A World Citizen

Great song for the Season 5 finale of Nip/Tuck

2006-12-16T13:50:00.000-05:00

My Bro

2006-11-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

A recent picture of my brother with his two kids. I miss them. Can't wait to see them. :o)

Halloween!

2006-11-03T22:56:00.000-05:00

A last minute costume change and I dressed as a star soccer player. Not quite scary..but if you knew that I am a awful soccer player...then it's quie scary. But since I looked like a star...all star players have beautiful girls with them. So I'm with Snow White (Reena) and Wonder Woman (Jennifer). Good friends of mine :o)

Just Another Mother Murdered

2006-10-06T16:24:00.000-04:00

Almost no one bothered to report it. A search of the nation's largest newspapers turned up nothing in USA Today, the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Houston Chronicle, Tampa Tribune, etc.

There was nothing on CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, PBS, NPR, Fox News. Nothing.

The LA Times, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Associated Press each had one sentence, at most, telling about her. All three left out the details, the LA Times had her age significantly off, and the Washington Post reported that she had been killed by an Israeli tank shell.

It hadn't been a tank shell that had killer her, according to witnesses. It had been bullets, multiple ones, fired up close.

Neighbors report that Israeli soldiers had been beating her husband because he wasn't answering their questions. Foolishly or valiantly, how is one to say, the 35-year-old woman had interfered. She tried to explain that her husband was deaf, screamed at the soldiers that her husband couldn't hear them and attempted to stop them from hitting him. So they shot her. Several times.

Her name was Itemad Ismail Abu Mo'ammar.

She didn't die, though. That took longer. It required her life to flow out of her in the form of blood for several hours, as Israeli soldiers refused to allow an ambulance to transport her to help. Her husband and children could do nothing to save her.

Finally, after approximately five hours, an ambulance was allowed to take her to a hospital, where physicians were able to render one service: pronounce her dead, a few days before the commencement of Ramadan, a season of family gatherings much like the Christmas season for Americans. She left 11 children. None of this was in the Washington Post story, which had reported her death in one half of one sentence.

Her husband's brother, who lived in the same house, was also killed. He was a 28-year-old farmer.

Why did this all happen? The family lived behind a resistance fighter wanted by Israel. They were simply "collateral damage" in a failed Israeli assassination/kidnapping operation.

All together, five Palestinians were killed that day. The other three were young shepherds killed in another area, two 15 years old and one 14, who seem to have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gaza.

None of this was reported in most of America's news media, and so the American public never learned about a mother bleeding to death in front of her children, or young shepherds being blown to pieces. Apparently, it just wasn't newsworthy.

Alison Weir is Executive Editor of If Americans Knew, which has produced in-depth studies and illustrative videos on American news coverage of Israel-Palestine.

Before you enlist

2006-09-20T12:21:00.000-04:00

Keith Olbermann on 911

2006-09-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

Colbert! ABC's 9/11 Special

2006-09-12T16:36:00.000-04:00

Labor Day Weekend

2006-09-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

FEAR FEAR FEAR

2006-09-06T16:56:00.000-04:00

Indian/Iranian music video

2006-07-19T20:10:00.000-04:00

The artist's name is Arash. He sings in farsi and hindi. He has many other songs and they are quite good. This music video is quite chill! Remember the song Informer by Snow. Its the same beat as that song. Enjoy!

Video code provided by www.Bia2.com

Teen Titans !!!

2006-07-03T15:32:00.000-04:00

After completing this game in December 2005 and some delays from the previous publisher, Teen Titans the video game is available! This was the first game I worked on as a game programmer at A2M.

Natacha & Roozbeh Engagement Celebration

2006-04-16T01:18:00.000-04:00

Well I just got back 1 hour ago from my cousin's engagement party. Pictures are posted on my Flicker. Check them out! Can't wait for the wedding in September. Crazy how time goes by. I remember us being little kids and all the adventures we had. Congrats Natacha & Roozbeh !

Ya, I'm not good at this blog thing

2006-04-09T17:46:00.000-04:00

Well I finally did something on this blog. Been at least 6 months I didn't post anything. All started when I build my new computer. I was too lazy to transfer my files from my old computer to the new one. Then I was quite busy with work. A project was approaching its end. Then I went on vacation. After the vacation...well I got lazy. Also, add to all that: being a active Baha'i, going out with friends and playing video games. So ya...anyway. Also got a Flickr account. I only got a few pictures posted. Going to post back all of the old pictures since I don't use my previous web host.

Would this make the evening news ?

2005-11-26T12:30:00.000-05:00

From an article:

Among the worst of those wounded were Sergeant Spencer Akers, who was burned on over 75 per cent of his body, and 26 year-old Latseen Benson of the 101st Airborne. Specialist Benson was blown up on November 13 and "lost his legs and possibly part of an arm and was in a coma Tuesday night [November 15] in a hospital in Germany."

Latseen Benson is aged 26, unconscious and legless. His mother said he was forced to extend his service under Rumsfeld's Stop-Loss Program. In all decency he shouldn't have been sent back to Iraq, but now "My son is now fighting for his life with half a body left".

Latseen Benson comes from Anchorage, Alaska. And it so happens that the draft-dodger Bush visited Anchorage November 15 and while he was there announced that "As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them into war continue to stand behind them". But as Specialist Benson's mother said : "I would have appreciated a little house call while he was here to tell me why a very fine boy has to be fighting for his life."

But house calls are not the Bush style. He would not dare to visit with Mrs Benson. He would not know what to say to the mother who knows her son lost both his legs because Bush and his cohorts told lies. A meeting with the mother of a maimed soldier could not be scripted. It could not be stage-managed, like his obscene performance on an aircraft carrier when he delivered his arrogant smirking inanities in front of a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished". A meeting with Mrs Benson would have to be unrehearsed and devoid of the public relations bells and whistles that are vital for performances by this soggy apology for a leader. Without meticulous preparation for every Bush appearance in public he would be reduced to demonstrating his true capabilities, which at their height would be those of a third rate clerk for an itinerant pox-doctor. Which brings us to the vice-president.

Absent for a while.

2005-11-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

Been absent on the webpage scene for a while. I didn't take the time or camera (to take pictures) to share my life on my webpage. Here is a quick update on what's going on.

- I posted the pictures from Anissa's Birthday party ! It was a phat party.

- Work is keeping me busy. The deadline for the final version of the game is the end of November.

- Also been busy setting up for my new Personal Computer.

- Started a Ruhi book 3 study circle at my place.

- There is few more things, but will keep it for another post.

Toqué & W

2005-10-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I was invited by Lica to a great supper. Her and fellow friends of ours from University (now living in Toronto) went to ToquÃ©!Restaurantt. It`s a world-class restaurant with exceptional food. We had a 7 or 8 course meal (I lost count). One of the meals was very similar to sushi...but with seaweed. So I actually enjoyed it! Many people know that Ipassionatelyy dislike sushi. A world-classrestaurantt comes with a world-class bill. However, its good to sometimes treat yourself and to embark on a very interesting culinary voyage. The service at therestaurantt was nothing short than great. A very enjoyable evening spent with friends. The night ended with some dancing at the Club/Lounge W.

Pictures from our evening were sent to me by Lica.

Some facts.

2005-10-23T19:31:00.000-04:00

From various articles I read:

Bush played video golf for five days in Crawford while bodies floated down the flooded streets of New Orleans. The media finally began some critical coverage, noting the absence of the federal government in the place where people needed it most. It also re-discovered class and race. "Wow," said one of my students, "I didn't know that 37 million people lived under the poverty line." Indeed, the poor had remained especially invisible to the three million millionaires in the country who had grown richer through Bush's tax cuts.

A typical white family, we learned, possessed about $80,000 in assets; the average black family about $6,000. The 2005 UN Human Development Report stated that the United States remains unique among wealthy countries: no health insurance program. "Blacks in Washington DC have a higher infant death rate than people in the Indian state of Kerala," said the Report (September 8, 2005, The Independent).

The United States slipped to 43rd in infant mortality ratings. Babies in Beijing have more than twice the chance of living for their first year as those born in Washington DC. The post Katrina reporting also showed that the President, who trumpeted his "no child left behind" program, faces a "lots of kids left behind scenario." 15-year old Americans rank 24th out of 29 nations in reading and math.

600 km

2005-10-09T17:44:00.000-04:00

So after 600 km of driving, I am back home from a three day trip to Ottawa to celebrate Aram and Natalia's Wedding. Congratulations! It was a very nice trip. The first half of the trip was spent with my best friend Sepehr. And the other half was spent with the always entertaining Martin from MartinsQuest.com. Martin and I got to spend some quality time together. I would list the names of all the girls he had (and has) a crush on...but that would simply take too long. And I don't think this blog can handle that big of internet traffic.

So I posted pictures from my Ottawa road trip and pictures from a friends birthday party that was help few weeks ago.

It was also Sepehr's 26th birthday on friday. A big happy birthday to my best bud.

byebye Payou

2005-09-15T22:24:00.000-04:00

The day has come and gone...Tuesday September 13th, 2005...Payam has left Montreal for Haifa, Israel. One year of beautiful service at the Baha'i Holy Land. He will be missed very much by his huge legion of friends in Montreal. He will join fellow Montreal friends in Haifa; Samir, Yasmine, Payam (another Payam). Pictures from his goodbye supper are posted.

Shopping on 9/11

2005-09-10T11:05:00.000-04:00

I just read this interesting post on somebody's blog. It is about what she did on the day of September 11, 2001. She went shopping. It's a very good post. Click here for the blog.

So It Was About Oil

2005-09-05T19:12:00.000-04:00

From an article:

President Bush has evaded Cindy Sheehan's question, "What was the noble cause that my son died for?" But he provided a partial answer on the day that the New Orleans levees gave way.
The media coverage was scant and fleeting -- but we should not allow the nation's Orwellian memory hole to swallow up a revealing statement in Bush's speech at a naval air station near San Diego.
In the Aug. 30 speech, moments after condemning "a brutal campaign of terror in Iraq," the president said: "If Zarqawi and bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks. They'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions." In other words, the U.S. war effort in Iraq must continue because control of Iraqi oil is at stake.
Would U.S. troops be in Iraq if that country didn't have a drop of oil under its sand? Most politicians dodge that kind of question.

On Aug. 30, 2005, less than a minute after declaring that if terrorists "gain control of Iraq" they would "seize oil fields to fund their ambitions," President Bush vowed: "We will stay on the offensive. We will stand with the people of Iraq. And we will prevail."

For years, war supporters have pooh-poohed slogans like "No Blood for Oil." But let the record show: In a scripted speech, the president of the United States has cited Iraqi oil as a key reason for the U.S. military to keep killing in Iraq.

Not surprised.

2005-09-05T15:53:00.000-04:00

This is interesting... Click on the image for a bigger view.

My Nephew and Niece.

2005-09-03T12:17:00.000-04:00

We regularly receive pictures of my nephew and niece from my brother in Orange County, California. My parents sit and repeatedly look at the pictures of their grandkids. Being so far away from their grandkids is hard for them. Specially for my dad...
So I decided to post a new picture we received few days ago. I can't wait to have some time off from work to visit them. I haven't seen my niece yet.

La Ronde

2005-08-31T19:00:00.000-04:00

Sunday I went to La Ronde with friends from Ottawa. We all had a great day. Lots of fun. I posted the pictures of that memorable day. Martin from MartinsQuest.com should have his pictures available soon. Here is a 17 MB Video of the Monster (a roller coaster in La Ronde). I recorded it while being on the ride.

I also posted pictures from two house parties I went on Saturday. Both parties were great and conveniently located at opposite ends of Montreal Island.

Cost of war.

2005-08-29T22:39:00.000-04:00

I visited the following website, CostOfWar.com, few months ago. The website keeps a running total of what American taxpayers are spending on the Iraq War. They also compare the running total to other programs that the money can be spend on. Currently, Monday August 29th, close to 191 billions dollars has been estimated. Instead, America could have:

paid for 25,281,919 children to attend a year of Head Start.
insured 114,298,535 children for one year.
hired 3,307,949 additional public school teachers for one year.
provided 9,253,377 students four-year scholarships at public universities .
built 1,718,683 additional housing units .
fully funded global anti-hunger efforts for 7 years.
fully funded world-wide AIDS programs for 19 years.
ensured that every child in the world was given basic immunization for 63 years.

High Thrills

2005-08-27T09:53:00.000-04:00

In January, I went to visit my brother in sunny California. He took me to Las Vegas for two days. There I went to that Sky Needle. I think its called the Stratosphere. On top of it, there is three rides. One of the rides basically dips you on the edge of the sky needle. Here is a video of the ride shortly after I went on it.

Video (20MB). (Right click & Save Target As)

A good laugh.

2005-08-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

Here are links to two video that have been the source of laughter for me during the past few months. I decided to share them with the rest of the world. Probably few of you have already seen them. Enjoy !

Right click and choose save target as.

Video #1 (1 mb)

Video #2 (5 mb)

Shuttle Discovery & Spacewalkers.

2005-08-11T18:30:00.000-04:00

My friend from work forwarded two pictures that was sent to him from Julie Payette. She started training with NASA in 1996 to prepare for her first flight in 1999, the STS-96 Mission. Payette is the eighth Canadian in space, the second Canadian woman and the first to enter the International Space Station and contribute to its assembly.

The two pictures are from the recent Discovery space mission. Julie Payette was working at the capcom. She was the human link between the astronauts in space and the NASA Johnson Space Center.

From Julie Payette:
" The first photo is of Space Shuttle Discovery taken Thursday July 28th by the crew onboard the International Space Station, while the shuttle was performing a flip maneuver (360-degree sommersault) underneath it, just prior to docking. It is the first time the Shuttle is ever photographed from this angle, straight on with the Earth below.

The second photo is of Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi waving back at photographer Steve Robinson in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle during the spacewalk on Monday August 1st. "

Photo #1.

Photo #2.

A mother, a dead son, and America.

2005-08-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

Here is two articles that I read on Counterpunch that I find very interesting. The first one is about a mother and her dead son. And the second one is about America and nobility.

First article.
Second article.

Relaxing, the Lake, Kayaking, Swimming and Kabobs

2005-08-07T13:03:00.000-04:00

My uncle & aunt invited me and my parents to their cottage next to a lake at Mont-Orford. It was a beautiful day. Nice and warm. Enjoyed the beautiful warm lake by kayaking and swimming. All this followed by a nice Persian supper...kabobs! Kabobs cooked over wood...a very good taste. Would like to thank my uncle and aunt for this great one day vacation. It's been, I believe, about 15 years now that I have been enjoying their lovely cottage in Mont-Orford. My cousins will agree with me: Lots of great memories from swimming to skiing.

Pictures are posted. The link is on the sidebar.

FALLout

2005-08-06T08:44:00.000-04:00

This fall, two of my favorites video games are coming out with new installments: Burnout Revenge and NHL 2006. I will be spending many hours indoors. Samir, thank you for lending me your XBOX while you are serving in Haifa.

Canada: 2nd Best Country....eh!

2005-08-02T20:20:00.000-04:00

From an article:

"Canada beat out the United States and Britain in a survey of the world's favourite nations, coming second only to Australia."

"Unlike the United States, which ranked in at the 11th position, Canada's government was seen as neutral. The majority of those polled also described the government as trustworthy."

"Canada also ranked second in categories including investment, immigration, and people. It placed third in the hospitality category."

"With a stable, liberal and democratic government and a healthcare system envied by its neighbours -- justified or not -- Canada is clearly a strong brand that goes beyond the borders of its hemisphere,"

Re-Birth...yet again...

2005-07-31T20:16:00.000-04:00

Welcome dear friends,

Yes, yes...a new website. I decide to use Blogger since I lack the artistic skills to create a nice website. And looking a Payou's Blog, I figured, eh! why not use Blogger...its easy and nice.

Also, the lack of a descent internet connection prevented me to update my site with pictures. Now that I have regular DSL (not high speed), it should be easier and faster for me to upload pictures. Well..easy until the day that my paid storage expires and I either renew my account with Canaca or figure some other solution...well..until that day comes.

So I posted some new pictures. Pictures from:

Alya's & Lily's Birthday celebrations.
A family and friends visit at my uncle cottage by the lake.
Anissa & Wantha's Wedding.
Dipa's & Rahoul's Wedding.
And day one of Anissa's & Wantha's new life.