Abu Shreek

لويش بتلد؟

2012-01-11T23:21:00.002-11:00

بين الصورة ورسالتها، من منا لم يفكر بحرق الصورة؟ في فيلم شبه وثائقي قصير يستيقظ شاب أردني فيفتح الستائر متجبداً أمام جدارية عملاقة على واجهة البناية المقابلة لغرفته "منقوشٍ" في أعلاها: "إهداء من إسكانات أبو ركبة لامانة عمان". تتابع الكاميرا، من منظور الشاب، أحداث يوم عادي جداً، من ركوبه المواصلات العامة، ومروره بالمكتب والبنك والدائرة الحكومية والمطعم والشارع والمقهى والمسرح، لكن الكاميرا تقطع

لا للملكية الدستورية

2011-12-28T01:01:00.006-11:00

لأن الطبيعة اللحظية لتويتر تجعل توثيق بعض ما يجري ضرورة، وان كان تكراراً بغض النظر عن موضوع النقاش سواء كان الدولة الريعية أو تدخل الأجهزة الأمنية في الحياة السياسية أو قوانين الانتخاب أو غيرها، فإن كل النقاشات والمقالات والحوارات تبقى تدور في حلقة مفرغة إلى أن تنتهي إلى قناة واحدة يقبع في وسطها فيل يبقى حاضراً في كل غرفة.وجود هذا الفيل يجعل كل النقاشات مجرد كلام نظري في الفراغ، أما الاشارة له

(العميل الثلاثي: همام البلوي (تيزر1

2011-11-02T03:03:00.004-11:00

هكذا ألقت المخابرات الاردنية بشاب أردني في حضن ميليشيات أفغانستان.مقتطفات من كتاب "ذي تربل ايجنت" للكاتب الحائز على جائزة البوليتزر جوبي واريك "أشعل إقتراح علي بن زيد (بإرسال همام البلوي إلى منطقة القبائل على حدود الباكستان وافغانستان (فاتا) فتيل نقاش حاد في المخابرات ومركز عمان لمكافحة الإرهاب الذي يدار بالتعاون مع السي أي أيه. كان من الواضح أن البلوي (لا يملك أي من مقومات) العميل؛ فهو ليس

يسقط يسقط حكم العسكر

2011-10-11T21:29:00.001-11:00

تنحصر مهمة الجيش في الدفاع عن الوطن وسلامته - الدستور الاردني توطئة من أكثر الاتهامات سذاجةً التي وجهت وتوجه ضد الحراك الشعبي وشعاراته أنها ليست أكثر من تقليد للثورات العربية ومحاولة نقل شعارات تلك الثورات وخاصةً التونسية والمصرية إلى الاردن مع إنه الاردن "غير"، وظروفه الموضوعية مختلفة عن تلك الدول. أن سذاجة هذا الاتهام تنبع من أنه لا يعي قدرة الانسان المذهلة على إهمال "مقاطع وظواهر وأحداث"

في العلاقات الاردنية الصهيونية

2011-09-15T00:35:00.002-11:00

الربيع الاردني المنشود لا يمكن ان يبدأ إلا من نقطة تعريف الكيان الصهيوني كعدو أساسي وخطر على تكوين الدولة الاردنية العصرية توطئة: فك الارتباط ما زالت الضفة الغربية قانونياً وإدارياً حتى هذه اللحظة جزء من أراضي المملكة الاردنية، ومن البديهي أنه بإستنثناء كلمة عابرة أو "لغوة" وردت في خطاب لإعتبارات تتعلق بطبيعة تلك المرحلة لم يأخذ النظام الاردني هذه الدعوة (أو بالأحرى الادعاء) للإنفصال على محمل

نفحات من تاريخ الاردن I

2011-09-10T23:12:00.006-11:00

إختيار عمال الأقاليم وأهم رجل في الاردنفيما يلي ترجمة لمقطع صغير من كتاب ذي واي أف ذي وورلد للصحفي الحائز على جائزة البوليتزر رون ساسكيند. الكتاب نشر عام 2008 ويروي أحداث من فترة حكم بوش ويقدم بعض شخصيات تلك الحقبة واثرها في السياسة الخارجية الامريكية. أحد أهم تلك الشخصيات في الكتاب هو روب ريتشر." بعد عدة مهمات في الشرق الأوسط ارسلت السي أي أيه روب ريتشر إلى عمان ليستقر هناك مطلع الثمانينات. منذ

سواليف رمضانية فارطة

2011-08-10T00:13:00.006-11:00

سواليف رمضانية فارطة أيمن الصفدي ياسر أبو هلالة والعصفور المتجمد: ستبدي لك الأيام ما كنت جاهلاً يحق لكل انسان بأن يكون - جدجمنتل - إلى حد ما فيصدر أحكاماً على الناس تحدد طريقة تعامله معهم. ببساطة الشكل والمضمون وجهان لعملة واحدة، وحتى لا نغرق في الأمثال الشعبية والاستعارات التمثيلية لنقتبس من احد أهم الأفلام العربية في السنوات العشر الأخيرة "إلي بالي بالك": يعني مثلاً شب لابس برمودا أبيض شفاف

A Long Tweet

2011-07-15T06:47:00.003-11:00

This was supposed to be an SOS to some close-to-the-regime tweeps but brevity is not an easy skill Let’s assume that this tweet is sent to@aymanHsafadi who seems to be a willing-to-engage guy who despite being (maybe was) an insider seems to keep his cliches to a minimum (kind of) and may pass this message along. Any other official online can also passes it, if he sees any worthy substance in it

دليلك السريع للتحقيق بالكازينو

2011-06-26T22:03:00.004-11:00

ولفهم الية عمل الحكومات الاردنيةأولاً: المجلس الوطني للسياحةوزير السياحة عمل كتاب من مكتبه مباشرة معلماً رئيس الوزراء بأن المجلس الوطني للسياحة قرر إعتبار نشاط الكازينو من المهن السياحية المعتمدة بقانون السياحة.ارسل وزير السياحة اسامة الدباس هشام العبادي مدير مكتبه يلف على أعضاء المجلس (معظمهم أمناء عامين وزارات وما شابه) عشان يوقعوا على الكتاب، بس مع طلب من الوزير إنه هشام يحلق لأمين عام الأوقاف

الفاسد الوحيد

2011-05-29T17:25:00.006-11:00

مقطع مترجم من مقال نشر عام 2005 في مجلة ذي ناشن بعنوان رسالة من الاردن: مملكة الفساد السجين السمين الطليق الفار من وجه العدالة ليس سوى واحد من مجموعة وسطاء أو وكلاء أو متعهدين شاءت الظروف أن يستحق "فركة إذن" لسبب لن تكشفه الأيام. يعني إذا الواحد ممكن يختلف مع جوز أخته على عطاء رايح جاي إلا ما يختلف حتى مع صحابه. المقطع المترجم أدناه من مقال قديم ومتداول، لكن يبقى للأسف من المصادر المحدودة جداً

من وحي الاصلاح المستحيل

2011-05-15T21:14:00.003-11:00

من البديهي إن كل الكلام عن الاصلاح وما إصلاح هو حكي فاضي وأن كل ما هناك هو شوية سواليف أو (ريتوريك) بحسب وصف مروان المعشر ولجان رايحة جاي يقابلها خطوات واضحة على الأرض تناقض كل هذا الحكي (التعامل العنيف مع التجمعات السلمية واستعمال المدنيين في قمعها، إختيار رؤساء الحكومات، تشكيل جهاز الدرك)، وقد يكون اخطرها الاستمرار باللعب على الحيلة القديمة بشرخ الشعب حسب أصوله. السبب هو ليس المنتفعين من النظام

Archive: A Month Away

2007-04-17T14:00:00.002-11:00

A few eye-catching headlines scribbled during April 2004. Aside from the temporary (and long term) rearrangement of priorities, the glaring insignificance of the body of work and a few other lame excuses (time, inspiration, risk,…), Abu Shreek must reaffirm that he does not cater to any specific group of people other than his own self, and hence, he felt free to take an unannounced one- month

Profile: Must Speak Papers

2007-03-16T08:52:00.000-11:00

A reluctant rantToday marks the 12th day since the “historic” speech took place. A 25- minute Wednesday morning speech squeezed between House sessions discussing the Libby case and Sewage management (seriously). The historic “I Must Speak” speech that was filled with generalities (bordering superficiality) that one would think it was delivered by mother Teresa, not by the ruler of a country who

NCAA: March to Victory (I)

2007-03-15T05:31:00.000-11:00

An intro segment to the NCAA 07 Basketball tournamentThe NCAA college basketball tournament has been called the most exciting event in all of sports. This may not be very accurate but it is definitely a very intriguing event with multiple story lines and unprecedented drama generated by the single elimination format. Here are three reasons to watch the tournament: -The talent

The Mailbag (VII)

2007-03-05T13:34:00.000-11:00

A mini-mailbag precisely aimed at targeting many of the current tough issues surrounding the Arab and Islamic world from a bird’s eye perspective (where everything looks flat). (و يا محلى النصر بعون الله). What ranks lower on the pathetic human-being level: The guy who sells his sperm or the guy who sells his blood plasma?-Bum, weighing his optionsP.S. If you are planning on going with a

Profile: The FaithMaster 2Kx

2007-02-26T08:07:00.000-11:00

A computer program to comfort the human soul and save the world in the process.As we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century it is becoming more evident that the close connection between human beings and the concept of “religion” is not going away anytime soon. On the contrary, many of the conflicts we are witnessing in the world today can be explained based on a religious

NBA: Foul Shots

2007-02-23T04:39:00.000-11:00

A few observations from the All-Star weekend and some other negative remarks on league related issues with less than 30 games to play. -For the past seven years I tuned in for the NBA all-star game hoping for a basketball game to break out. Instead, I end up sitting through a mixture of a bad Harlem Globetrotters impression and one of these street ball mix tapes (but without the actual skills)

Archive: Weekend

2007-02-16T07:11:00.000-11:00

A translation of a random thought that was inspired by the style of a friend. The original was written in Arabic at a time before joy and happiness flooded the world. He opened his eyes at seven, then again at eight. At ten o’clock he made the long-awaited decision to “wake up”, still disgusted. He went through the motions of the human morning routine, and finished a chapter from “The Death

Profile: The State

2007-02-08T07:23:00.000-11:00

In a volatile area, trapped between the two occupation hammers and the regressive regime anvil, is it acceptable to ask: “if the life we are living is not the life we have asked for, then what the hell are we holding on to?” According to the United Nations General Assembly the world currently features (192) sovereign states. Many of them do not possess any basic characteristics of a state

The Mailbag (VI)

2007-02-01T08:52:00.000-11:00

A special past-due mailbag dedicated to sports, castration, and internal “ignorance” devices, at a below average articulation level. First allow me to apologize to those in charge of the following projects: Jordanblogs.com , sawtona.com, dwwen.com and the late Jordanplanet.com (may it rest in peace), for any trouble they ran into, and for the material that obviously was “not fit to the

NFL: Season Recap ‘06

2007-01-26T11:36:00.000-11:00

A “brief” look back at the teams, their MVPs and their season highlights. At the end of another NFL season, this league proves again that it is definitely the most exciting and most entertaining of them all. In a year that featured relatively little drama in its last few weeks (There was a certain level of mediocrity and the playoffs picture was pretty much limited to a few teams with

Review: Clowning the Union

2007-01-23T21:25:00.000-11:00

When the self-appointed leader of the free world puts on a 49-minute act for the entertainment of the masses: lies, terrorists, 62-applause breaks and high comedy. A play by play recount. When his majesty George W. Bush took this same podium a year ago he was enjoying an 80+% approval rating. A year later and his stocks dropped faster than those of his Enron friends, hovering around 30% of

Abu Shreek: Identity (Crisis)

2007-01-18T07:57:00.000-11:00

Your typical recipe for a deep-spiritual experience: a combination of 3-day sleep deprivation, a mixture of caffeine, methamphetamines and mild hallucinogens, topped off with a dose of the generic stressful daily complications. The result: The white light at the end of the tunnel appears. A possible conversation between oneself and one’s “creator” magically occurs (it must be the hallucination

Profile: The Chair

2006-12-23T05:53:00.000-11:00

A few weeks ago there was a minor dispute over the hardly-prestigious and practically-insignificant position of the “vice-president” of the Jordanian Journalists Union. At the time of the elections, there was an agreement between the two candidates to alternate holding the position over the term of the council. When the first half of the term expired, one of them refused to honor the agreement

Review: Social Equality (II)

2006-12-17T05:00:00.000-11:00

A look at the injustices and dangers of capitalism in the second installment of Earnest Mandel’s “From Class Society to Communism”. As the first part of this review tried to introduce the human dilemma of “Socialism vs. Barbarism” and briefly discuss a few issues associated with socialism (mainly its relationship with religion and the effects of the failure of the Soviet experience), this

Profile: Corruption Cure

2006-12-11T06:54:00.000-11:00

With the conclusion of another worthless event in the form of a conference,can we afford to wonder who is carrying the throne of corruption in Jordan? Absolutely not! A few years back and when Jordan was under the ownership of the late King Hussein a group of veteran politicians and political activists were discussing the issue of corruption in one of these “political salons”, when a reckless

NFL: A Quarter to Go

2006-12-08T07:24:00.000-11:00

A quick look at the top teams in the league between weeks 7-13.For the first time since the beginning of the salary cap era, there are some wider-spread complaints against “Parity”. Unfortunately this year, (which is just like every other NFL season: happens to be a “weird” season), the word parity is a synonym for mediocrity. After 8 games 15 out of the 32 teams were either at 0.500, one game

Archive: Poem-based Story

2006-12-02T09:35:00.000-11:00

Abu Shreek “literature-ating” at the Sixth grade level. Abu Shreek is not a big fan of English poetry. Its main tools lack the strength that could make it special: Similes and metaphors are not powerful enough and can be equally and more effectively employed outside of poetry. The rhythm is mainly created through the (end- word) rhymes and when the rhymes are missing it becomes almost

The Mailbag (V)

2006-11-27T06:03:00.001-11:00

A little past due. Same worthless nonsense.While reading the mini-book report on pornography in the last Mailbag, I started thinking about the similar negative effect the hip-hop culture has on women’s image and the way it portrays them. Could songs of the variety of “It must be yo’ ass cuz it aint yo face” and “You’se a hoe” be as demeaning to women as

Profile: Royal Constitution

2006-11-15T06:59:00.000-11:00

The Jordanian royal family needs to revaluate the situation and realize that Jordan is neither an oil sheikhdom nor a banana republic. Browsing through the depressingly delusional Jordanian daily newspapers, Abu Shreek came across the following headline (literally translated): “The King and Queen Rania meets with (Elizabeth)”! Abu Shreek tried to come up with a reason why the king and queen of

Review: Social Equality (I)

2006-11-10T07:38:00.000-11:00

Facts, Myths and Observations of the social equality movement, through Ernest Mandel’s “From Class Society to Communism” and others. A quick glance at the current world affairs and its history over the past two decades proves that the dilemma facing humanity is more evident and more inevitable than ever: socialism or barbarism. First, two main points:-The temporary collapse of the

Profile: The Worship Idol

2006-11-03T08:22:00.000-11:00

Is denouncing the invisible God less risky than questioning the slave master? A friend tells a story about a conversation he had with a “normal” Saudi guy: (not the specimen stuck in pre-civilization times, neither the Gold-Mustang-“Super Cool”-Abu- S3ood guy). In a typical Arabic fashion the conversation dissected the region’s politics and the Arab world crises.

Abu Shreek: Trainspotting

2006-10-28T10:56:00.000-11:00

Who needs Heroin when you are an Arab? Abu Shreek was waiting for the next teacher to walk in when a strange buzz appeared in the classroom. During those times many people carried portable radios around. The minute a substitute teacher confirmed the news, Abu Shreek took off running. He stormed out of the school gate and into the street. Flashes of the typical 12-year-old dreams were the only

The Mailbag (IV)

2006-10-20T16:56:00.000-11:00

The latest assembly of time-wasting in-FAQs. What is up with JU instructors and taking attendance? Aren’t they aware that this is college? Are they so insecure to the point that they are afraid nobody will attend their lectures if they stop practicing this brutal display of authority? -A JU sophomore who already used up his excused and non-excused “absences”. (with two freakin months to go!

UEFA: A Big Game!!

2006-10-19T06:37:00.000-11:00

Chelsea hosts Barcelona in the Champions league and Abu Shreek is actually watching. The UEFA Champions League was always special. Back since it was still called the "European Cup of Champion Clubs" (or a variation of that) and precisely when Belgrad’s Red Star shocked the world, it was obvious that this competition features the unrivaled highest level of soccer. Another hard to neglect factor

NFL: First Look

2006-10-17T08:17:00.000-11:00

The early team-by-team evaluation of the 2006 season.After the Sixth week of action, every team has played a minimum of five games and so it is possible to come up with an assessment and rank the teams according to their chances, at this point, of reaching SuperBowl XLI. The teams can be ranked in three to five groups: The Double-Digit Losers: These are the teams that have no business

A Follow Up

2006-10-06T09:52:00.000-11:00

Was the American reporter, who warned that the King of Jordan is risking the Shah’s Fate, kicked out of Jordan? Borzou Daragahi clarifies the situation. A very interesting aspect of the childish strife between Qatar and Jordan (the made-up conflict reflecting an existing tension between the two “countries” over who makes a better American pet), is the role of the media. As Jordanian

MLB: Post Season '06 (I)

2006-10-06T07:59:00.000-11:00

First, a few notes on the 2006 baseball regular season: -August and September were unwatchable.It could have been the greenies (amphetamines) ban that caused the players to burn out down the stretch (as Tom Glavine and some other players implied), or the fact that there was not a single pitcher (not named Santana) who was worth the “We have to watch this game, this guy is pitching tonight

Profile: The Tourist

2006-10-01T06:39:00.000-11:00

A bad tragicomedy absurdist play in a tired half an act. Dark Stage.Spotlight on a family of three at center stage. Son (pirouetting in excitement): So this is Hashim! WOW! So Originale. Mom (fake excitement): So how do they make that falafel thingie? What’s the difference between regular and stuffed falafel? Dad: You ask them. You know my Arabic is not hundred percent yet.

Profile: The Citizen

2006-09-28T06:59:00.000-11:00

The new generation of dispossessed Palestinians is presented with very limited options that would allow for their awaited return, or even offer a manageable compromise. While this generation of (“active”) Palestinians (age group19-50) is still romanticizing with the fantasies and daydreams of complete liberation and the return to a land they only heard and read about, the Zionists respond with

The Mailbag (III)

2006-09-20T04:01:00.000-11:00

Have you seen George Galloway demolishing Sky News during the Lebanese crisis? The guy really let them have it. Seriously Man, you have to check it out. Enno Vative, MarsNo way, I must have missed it. Why don’t you go ahead and email it to me, along with the series of pictures of the dying Lebanese mother, the dancing on the treadmills video, the Queen Rania on Oprah interview and a couple of

The Gender Blender

2006-09-16T04:49:00.000-11:00

This question was supposed to be part of this month’s mailbag. In an effort to avoid alienating the readers (all three of them) with a longer than usual bag, the question was extracted to its own space. The rest of the mailbag comes later this week.A question to Abu Shreek, why are Arab men such dipshits? Sincerely, Anonymous Arab woman who is starting to look for a foreigner. Thanks a lot

Abu Shreek: The Flag Waver

2006-09-14T05:57:00.000-11:00

As an elementary school Cub Scout, Abu Shreek was to participate in the festivities of the grand opening of “Al Jubaiha Amusement Park”: The second of its kind in Jordan and the one destined to replace the older “Rass El ‘Ainn” park. Upon arriving at the site, there was the typical scene associated with such “special occasions”: tens of kids in their school uniforms in total chaos, teachers

Profile: The Selfish

2006-09-11T04:21:00.000-11:00

Emphasizing a crippling social disease. Following up on the “The Sellout”.The social behavior of those who were harshly labeled “The Sellout(s)” maybe worth examining beyond the simple dismissal under typical name-calling. Recall from the previous piece that this is a character that is NOT:-The simple “man-on-the-street” who “spontaneously” and mindlessly waves a flag and maniacally crowds around

Review: The Sad Survivor

2006-09-07T05:32:00.000-11:00

Mohammad Tommalieh (محمد طمليه), through excerpts from his collection “Happens to Me of All People”. In an environment were ingenuity is rare and when creativity leads to obscurity, the “word-artist” Mohammad Tommalieh carved his niche. In an environment that starves its artists and demands compromises in substance and style, as a basic prerequisite for survival, he refused, yet thrived.

Archive: A Plea to JP

2006-09-03T06:41:00.000-11:00

In celebration of the occasion, a slightly edited version of the letter appealing Abu Shreek’s addition, originally submitted on June 24th, 2006. Dear Roba, Jameed, Issam, Ba3booz,Or whoever is currently running the JP organization, Have you ever noticed that the easiest way to fill up any space is to throw a top-ten list in there? Here are the top ten reasons why Abu Shreek should be added

NFL: Season Preview '06

2006-09-02T05:38:00.000-11:00

One week until kickoff Sunday.Abu Shreek examines the strengths and weaknesses of every team.Predictions are the most annoying aspect of sports. Even "expert's" predictions, which depend on deep research and analysis, usually end up with abysmal results. None are more annoying than those ridiculous ones which try to predict teams’ exact records and the exact score of the SuperBowl, in August. But

Abu Shreek: Trix Till Dawn

2006-08-29T06:47:00.000-11:00

Endless nights around cards tables.Abu Shreek makes a conscious effort to avoid regret. Every moment, incident and decision is considered “a part of the experience”, which is practically a survival skill necessary to deal with the over-confident, typical-Arab, proven-to-fail attitude of “Abu Shreek knows best”. However the “Trix era” is worth revisiting.Trix is a very popular cards game in Jordan

Profile: The Reform

2006-08-25T08:38:00.001-11:00

In commemoration of the world record that is about to be shattered. A record that will mark the “fingerprinting” over tens of repressive and unimpressive laws in less than 15 minutes. One of the a few attempts to address the political picture in Jordan was recently presented here, but it does not hurt to re-emphasize the point: There is no need for (colorfully-named) conferences, a

The Mailbag (II)

2006-08-16T15:03:00.000-11:00

Another installment of eccentric inquiries and delusional answers. As usual, a printer may come in handy. After all the time we spent under the bushes and on the green fields of the University of Jordan, I always thought he was the one for me. But since we graduated, I am talking to (apparently) smarter guys. I am not sure about Rizigg anymore. What should I do?Mairvatt, Zarqa, Jordan For

Archive: Love Story

2006-08-14T07:28:00.000-11:00

The last chapter of a short story written between the summer and fall of 2002.It turns out that the ending is capable of standing on its own.(Mainly as a Jordanian taxi-driver's tale about his cousin who has a green tattoo on his chest that reads (حبتش دمار : Devastation Lover).When he finally decided that it is time for him to cut her off completely, after he realized beyond doubt that her act

Review: "Islam is the Solution"

2006-08-09T05:00:00.000-11:00

Snapshots from the Islamic Empire through “The History of the Arabs” by P.K. Hitti, and a few other sources.In the last few decades, a popular school of thought emerged in the Arab world claiming: “The only time in the history that we were significant as a people was when we rallied around religion. Religion is what worked for us, and hence we ought to “return” to its

Abu Shreek: The School Education

2006-08-03T07:38:00.000-11:00

Abu Shreek is convinced that his 12 years of school education could not be matched anywhere outside of Jordan. The tremendous curricula along with the high expectations set by the Jordanian student's teachers and family result in a valuable background of information and a diverse complilation of “common knowledge”. Abu Shreek would like to demonstrate some examples of how rich the content of some

Profile: The Childhood Hero

2006-07-27T06:10:00.000-11:00

For some reason, they decided to send him to Al-Azhar. At the time, the prestigious school, connected to the Fatimid mosque, was a viable destination for Arab scholars seeking higher education, but probably not very suitable for one of his background. It is unknown how many “classes” he attended there, or whether he was ever seen near a mosque. Nevertheless, following a persisting traditional

The Mailbag (I)

2006-07-20T06:36:00.000-11:00

Abu Shreek responds to the first batch of essential inquiries.Caution: If you suffer from ADD, feel free to print it out. It makes for great bathroom reading.I am a 24 years old single male. An alarming number of my buddies are getting married. How am I supposed to deal with the situation?Wa7eed, Amman, JordanCompletely boycott any and all of these (ex)friends. Limit the interaction with them to

Review: The Best Kept Secret

2006-07-18T03:32:00.000-11:00

Khaled Al- Haber: 30 years of excellence, an artist for this time and every time.Abu Shreek was flipping through the channels around the year of 1999 when he stumbled across a concert on the Lebanese satellite channel LBC. The lead vocalist was a different- looking guy, with a shaggy afro hair, a thick mustache and an acoustic guitar hanging on his chest. A Palestinian flag around his shoulders

Abu Shreek: Absent

2006-07-13T06:50:00.000-11:00

Abu Shreek two weekly posts will not apear in this space this week and will return next week with a Q&A mailbag.Feel free to mail your questions to (abushreek_jor@yahoo.com), regarding any issue (preferably highly irrelevant), and adequate replies to the worthy ones will be considered.

Profile: The Autocratic Democracy

2006-07-07T06:29:00.000-11:00

In order to have a legitimate “opposition”, isn’t it necessary to have a “government” in the first place? When a totalitarian regime faces a crisis, it always manages to re-invent itself. When a population wakes up one morning and realizes that the majority of it cannot afford bread, and suddenly recognizes that what was supposed to be a “state” economy, a local currency, a central bank

Straight Shooting (III)

2006-07-05T10:12:00.000-11:00

A few more thoughts on WC'06 and the best and worst from the cup.After 63 games, the beautiful game proves once again that the quality of athletic performance on the field is as exciting as watching grass grow. Yet it remains addictive. Low scoring, slow play, timid attacks, suffocating defenses and excessive bookings, yet the drama of the event and the occasional all-time classic (Italy/Germany)

WC: Straight Shooting (II)

2006-06-28T06:06:00.000-11:00

More thoughts on WC’06 and How to spot a Great WC when you are watching one ?Could this be the biggest world cup in the last two decades? There is a very big chance that we are watching the best world cup in the last 20 years. It may not be looking like it, due to the lack of “great” games so far, (even mildly entertaining games are hard to come by!). But check out

Review: The Ultimate Blogger

2006-06-23T06:05:00.000-11:00

A tribute to the Sports Guy: Bill SimmonsAfter he graduated from a good northeastern school with a degree in political science with a focus on the Arab-Israeli conflict, he interned/worked for the Boston Herald. He was covering high school sporting events and local minor leagues, when he realized that he could be fetching coffee for a fat old sports writer for ten years before he gets his own

Profile: The Terrorists Win

2006-06-21T04:08:00.000-11:00

At the five-year break, Bin LadenS 1 : World 0.As the world approaches the anniversary of the two infamous airplanes penetrating two tower buildings, one can evaluate and examine the winners and losers of the alleged "War on Terrorism" launched momentarily after the dreaded incident. In order to do so, it must be determined: “When the attacks were planned and

WC: Straight Shooting (I)

2006-06-19T11:33:00.000-11:00

A few thoughts from the second set of matches of the WC ’06How many touches do you need to score a goal? In the previous round, Germany scored a goal from almost midfield on one touch (throw in and shot), Saudi Arabia covered the field from coast to coast on three touches (on Sami Aljaber’s strike), both goals among the best of the tournament. But no goal (maybe in the history of soccer) compares

Archive: World Domination

2006-06-16T07:24:00.000-11:00

A pre-edited version of this article originally ran in a student publication on October 04, 2004, under the title " Look Outside his Box". Abu Shreek was attempting to demonstrate possible reasons for the anti-American sentiments in the Arab world, beyond the president’s explanation. Quoting President Bush, who has simplified the anti-American sentiments in the Middle East and Arab world on

WC: The First Annual World Cup Awards

2006-06-14T10:03:00.000-11:00

Handing out first stage first round awards while trying to figure out: When Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago played, how did they all fit on the same field?The world cup first round takes forever. I still think that raising the number of teams from 24 to 32 solved some problems (more seats for Asia and Africa, no best-thirds qualifying to

Profile: The Sellout

2006-06-09T18:04:00.000-11:00

Abu Shreek realizes that one of the main sources of the Arab population misery resides at the top. “From the Ocean to the Gulf” we are “blessed” with an assortment of (dysfunctionality) at a level that is good enough to trample any civilization no matter how proud it once was.Abu Shreek chooses to approach this problem in the same manner most of his fellow countrymen and comrades do: A

Abu Shreek: The Hopeless Romantic

2006-06-08T19:41:00.000-11:00

This may sound like a “personal” story but it is not, since everybody knew about it even before she did.Abu Shreek was admitted to the university. The most frequent question he was subjected to was "Sooo, how are the university chicks?". He took great offense to that inquiry, since his parents had the vision to have him attend one of the pioneer coed schools in his

NBA: The First Finals

2006-06-07T13:00:00.000-11:00

Miami Heat vs. Dallas MavericksFinals PreviewAbout two years ago, I worked on an article explaining why professional basketball has regressed dramatically over the previous 4 years. The fan base was quickly deteriorating and the quality of games was sinking to “unwatchable” levels.Fast forward to the 2006 playoffs, the mark of the league’s probable resurrection. There were four highly

Abu Shreek: The Final Semester

2006-06-02T06:06:00.000-11:00

The embedded one paragraph postAbu Shreek saved three out of his four required university electives (courses outside of his major) for the final semester. He got accustomed to his space and comfort zone “upstairs”. He got occupied with Greek-alphabet-infested empirical equations and daily three-hour labs, and he became too lazy to be running across campus, up and down the infamous engineering

Archive: American Scams

2006-05-28T11:28:00.000-11:00

This article originally ran in a student publication on January 25, 2003, under the title " False Advertisement". Abu Shreek was trying to address those drinking the White House Kool-Aid. In the wake of a natural disaster that wiped out 150,000 human beings, relief efforts from all over the world are gathered. But leave it to the so-called celebrities to capitalize on a massive human tragedy to

Profile: The Valet Driver

2006-05-27T03:33:00.000-11:00

Overworked,underpaid and still broke.On weekends, Rhadames worked for a valet-service agency. A decent and relatively comfortable college job, that provided supplemental income to his other two part-time jobs (Substitute teacher and little-league umpire).His boss would call him during the week to assign the time and location of the coming event. Private parties, fund raisers, church masses,

Abu Shreek: The College Idiot

2006-05-26T16:41:00.000-11:00

Abu Shreek's 4-year collegiate experience was so uneventful and so unproductive. His main activities were endless daily marathons of Trix and Tarneeb (cards), constant complaining and expressing of disgust, and wasted days around the Square (early in his career), Cafeteria il Handaseh (copying homework and lab reports), and (Koshk il Handaseh, bi idarett Nader Jdoo3: the engineering mini-mart

Profile: The Privatization

2006-05-25T13:37:00.000-11:00

Selling Away a Country As the morally deteriorating world continues its slide towards the ugliest forms of capitalism, and following its inhumane principals, “the government” must lose its significance in favor of “the corporation”. The traditional “state” assumes a secondary role to the domination of market economics and the corporations that run and benefit from them. Even a totalitarian

NFL: The "Football" Debate

2006-05-25T10:14:00.000-11:00

Caution: High Sports ContentBetween the years 1989 and 2001 I followed football (soccer) with the commitment and dedication of the true fan. If it is on TV I am watching. I followed that up by reading analysis, commentary and insider information to avoid being that non-passionate casual fan. From the year 2001 on, I was introduced to a new version of football, in which the ball is not round and

Profile: Abu Shreek il Mikaneek™

2006-05-24T09:19:00.000-11:00

At the corner that leads you into the endless “To All Departments” hallway, there was a big billboard. Every morning, some of our enthusiastic lady colleagues took on the habit of posting newspapers clippings on it, thus creating “Saba7 il Khair ya Handaseh: Good Morning Engineering”. Daily headlines, cartoons and articles were neatly arranged and it made for a very popular read between lecture

Profile : The blog

2006-05-24T06:17:00.000-11:00

To Blog or not to Blog.A Blog is created every second.Is the Blog the next E-mail or is it the next mIRC?Are Blogs too impersonal?Blogger late than never.A stage is available, and Abu Shreek has stuff to share.