Sunday, February 26, 2006

Well done!

I guess I have been away too long! I did not even realize that a women soccer did exist in Bahrain. I was amazed to see that it not only existed but there is a women national team that is crushing its way to the finals in women arab football league held currently in Abu Dabi.
I don't know how to post pictures in the blog but this pic for the match worth looking at; http://www.alayam.com/ArticleDetail.asp?CategoryId=6&ArticleId=196762

Good luck in the semifinals

Haitham

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Killed twice

The horrific escalation of events in Iraq continue to occupy my heart and mind. The slippery slope is quite steep. The events escalated in such speed and violence that it was hard to count the dead. One events that seemed to have summarized it all was the killing and re-killing of the news reporter Atwar. I say re-killing because after she was killed they shot her funeral killing more people. They really wanted her dead, very dead. Death is an event without grades or degrees. You can't be slightly dead or very dead, despite this the killers wanted her very much dead! And not only merely dead but really most sincerely dead. One thing jumps in mind, and this could be merely coincidental but never the less quite significant. Atwar came from a suni father and shia mother, killing her twice is an attempt to make sure such suni/shia unity is really and most sincerely dead.

Atwar, Yarhamuki allah, wa illa Janat al khuld ma al shohada wa al sidiqeen
يرحمك الله و الى جنة الخلد مع الشهداء و الصديقين

Bahraini in Alaska

Science fair, lone star, drag show and a band called shorties

Had to take my son today to the University on my way to work. He did a tower weighing 120 grams and need to be tested in the engineering lab to how much weight it can take before it breaks. Interestingly it took 1241 lb then the glue came apart and collapsed, not bad at all. Went back to pick him up and there he was talking to what looked like a cutie! As I approached it turned out I miss-judged the gender. Well, it is an honest mistake I am not totally responsible for. The kid had really long hair. I introduced myself to him and his mom. Both kids decided to participate on other project that are held on the spot. Shake and break and egg drop to name few.
His mom bent to pick up something and there were few conditions that I was , again, not responsible for; I happened to be right behind her at that moment, she happened to wear low waist jeans or I guess they are also called hip huggers along with low cut T-shirt, also I am not sure whether the fact I had Lasik done and now I have better eye sight was a factor or not, Anyway I saw, the lone starTexas map tattooed on her lower lumbosacral area, well, using less complicated term it was on her butt!.. "So, you're from Texas, I used to live there as well". That would be the exact wrong thing to say, so I kept quite and kept my remarks to myself.
We had to walk through a long corridor to get to the next station. Typical of any American college there were plenty of ads and bulletin boards, so we all made frequent stops to look at them. This one says "Join us, Big Drag Show".."What it is a drag show?" I asked. " It is a cross dressing contest" The (now I know) Texan mom replied..Her son saw an opportunity and decided to go for it "this would be a good contest for you to try" said her son to my son and giggled. Yes, I know I should give my son a chance to come up with something as we both were losing, but few seconds all what I could spare! "I think it is a good contest for you to win" I replied.. Then..Silence..I felt sorry for saying this. I think that was right below the belt, but he started first..Oh now I am thinking like them!
Well, more ads, maybe I will find something to even out the score, I was way up, I thought to myself. And, there it was, a band by the name of "the shorties" were advertising.. I said "if that all what it takes I guess I can join this band".. He smiled "now we are even" I added..

Friday, February 24, 2006


حكايات من الديه

الواقف كالمجدب

في أواخر السبعينات انتشرت فرق الكورة في الديه كما في بقية القرى حيث لا يحتاج تشكيل الفريق الا الى كورة واحدة واذا زادت الاستعدادات فهذا يعني ان الفريق اصبح لديه بمب لنفخ الكورة اذا هفتت.
ولاقامة مباراة تتطاير منها الشرار وتكثر فيها الاصابات كل ما نحتاج هو العلوج ولا اعني هنا ماقصده عميد الاعلام العربي بل قصدت العلكة نعم العلكة جائزة الفوز
ومع كل فريق جديد لابد من اسم جديد فالبعض كان كلاسيكي الهوى فأتى باسم الزهور وأخر ثوري لا يخلو من الحداثة ومن التمرد اختارأسم الحرية وأما الفريق الاخير قاسمى نفسه العلمين والى الان لايعرفون لماذا اختاروا هذا الاسم
ومع ازدباد الفرق ضاقت الارض واصبح البحث عن ملعب أخر ضرورة لا تقبل النقاش او التأخير وهنا بدأ التخطيط والتنفيد
في الديه أنذاك عدة بساتين أحدها هجر واصبح خاليا من الجت والبربير لكنه مازال مليئا بالنخيل وهنا تتسارع الاحداث
القرار هو تحويل البستان المهمل الى ملعب كورة واجتثاث النخيل من وسط الملعب
بدا القرار سهلا والجميع تحمس للمشاركة في المشروع على طريقة عان الله من عان السيد وبدأت حملة التجديب ولفير الملمين بالمصطلح فالتجديب هو
انتزاع لب النخلة بعد انتزاع كل ماعليها والوصول الى الجدب وهو ذو طعم معقول لكنه بالنأكيد لا يستاهل مشقة الوصول اليه
بدأ شباب القرية بالعمل الدوؤب واكتفى رجالها بالوقوف والمراقبة فصاروا يتواجدون في البستان وبعضهم يفسفس حب الرقي لتمضية الوقت
لم يكن هاجس حماية البيئة متواجد على الساحة او هكذا ظنوا
عندها بدأت حرب لم يتوقعها المجدبون ولم تستثني الواقفين!
بدأت اصوات الميكروفون تتعالى من بيت العكري ... فالشيخ محمد علي العكري أطلقها مدوية .. لا للتجديب
ولعلها اولى بوادر التحركات الشعبية المناصرة لحماية البيئة في تاريخ البحرين , لكن لا استطيع الجزم بذلك لما يتطلب هذا الزعم من تدقيق وتمحيص لن اقوم به.
كان الميكروفون جهازا اعلاميا فعالا يستخدمه الشيخ العكري بفاعلية في محاربة السفور والحث على الصلاة ومقاطعة حفلات نادي الديه ودعوات أخرى
Catch phrase ولعله كان فطنا بأهمية العبارة المثيرة في الاعلام وهومايسمى الان ب
فاطلق عباراة لا للتجديب والتي اسست لسيل لم ينتهي من العبارات والشعارات التي تختلف في اطروحاتها وتتشابه في انعدام فعاليتها ولعل اخرها صيحة لا للتجنيس.
وارفق هذه العبارة بأخرى سببت شيئا من التشويش في البداية فلم يكن سهلا فهم المقصود بها لكنها اتضحت ..
فهي عبارة تجرم من يقف متفرجا علي الجرم دون ان يحرك ساكنا...
ويفسفس الحب والنخلة تفترس وكأن الامر لايعنيه
أني أجد فيها عبارة اعلامية أكثر فصاحة وأبلغ مضمونا
أنها عبارة --الواقف كالمجدب
لقد نبهتنا اننا كلنا مجدبون
نلتقي في حكاية أخرى
تحياتي
Abu Hesham

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Taliban in our Parliment!

It is amazing how wasteful and strange some of the discussions and suggestions in the parliment are. Al Saidi, who now got the official title of "the contriversial" prior to his name, as if this some sort of a degree! He brought up the issue of stopping people in Bahrain from cursing Yazeed. He went own to explain the both AL Hussain and Yazeed are muslims 'eventhough the later killed the former' and it is against muslim teaching to curse.. the other issue is Yazeed is Kaliph so he is to be obayed.. etc. I don't think I waste more of my time reciting his meaning less points on this topic.
Another interesting topic raised by this highly intellectual creature was; how come the leaders of the opposition political societies are set free to incite revolutions and disobedience to King or the way he put it "to the care taker".. He added that officials will be brought to the parliment for questioning for not doing their duties of silencing and handcuffing those leaders! I am just speachless..
Flash back.. discussions about religeous police following the remarkable success in neighboring country! followed by the typical agenda and list of topics.. separation of female and male students in the universities and dress codes ..etc
One more step.. this one is realy big and it takes us closer and closer to Taliban. Cutting hands of theives! and like taliban they added that it will be done in a professional way.. that is doctors will do it! They already got 14 members of parliment to sign this change in penal code and working on getting more. And to make it possible they made sure to exclude the real thieves! so only those who do the break ins included.. that is the smaller thieves. They clearly stated that other forms of thifts are not included so that the officials do not have to fear losing their skilled hands. So if you want to steal, steal big and do it like a well-respected member of society.

In taliban times, they forced doctors to perform the nobel duty of cutting the hands. The minister of health has done few himself and stated that it did not require MD, MBBS or MBchB.

A friend of mine, who is lately very actively searching for investment apportunity, suggested to invest into reconstructive and mircovascular surgery to reattach severd hands.

It is sad to see the struggle for a parilment ended with this.