.
Here are some links, for lazy bloggers, writers on strikes, friends of the WGA, and everyone else in the universe.

Writers Strike Over New Media Rights
So What's this strike all about?
Writers picket outside the studios
Last Minute negotiations
John Ridley: The Writers' Strike Diary

State of Affairs in Pakistan

Seriously, I don't know what has happened to the goverment of Pakistan, or shall we say lack of? I don't know a great deal about Pakistani politcs, but I do know, that locking up Lawyers for protesting, seems pretty unreasonable to me. Of course the picture we see here paints a grim state of affairs, and one can only hope that peace and balance is restored to that country, soon.

Below are links to sites that will help understand the crisis:

Thousands Arrested in Pakistan Defying Musharaff's Crackdown
Rumors Propogate as Pakistan Curbs New Flow
Arrests mount in Pakistan Crisis
Bhutto urges protest against Musharaff

To understand some of the Pakistani perspectives check out these Met blogs:

Lahore Metblog
Karachi Metblog

Day four has passed on. It would be interesting to see what comes of this new obstacle. Let's hope for the best.

"Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan speaks at University of Dallas Nov 8th on "The Politics and Economics of the Peace Movement"

Information provided by CodePink Fort Worth email:

Thursday, November 8, at 3:30 pm in Gorman Lecture center University of Dallas, "Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan will speak at a forum sponsored by the Constantin College Department of Economics on "The Politics and Economics of the Peace Movement."
 
Ms. Sheehan was nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize as a result of her leadership in the U.S Peace Movement, having helped found the Gold Star Families for Peace after her son, Casey, was killed in the Iraq War. She also founded the Camp Casey Peace Institute and has appeared before audiences all over the world and participated in many demonstrations against the continuation of the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
 
In the forum, she will discuss her experiences in working to establish world peace.  The political and economic difficulties of forming, uniting and continuing a political movement should be of great interest to UD students because of their future leadership roles in their communities as well as professional lives. After an initial discussion, moderated by Dr. Sam Bostaph, Ms. Sheehan will take questions from the audience.

Samuel Bostaph, Ph.D.Professor of Economics and Chairman Department of Economics University of Dallas
Map : http://www.udallas.edu/about/campusmap.cfm

Gap in the News

Dan McDougall of the Observer reports child labor ( as young as 10) in India used in Gap clothing production. Gap was unaware of the subcontracted work.

To read full article click HERE.

Vice President Dick Cheney to visit Dallas

The DFW World Affairs Council is bringing Vice President Dick Cheney to Dallas this Friday, November 2nd.
For more information click HERE.

California Nightmare

The Blue Pacific skirting the blazing scorching winds. One million evacuees and homes left to nothing. The wicked Wildfires of Southern California have yet again, consumed more than one can imagine. It leaves with a unsettling feeling of sadness. I visited Southern California [San Diego, Orange County and LA] twice this past summer. I took a scenic route through the mountains and saw the areas, now covered in deep haze. It is amazing how fast these fires spread. One can only pray and lend their suppport to the victims of this natural disaster. The natures of these fires are so fascinating. The images we have seen on the news for the past week are sadly, deceptively beautiful.

To read and see more visit the National Geographics page here.
To read about Wildfires and the life changing Santa Anna Winds, read here.

To see the pictures from my trips to SoCal, visit here.

Microsoft is "Facebooking"

Read Here: Microsoft and Facebook Hook Up

The $240 million deal offers the software titan an appealing slice of online advertising—and a $15 billion valuation for Facebook

Karachi: Let there be peace everywhere

Tragedy in Pakistan again. I saw the reports on CNN last night and it just shook my heart. Why do people react in such violent ways? Does bloodshed solve anything? How is that country ever supposed to prosper amongst the turmoil? I believe in miracles. Let there be peace everywhere. Let us seek out non-violent solutions.

In case you are not following or don't know about the latest tragedy in Pakistan;
Here are some links to catch you up.

Washington Post

Karachi Metroblog: My City Burns

Huffington Post blogger Ali Eteraz

$12 billion a month times 12 times..

This post is for all the registered voters and taxpayers.
Andrew Taylor of the Associated Press reports the war costing $12 billion a month. That's a billion.
Read it here.

Oh yeah, this is just the cost in dollars. What about the human cost? How much are we spending in a month? Who is paying for that?

sheer khorma-naseeb-mermaid podcasts-chomsky

i made way too much sheer khorma for eid. the h always complains that i cook for way too many ppl. he is right. i dont know how to cook for two. anyhoo--he is grudgingly slurping down the rest of the sweet concotion...i know you love it...see i dont like to throw good food away. the fact that there are so many ppl in this country alone, who have NOTHING to eat, i don't like to waste food..i end up giving it away, usually to my sister in law Amna...she does the same..we have dinner exchange at least once a week.

FYI: Dallas Peace Loving PPL and PEACE LOVING HUMANS ALL AROUND

thanks to a naseeb bro uptown.. link : please read

wow...mind blowing isnt it? yesterday, i was talking to wives of soldiers in iraq, as part of my work, and let me tell you the "philosophy" of warfare the soldiers have to endure..ridiculous..will post about it later in my blog...cause its LONG! but what struck the most was the rhetoric the wives [loving wives, peaceful wives] were regurgitating, "They hate us, they terrorize us, because they hate our FREEDOM." wow...ppl ACTUALLY believe that.

right now, Pres Bush is addressing the United Nations..thank God!

DID YOU KNOW that there are 9.5 MILLION refugees around the world? DID YOU KNOW that 17 MILLION ppl are internally displaced, in other words, not accounted for.

its sickening. and its not just Sudan, its Burma, Liberia, Middle East.
information from yesterday's IRC [International Rescue Committee] Lecture.

i have some activities that i want americans and american muslims in dallas to be aware of, but i am working out the details. basically i am linking in Peace Loving Americans with peace Loving American Muslims via channels of IRC, Amnesty International, CAIR, and Dallas Peace Center..I knew i wanted to do "this" again..and guess what? ... I am so doing it...
so tired....

seriously you all....time mgmt will have to be my big challenge this week..TOO MUCH going on.
i have got myself  linked in with tons of activities...I hope i can persevere...i dont even have time to blog..:(

later tater
Mermaid :D
Pray for me!!!!!

PS: here's a snapshot i took of Art titled, "SWIRL"

see if you can find the correlation to this and my blog entry:

my birthday wish

Alhumdolillah. [All Praise is to Allah].

What else can I say today? This year for some reason, it feels different. Different from all the years before.

The same question all week, “So what are you doing for your birthday?” My standard reply, “I don’t know.”

Friends asking me, “Are you sure? It’s your first birthday as a married woman?”

The H asking me, ‘What do you want for your birthday” The family in

Houston

asking me, “When are you coming to visit and celebrate your birthday? I will make your favourite dish,” and the friends again asking me, “Are you sure you don’t want to do something?”

Same reply, “No.”

And that’s not a “No” with a depressed tone or a passive aggressive “No”, or  “I am saying No, but I really mean Yes, Surprise me” no either.

See, every year almost as long as I can remember with the exception of few odd years, I have celebrated my birth, the day my sweet Mother agonized  in pain on Eid Ul Fitr [Islamic Holiday], and my father spent his Eid in the waiting room passing out cigars.

See I cannot this year. I know what I will say next will really either surprise you, especially if you know me in real time, or then you will laugh it off as, “is she for real?”

I don’t feel like celebrating. I mean how self absorbed can I really get? Not that celebrating your birthday is a selfish thing. [  I don’t mean to get into a religious debate either on celebrating birthdays] It’s just I have been blessed with the greatest gift of all this year, my Husband. Alhumdolillah. I don’t desire novelties and hoo-hahs.
The H is not the only thing I have been blessed with. It’s strange awareness that has entered into my life. That at this very moment that I am spending time typing this, a whole world is falling apart. In fact this very second I am sure there is at least one woman, or one child, one daughter, one son, one father, one brother, who’s birthday falls on September 15th , but for them it’s a day to stand in line for rations, to hide in bunkers, to flee from rape and genocide, to muffle their ears from the bombs blasting, to try to sleep amidst the orchestra of firearms. How can I celebrate? You tell me.

I cannot knowing what I know, and knowing that God has blessed me beyond words on this page, beyond my husband, beyond my freedom, God has blessed me, and I owe it to God and to all those innocent people around the world, who have to wake up every day and their only birthday wish is peace.

So instead of a gift for me.  If you have a birthday wish for me, or any unknown human being, PLEASE do your part and obtain knowledge about the conditions around the whole world, NOT just yours and mine. From

Palestine, Lebanon, Kashmir, Inner City America to SUDAN.

Please today in your Prayers, Pray for Peace, and if you can donate money to a good cause, or donate your time.

"if someone gave you a beautiful, expsensive new hat, wouldn't you be grateful for the generous gift? But shouldn't you be even more grateful to the One who gave you the head to put that hat on?" [Sheikh Muzaffer]

xoxox

Farida aka Mermaid

DISCLAIMER: i don't think there is anything wrong with celebrating your birthday. i just dont feel like it this year. I choose not to this year. You are always welcome to leave me bday greetings :D!!

a better use of time.

i was very close to posting something incredibly mundane, stupid, and useless fluff...i am glad i stopped myself...i was very irritated earlier in the day...but thank God for good friends..you know, the no fluff, kind, articulate, not caught in high school clique mentality, real ppl who keep it real-- types..thank God for the thinking and feeling ppl..thank God indeed....

i had a pretty intense day of work. if thats what you want to call it. my hobbies, my passion, my extra-curricular work, all stream into the Ocean I swim in...its all the same to me.

i did find some time during the busy day to doodle. yeah, i do that..can't be a tree hugger if i don't doodle....i have a collection of sharpies, markers, grease pencils and pastels...that would put a priviledged prep school tot to shame..but give me crayons and my imagination will add to the graffitti...

it's pretty late too..the H and I have been very busy with our projects...the H cannot go to bed without watching his poli-talks and talking heads...and myself, well...writing...drawing...and of course...blogging... i am reading 2 books and still yearning to buy MORE, when in God's name will i find the time? my mind is a sponge right now..give me more give me more more more........

i do want to end tonights blog with some poetry:

excerpt from:  The Conditions of  Peace

The mind which means that all it wants is peace
must join with other minds,
for that is how peace is obtained.

The only way to have peace
is to teach peace.

Do you not think the world needs peace
as much as you do?
Do you not want to give it to the world
as much as you want to recieve it?
For unless you do, you will not recieve it.

When you have accepted your mission
to extend peace
you will find peace,
for by making it manifest you will see it.

[this poem is extremely long and is mostly about inner peace, but i have learned, if you are at peace with yourself, you act in a more peaceful manner, and your words have more grace, more power, and more shelf life.

the last picture i doodled, I, the cheesy parisian-cafe in swtexas self [figure that one out, hint best tomato basil soup]

i hope it leaves you with something....

Mix Tape: ending 9/10/06: irwin, nola, audioslave, crystal, babies,

yes its sunday evening...i have a paper to type, laundry to fold, but instead i am putting together a mix tape. a soup du jour of life's little moments this past week. a kind of catch all for the busy week. i like the format of a mix tape on sunday nights, it brings my whole busy week to an end and its great pre write for my other material i have to churn out during the week. plus it gives my faithfull and loving dear hearted sweet kind and sexxy visitors a little closer look into my life..life that i dont share when im on my soap box, my platform, my kicks, my empower motivational speeches, my daily affirmations, daily bitchings' and daily blah-ging.

and before i begin:
A HEART FELT THANK YOU to my subscribers and readers. definitely if you are helping this Mermaid out, you are in my book of FAME. My book of ppl to know, appreciate and thank one day, God Willing. Just spread the word about this blog, link it, and if its really inspires you, WRITE your own blog, COMMENT here, and if you think my writing in any way offends you, hurts you, helps, and heals you..let me know. With love. :D

KATRINA: how can we forget? a whole year and a whole population of families, children and animals, displaced, uprooted, ABANDONED, and left behind to waste away in fernenting waste, hunger, thirst and chaos. the largest beurocratic "i didn't get the memo" mistake at both local and national levels. DISGUSTING. mother natured capsizes another landmark and leaves the feeling ppl to do the cleaning up. I did my share of relief, but i don't know how much better it made those families feel. God willing i hope in some way a year later, they are all well on their way to beautiful lives, and somehow are coping better than they were a year ago. the sight at the astrodome in houston, was one to see--you can never look at another natural disaster in the same way again. I mean in the US at least. The quake in Pakistan last year, and winter before, the GREAT TSUNAMI  that enveloped masses is also not to be forgotten. Count your lucky coins that you are not in civil unrest or in coastal flood plain.

The CROCODILE HUNTER:
i am a humanist to such a degree that literally my heart bleeds for darfur, rwanda, palestine, iraq, inner city america, but when i found out about Steve Irwin. My heart just wept. Such a geniuine soul, a great energy. i never met Steve, but i know if i did, he would instantly be my friend. the kind of man i wish my children would get to know. just because he devoted his life to animals. yes his adrenaline junkie streak might have been a risk that i would not ever promote, but it was a connection he had with animals, that of course "don't do this at home" mantra would apply, RESPECT was always there for Steve. His goofy smile, his cute excited Aussie accent and all the animals he brought into our awareness from his work..absolutely demands a big thank you and a moment to reflect on his life's work. Love you.

ISNA & Robert Fisk: American and Muslim: six million people in search of an identity [copied and pasted]

 Seattle businessmen, students, Miami housewives... Well, what did I expect, asks Robert Fisk at the Chicago Muslim convention

           Published: 03 September 2006 [link:  article]

A guy with brown eyes and dark skin and a thick American accent walks up to talk to me. I guess he's an Iranian, possibly a Pakistani. Where're you from, I ask? "Austin, Texas," he replies. Fisk foiled again. But where do you originally come from I ask him? "I was born in Newark, New Jersey." Fisk clears his throat. Where does his family originally come from? I'm beginning to feel like the man from Homeland Security, racially profiling my new friend. "Lahore," he replies laconically and I try to make amends. The only beautiful city in Pakistan, I say, and he smiles witheringly at me.

                                        

And I go on making the same mistake at the conference hall where the biggest annual convention of American Muslims - perhaps 32,000 of them - is meeting for a weekend of speeches and discussions that run all the way from drug addiction to Condi Rice's "new" and bloody Middle East, from banking without interest to the Bush administration's use of torture and yes, of course, the after-effects on Muslims of the international crimes against humanity of September 11, 2001.

You from Jordan I ask? "Denver, Colorado," the young woman replies. Born in San Diego. Family, yes, from Jordan. From Lebanon, I ask another? "Buffalo, New York." Actually, the family was from Syria.

It takes a while to realise that I'm playing the game of so many American non-Muslims in the aftermath of the plane hijackings. I'm sniffing for the world's enemies only hours after President George W Bush went into paranoid mode while addressing the American Legion in Salt Lake City. He had just claimed that America is fighting "the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century" and then jumped on the crumbling old arguments of pre-Second World War appeasement to bang the Hitler drum as well.

Oddly, it's the Muslim converts rather than the Muslim-born Americans who are toughest on Bush. "He wants eternal war," a young man with a brown beard but very bright blue eyes - yes, he was from Vermont - hissed at me. "He talks shit and we have to listen to this and promise to be non-violent or someone will point the finger at us." All agree that the most pernicious element to the latest Bush rant is his gift to Israel of placing Ehud Olmert in the ranks of his "war on terror", quite specifically linking Israel's slaughter of Lebanese civilians in July and August to his own manic project by stating that combatants from Iraq and Lebanon "form the outlines of a single movement, a worldwide network of radicals that use terror to kill those who stand in the way of their totalitarian ideology".

I search for the anger amid these thousands of Muslims, businessmen from Seattle and students from Harvard and housewives from Miami. It's there, I know, but as an Armenian friend of mine remarks in the afternoon, they seem happy. And it's true. There are more smiles than expressions of contempt, more babies in backpacks and prams than posters of pain. In fact there aren't any posters at all. But I suspect I know the truth. On their own, as thin minorities in the towns and cities of the United States, America's Muslims - perhaps six million of them - can feel under siege, distrusted and even hated.

FOCUS: You, Me, We, Us, Them, For All, Breathing Humans

Article 1.

   

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2.

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

    

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6.

Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7.

All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8.

Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 10.

Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.

Article 11.

(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.

(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

to my subscribers.

i have only 3 subscribers...and one of them is the H.
Thanks for Subscribing to me....:D

[i guess you lose popularity when u get married.]

top 10 topics to blog about in the next entries: [see how lazy i am]
1. i am sick. The H cooks and clean.
2. Human Rights Lit Class.
3. Dallas Peace Center and a dua [prayer] answered
4. what happens after you are married.
5. Babies.
6. Faith. Striving towards a deeper understanding and respect for your Deen [faith]
7. authenticity- living life BULL SHIT free.
8. Birthday
9. Anniversaries
10.glossary

yes luvvies.. i am really sick. so instead of blogging i will post a picture and share a excerpt from, "Course in Miracles". this will show you how i feel. {photo by f.rafique: addison park}

Thoughts:
You may believe that you are responsible for what you do,
but not for what you think.
The truth is that you are responsible for what you think,
because it is only at this level that
you can exercise choice.

What you do comes from what you think.

reading material

i haven't really dealt with my aunt's passing. in fact i 86-ed my plans to Houston bc i didn't want to go without the H. it's been more than a week. it's like i am in denial. but i guess i am not if i am blogging. maybe this time around death has just become all too real for me. or maybe there is another factor that is keeping me away. maybe that factor has too much strength over me. lets face it, i am not a kid....just kid like.

i won't deal with it today either. why? if i can prolong, put off, and cast aside my reality for a few more weeks i think i will be able to deal. we will see in a few weeks.

feelings i have kept to myself this week: disturbed, worried, and sad.
Disturbed: finished book, "The Dancing Girls of Lahore" a true account of prostitution in current day Heera Mandi. A vivid look at children born into brothels and sold to rich Royals over seas or abused by the rich and affluent socialites in Lahore. disturbed. i thought this didn't exist in good ol pk...but it does, and we just don't do anything to help these women/children [kind and often vilified women], sisters, get out of the system. disturbed. [promise a better book review in near future]

Worried: i concur w. brother omer's sentiment on my Amy Goodman post. i pay taxes, i was born in this country, and i feel like an outsider. as much as i love my American ideologies, i love my faith, and i love the fact that i was born into a democratic system where i can practice my faith freely, yet i feel in this current time-this period of dehumanizing and demonizing --that i cannot be seen as an American..its unfortunate that some disillusioned terrorists have misrepresented my faith. its unfortunate that the media sets the history of the reporting to reflect a blind and dangerous agenda, its unfortunate that everyday--you get stereotyped, labeled, and scorned at.
i thought i had enough labels that were set to challenge my will. Woman, Artist, Woman Artist, Woman Muslim, Muslim American, peace loving hippie. its only this country can i really identify myself bc i choose too. yesterday i bought, "Enemy Combatant: My Imprisonment at Guantanamo, bagram, and kandahar" by Moazzam Begg.  its terrifying. i rather not copy and paste tidbit of the book on my blog...but please read it or at least read up on it. Its knowledge.

Sad: my reality is not just my little box of life that consists of the H, the in-laws, the parents, the siblings, and the friends. If that was all that was real to me then i wouldn't be so sad. Using the word Sad may cause you to believe i am depressed. contrary.
Sad because i feel like i have much to do in terms of helping. i honestly thought about getting into child advocacy. i spent 2 1/2 solid years of my life doing relief and advocacy for new refugee families, primarily Bosnian, Kosavar and Afghani refugees. Along with assisting in efforts with Chechnya, Turkey and Somalia..let me tell you, those years were the  MOST rewarding years of my youth. I felt whole. Like I was in some way alleviating some form of suffering or disability at a grassroots level. the friends i made during that period of my life were beautiful too. It has been over 3 years since I have done that kind of work. Last year I helped out with the Katrina evacuees, but that was a few weekends. i remember when i saw the footage from the camps in kosova the first time with my uncle, it was at that MOMENT i realized i was going to make documentaries, make films, show people what is happening right now, and a shift here and there, it could be us, our children, our country..and then life took its own turns...and i shifted.
sad...bc i wish i could start doing that again, but enlisting more volunteers, putting that passion into ppls hearts, making the world more compassionate, more nurturing. i am that woman who will help that old lady in the frozen section. and i want your help......

but out of these raw feelings...comes a will. an honest to goodness intention. perhaps i shifted, my path turned a few times, and i put things on hold..i am ready again. i am eager to get going. Allah willing. its funny the H, really thought i was this tough bitchy chic when he first met me...and soon after a week into our meeting  he realized that i am not SO much [to his shock!]..but the exterior got tough in the past 3 years...life was very interesting for me...and at the gate of 29..i feel like i have entered into  another phase of new beginnings...perhaps thats what was needed to materialize, in order for me to have writing material. Allah knows.

Mermaid.

Amy Goodman Speaks

Democracy Now in Dallas!

if you are Muslim. If you are American. If you are an Independent thinker. If you care for humanity. Tune into Democracy Now. Watch the War Crime report. See for yourself what the Media is keeping from you and see what bullshit they are spinning. Amy Goodman is a crusader. she is my mentor. She's speaking for many of us without voices. I just caught on to her TV show as of lately. I was listening to her on Pacifica for years. The footage she shows on her show is simply mind blowing. The War in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guatanamo Bay, Lebanese Crisis, Palestianians, Tamil Tigers, Sudan, HMO and Pharmaceautical companies, she covers a vast range of hard hitting and heart wrenching topics. Her guests and reports, literally leave me with a blanket of truth. Awesome. Simply awesome.

excerpts from her website for her radio show: her tv show is  on DCTV on Channel 27 from 11-12.

WHAT JOURNALISTS ARE SAYING

 

      A Daily Independent Radio/TV News Hour
"[W]hen National Public Radio sounds as safe as a glass of warm milk, "Democracy Now!" retains a jagged and intriguing edge."
  - Michael Powell, staff writer, Washington Post

 

"I love Democracy Now! because it enables me to hear important voices, ideas and points of view that I am not hearing anywhere else in the clutter and fog of Washington's chattering classes. I only regret that I cannot hear it in every city to which I travel. Amid all the information I absorb ravenously every day, Democracy Now! helps to give me some needed balance."

 

Clarence Page, nationally syndicated Chicago Tribune columnist
"Democracy Now! is an excellent, illuminating radio program. I listen to it as often as I can, either early in the morning when I'm working out or later in the morning, driving to the office. Whether the subject is military repression in Indonesia, sweatshop labor around the globe, genetically altered food, the death penalty or a local environmental struggle—to name just a few subjects that have caught my attention in recent months—I invariably feel that I am better informed after listening to Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman

Host and Executive Producer

Amy Goodman began her radio career in 1985 at Pacifica Radio's New York station, WBAI. She produced WBAI's Evening News for 10 years.

In 1990 and 1991, Amy traveled to East Timor to report on the U.S.-backed Indonesian occupation of East Timor. There, she and colleague Allan Nairn witnessed Indonesian soldiers gun down 270 East Timorese. Indonesian soldiers beat Amy and Allan, fracturing Allan's skull.

Their documentary, "Massacre: The Story of East Timor" won numerous awards, including the Robert F.     Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, the Armstrong Award,
    the Radio/Television News Directors Award, as well as awards from the Associated Press, United Press     International, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

In 1996, Amy helped launch Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! which began as the only daily election show in public broadcasting. Due to popular demand, Democracy Now! continued beyond the presidential elections as a daily news and public affairs magazine.

Two years later, Amy and producer Jeremy Scahill went to Nigeria. Their radio documentary "Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship" exposed Chevron's role in the killing of two Nigerian villagers in the Niger Delta, who were protesting yet another oil spill in their community. That documentary won the George Polk Award, the Golden Reel for Best National Documentary from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, and a Project Censored award.

In 1999, Amy Goodman traveled to Peru to interview American political prisoner Lori Berenson. It was the first time a journalist had ever gotten into the prison to speak to her.

The Washington Post says, "In this insider media age when oh-so-serious reporters measure status by access to the powerful, Goodman is the journalist as uninvited guest. You might think of the impolite
    question; she asks it."

On Election Day in 2000, Amy and WBAI's Gonzalo Aburto conducted a memorable half-hour interview with then-President Bill Clinton. The two asked hard-hitting questions the President wasn't used to hearing. By the end, Clinton called Amy "hostile" and "combative" and at times "disrespectful." Amy said she was just doing her job.

In addition to her work at Democracy Now! Goodman speaks throughout the U.S. She has also appeared on Fox, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, C-SPAN, the BBC and CBC.

heartbreak. help.

http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/