tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-149459892011-09-08T17:18:32.809-05:00thoughts and observations on current happenings with random photographs and pieces of life from a Jordanian living in the USOleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.comBlogger771100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-55767675297897376842009-10-20T16:37:00.000-05:002009-10-20T16:38:25.238-05:00

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-8955863920415205142009-10-09T14:39:00.002-05:002009-10-09T14:43:19.259-05:00

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-44203582367194828152008-03-19T09:10:00.005-05:002009-10-09T14:42:20.769-05:00

The moon last night at full -3 days.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-6072060186981306292008-01-29T12:48:00.000-06:002008-01-29T12:48:47.613-06:00

There's cold and then there's North Dakota cold... in the spirit of the excitement over the cold and snowy weather over in Jordan, here's a little snapshot of some vintage Northland weather for some perspective.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-69500759250384283502007-10-18T10:51:00.003-05:002008-02-24T16:10:07.731-06:00

If you're into alternative music do yourself a favor and check Radiohead out. If you visit the website don't expect a "normal" band website, the website name, content, and even url change periodically. I only became aware of Radiohead, wikipediad, through their hit first released single Creep, sampled. But I thankfully was able to look beyond Creep, I never did get why idiotic rock radio stations

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-58292383313083164262007-10-12T11:45:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:15:17.162-06:00

Today was Eid El Fitr in much of the Islamic and Arabic world, however, Muslims in North America following the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) have to wait until tomorrow to celebrate the Eid.This really isn't anything new, as Islamic countries never seem able to agree on anything including their calendar. This year though presents a whole new level of disparity. See, a couple of years

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-81027049225062050732007-10-01T15:51:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:17:01.238-06:00

A very interesting conversation with Prince Hassan published on the Time Middle East blog. The Prince talks about the current affairs in which he describes the region as a black hole, and his thoughts on how to avoid yet another future disaster. A very good read.Some excerpts: Why a “black hole”? It has no institutional structure. It has no systemic representation. Anywhere you go in this part

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-44966872280128668792007-08-20T12:40:00.000-05:002007-08-20T12:54:08.876-05:00

Dick Cheney in a 1994 post first Iraq war interview displays astonishing foresight and states why occupying Iraq would be a wrong move.Transcript, via Editor & Publisher:Q: Do you think the U.S., or U.N. forces, should have moved into Baghdad?A: No.Q: Why not?A: Because if we'd gone to Baghdad we would have been all alone. There wouldn't have been anybody else with us. There would have been a U.S

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-27607824680553522962007-07-25T12:19:00.000-05:002007-07-25T22:01:49.003-05:00

على لسان محمد ابوطه رئيس لجنة المياه بنقابة المهندسين الذي قال في تعليق لجريدةالدستور الصادرة اليوم على موضوع تلوث المياه " أنا أضع اللوم الكبير على سكان المنطقة، السبب الحقيقي وراء انتشار ظاهرة تلوث المياه في هذه المنطقة يعود إلى التصرف الخاطئ من قبل البعض، توقعاتي الشخصية أن ممارسات بعض المواطنين بإطلاق الرصاص باتجاه الأنابيب لتشرب المواشي ومثل هذا التصرف يؤدي إلى تلوث المياه ، وأعود وأكرر لابد

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-51575823267902719442007-07-20T15:33:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:22:31.902-06:00

It's hard for me to fathom that a year has passed since the war in Lebanon. During the last year and now as we are living the first anniversary of that war, much detail about what happened day to day has been uncovered, especially on the border. The names of villages like Maroun Er-Ras and Bint Jbeil are now known to people around the world, and for many they've become synonymous with

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-35613081169970026512007-06-08T15:18:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:22:52.966-05:00

Two amazing imaging software endeavors at Microsoft.Seadragon is a tool for super smooth navigation of images.Photosynth is a tool for the creation of a global photographic consciousness.Check out a video demo here, mind blowing!

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-56574363159279756162007-04-18T15:30:00.001-05:002007-07-25T14:26:41.479-05:00

عشان هيك حرية التعبير مش دائماً اشي كويس، والقمع فش احلى منّه.احسن جزء الفهمان اللي بحكي ما فيها اشي ولو خطر عاللأرواح ...

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1171608246266225302007-02-16T00:41:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:24:43.129-05:00

All you democracy deprived people in the Middle East, know that democracy has a dark side. Check out this piece of legislation that has recently made it through the North Dakota congress, here are some notable highlights:Bill OKs shooting burglarsBy Dale Wetzel, Associated PressPublished Tuesday, February 13, 2007BISMARCK – Opposition from prosecutors and law enforcement officers could not derail

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1171475210582411142007-02-14T11:44:00.000-06:002007-11-08T09:27:20.621-06:00

A question that has been prominent in American media and US political speech in the last few years has been, "Why do they [terrorists] hate us?". Which is a very valid question, because to fight terrorism you should know its roots and causes and start the fight there. But the problem is that these politicians and analysts have stopped short of seeking (or admitting) the real answer.The following

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1169834224468760042007-01-26T11:53:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:26:20.497-05:00

K#$ OKHT EL TAKHALOF (initial reaction, had to be said).But here's what LBC has to say about the show this was on:تقدّم الفضائية اللبنانية برنامجا جديدا يهمّ المشاهد العربي، ويحيط بجوانبحياته الإجتماعية والمعيشية والإقتصادية كافة بعنوان عيشوا معناعيشوا معنابرنامج سعودي خليجي يتضمّن فقرات يومية منوّعة، برنامج حواري مباشريناقش القضايا الإجتماعية والشبابية الحسّاسة في السعودية والخليج، من خلال

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1164984547245233462006-12-01T08:49:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:27:17.608-05:00

"I choose to live and to grow, take and give and to move, learn and love and to cry, kill and die and to be paranoid and to lie, hate and fear and to do what it takes to move through"Forty-Six & 2, from ÆNIMA

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1163085694238297642006-11-09T09:13:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:27:42.809-05:00

In remembrance of lives lost.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1156974495897849142006-08-30T16:42:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:28:28.452-05:00

Almost 2 weeks after the cease fire, Israel is still managing to inflict more casualties in the Lebanese people. Israel has left behind 100,000 unexploded bomblets (such a cute name for an instrument of death) from their extensive cluster bombing of 359 separate sites in Lebanon. "Everyday people are maimed, wounded and are killed by these ordnance, it shouldn’t have happened." said Jan Egeland,

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1152912189949311612006-07-14T16:19:00.000-05:002007-11-08T11:40:00.535-06:00

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1150657625582946832006-06-18T14:03:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:29:50.032-05:00

Besides calling the sport by the damn wrong name, this is what the local ABC affiliate decided to broadcast instead of Brazil Vs. Australia.Their sports director was nice enough to reply to my email..I wish I had a better answer than the one I will give you. Our station has partnered with Messiah Lutheran Church for more than 20 years to bring a church service to those who aren't able to go, and

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1150257986825623602006-06-13T23:02:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:30:16.024-05:00

Jordan Planet (JP) has been rapidly growing over the last year, when I joined back in July 2005 the number of blogs on JP was in the teens 30s, today with the latest induction of a fresh batch of blogs we've surpassed the 100 blog mark, which is a major milestone.JP has matured into a cohesive entity in the global blogoshpere and one feels a true sense of community among the planet citizens. Some

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1149787583178297952006-06-08T12:21:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:36:11.394-06:00

A piece of good news from a sea of tragedy in Iraq. One shouldn't rejoice in the end of life, and I wouldn't describe my feelings as happy but that of reflection on the crimes this person committed and the suffering he brought upon so many lives.The Arabic concept of "revenge" comes to mind, or what we call in Arabic Thar, it is an old Arabic custom that the family of a victim will not accept

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145342350421587722006-06-04T12:13:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:31:36.872-05:00

كأردني على مشارف إنهاء عقدي الثالث، تربيت على أمثال و مقولات كُرِّرت و تكَرَّرت على مسمعي حتى اصبحت جزأًً لا يتجزأ من كياني، ولو أخذت عيِّنة من الشباب الأردني لوجدت أن الحال مشابه لمعظمهمأتكلم عن الأمثال الكلاسيكية كامشِ الحيط الحيط و قول يالله الستيرهالباب اللِّي بيجيك منهْ الريح، سدُّهٌ واستريحابعد عن الشر وغنّيلهحط راسك بين الروس وقول يا قطّاع الروسالموت مع الناس نعاس...الخthis post has been

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1147417272269433322006-05-18T13:24:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:39:44.582-06:00

I tuned in to the JRTV website last Thursday to see first hand the confessions of alleged Hamas members on the 8 o'clock news cast, and at the end of the cast there was a story about a new market in Mafraq, Jordan. What makes this market special is that it's available exclusively to females, see an Alghad article about it. All the shops in the market are run by women, men are not allowed into the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1147909694398626252006-05-17T22:51:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:45:25.588-06:00

If you're not familiar with the band Tool, allow me to introduce you to one of the greatest rock bands of our time, if you're a Tool fan, let's rejoice in the release of their album 10,000 Days. Tool's fourth offering that came 5 years after their masterpiece Lateralus, which led some people to call them "The slowest tempoed Progressive band ever!" especially with the fact that Lateralus followed

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1147409963076199462006-05-11T23:54:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:33:52.495-05:00

Thought I'd share some pictures from last weekend's biking trip to Itasca State Park in Minnesota, 32,000 acres or 130 squared km of gorgeous nature that includes more than a 100 lakes and the headwaters of the Mississippi River.The spring, green pictures, to go with the blog's new colors. It was time for the winter blues to go. Banner designed by a person much more artsy than myself, thanks :)

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1147323971613516592006-05-11T00:02:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:46:00.472-06:00

I came upon some sort of a news report while channel surfing last night, it talked about how the American Embassy building in Tehran is being used as a recruiting station for suicide bombers. It turned out that the report was for The 700 Club, Wikipedia'd, when the report ended they cut to the reporter back in the studio stateside with Pat Robertson where the two had the most interesting and "

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1147198842080565482006-05-09T13:20:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:46:42.335-06:00

I'll admit that I've never read the Egyptian blogger Alaa until I heard about the story of his and other bloggers imprisonment by the Egyptian authorities. But the story is all too familiar, and everyone in the region personally knows someone who went through something of a similar nature. So everyone should speak out against this injustice, this is my Egypt Google bomb for Alaa.Please add your

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1146887145165372342006-05-05T22:43:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:35:32.249-05:00

Caution, not for the weak of heart, all puns intended. Follow these steps:1. stay late at work, make sure you’re in a quiet office with all lights turned off. An office can be replaced by any dark quiet place, but the results may vary.2. make sure your computer speakers are turned on and the volume is fairly high.3. open http://makhoudjit.blogspot.com/God damn... that was a good scare!

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145909090968323952006-04-24T14:57:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:38:23.425-05:00

Explosions rock the resort egyptian town of Dahab on the Red Sea gulf of Aqaba, 10's reported dead Yahoo newsUpdate: by the latest count 23 dead and 62 injured, no claims of responsibility as of yet.The ugly face of terrorism has shown itself again, such loss of life, the sad fact is that I think people are numbed by it all, it's becoming a matter of when and where the next attack is going to be.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145896767878132072006-04-24T11:37:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:49:04.934-06:00

In his latest installment that was aired on Al Jazeera Sunday, Bin Laden carries on an emerging theme in Al Qaueda's rhetoric, Palestine. Al Qaueda is a Johnny-come-lately on the list of countries, organizations, and people that attach themselves to the Palestinian cause for their own self-benefit, and that is by far the last thing the cause needs. We saw Al Zawahiri come out with a similar theme

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145768675355983182006-04-23T23:44:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:39:36.396-05:00

We just had a gorgeous weekend, sunny and highs in the 70s both days so it was the perfect time for me to make my triumphant return to biking, these are some pictures I took along the bike trails. First off though my new toy, she's green!and still shiny :)some follow Fargoan's enjoying the lovely day.playing hide the shadow, I like how this tree takes a dip in the pond and emerges dry from the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145524231095875242006-04-20T04:08:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:40:15.130-05:00

I'm sick of being nocturnal! There's only so much you can do at 4AM, and the fact that I need to be at work by 9 makes sleep seem even less desirable.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145468819121425612006-04-19T12:45:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:41:09.157-05:00

This issue seems to be the flavor of the week, everyone is talking about it, taking a position, defending it passionately, and arguing against the other's. For me personally, I find it hard to take a position because so many of the facts about the incident are (still) unknown.What we do know though, is that Jordan is always in a tough spot when it comes to such issues. Bush and members of the US

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145394870768300732006-04-18T16:18:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:41:44.529-05:00

I was out of town a couple of weeks ago when I saw this car with a very cool license plate. Now there's a gal that isn't afraid of expressing her opinions, way to go, more power to you!I really like the idea of cars as arenas of self-expression, you have many options from personalized license plates like the one above and this cuter one. Or you can go with any of the million and one bumper

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1145322978433308622006-04-17T20:12:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:42:14.767-05:00

For anyone interested and is in the US, there's a show on the History Channel on now called Digging for the Truth, the topic of today's episode is The Real Sin City: Sodom & Gomorrah. Very cool imagery from Jordan.Edit: with the outfit the host thinks he's Indiana Jones lol! and he knows nothing...

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1144959750564976992006-04-13T15:20:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:43:14.289-05:00

A friend of mine sent me this picture and as silly as it is, it's funny!!I mean.. his butt! and his ears...!! hehehe.....Happy Easter everyone, and thank you North Dakota for being extra-religious and giving us a 4-day weekend. WOO HOO :)

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1144569407176229462006-04-09T02:53:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:43:43.548-05:00

snow meltingThe Red, March 26preperation for high watersApril 4th, swelling its banksirony, she's a bitchthese light posts used to run along a bridgeBut that's the price of spring.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1142672841472931072006-03-18T03:12:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:44:42.960-05:00

What do you do when you don't feel like talking to anyone? When the only person you might want to speak to is unavailable on more than one level, and you probably wouldn't tell them anything anyway?My answer is to tell everyone who's willing to read.What do you do when you don't feel like articulating and committing by using your own words?My answer is to use the lame ass lyrics of a lame ass

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1141940810733106152006-03-09T15:28:00.000-06:002007-11-08T10:01:14.549-06:00

I've been wanting to comment on the American stupidity that created the fiasco around Dubai Ports (DP) World taking over operations at six US ports. The same kind of superb reasoning that mothers in American suburbia used when they voted for Bush, you know, because they feel safer walking into a mall with him being the president! American legislators deemed that it would endanger America's

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1139431474084298502006-02-08T14:44:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:46:24.967-05:00

my right eye has been twitching for 3 days and it's driving me freaking insane....help?

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1138993088805021062006-02-03T14:35:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:46:51.483-05:00

Om oleander and Abu oleander are going to be making it to the sleepy town tomorrow, they don't care how sleepy the town is, they don't care how freezing cold the weather is, all they care about is spending some time with their offspring, and that's exactly what I intend to do, spend as much time as possible with them. After a voyage that has taken them from Jordan to the Midwest and to the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1138740258961519072006-01-31T14:55:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:48:13.336-05:00

Watching this issue snowballing in the past week into a humongous mess was something surreal, I found myself wondering is this really happening?The funny thing is that the cartoons were published back in September or October 05, I don't understand why the issue has just picked up so much steam lately.The cartoons were tasteless and offensive, provided that what's considered tasteless and

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1138570684149304922006-01-29T15:37:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:48:48.356-05:00

I was tagged by Khalaf and Reem, thanks for the tag guys, now I'm in the cool tagged club.Five facts about me:-I'm going through what I can best describe as a 1/3rd-life crisis, versus a mid or quarterlife one-I'm not a book reader, like all of 3 books in 2005-I'm not geeky enough for my field (software)-I enjoy the outdoors-I'm fascinated by weather, the more extreme the better, which is perfect

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1137737792322653392006-01-20T00:22:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:49:13.559-05:00

I've been wanting to see Paradise Now since it came out, I didn't hold much hope for seeing it in theatre because it was playing in "select theatres", the town I live in isn't exactly the hippest and is not usually "selected". I kept an eye out for movie listings in the local commercial chain theatres but it was no use, much to my surprise about two weeks ago the local old downtown theatre (think

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1137702775011215562006-01-19T15:49:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:49:42.041-05:00

After last week's attack on a tiny Pakistani village that supposedly targeted Al Qaueda leadership including second in command, whom I like to call: root of the evil that is Al Qaueda, Ayman Zawahiri, the outcome of the attack is not yet clear. It is likely that the strike has missed its intended target, reports say that drones or UAV's were circling the area for a few days prior to the attack,

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1137534192797033172006-01-17T15:44:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:50:48.000-05:00

I came across an article on Elaph under the title Ladies Under Watch, in Arabic. It talks about seven Arab ladies that made it to the Forbes' 2005 list of 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. Forbes has a focus on these ladies in this article: Women To Watch In The Middle East.This is not the first time that Arab ladies have made it to this list, in the past, Arab women along with women from

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1137196973584115062006-01-13T18:02:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:51:19.179-05:00

Reports have stated that an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) missile attack on an area on the border of Afghanistan, targeted a suspected group of Al Qaueda leaders. It's possible that among the casualties is Al Qaueda second in command, Ayman Al Zawahiri.more on ABC newsTechnorati tags: Zawahiri, Al Qaueda

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1136624861022571622006-01-07T03:08:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:51:47.509-05:00

I get in my car this evening, I turn on the radio and I hear the welcomed familiar sounds of NPR , listening for a minute to a discussion about Canadian politics and how conservatives are gaining grounds there, I quickly lose interest. I switch to one of my trusted saved stations, a rock station, I hear the very familiar and very unwelcome tone of country music. After a quick double take, the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1136015759618038952005-12-31T01:55:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:52:09.315-05:00

It's not often that we get such a peaceful beautiful snow during the hard winter months of December, January, and February. But we've been blessed with warmer than normal temperatures, and the snow fell with virtually no wind, here's the result (click to enlarge).What we woke up to this morning.. And how it looked tonight... Technorati tags: Winter, Wonderland, Snow

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1132597599501117722005-12-30T01:25:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:52:57.948-05:00

Some notable astronaut quotes about earth from space:"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."Neil Armstrong"The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents. By the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1134885011252511312005-12-17T23:50:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:53:18.436-05:00

The picture above is not of a laser show nor is it of spotlights pointed to the sky, it's one of a northland oddity. When the right conditions are present; a cold night, calm winds, ice crystals in the atmosphere cause every light source to shoot out a vertical beam into the sky.Taken at 7:33PM CST/0133 GMT, Temp: 6.8 °F/-14.0 °C, Humidity: 79%, Wind: 8.1 mph/13.0 km/h

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1134751892746790342005-12-16T10:52:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:54:11.058-05:00

A friend of mine has alerted me to an analysis on Al Jazeera written by the same author who wrote about Al Qaeda's blunders in the Amman explosions, I pointed to the article in my post about Zarqawi's message after the explosions.Mr. Za'atreh comes back with an analysis about the recent Fateh elections this time. The peculiar thing about both of these analyses, and the reason for this post is the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1132597542716140052005-11-22T16:33:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:54:42.703-05:00

The MIT Media Lab unveiled a working prototype of their $100 laptop at WSIS in Tunis last week. The project has been in the works for a few years now and it's the brain child of Nicholas Negroponte, the lab's chairman and co-founder. I encourage those of you who are interested, to browse through the website especially the FAQ section.Mr. Negroponte has done work in places including Cambodia where

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1132341274792961572005-11-18T13:14:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:55:26.154-05:00

Reading into the latest rediculus Al Zarqwi's audio recording Al-Zarqawi Threatens to Kill Jordan's King and Zarqawi: Amman bombs weren't aimed at Muslims, makes me wonder how stupid this "organization" really is? Did they actually expect the Jordanian reaction to be any different? To these senseless killings? To these attacks on Jordan's stability and well being? What the hell did they expect?

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1131646317528331502005-11-10T12:42:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:56:07.566-05:00

It still hasn't been 24 hours since the attacks on Amman took place, but it feels like an eternity has passed.. after the initial shock, sad realization of the scope, painful details revealed, knowing how close it hit to family and loved ones, and gripping to every bit and piece of news.. it's just a day that I wouldn't wish on anyone.It's so hard to have a coherent thought, but I do want to try

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1131571495096384752005-11-09T15:24:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:56:28.435-05:00

May God protect our Jordan and help those who were affected by these horrible eventsLatest from Amman via Roba

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1131258815892432842005-11-08T15:46:00.000-06:002007-07-25T14:56:56.608-05:00

The rioting in France brought up an issue that I've often thought about, that of the lack of integration of Muslims into the western communities they migrate into. Looking at America as an example since the country was basically formed by immigrants, although there were some clashes between the different ethnicities, the country became a true melting pot. The ethnic groups maintained aspects of

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1130173168570355222005-10-24T11:59:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:57:16.210-05:00

Amidst increased fears of the possible breakout of a bird flu pandemic, it was only a matter of time before someone's capitalistic instincts kicked in to attempt and make the most amount of money out of the whole ordeal.When news first came out about the disease, it was pointed out that a single drug, Tamiflu produced by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, can be effective in fighting the flu.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1129531858081399842005-10-17T01:50:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:57:54.997-05:00

What Dreams May Come is a movie that I first saw about 6 months ago, and again tonight. All you ever wanted to know about life, death, the afterlife, family, and of course love. The film has a couple of things working against it, but overall it's a stunning visual feast of wild imagined ingenuity. If you're in the mood for a different film, I highly recommend it.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1129235212092231942005-10-13T15:26:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:58:21.884-05:00

This evening I have a Ping Pong match with a gentleman with the name of Juhing Fu. How did this come to be? You might ask, last month the university created a recreation room in the new apartment complex I live in, I've played with some friends and managed to beat on them pretty much at will, doesn't say much about my skill as they mostly suck :) last week, announcements were posted in the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1129091159349226062005-10-11T23:25:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:58:44.437-05:00

Fall is a magical time of the year in the northland, the skies are clearer, the air is crisper, and the lakes are bluer. Now the trees are a whole different story, the maples change into flamey red, ash turns a mix of orange and yellow, while aspens become pure gold.Below are some pictures of Maplewood state park in Minnesota, you can find the full set on my flickr, enjoy :)

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128479067977344992005-10-11T13:49:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:59:14.217-05:00

Last month ABC news ran a story about a survey that found teens in families who have regular family dinners 5 times a week are more likely to have better grades at school, and are less likely to drink alcohol, smoke, and try drugs.The results of the survey are interesting, of course the survey results speak more to the nature of a family who is a dedicated to a regular family dinner, rather than

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128963881308180122005-10-10T12:03:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:59:40.568-05:00

I took the Politics test after seeing it on Banzeen and Sabbah's Blog. It's a fun test, give it a try. You are a Social Moderate(56% permissive)and an... Economic Liberal(28% permissive)You are best described as a:Democrat Link: The Politics Test on Ok CupidAlso: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128915629799105832005-10-09T22:24:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:00:07.807-05:00

The moon whose crescent was so elusive while watched with so much anticipation last week, has been making brilliant yet quiet appearances every evening now. This is a shot of the moon Sunday evening, it's clearly a big moon looks like more than half a moon to the naked eye, which would mean that it's more likely that tomorrow is the 7th of Ramadan rather than the 6th. Big surprise, ISNA got it

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128482881604393702005-10-04T22:27:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:00:43.562-05:00

According to the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) Ramadan starts Wednesday October 5th. Some communities, as well as individuals, decided to follow suit with most Arab countries and start the fast Tuesday, so did I. Ramadan day 1 is done, I went out to dinner with a friend who also decided to fast, The Olive Garden is a far cry from a homecooked meal enjoyed with family and loved ones.

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128454994925230032005-07-26T14:55:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:01:06.247-05:00

As if Google doesn't have enough cool features under their belt, here's another one I just discovered: Google SMS. Turn your not-so-smart phone, into a powerful tool to harvest the wealth of knowledge available on the web using good ole' SMS text messages! Yup, no fancy phones needed here any phone with text messaging. At this point, the service is being offered free by Google, you only pay for

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128454830182449132005-07-25T22:05:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:02:24.048-05:00

I haven't watched the news since Saturday, I haven't even been to a news website, I just don't think I'm capable of taking any more bad news for now. When I wrote the previous post (I apologize if the profanity offended anyone) I wanted to add an Egyptian flag for show of solidarity, instantly, the thought of adding a British flag came to my mind. I paused for a second and remembered the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128454744685786422005-07-23T13:45:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:02:43.728-05:00

STOP THE MADNESS. STOP THE KILLING.it's one fucking world we live inMulticultural Group of Children Around Globe --- Image by � Gabe Palmer/zefa/Corbis

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128454573436878542005-07-22T22:25:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:03:09.921-05:00

Roba tagged me with the Nightstand Memo.So here's a picture of what I have laying on top of a bookshelf... those who didn't see Roba's post, I'm in temparoary housing and I don't have a nightstand at the moment :)

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128454461207946002005-07-19T12:41:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:03:26.432-05:00

Just a disclaimer.. I do realize that my posts are too wordy and I am taking that into consideration. I promise to try my best to keep'em short and if at all possible sweet :)My thanks to all who visit and read!

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128454086026840962005-07-19T12:14:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:03:57.801-05:00

Last night as I was getting ready for bed I was doing my routine surfing of TV channels when I came upon a show called 30 Days on the FX channel. I've seen the show's promos advertised before and managed to catch an episode of it. The show's idea is basically to take an individual and put them in an environment completely different than theirs and immerse them in that environment for 30 days, I

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128453935267017122005-07-17T12:15:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:04:21.028-05:00

My return from the trip home to Jordan this summer coincided with the 4th of July weekend, that was a little by design cause a 3-day weekend is surely welcomed to recuperate from the long trip. On Monday we went and watched fireworks with friends and everyonewas having a great time. The weekend after that, the Air Show came to town. Planes from old World War II propellers to state of the art

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128453811306194362005-07-13T00:14:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:04:45.970-05:00

Yesterday while browsing Al Jazeera I came across this news piece Abu Dhabi sells books for 1 Dirham in celebration of World Book Day the link is in Arabic and I couldn't find the same news on the Al-Jazeera English site or other English news sites. The piece mentioned that this has been an annual event in Abu Dhabi for the last 3 years and it's a great success. I can see why it's a success

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128453694446287562005-07-12T07:55:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:05:05.794-05:00

It's just not a good day if it's not started with a nice medium-length shower (medium length because work's early and sleeping is nice too :) my body simply refuses to go through the process of waking up without one. Yesterday morning as I entered the bathroom of my temporary-summer-housing studio apartment, the bathroom floor was wet (not a good sign), with one glance at the shower came the

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128453606445579392005-07-11T21:11:00.000-05:002007-07-25T15:05:27.107-05:00

Much has been said on the topic but having the pleasure of paying a recent visit to my dearest Jordan it's almost pointless having a blog and not talking about the Jordan Driving Experience.. coming to your car this summer :) As a driver from the states (let me be more specific, a small-town driver from the states) there are a few things that manage to overwhelm you the first few days of

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14945989.post-1128453488785746912005-07-11T13:10:00.000-05:002007-07-25T14:44:17.953-05:00

Thinking back to the first "contact" I've had with the world of blogging, it would have to be around and during the start of war in Iraq. Around that time news surfaced about Iraqis blogging their personal experiences with the war and reporting on the status of things in Baghdad, other news reports related to blogging mentioned groups in the US personally funding and sending their own

Oleanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03295236572087575191noreply@blogger.com0