BUSH wish!

Islamic- Build a Bear WorkShop

Good new Bad News

For full size please click on the image

Eating our way to our doom!!

The chart is dated 2002, and believe me things are not looking any better

According to the latest figures released by the ministry of health “61 per cent of Bahrainis, aged 19 to 65, are either obese or overweight”
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=201318&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30253
I have seen more alarming figures but I can’t locate the article. Still 61% people!! We are killing our selves slowly but surely!! Personaly I think this is a more serious problem then smoking, we all know how bad smoking is, but do we know how bad junk food and other processed food are?? They cause all kind of health problems and diseases, you name it, it will be some how linked to obesity (Cancer, diabetes and much much more)

So the question is why are Bahrainis Oboist??
Well basically it comes down to our life style, we drive everywhere, our food is high in carbs (rice and bread) and fat (fried) and we always take the weather as an excuse not to walk to places. BUT my favorite excuse is “ I DON’T HAVE TIME”.
How many times have you heard this??? They do have time to go out, eat, hangout with friends and EAT again!!! but they don’t have time to workout for an hour 3 times a week. It has been proven that % of girls over weight is more then guys in Bahrain, well some is due to cultural constrains (which I don’t buy) but I feel our girls take less care of their bodies then guys, have anyone noticed?? They only take care of their face and hair. As for the guys, have you seen Bahraini guys these days?? They are going to the other extreme (steroids and Growth Hormones) !!
A final thought: being skinny doesn’t mean you are healthy at all!!! How many skinny people have you seen with diabetes and other problems??
Healthy life style = Good food + Exercise

Assessing al-Wefaq’s Parliamentary Experiment

The following article was written and posted by Carnegie Endowment for international peace. It provides a high level review of Wefaq’s parliamentary experience.
I my self think that before we judge Al Wefaq’s performance we need to give them some more time. It is there first time in the parliament which is dominated by Anti-Wefaq parties. As for Haq, I like their strong position on several issues, but let’s be fair, it’s easy to criticize when you are sitting outside. Going inside and doing the changes is extremely difficult.
My take on Al-Wefaq experience is that they going to give the reforms a chance by participating in it but once the four years are over and no tangible changes are being done. I think they going to announce the reform DEAD!! And back to the streets!!


Bahrain: Assessing al-Wefaq’s Parliamentary Experiment
Jane Kinninmont
It is almost one year since al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Bahrain’s largest legal opposition group, ended its boycott of parliament and won seventeen of forty seats in November 2006 elections. Compared to the repressive era of the 1990s, it is a remarkable achievement--for the group and for King Hamad’s program of gradual political liberalization-that al-Wefaq’s leader Sheikh Ali Salman, a former political prisoner and longtime exile, is now the head of a recognized parliamentary opposition. As yet, however, al-Wefaq has few clear gains to show from political participation. Differences are reported to be arising within the group, which also faces criticism from al-Haqq, an opposition group that broke with al-Wefaq.Al-Wefaq's MPs have little real legislative power within Bahrain’s current parliamentarysystem, in which the limited powers of the forty elected MPs are largely counterbalanced bythose of forty royally appointed MPs. Al-Wefaq, whose constituents mainly belong to thecountry’s Shi’a majority, has no ministers in the cabinet, where Sunni ruling family membershold most of the key posts. Nevertheless, al-Wefaq can claim to have influenced governmentpolicy in several areas. The government is increasing investment in public-sector housing, apriority for al-Wefaq’s constituents in a country where land and mortgage financing arescarce. The government is also trying to reduce unemployment, disproportionately highamong the Shi’a. It will soon introduce the country’s first ever unemployment benefits, whichwill be funded with an unpopular 1 percent levy on salaries--essentially Bahrain's first incometax. Pressure from al-Wefaq MPs also seems to have contributed to the recent dismissal ofHealth Minister Nada Haffad.
Although it is likely that al-Wefaq has contributed modestly to shifts in government policy,signs of dissatisfaction with its parliamentary experiment are increasing. Sheikh Salmanhinted on October 8 that he is considering resigning, suggesting he might be more influential from the outside. The Bahraini press has since reported widespread disagreement within al-Wefaq about whether to finish out the current parliamentary term (ending in 2010) or towithdraw sooner in order to shore up al-Wefaq’s credibility with the public. (The group denies these differences.)

At the same time, al-Wefaq faces relentless criticism from al-Haqq, a protest movement that disputes any gains from political participation. For example, when Sheikh Salman intervened with the government to procure the release of three non-Wefaq opposition leaders, includingal-Haqq’s leader Hassan Mushaima, in February 2006, al-Haqq dismissed the idea that Salman’s mediation had been effective, ascribing the activists’ release instead to riots and protests by Shi’i villagers on their behalf. In the end, it is quite possible that the government’s moves have been motivated by a combination of al-Wefaq’s polite pressure from inside parliament and the noisier demands of al-Haqq from without, with al-Haqq essentially playing
the bad cop.Among the challenges al-Wefaq faces is how to make the transition from an opposition movement to a parliamentary bloc, as shown in the income tax law episode. Al-Wefaq’s MPs
initially approved the law, badly misjudging the public mood. Many al-Wefaq constituents were angered by the introduction of even a small income tax when the government budget is in surplus and prices for essentials are rising. Moreover, the country’s leading Shi’i cleric,Sheikh Issa Qassim, declared the tax to be un-Islamic, arguing that wealth should be taxed rather than income. Al-Wefaq then belatedly tried to oppose the bill that it had already approved, with a predictable lack of success. The law went forward over al-Wefaq’s
objections, although the government did agree to a 15 percent rise in public sector salaries.
Meanwhile, al-Haqq and other activists press for government concessions through street protests and other forms of direct action. When a local landowner deployed fish traps that prevented Shi’i villagers from fishing the waters off Malkiya village in August, opposition activists removed them by force. Clashes with police ensued, but the King eventually ordered the traps to be removed. Access to the sea is an issue that resonates in the tiny island of Bahrain, where many beaches are privately owned, and supporters of direct action have publicized the Malkiya incident as a victory for their approach.
Al-Wefaq’s participation in politics is still young, and it would be unfair to judge its success purely on legislative grounds. The group's entry into parliament is not just a means to opposition ends; it is also a signal of conciliation to the ruling establishment at a time whenregional tensions are rekindling fears that the country’s Shi’i opposition groups are a potential fifth column for Iran. Meanwhile, al-Wefaq will face the challenges of a ruling establishment that resists significant concessions to the Shi’a, internal arguments about how to proceed, anda rival opposition group that threatens to draw al-Wefaq’s supporters away from electoral politics and into the streets to make their demands heard.

Jane Kinninmont is a Middle East editor and economist at the London-based Economist
Intelligence Unit.

1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036 n Phone 202-483-7600 n Fax 202-483-1840
info@CarnegieEndowment.org n www.CarnegieEndowment.org

Another Racist Article in Akhabr AlKhaleej

Click on the picture for the full size This article was sent to me by my friend "Golgo13". I asked my friend to comment on the article and the following is the commets:
During press conferences the Prime Minster of Bahrain has repeatedly expressed that inducing racial, ethical hatred or any other defamatory is not allowed in Bahrain society. Therefore it's the responsibility of the whole community to promote tolerance message. The Bahrain constitution states that [People are equal in human dignity, and citizens shall be equal in public rights and duties before the law, without discrimination as to race, origin, language, religion or belief].
So when Akhbar-Alkhaleej (Pro-Government Newspaper) allows a letter from one of readers to incite racial hatered against one sect (The Bahraini Persians) which the information is fabricated ..........................what does that mean? Why now? Why the Persians?

Let me just add this, Does the writer really thinks 3ajam taking 3ajami is a threat to Arabs?? Or maybe just maybe 3ajams talking Arabic and pretending to be Arab is more of a threat?
I guess its okay for Arab to talk English and for all Indians (with Bahraini passport) not to speak any word of Arabic!!
This racism only divides us, we need to treat these remarks as racism, neither Islam nor our culture accepts such racism. I say to all who don’t like Persians or 3ajams,
“3AJAMS ARE PART OF THIS NATION AND ARE HERE TO STAY WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!”

Now we know where all the oil money goes!!

The following article was sent by a friend. It's about Arab owned yachts in Europe.
There nothing surprising about this article, but its nice to get more details on who owns what (some of the names i am sure you will recognize). These are only yachts, i wonder how much their planes costs??
http://www.yachtchartersmagazine.com/read/45639.htm

رسالة ابناء غلوم الى ... السعيدي

Moosa Al Ansari continues to write interesting articles, no news paper wanted to publish this article, so i decided to publish it my self.

I know its a long article but i think its worth reading.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم:
الى جميع القراء الاعزاء , والى كل حريص على وحدة وتماسك هذه الأمة , نظرا لعدم تجاوب الصحافة
المقروءة المحلية لمقالنا , ورفضها نشر هذا المقال , اضطررنا نشره عبر شبكة الانترنيت , وهذا يؤكد وبشكل
قاطع عن مدى تراجع حرية الرأي والنشر والصحافة في المملكة .
والطامة الكبرى , والامر المخجل والمخزي , ان يترأس (السعيدي) اللجنة التشريعية في مؤتمر جنيف في ندوة
2007 م , واليكم نص المقال : _10_ حقوق الانسان والذي انعقد في 24
رسالة ابناء غلوم الى ... السعيدي
الكاتب : موسى غلوم الانصاري

كثر هم المخلصون الذين سطر لهم التاريخ تضحياتهم وعطاءاتهم, فكلهم حنان , وكلهم حب واخلاص , يعيشون لغيرهم ويعملون لربهم , قد وضعوا الخالق نصب اعينهم , همهم الاول الوطن , ومن ينتمي لهذه الارض الغالية , يتفانون في البحرين ويعشقونها , يتحملون الاهات والعذابات والاهانات لتبقى البحرين عالية خفاقة في سماء المجد والعلياء , احبوا الناس فأحبوهم , وما ان ذكروا ترحم الناس عليهم, فهم مصادق للحديث : (خالطوا الناس مخالطة اذا متم ترحموا عليكم , وان عشتم حنوا اليكم ) فهم منار للوحدة , ومثال للمحبة والتآلف , فسياط جلاديهم لم تزدهم الا تمسكا بهذه الأرض العزيزة والغالية وقرار الأمس بتهجيرهم جعلهم أكثر تمسكا بأوال الخير والعطاء , كانوا وما زالوا لسان المستضعفين , لا تأخذهم في الله لومة

لائم , هؤلاء هم البحرينيون الخلص بجميع فئاتهم العرقية والمذهبية , لم يعرفوا غير هذه الارض الحبيبة , ارض البحرين الغالية , ارض الأمان والسلام , فهم ابنائها وهي امهم الغالية الحنونة , تربوا في ربوعها , ولعقوا من نميرها , فهم شعبها الأبي , وقلبها النابض , فكلهم يد واحدة بأختلاف عرقياتهم , وتعدد مشاربهم وطوائفهم , ومزيجهم جميل , يتفانون فيها ويقدمون الغالي والنفيس في سبيل بقائها حية حيوية قوية مترابطة , عاشوا واكلو وناموا ولعبوا ودرسوا وكل شئ معا ,تزوجوا وتشرفوا بمصاهرة ومناسبة بعضهم البعض , ضربوا اروع الامثلة في التسامح والتآخي وقبول الآخر , فقبيح كالقبح ان يعكر صفو هذا الجمال اناس في قلوبهم مرض فزادهم الله مرضا , وقذر كل القذارة ان يوسخ هذا المنظر الرائع اناس اعمى الله بصرهم وبصيرتهم , فكل شريف بحريني يشمئز من هؤلاء المرضى , ويستنفر من هؤلاء الحمقى , لأن البحريني الأصيل عاقل وفطين , لا تخدعه شعارات الفتنة , ولا تستهويه عبارات الشقاق والتفرقة , فأصواتهم تؤذي آذان الشرفاء بنبراتهم النشاز , وتجعل النفس مقبوضة تضل في متاهات الظلام , هؤلاء هم قلة بيننا , ما زالوا يعيشون في الكهوف والجبال
ولوعاشوا في فلل ضخمة وبيوت واسعة , ومنازل مرفهة , منطقهم الغاب وان تظاهروا بالتسامح والعفو والرحمة , يعتقدون بأنهم شعب الله المختار وهم المصطفون والأخيار , قد تلبس بعضهم بلباس الدين وثياب التقوى , وهم ارباب الشقاق وأئمة الفتنة , فلا يستحقون هذا الوسام العالي لأنهم شوهوا صورة الدين , وفرقوا الاحبة , وقطعوا سبل التواصل , يريدون بنا شرا , ويريد الأحرار والشرفاء لهذا الشعب وهذه الارض خيرا , لقد آليت على نفسي في هذا المقال ان اضع النقاط على الحروف , وان أعيش الديمقراطية بكل معانيها , وان اطبق نصيحة جلالة الملك بحرية الكلمة وعدم تقييدها , وإعطاء مساحة كبيرة للنقد البناء وتقبل الرأي الآخر , لقد طالبنا جلالته بمحاربة الفتنة الطائفية وان تكون البحرين هي هي اولا لا غيرها ونحن نقول له لبيك يا صاحب الجلالة , نعم لطالما طببنا على جراحاتنا , وتحملنا الضربات , وآلينا على انفسنا ان لا ننجر لفتننة طائفية , او حرب عرقية لا سمح الله , في سبيل هذا الوطن العزيز والغالي , ولكن طفح الكيل وبلغ السيل الزبا , فلا بد ان نضع حد لهذه المهزلة , وان نوقف كل مهرج يبث سمومه بيننا , ويمزق وحدة صفنا , ويسعى الى قتل فرحتنا , فجاسم
السعيدي الذي يدعو غيره للمشاركة في حلقات الذكر لكي يعلم غيره العقيدة والاخلاق والاحكام والتفسير والحديث , لم نجد مفردة واحدة على ارض الواقع تدلل على مصداقية كلامه , فهل علمتك حلقات الذكر يا ايها السعيدي ان تكون طائفي بمعنى الكلمة وتتهجم على الاخرين وتلعنهم في دبر صلاتك , بقولك اللهم العن الرافضة , وهل عندك تعريف للرافضة غير الذي ذهب اليه اعلام السلف الصالح ممن تدعي نسبتك اليهم , فقد قرروا ان الرافضة هم الشيعة ؟ وهل هذه الوحدة الوطنية التي ارادها وطلبها منك جلالة الملك ؟ يا ايها السعيدي لنا ان نسألك لو كنت رجل دين بحق , لم كل هذا السكوت وعدم تحريك اي ساكنا بالرغم من كونك نائب في البرلمان, وصاحب شأن في هذا المجال كما يصور الينا من خلال كثرة اللقاءات معك وكثرة تصريحاتك , عن ما يدور وما يحدث في مملكة اقر الدستور بأن الاسلام هو دينها , لم نسمعك يوما واحدا في المجلس أو أثر عن مجلسك بأنك تكلمت او عارضت لحوم الخنازير التي تباع في هذا البلد المسلم ؟ لماذا لم تتكلم عن صالونات المساج وفنادق العهر , وبارات الخمور ؟ لماذا لم تتكلم عن احتفالات وزواج الشواذ جنسيا ؟ في حين ان الدول الاوربية قد وضعت قوانين للشاذين جنسيا ولكن لم نسمع انهم قاموا بحفلات زواج كالتي أقيمت في البحرين ؟ لم نسمعك تتكلم عن عبدة الشيطان؟ والفسق والفجور حتى صارت البحرين مرتع للوافدين لقضاء ليالي السمر والسهر , اجبنا يا إمام التفسير والحديث ؟ ويا معلم العقيدة والأخلاق والأحكام ؟ ام ان اجتهاداتك في حلقات الذكر لم توصلك الى رأي واضح في مثل هذه القضايا فأنت معذور لأنك علامة دهرك وفقيه زمانك ,فأن اصبت فلك أجران , وان أخطأت فلك أجر ؟ ولكن نجدك سباقا ورائدا لأستنقاذ مسجدا في دوار 13 من ايدي الرافضة كما تسميهم حتى لا يحول الى مأتم , بذلت أقصى جهدك , رافعا عقيرتك , مشمرا عن ساعديك لتوقف هذا البناء المقدس عند طائفة كبيرة وشريحة مهمة في ارض العروبة والأسلام , قامت قيامتك ولم تقعد عندما وزع سماحة آية الله الشيخ حسين النجاتي الورود على المدارس والطلبة , وطالبت بمحاكمته , علما بأنه دخل الى المدارس علنا ودخلها كالرجال واعلنها في الصحف اراد بذلك ترسيخ مبادئ التواصل والتراحم , ولم يدخل المحجر الصحي متلثما كالنساء نسمع بين الفينة والاخرى تصريحاتك من هنا وهناك تطالببمنع مواكب العزاء في الخارج , وحصرها بأماكن معينة ومحاكمة من يستخدم مكبرات الصوت , وكل هذا ما أملته عليك الاحكام التي تعلمتها في حلقات الذكر , ما نعرفه عنك ايها السعيدي وبإقرارك بأنك كنت مقاولا للحج , وهذا ليس فخرا لأنك كنت تجني من خلف ذلك المال , وعشرون عاما كنت مؤذنا وتستلم راتب مقابل ذلك , ومن المضحك أن نرى مقاولا ومؤذنا في نفس الوقت , ونعتقد انك اكتسبت خبرة سياسية من وراء هذين العملين , فالمقاولون اليوم هم رموز سياسية , والمؤذنون كلهم بما فيهم الاجانب هم أرباب السياسة ومنظريها , نعم فأنت المحنك وأنت السياسي الأوحد , وغيرك هم دون ذلك , وحقك أن تحدد من هو الخبير في السياسة من غيره , فبالأمس القريب قررت بعد عرض مطول على فكرك بأن النائب محمد المزعل لا يعرف السياسة أو انه جديد عليها , فنحن ندعوك إن تطرح دروس لتعليم السياسة في حلقات الذكر , وان تؤلف للأجيال القادمة كتاب في علم السياسة قد تحصل عليها جائزة عالمية تمنعهم من الوقوع في الأخطاء السياسية , ارجوك تمهل لا تغتر بنفسك فأنت لست سياسيا بل مهرجا كبيرا لا اكثر واستميحك عذرا لا تقارن نفسك بأبناء غلوم لأنهم ابناء هذا الوطن الكبير من الطائفتين الكريمتين وناضلوا في صف واحد وخندق واحد مع جميع ابناء هذا الشعب المناضل , فأبناء غلوم هم كثر في الطائفة التي تدعي انتمائك اليها , ونتشرف بهم ولم يستعروا من اسمائهم , فمنهم الاطباء والمهندسون والمفكرون ..الخ , وهم كانوا وما زالوا يعيشون مع ابناء غلوم من الطائفة الاخرى , واي عيب في اسم غلوم ؟ اتريد ان ترجعهم الى اصولهم الفارسية ؟ ام تريد ان تعيب عليهم ذلك ؟ فهم لم ينفوا ذلك اصلا؟ لا كغيرهم ممن جيئ بهم من بلدان اخرى ويستعرون من اصولهم ؟ فهؤلاء ذوي الاصول الفارسية هم بحرينيون شئت ام أبيت , لهم تاريخهم العريق , وحضارتهم الراقية , وولائهم لهذه الارض , ويعلنون ان البحرين مملكة عربية وإسلامية مستقلة ذات سيادة كاملة على مياهها وجوها واراضيها , ويرفضون أي تدخل خارجي في شأنها , أبناء غلوم هم ينتمون الى نفس العرق الذي ينتمي اليه 90 % من علماء وأئمة الحديث والتفسير والأحكام والأخلاق اللذين تدرس آثارهم في حلقات الذكر في مجلسك , وارجوك كل الرجاء مرة اخرى لا تقارن نفسك بهؤلاء من ابناء غلوم فهم اللذين علموك كيف تضع النقاط على الحروف , وابناء غلوم هو اللذين وضعوا علم النحو , وتعال الان عند اولاد غلوم حتى يعلموك كيف تنطق القاف والغين بعد ان استعسرت حلقات الذكر ان تعملك كيف تلفظ القاف فبدل ان تقول قوة تلفظها (( غوة )) ولا ادري كيف تصلي بالناس وانت لا تنطق مخارج الحروف جيدا فضلا عن انك لم تستفد من علوم اولاد غلوم في اللغة العربية فباتت معظم كلماتك مملوءة بالاخطاء النحوية , ولا تقارن نفسك بالدكتور النائب جاسم غلوم وابناء غلوم الاخرون , فالرجال العظام ليسوا بحاجة لغير اسمائهم , طالبت الاخرين بتعليم نوابهم الاخلاق , وقلت بانك تمررها لكثير من الناس فمررها علينا يا داعية ربع
القرن , فأحترام الاخرين واجب كما صرحت أنت بذلك وقلت بأنك تعمل مع النائب في سفينة واحدة , ومما يدلل على احترامك للأخرين انك اعلنت في نفس اليوم الذى صلى فيه خلفك النائب رئيس كتلة الوفاق سماحة الشيخ علي سلمان ضاربا بذلك اروع الامثلة في الوحدة الوطنية والتسامح الديني بالرغم من مواقفك المناوئة له ولكتلته في المجلس ووقوفك بكل قوة ضد مشروع الاستجواب, اعلنتها بعد الصلاة بأنك لن تصلي خلف سماحته , وكم وصفت ألآخرين بأنهم نكرة وورم خبيث , ووجودك في المجلس فقط لمعارضة اكبر كتلة في المجلس تمثل شريحة مهمة وكبيرة في المجتمع , وانه يؤسفني ويؤسف جميع ابناء شعب البحرين الراقي المتحضر المثقف والمتنور ان يكون ممثل رئاسة الشعبة البرلمانية للوفد البحريني في الندوة الدولية لحقوق الانسان في جنيف هو جاسم السعيدي , لنا ان نسأل , هل هذا السعيدي يعرف كيف يتكلم عن حقوق الانسان ؟ وهل يعرف أي شئ عن حقوق الانسان ما دام في بلده يضرب يوميا على وتر الطائفية والعرقية؟ ماذا سيقول لمنظمات حقوق الانسان والعفو الدولية التي تمتلك ملفات سوداء لتاريخ المجرم أيان هندرسون ؟ هل سيطالبها بمنح ذلك المجرم الجائزة العالمية في حقوق الانسان ؟ على غرار مطالبته بمنحه اعلى وسام ملكي , فأي حق سيتكلم عنه السعيدي ؟ واي مستضعف سيدافع عنه ؟ فحقوق الانسان عند السعيدي هو ان يدافع هو ومن على شاكلته عن معتقلي غوانتنامو , ويطالبون جلالة الملك المفدى بتعويض
هؤلاء عما اصابهم , وكأن جلالته هو المسئول عن ذلك , فهؤلاء اقر جلهم ان لم يكن كلهم بأنتمائهم لتنظيم القاعدة الارهابي الذي شوه صورة الدين ايما تشويه , أهؤلاء يجب ان يدافع عنهم ؟ ومن يخرج في مسيرة سلمية ويعبر عن رأيه ويطالب بحقه في ارضه , ويريد ان يعيش كغيره من ابناء جلدته , وان ينعم كما ينعم الاخرون , فهؤلاء هم المخربون والمجرمون , ولا حق لهم , ولم نسمع السعيدي يوما يطالب بتعويضهم عما اصابهم من سجن وتهجير وظلم , بل على العكس من ذلك يطالب بأنزال اشد انواع العقوبة عليهم ويخونهم ويتهمهم بالعمالة للخارج , لم نسمعه يطالب بتعويض اسر الشهداء؟ اتعلم لماذا لأنك طائفي بكل ما تحمله الطائفية من معنى , فهم لا ينتمون الى فكرك ونهجك , تحاربهم بكل ما أوتيت من قوة , وان تظاهرت بخلاف ذلك , فلقد ثارت حميتك , واشتد غضبك في ردك على النائب الدكتور جاسم غلوم عندما دافع عن طائفة كبيرة في المملكة وهم ابناء هذه الارض ومن حقهم ان يوظفوا في كل مكان , حيث لا يسمح لهم بالتوظف في وزارة الدفاع , وبدأت بترديد كلمة (غلوم) معتقدا بأنك تهينه , وقررت بنص العبارة والتي قلتها عبر قناة العائلة العربية و نقلتها احدى الصحف المحلية بأن هناك شروطا ومعايير واضحة* يجب أن تكون في* التوظيف لدى قوة الدفاع،* مشيراً* إلى أنه في* السبعينات كان هناك توظيف عام وبعدما بدأت قوة الدفاع تكبر وتكون هناك أقسام كثيرة،* مما تطلب أن تكون في* العسكري* شروط معينة،*
ولذلك قوة الدفاع تأخذ من تكتمل فيه هذه الشروط والمعايير) . انتهى كلامك ..أي معايير هذه التي تتكلم عنها ؟ نطالبك ان تبينها للناس , تحداك أن تظهرها لهذا الشعب الوحدوي المخلص , وهل هذه الشروط لا تنطبق الا على طائفة معينة ؟ وهليعقل انها لا تنطبق على أي واحد من الطائفة الاخرى ؟ ولو كانت هذه الضوابط لا تنطبق على الفكر الذي تنتمي اليه فهل ستقبل بذلك ؟ وعجيب كل العجب ان تنطبق هذه المعايير والضوابط على اناس جاءوا من بلدان اخرى ووظفوا في وزارة الدفاع ولا تنطبق على ابناء طائفة كبيرة ينتمون لهذه الارض الغالية ؟ الا ينم ذلك عن اعطاء صورة غير حضارية للرأي العام المحلي والعالمي على عدم وجود الثقة بين ابناء المملكة ؟ نرجوك اجبنا ونصر عليك ان تبين المعايير والضوابط ونحن سنأتي اليك بالمئات ممن تنطبق عليهم هذه الضوابط , ثم واصلت كلامك قائلا: ( بأن التطرق بالكلام عن قضية شراء الأراضي* وغيرها لا* يعبر عن معنى الانتماء للوطن فهذا ليس هو الانتماء) لم كل هذا الدفاع ؟ ومن انت حتى تحدد معنى الانتماء للوطن ؟ فطائفيتك جعلتك تسلم كل التسليم بتملك الاجنبي للأراضي , واما المواطن لأنه على غير نهجك فلا يحق له ان يتكلم عن حقه في التملك في اماكن هي جزء من ارضه بل جزء منه ويستطيع ان يعيش في أي مكان شاء , كيف تسمي نفسك نائبا ومدافعا عن حقوق الانسان وانت بعيد كل البعد عن ذلك وشتان بينك وبين حقوق الانسان , لا يهمك الا ان تعيش نرجسيتك وكبريائك ,
وما انت الا بوق للفتنة والتفرقة والشقاق , واعلم بأن الدوائر الانتخابية لو كانت قد قسمت بطريقة ديمقراطية وصحيحة لما كنت الان على ما انت عليه , والكل يعرف كيف وصلت للبرلمان , ولا تتوهم بأنك وصلت الى هذا المنصب لكونك صاحب رصيد لا يستهان به على مستوى الواقع , فحسابك ورصيدك هو عند من هم على شاكلتك , ممن يتلذذون بتهميش الاخرين وتحقيرهم , ولا ادري لم كل هذا التحسس والاستنفار الذي يصيب السعيدي وغيره عندما يسمعون عن أي شئ ايراني , وكأنه يريدها حربا مفتوحة مع ايران , وان العدو الاكبر الذي يهدد امننا هو ايران , فقد عارض مشروع مستشفى ميلاد بالرغم من ان القائمين عليه هم من الطائفتين , مدرجا هذا المشروع تحت مسمى المخطط الايراني المشبوه, وكأنه يمتلك اقمار صناعية يخترق فيها المخابرات العالمية ويتجسس عليها فيعلم بما يخططون في حنك الليل , او انه علام الغيوب ( والعياذ بالله ) وقد ولج القلوب فعلم بما فيها ,وسمعنا صوته وقد باح من كثرة الصراخ وهو يحرض ويشارك في الاعتصام عند السفارة الايرانية ويطالب بأغلاقها , بالرغم من ان القيادات الرسمية في ايران قد تبرأت من ادعاءات صاحب مقالة في صحيفة ايرانية وقدمته للمحاكمة وكل ذلك لم يشفع لها لدى السعيدي , بل جعلها هي العدو الاول واطلق هو ومن معه حملات التخويف من المجوس في الوقت الذي لم تعتذر امريكا عما فعلته من جرائم في حق العرب والمسلمين , وهي تسجن من يدافع عنهم السعيدي وغيره
في سجون غوانتناموا , وفوق كل هذا , لم نسمعه يطالب بأغلاق السفارة الامريكية او القواعد الامريكية , بل ويمتنع عن التصويت عن استخدام القوات الامريكية قواعدها في البحرين لضرب ايران , في حين صوت ضد هذا المشروع 39 نائبا ايريد السعيدي ان يجر البحرين الى حرب , ام انه يريد ان يحرض الامريكان للمخاطرة بحرب ضد ايران , وكلنا نعلم ان حكومة البحرين وحكمة جلالة الملك كانت وما زالت قائمة على حسن الجوار وخلق جو من الاستقرار والهدوء في المنطقة في حين ان السعيدي خالف منهج الاسرة الحاكمة الموقرة وخالف جلالة الملك المفدى وارادها حربا مع الجيران , فكد كيدك يا ايها السعيدي , واسع سعيك وناصب جهدك , فكلامك سراب , وامرك يباب , وتكلم بما شئت , فنحن لك بالمرصاد , وتأدب حتى نتأدب معك , واعقل حتى نتعقل معك , وختاما نطالب جلالة الملك المفدى ان يوقف هذا الذي يزرع الشقاق , ويقتل المحبة , ويمهد لفتنة كبرى , الله يعلم كيف سنخرج منها , ورسالتنا الى الصحافة أوقفوا اللقاءات مع هذا المهرج الأكبر فأنتم مسئولون امام الله وامام الناس اذا ما آلت الامور الى الأسوء

موسى غلوم الانصاري

رئيس الهيئة الاستشارية لجمعية الإخاء الوطني

2connect pissed people off

Looks like someone just had it with 2connect and decided to develop a website for them.

check it out

http://www.2connectbahrain.net/

Looks nice and some effort was put into it!!

Zain WiMax Inet

*click on the pic for the full size

I guess now we can say the long awaited competition has started!! I think Zain's offer looks promising but needed to be tested. Although, they don't offer unlimited down load but the speed and pricing is good. People can argue what is the use of the speed when its limiting your download? i agree with that, but for me, i just want to download Prison Break as soon as its out and i need it to be downloaded quick!

Other providers like lightspeed, do offer unlimited package but when it comes to the service level and the reliability, they basically SUCK!!

The word in the street is that MENA telcom will offer WiMax too. Lets hope all of this is the start of cheap, highspeed, no limit inet service.

Foreign Policy Mystries

if you find any difficulty reading, please Click on the image for the full size

What is the Favorite Bahraini food in Ramadan?

You would imagine Bahrain’s favorite food in Ramadan would be something traditional, say Harees or Threed or something similar, BUT NO!! Its not!!
Jasmis is the Favorite food people eat in Ramadan!! Everyone I know had at one point Jasmies in Ramdan. Just go to the drive thru at any Jasmis in Ramadan and see how many cars are lined up!! Be honest did you eat Jasmis this Ramdan???

Bahrain’s strategic National Development Plan

We are hearing a lot these days about Bahrain’s strategic National development plan. Apparently the EDB has the study and it has been ready for a while now.
This strategy is supposed to solve our housing problem and set the strategy for the next 30 years. I have talked about this before (http://silverbahrain.blogspot.com/2007/05/bahrain-2030-national-planning.html).
My question is why the delay?? The strategy was developed a while back and the EDB keeps promising people it will be released soon.
Head of EDB says “Shaikh Mohammed said only 20 per cent of Bahrain's lands were structurally planned whereas the target is 100pc to facilitate the delivery of basic services to citizens.” http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=195424&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30195
So that means 80% of the land is unoccupied. Now, consider what the housing minister said a few weeks ago about going vertical because we don’t have enough land.
Conflict huh??
Another point worth mentioning is that there is an important change in strategy, the government is aiming to move away from building new towns to the expansion of currently existing villages so that citizens will remain in the area they have grown up in.
Nice one!! No new town huh?? This needs a separate article, I will let the viewers judge.

Ahmedi Najad speech at the University of Columbia

A few days ago I heard a lot about Ahmedi Najad visit to the US and his awaited speech at the University of Columbia. To its credit, the university has defended its decision to invite Ahmedi Najad to speak.
Last night around 9:30, I saw the speech live on TV, surprisingly the University president started by attacking his guest!! He was extremely disrespectful to the president of Iran, the following are some quotes from the opening remarks of the university president:
“Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator."
"You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated," Bollinger told Ahmadinejad about the leader's Holocaust denial. "Will you cease this outrage?"

I found what the president of Columbia University did was extremely disrespectful to not only the president of Iran but also to the people of Iran, whether they support him or not, he does represent the people of Iran and he is an elected president of Iran.

I thought Ahmedi Najad handled it very well, I even watched many political analyst on US TV networks giving him credits. Ahmedi Najad started by saying, in Iran we do not disrespect our guests and Ahmadinejad retorted that Bollinger's opening was "an insult to information and the knowledge of the audience here." "There were insults and claims that were incorrect, regretfully”.
On the issue of the holocaust, he asked two questions, why aren’t people allowed to approach it from a different prospective? We never stopped studying physics and math, why should we stop studying the holocaust??
His second, question was, if we take the holocaust as given, It happened in Europe, why are the Palestinians paying for it for the last 60 years?

To tell you the truth, I never thought he is that intellectually advanced, his opening remarks was very thoughtful and displayed a signs of a very knowledgeable and intellectual person. I had my reservation on the guy, I still do, but after last night I have a lot of respect for him
If you missed the speech, please try to watch it on youtube, it had a lot of sparks and was very interesting.

There is a lot of discussion of what have been said, if anyone finds an interesting article,please post the link in the comments so we all can read about it.

Bahrain Map is gone

As of two days ago, one of Bahrain's famous icons is no more. Bahrain Map has been demolished!!

We all refer to the area as Al-Kharitah (the Map) area. I never understood what value this icon had, its nothing historic and its like every other statue we have in the streets, why Bahrain Map is so famous???

After all the reclamations i dont think it was accurate anymore, so it had to go!!

The truth is the icon have been demolished to make way for a new desperately needed over fly.

Bahrain International Hospital

I have decided to post some articles that were written by my friends. So to all my friends if you have any thing in mind please send it to me and i will post it, whether i agree with it or not

The following article is by my friend nick named Golgo13

A not-for-profit corporation is a corporation created by statute, government or judicial authority that is not intended to provide a profit to the owners or members (Source: Wikipedia). Examples of that are Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, International Hospital of Bahrain………WHAT!!!! Wait a minute Bahrain International Hospitals is a not-for-profit institution …Yes I am afraid that's what they have posted on their Web page " We are a not-for-profit organization. We put back all excesses in charity work, and assistance to the Community, as well as updating services and equipment for the service of the Community". http://www.ihb.net/index1.asp?id=about
As far as I know they are they are the most expensive Hospital in Bahrain (45 BD for a consultant), number one public enemy for insurance companies, patients have nightmares about their bills, you don't get treated unless you pay first ( emergency cases included a Few years back ) and I even heard that Doctors have a target to meet. American Mission Hospital is also a non-profit institution but look at the difference.
So next times if you visit BIH remember that the Dinars you are spending are going for a good cause.

The Ramadan confusion begins!!!

I think Bahrain, as small as it is, is the most confused country when it comes to Ramadan. Last years we had 3 different dates for the start of Ramadan!!

When it comes to Sunnis they go with whatever the government (so do some Shiaa). The government hold a Ramadan committee which have never ever seen the moon, so they out source it to Saudi. The good thing about Sunnis, they are united on when Ramadan starts and ends.

Now when it comes to Shiaa, the confusion begins. Every Shiaa Sheikh has his own committee, Shaikh Al Asfoor has his own date for Ramadan so does Ayatollah Najati, the same goes to Shikh Essa Qassim and so on. They keep people wondering until midnight about when Ramadan starts!
I don’t know how Iran does it but they do know in advance ( they use some sort of calendar) . I don’t understand why the Shiaa is Bahrain can adopt one system and get it over with.
With all these advance technologies how can we not know when it starts?? They only reasonable person I find when it comes to Ramadan is Aytollah Fadhlullah (with all the reservation some Shiaa have on him) , I think he is only voice of reason. He uses advance Astronomy, he is a believer is science. Thursday is the beginning of Ramadan according to science and it’s when I begin my Ramadan.

I think the main reason why we in Bahrain are confused so much (especially shiaa) is because it’s a struggle for power, each sheikh wants to showoff or confirm the power they have.
I suggest we make a deal with NASA and send 2 Shaikh (one Shiaa and one Sunni) on a space shuttle, when they reach out of space, open the window for the sheikhs and make sure they see the moon and then get back!

Shaikh Khailfa going for RED!!

Picture of the Year

Light Speed, or No Speed!

A friend of mine wanted to share his experience with the new Lightspeed inet service. So i am posting his article, i think it will shade some light on their services. BEFORE u subscribe to them read this:

I was very happy to know that the unlimited Internet is back to Bahrain, thanks to Batelco for applying a downloading limit which has sent us ages back in technology.

So when I first read about Light Speed ad on the newspapers I directly went and subscribed in their service and all the fun began! They disconnected me from Batelco’s internet “which was the right thing to do since I already had Batelco’s internet on the same line I wanted the new internet to be on” and while they promised me that ill be getting the internet service after two days from disconnecting Batelco, I was left without internet for nearly a MONTH!!! Imagine one month without being able to check your email and being totally disconnected!! so after a month I was happy that the internet finally worked, the speed I subscribed for is 1mb but the actual speed that I’m getting is maybe around 256kb!! And it worked for two days and it went out for another week!! It came back for a day again it went out!! And the dilemma is still continuing.

I work from 8 till 5 and when I go home I like to surf the internet and check my email, and this is the only time I can know if the internet is working or not, so if I come back from work and see that the internet is not working I would naturally try to call Light Speed and guess what! Nobody will answer your phone call!!! They don’t have a help desk or a hotline.

Now thanks to companies like Light Speed which makes Companies we hate the most like Batelco Look so good and so professional.

Force feeding makes women beautiful!!

Personally, I like slim girls. The kind of girls who takecare of them self, not only hair and face (*hint) but girls who look good overall, especially body wise.
Now I do have some friends who like a girl who has a normal figure (a little less then chubby) and I have noticed that the old school khaleeji men like chubby girls.
However, I have one friend who really surprised me, he likes them big. In his words “I like meat!!!”. Once I was with him in the car and he went “LOOK at the GAZAL WOOOW” and I looked , imagine my surprise!
I came across this article, apparently in Mauritania obese girls are considered pretty!! Not chubby but obese!!! They go to extreme measures to make sure the girl get obese
In other parts of the country though, young girls are taken to 'fat farms' where girls are force fed dates, and large amounts of couscous and other foods loaded down with calories. One owner of a 'fat facility' was expecting some young seven year old girls to fatten up. "They may cry and fight but we will succeed in making them beautiful. "They will be happy and find a good marriage despite their protests", claims the owner."They will be beautiful." The girls were expected to weigh between 60 and 100 Kilograms after treatment. That is around 150 to 220 pounds.
To show how serious this is, “One woman complained about her husband telling her that after loosing her extra pregnancy weight, he no longer found her attractive. He told her if she didn't gain the weight back he would divorce her. “
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/218657/force_feeding_makes_women_beautiful.html

Careful watching TV nude!!!

ITs the weekend people!! so enjoy this piece of news!!

A Moscow man who ill-advisedly decided to sit watching telly in the nude in the flat he shared with his ex-missus earned himself a wedding-tackle-torching for his trouble, the Evening Standard reports.
The unnamed man's former wife evidently took exception to his vodka-swilling TV viewing, and duly set fire to his penis. A police spokeswoman admitted it was "difficult to predict" if the human candle would make a full recovery from the ordeal which he described as "monstrously painful".
He added: "I was burning like a torch. I don't know what I did to deserve this."
In case you're wondering, the couple divorced three years back, but continued to cohabit, an arrangement "common in Russia where property costs are very high"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/22/moscow_human_candle/
Check the related stories as well !!

Receiving calls much cheaper than making them when you are traveling

As you know, a lot of Customers travel in summer and usually take theirmobile phones with them :)Please be aware of the following (it applies to most countries) "RECEIVING calls is much cheaper than MAKING calls while abroad" For example, if you were in Malaysia, and called your family you will becharged BD1.121 per minute , Howeverreceiving a call will cost you 465 fils per minute only !!!!

To know the difference between receiving and calling for all countries please visit :https://www.e-services.com.bh/eServices/OutBound_Tariff.aspx

Al Hurra Tv interview about Bahrain Shiaa

I watched last night’s AL-Hurra interview with Mr.Bashmi and Dr.Alnajar. To tell you the truth it was pathetic, especially Dr.Alnajar. He was too scared to share his opinion on any topic!! He even went further then that, he was trying to show some sort of political correctness. He actually said that there is no discrimination in high government positions in Bahrain!! Imagine!! He didn’t even want to admit that the Shiaa are the majority in Bahrain!!! That’s beyond political correctness. I want to say to Dr.Najar, if you have nothing to say why are you participating in the interview??
As for Mr.Bashmi, I respect his paper ”Alwaqt” but come on!! You have to start blaming the government for some of the things going wrong in Bahrain. He blamed all the Shiaa Sunni problems on the regional situation (namely, Iran and Iraq), He refused to admit the government is fueling these problems between Sunni and Shiaa in Bahrain.
However, I have to agree with him that this is a political problem, not a street problem or problem between citizens of this country. We have not seen one act of violence between Sunni and Shiaa in Bahrain (thank god) and hope we will never see that.

I really should not put all the on Mr.Bashmi or Dr.Alnajar, the major portion of the blame for such a weak discussion should be on Al-Hurra TV. There are not the people they should be interviewing. Both of them are trying to be politically correct, which made the discussion really boring and didn’t really have any value. In addition, both of them had a similar stand on most issues, which resulted in a one sided opinion.
We really need a real discussion about our problems; we need openness and good intentions, most of all we need a real leader and that’s what is really lacking. Until that leader comes, things will stay the way they are.

Shiaa in Bahrain tonight on AlHurra

I heard this in Radio Sawa, They are going to talk about Bahrain Shiaa at 10:10 pm tonight.
http://www.alhurra.com/ProgramDetailsAr.aspx?id=1128039
Just hope it will unit people not Divide!!

Another reason to blame the US administration

The Americans have blamed Iran and Syria for everything that has gone wrong in Iraq. Recently, Saudi was faulted for not doing enough diplomatically, if I may say, rightly so (they didn’t even open an embassy in Iraq).
Maybe these countries have been involved in some of the negative activities but Bush administration has to take the main blame for it handling of the war. If this was a company, the CEO (Bush in this case) would have been thrown out of the window from the highest floor.
The following is according to an official report recently published:

The US has lost track of about 190,000 weapons issued to Iraqi security forces since the 2003 invasion, some of which will have ended up in the hands of insurgents, according to an official report published in Washington. Among the missing items are AK-47 rifles, pistols, body armour and helmets.
The 20-page report - Stabilising Iraq: Department of Defence cannot ensure that US-funded equipment has reached Iraqi security forces - says the Pentagon and the multinational force in Iraq responsible for training "cannot fully account for about 110,000 AK-47 rifles, 80,000 pistols, 135,000 items of body armour and 115,000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces as of September 22 2005".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2143071,00.html

Just have one peace of advice, before blaming others the US administration has to blame its self first and only then people might listen.

Prices are going UP UP UP UP

All right that’s it, the price of real estate went up we decided to deal with it, the prices of milk, bread and other food stuff increased, we decided to deal with it. They introduced a 1% tax, we dealt with it BUT that’s it!!!!! Samboosa and Chapati prices are up by 25% !!!!!! we CAN NOT take it anymore!!!!

http://www.alwasatnews.com/newspager_pages/ViewDetails.aspx?news_id=67490&news_type=LOC&writer_code=

We got the local population under control but if the Indians and other Asians got pissed and start violent demonstration, who is going to stop them (if they represent a good part of the police)??
I know, lets hire some Ba7ranies in the police force to stop them!!!!

US infrastructure

Arms Deal

Who says Money does not bring you happiness?

We have been hearing this all our life's, “Money Does NOT bring happiness” and we believed it because it sounded good for us, because we are poor and hearing that’s saying gives us some comfort.
Now according to studies, it seems Money DOES bring happiness. The following was published in the economist

Gallup's pollsters asked a standard question: how satisfied are you with your life, on a scale of nought to ten? In all the rich places (America, Europe, Japan, Saudi Arabia), most people say they are happy. In all the poor ones (mainly in Africa), people say they are not. As Angus Deaton of Princeton University puts it, a map of the results looks like an income plot of the world (see map). There are some exceptions: Georgia and Armenia, though not among the world's poorest states, are among the 20 most miserable. Costa Rica and Venezuela, though middle-income countries, are among the 20 happiest. The Brazilians, pictured above, seem a bit more cheerful than their income level justifies.
But in general, declared levels of happiness are correlated with wealth. The pattern also seems to hold true within countries, as well as between them. Rich Americans are happier than poor ones; rich Brazilians happier than poorer ones
http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9475891

I wanted to see an additional dimension to the study; "the level of corruption in a country". Or we can look it from a different angel, distribution of wealth in a country.
Take Bahrain for example, we are a rich country (even if it’s not shown) but given the level of corruption I feel most people are unhappy.

P.S. Sorry guys, we are too small to show on the map but I guess we are in 4.5-5.5 level.

Shift in Bahrain's Political Power?

Something is definitely changing in the Bahrain’s political scene. My reading of the situation is that the government is getting fed up with the Islamists or there is a revolt with in the government against them. First we see the government deciding not to let (extremist) MP Moh’d Khaild to lead prayer. Next, we see Shaikh al-Mahmood questioned and detained for something he said at Friday prayers (which I do not really know what he said). What is more surprising is that we are not seeing a fight back from the Islamist Parliament Block like (AL-Manbar).
"''أما نوابنا وخصوصاً (...) من الكتل الدينية فأقول لهم، انظروا ماذا فعل أخوكم النائب علي سلمان لمصلحة أناس أنتم تعلمون تماماً قضيتهم، لأنه كان يحمل همهم، وأخشى أن يكون نوابنا (...) يحملون هماً غير هم المواطن''
http://www.alwaqt.com/art.php?aid=66182
Is there a new understanding? Or some elements of the governments are feeling the threat and trying to limit the Islamist advances?? Is there outside pressure?? Or is there a shift in power at the top of our political scene??
I think the next couple of months will answer a lot of these questions. I just wanted to say; be ready to see some changes but is it for better or worst, I honestly don’t know.

UPDATE:

This is what apparently happened with Sh.AlMahmood

Sheikh Ahmad Al Mahmoud had stood up in a mosque Friday scolding Bahrainis for the apparent low turnout at a demonstration last week against territorial claims made by an Iranian newspaper, lawyer Abdullah Hashim said.
“The sheikh blamed the apathy [of Bahrainis] on a drop in their loyalty, saying that it is caused by [the state] not giving people their rights and not improving their living standards,” he said.

Using religion to cover sexual abuse!!

This is today’s headline on Yahoo news and most American media
The nation's largest Catholic archdiocese has settled its abuse cases for $660 million, by far the largest payout in the church's sexual abuse scandal, The Associated Press has learned. The amount, which would average a little more than $1.3 million per plaintiff, exceeded earlier reports that the settlement would be between $600 million and $650 million.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070715/ap_on_re_us/church_abuse
My question is how many Mulla’s did it in Bahrain or even in the Islamic world?? Did any of the victims get some sort of compensation?? Ofcourse NOT !! they couldn’t even talk about it, the victims will live the rest of their lifes with the shames.
I guess we have a lot to learn and a lot of changes must happen. First change is the ability to see people beyond the mask of religion; we should not assume people are good or bad based on how religious they appear, we have to be able to judge people on actions.
The issue also puts doubt in my mind about segregation (males and females), we thought we can use segregation to limit sexual abuse, it seems it had not worked. Maybe segregating people makes them gay?? Any truth to that argument?? I really don’t know but its defiantly something to think about!

Our Housing Problem

This lady is been protesting for more then 6 days now. She wants a place to live.

This is an extreme case which is not really typical, yet we should not have any of these cases. Bahrain is not that poor!! and this is not the first time we see this.
A typical case will be a Bahraini couple getting BD40,000 to buy a house form the government (Ministry of Housing). A typical livable (not even decent) house costs at least BD80,000. The BD40k comes with several rules, including; the house should not be more then 15 years old (or something like that), you cant buy apartments with it and you cant buy anything in Amwaj, riffa views or any such a development (like you really can with 40K!!) and the house has to be ready (not to be built).
So what does a person do? You say take a bank loan, alright lets try it. The only loan you will get is a personal loan because the house has to be mortgaged by the Ministry of Housing (for the 40k loan), so a typical couple will make around BD800-1200 (combined), 50% of your income is your max installment, now take out two car loans, if you are lucky you will be able to get additional BD10-20k. As a result now you have BD50-60k. The question is what can you buy with that???
There is a suggestion to increase government loan to BD60,000/- , guess what that will do?? Yes, increase property prices even further!! So we will be back to square one!!
Another suggestion is to introduce a law that allows 2nd mortgages, that might help a bit but it will also increase demand and the property prices will increase!!
So what is the solution???
I suggest the following: Ministry of Housing establishes a new real estate company ( a joint venture) with other banks. The new company is to build houses in the range of BD80,000, where ministry of Housing will pay the BD40,000 and the partner in the joint venture will be responsible for the other half. The house will be mortgaged under the new company (not the bank or Ministry of labor). This way the demand for housing will not increase because people get the houses directly (no shopping around is required) and supply of houses will increase. As a result, the property prices (at worst) will stabilize.

Does sweat help in weight loss??

I was going back to work after lunch, around 2 o’clock when I saw a guy jogging in this hot weather at noon. This brought to mind a myth that I always hear, “the more you sweat, the more weight you lose”
People think if you workout in the heat, which will make you sweat more, will give better result as far as weight loss goes.
I never believed that, but it turns out that sweating does reduce weight, BUT only temporary. The weight lost from sweat is just water your body lost (its not melted fat), hint, sweat is not greasy, so what happens is that you get dehydrated and as soon as you start drinking water you will gain the weight back.
This also applies to those belts, sweat suites and saunas.

Q: Are saunas or massages effective for losing weight?

A: No. You might temporarily lose weight in a sauna from water that is lost through perspiration, and a massage can help you relax and feel good, but neither rid you of fat deposits. Do not be fooled by clothes, body wraps, or devices that are advertised to help you lose weight. Most are worthless and some might be dangerous.
http://www.agnr.umd.edu/MCE/Publications/Publication.cfm?ID=81

I can make the argument that working out in cold weather makes you burn more energy i.e. increasing the fat burned. The sweat is caused by the increase in body heat, which is caused by energy produced by the body. This also means if you sweat in the winter time, your body has produced more energy (burned fat) which has increased your body temperature to sweat levels while facing the cold weather. i imagine that reaching sweat levels in summer time is much easier and requires less energy.
“Wraps have no effect on fat deposits and will not dissolve fat, even temporarily. Fat is not broken down by perspiration (sweat). It is gotten rid of only when fewer calories are consumed than are needed to meet the body's energy requirements."

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-822.html

I know I don’t have many solid sources so I would appreciate it anyone can enlighten us more on the subject before people start dieing from working out under our burning sun.

The 1% and beyond

I have read a lot of the 1%, different opinions with most criticizing the new law because it is directly affecting all of us. Some even asked religious figure if this was permitted in Islam. In this article I want to focus on beyond the 1% issue, however I will say the following; I don’t mind paying the 1% as long as I see an effective mechanism for implementing the unemployment scheme. Some people argue, rightly so, that the government can afford to pay for it, I do agree they can afford that but I think any surplus and other government income should be invested in infrastructure and other important matters. Just give an example of government waste, a week back, BDF announce the purchase of 9 attacking helicopters for total sum of US$205 million, imagine what we could have done with that. A simple calculation of how many home they could have built:

• US205 million = BD77.258 million
• Each house costs around BD77k
• That’s 1003 homes
• An average of four per family = shelter for 4012 Bahrainies

Not to mention the number of apartments they could have built. I am not convinced that this is a national security issue, if there is security issue then there must be a threat, where is the threat???
If we had a responsible government I wouldn’t mind paying even 5% tax. For now just remember "Bahrain is no more a tax free country" and there is more to come. The 1% is only the beginning, I refer you to the following:
"The GCC countries are likely to implement tax regime as part of establishing a workable and efficient tax base starting with introducing consumption tax or value added tax (VAT), a senior official at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) revealed yesterday."

"Rainer Geiger, deputy director, director for financial and enterprise affairs MENA-OECD Investment Programme, on the sidelines of the two-day MENA-OECD regional MENA Investment Policy workshop, said that the taxation model was currently being discussed by GCC member states as part of collective efforts to develop an integrated taxation system for the entire bloc."The initiative is a collective effort of GCC countries as part of regional integration and introduction of an effective taxation regime across the region."
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20070626042218/SecMarkets/pagMoney
So I say embrace for the worst, Taxes in general are good but when you have an irresponsible government then they are REALLY BAAAAAD.

At last work conditions a little better

The minister of labor has just issued a new law that outlaws working under the sun from 12-4 and limiting working hours per day to 8 hours.
http://www.alwasatnews.com/newspager_pages/ViewDetails.aspx?news_id=56907&news_type=LOC&writer_code=
Couple of days ago it was a suggestion by the government and now it’s the law. I seriously hope they enforce this law. Poor labors are under paid, harsh working conditions and away from their home, not to mention the labor camps. This was a long awaited decision, and I seriously don’t know why they didn’t do this earlier, anyways better late then never.
The new law might make it easier for Bahrainis to start working in construction and other labor intensive jobs. Add that to the new labor reforms, which basically make it more expensive to import labor, I can see some Bahrainis moving to work in those jobs. Now I refuse to believe that all Bahrainis won’t work as labor. Just look at ALBA for example, they work in the heat of August and in front of melting Aluminum pots, much worst then construction, yet most of the workers there are Bahrainis. So I say with the right working conditions and the right pay, Bahrainis will work in construction and other labor intensive jobs.
Having said that, I don’t believe that this should be our strategic target, our strategy should be to reduce unemployment by educating and retraining Bahrainis to work in higher skilled jobs with good pay. I refer you to the Singapore experience, actually the whole world praises, but I do believe that Singapore way works for Bahrain (not the Dubai way).

a Sad Iraqi story

I don’t want to be seen as pro-American but the truth has to be said. The following link is about a really really sad story in Iraq. Its going to break your heart:
http://news.sky.com/skynews/video/videoplayer/0,,31200-1271161,.html

Now on today’s alwaqt news paper, which is suppose to be less biased then others i.e. Akhbar khaleejand, and more liberal. This is how they reported it:
http://www.alwaqt.com/art.php?aid=61184
قُيّدوا عراةً بالأسِرَّة.. والمدير يتاجر بغذائهم فضائح احتلال العراق تطال ملجأ أيتام

i have to be fair though, the body of the article in alWaqt sounded fair.

Ofcourse lets see whats GDN reported (remember GDN is owned by Akhbar Khaleej)

photos of allegedly "starving and abused" Iraqi orphans as a propaganda trick. Iraq's Labour and Social Affairs Minister Mahmoud Mohammed Al Radhi criticised publicity surrounding the boys and said news reports about the case were inaccurate.
"We totally reject the tricks they used to manipulate and distort facts and show the Americans as the humanitarian party. That could not be further from the truth," he said.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=185801&Sn=WORL&IssueID=30093

As sad as this story is I can’t believe the way Arab media are reporting it, yes the occupation caused a lot of hardship and so did Sadam. I am not going to judge which one is worst but blaming every single act and problems in Iraq on Americans, even when they rescue those kids, is just unfair. I am not asking to give the Americans the benefit of the doubt, but come on the truth is so clear in this story. We seriously need a more responsible reporting, there are enough problems in Iraq and believe me they don’t need twisted reporting to add to those problems.
This is just to prove that there is no real un-biased source to take our stories from, I guess what we have to do is to look at both side, let your mind process it then create your opinion.
P.S. I think those people should be hanged in a public square.

The devil “Salman Rushdi” is to be honored !!

To me it’s really strange that no one other then Pakistan and Iran has raised their voice on the issue.
Salman Rushdi who has insulted every Islamic figure from the prophet to all his followers is to be knighted!!! he will be called Sir !!!!

Muslims everywhere protested those insulting cartoons, people died in those demonstrations. My question is why is no one talking about this?? No protests?? No Islamic State other then Iran and Pakistan voiced their displeasure with the British decision. This is by far much worst then those stupid cartoons, yet everyone is keeping quite.
This is an anti-Islamic move by the UK. Imagine if he had wrote a book questioning the validity of the holocaust claims, would he had been considered to be knighted??
This is how the British defended their decision to knight him
“"Sir Salman's (already started calling him Sir) knighthood is a reflection of his contribution to literature throughout a long and distinguished career which has seen him receive international recognition for a substantial body of work," Brinkley said in a statement
I think the Iranian Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said it nicely “This (award) showed that the movement of insulting Muslims was not accidental but was a planned and organized move that enjoyed support of some Western countries”. Believe it or not, the British government is calling for bridges to be built between the British and Muslims!! Somehow I don’t think that will happen any time soon. one of the first reaction; Pakistan's religious affairs minister Ijaz-ul-Haq said that honoring Rushdie justified suicide attacks!!!!. So I say to the British government Bridges MY A** !!!!!!!!!

I am not puzzled by the British move; I am puzzled by the no reaction from the Muslims!! I really don’t know but something is defiantly wrong.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070620/ap_on_re_as/rushdie_knighthood_4

Which are you? House or Field ?

I was watching Malcolm X movie on Dubai one TV on Saturday and he made a comment that I cant get of my mind. It reminded me a lot with our situation in Bahrain.
He was asked “what do you say to black men who like the way things are” Malcolm X said “there were two types of slaves: The house Negro and the field Negro. The house Negro lived in the house next to his master. ln the big house, in the basement or the attic. He dressed good, he ate good, what the master left him. He loved his master. He loved his master better than the master loved himself.lf master said, "We got a nice house," you say, "Yeah, we got a nice house. Master's house caught on fire, the house Negro would put the blaze out. lf the master got sick, he'd say,"What's the matter? We sick?", "We sick" ! This is the thinking of the house Negrolf another slave (field slave) said "Let's run away, let's separate from this cruel master" he said, "Why? What's better than what we got here, l'm not going anywhere."This is the house Negro. ln those days, we called them house niggers. That's what we call them today because we still got a lot of house niggers.

Does it apply to Bahrain?? Rings any bells??
Just keep this in mind next time you discuss politics with people, you will realize whether they are House or field N*****!!
Read what he said again and try to picture people in Bahrain.

Gulf Air showing signs of intelligence

This was sent to me by a friend who found it weird for Gulf Air to advertise the sell of a plane in GDN. To make matters worst it was posted next to used cars!! So whether you are looking for a used Maxima or a Boeing 767, GDN is the place to look.
Come on Gulf Air we know you are in trouble but at least show some signs of intelligence!! If that’s the management mentality then “you are going down hill” !!!!!

We made the CUT!! we are in “Trafficking in Persons Report “

The US state department issued its annual report on “Trafficking in Persons Report” and we are in it!! The list included other GCC states like, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Kuwait.
The reasons for why Bahrain is on the list are as follows:

“Bahrain is a destination country for men and women trafficked for the purposes of involuntary servitude and commercial sexual exploitation. Men and women from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Eritrea migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as laborers or domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude when forced to pay off large recruitment and transportation fees, and faced with the withholding of passports and other restrictions on their movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse. Women from Thailand, Morocco, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia are trafficked to Bahrain for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. The Thai government reported repatriating 256 Thai women who had been deceived or forced into prostitution in Bahrain”
http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82805.htm

I guess we all know the group that are exploiting foreign workers especially woman. We know the Hotel industry are making a fortune out this and I don’t think they are about to stop. Looking at today’s news we don’t see any flags raised or alarms going of. So expect Bahrain to be on the 2008 list as well.
We are treating them as slaves but they should expect it because we treat our own people as slaves. Not convinced ? Consider this:

• More then half of the population are not allowed to own land in certain areas
• We imported mercenaries to stop us from asking for our rights
• More then half of the Bahrainies are not allowed to work in the ministry of interior nor the defense force
• Access to the water fronts are minimal, with most of it being “private property”
• We are forced to live in the north areas of the island and not allowed to even pass or drive thru the southern part.

So we are cornered in one corner of of our country, we cant ask for our rights and they do want us to leave (remind me of Gazan in palastine). The list can go on and on, I am sure we will make it as one of the top ten countries on slaving their own people, if such a report exists.

Only in Bahrain: 3rd time in a row, Ministers attacking their citizens

Am I the only one noticing this? Or some of have seen this?

I have noticed in the past few weeks a consistent attack on the citizens of our lovely country. Mainly coming from the government ministers by blaming the citizens for every kind of problem this country faces.
The story begins with the Minister of Electricity and Water, we all read the comment in the papers, blaming on the citizens for the electricity blackouts in different areas of Bahrain.
Second attack comes from the Minister of labor, blaming Bahrainies for the unemployment problem. Saying that Bahrainies are sitting on their behinds and expecting jobs to come to them.

Third attack comes Minister of social affairs ( the smartest of them all), and I quote “Bahrainies only want to work in offices and comfortable jobs”, as a response to the question why soo many foreigners working in Bahrain.
http://www.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/middle.east/

Of course, we all can see how weak their blame game is. Any one in the street can respond to the ministers’ stupid comments. That’s not the point I am trying to make though, what I am trying to show is a clear trend toward blaming this countries problems on its citizens and the sad part is, there is no political fall out, or no price these ministers will pay for such a comment.
I have never seen or heard of any minister attacking their own citizens in the world, this is an unacceptable behavior by any measure. Ministers are there to serve their citizens not to attack them; they are there to protect the citizens not to attack them.
By the way, these ministers are among the most unqualified ministers in the government, so its no surprise that they cant even talk right.

i guess i am not the only one who notice this, lets listen to Muneera Fakhroo.

Muneera the floor is yours:

نعم.. هناك فقر وفقراء
منيرة فخرو

الضجة التي أثارها تقرير فضائية الـ ''CNN'' بشأن موضوع الفقر في البحرين لم تهدأ بعد، وقابلها هجوم كاسح على المحطة الفضائية من أقلام معينة اصطفت كلها لتفند ما ذكره التقرير وتنكر وجود الفقر في البحرين. وشحذ الكتاب إياهم أقلامهم للدفاع عن ''كرامة'' البحرين التي أهدرتها المحطة الأميركية. المقابلة لم تقتصر على إبراز مناطق الفقر ولكنها استجوبت قيادات رسمية مثل وزيري الإسكان والتنمية الاجتماعية. وركزت المذيعة الحسناء هالة قوراني في مقابلاتها على التناقض الذي يميز البحرين بوجود مظاهر الغنى إلى جانب بؤر الفقر. وقد شاهد البرنامج أعداد كبيرة من المواطنين وتم عرضه على الإنترنت لمن لم يتمكن من مشاهدته على التلفاز. ربما الخطأ الذي ارتكبته مقدمة البرنامج هو اقتصارها على وجود الفقر بين الطائفة الشيعية من دون السنية على رغم إقرارنا أن بؤر الفقر تنتشر خصوصا في قرى البحرين وفي المدن الصغيرة. وللعلم فإن متوسط دخل الفرد في البحرين هو 17 ألف دولار وهو معدل يعتبر عالياً نسبياً إذا علمنا أن متوسط دخل الفرد في المملكة العربية السعودية أقل من ذلك بكثير.
وقد عرّف البنك الدولي الفقير بأنه الشخص الذي ينخفض معدل دخله عن 600 دولار في السنة، إلا أن برنامج الأمم المتحدة الإنمائي يضيف معايير أخرى تعبر مباشرة عن مستوى رفاهية الإنسان ونوعية الحياة أي أن هناك نحو 45% من الفقراء يعيشون في مجتمعات غير منخفضة الدخل. وحتى في الولايات المتحدة يوجد 30 مليون فرد (15% من السكان) يعيشون تحت خط الفقر ولكن الولايات المتحدة لا تنكر ذلك بل تسعى للحد من هذه الظاهرة.
نعم هناك فقر وهناك فقراء كثر في البحرين على رغم اعتبار بلدنا دولة غنية. تلك النتيجة التي وصلنا إليها نتجت من اعتبارات كثيرة أهمها ما يأتي:
* فساد كبير ينتشر وعمولات تدفع من جانب القطاع الخاص صاحب المصلحة.
* تجنيس مكثف ازدادت وتيرته في السنوات الأخيرة مما يبتلع كثيرا من الموازنة لتوظيف المجنسين ومنحهم السكن واستهلاكهم للخدمات المتعددة التي بالكاد تستوعب المواطنين.
* تركيز على زيادة موازنة الدفاع والداخلية وتجميد لموازنات وزارات الخدمات كالصحة والإسكان والتربية والتنمية الاجتماعية.
* البطالة المنتشرة خصوصا بين صفوف الشباب نتيجة عدم تناسب مخرجات التعليم مع متطلبات سوق العمل.
* عدم وجود سياسة سكانية لتنظيم الأسرة وإرشاد الأمهات إلى تحديد عدد الأطفال كي تتم العناية بهم بصورة أفضل.
* عدم العناية بالبيئة البرية والبحرية، والأخيرة تعد مصدر رزق للآلاف من الأسر البحرينية.
كما لا ننسى متطلبات العولمة التي دخلنا فيها ووقعنا الاتفاقات لتنفيذ بنودها من دون احتساب نتائجها وأهمها ازدياد أعداد الفقراء، لذلك لابد من استمرار الدعم الحكومي لبعض السلع الأساسية للمواطن إذ ربما يؤدي إلغاؤها إلى نتائج اقتصادية واجتماعية غير متوقعة.
إن الفقر يمثل في نهاية الأمر الإقصاء والتهميش والمس بكرامة الإنسان وبدلاً من إنكاره علينا الاعتراف بوجوده والتفكير بإيجاد أفضل الطرق للحد من انتشاره، ولكننا نرى المسؤولين يصرون على اتهام المواطنين بأنهم سبب الفقر، مثلما اتهم وزير الكهرباء المواطنين بأن استهلاكهم اللامحدود وغير المرخص هو الذي أدى إلى تدهور خدمات الكهرباء، ومثلما ذكر زميله وزير العمل أن شباب البحرين كسول ويريد وظائف مريحة. إن أول وسائل الإصلاح تبدأ بإصلاح التعليم والتركيز على التدريب للأعمال المتوافرة في البحرين خصوصا بالنسبة إلى فئة الشباب الذي طال انتظاره للحصول على وظيفة تضمن مستقبله ولكن قبل كل ذلك يجب أن تتوفر الإرادة السياسية للإصلاح.

** باحثة وناشطة سياسية