What Now?

The Democrats just won the election and that means that they see the election as a clear sign that the American people want change, and they should. What is change though? Is it withdrawing from Iraq is that even a possiblity. It's definitely not "staying the course." The President is hilarious, he is "staying the course" but his Secretary of Defense is resigning, perhaps someone should tell him what that actually means, "staying the course" that is. Maybe Condeleeza should actually work on making sure the President understands what he is saying; I think the pretzel that he choked on might have made him loose air for a little too long.

All jokes aside I think the Democrats have a real problem. Either we withdraw which would be a global nightmare or we stay which would be a national nightmare. It was great strategy to use the war as a tool to win the election, but I am afraid it will hurt the democrats in the Presidential election coming up. The democrats are faced with a president that is going to veto anything they pass which perhaps could work in their favor because if nothing gets done they can just point the finger at him. We are just in for a couple of really interesting years politically and the world is not going to stop and wait for us to catch up...

Haven't Written in a while

I haven't written in a while, haven't really felt the urge. Perhaps its been the lack of things to talk about, perhaps just the fact that I don't think anyone reads this thing anyways. Maybe its better this way. I have to say I am frightened. I am frightened by the state of affairs going on in the world around us. The war in Iraq, the problems in Darfur, and now the Israeli Conflict. The war in Iraq has been beat up on enough so I will just let that one be. Darfur is reaching a new level of conflict even with a peace agreement in place because of Chad's involvement. It's amazing how long the world has turned a blind eye to this segment of the world as a whole population of civilians is killed. The current state of affairs begs for a International United Nations force, one which has been refused entry from the Sudanese government. It's baffling what we are going to do to bring this conflict to an end.

I want to dedicate a little more discussion to the Israeli conflict. I believe this problem is bigger then meets the eye of most citizens in the US. I am going to forego a discussion on the Palestinian front.(like the Iraq war I think that has been discussed quite a bit too) So lets talk about Lebanon. There are a number of issues that scare me but there are one or two that make me feel like this is like no other conflict that we have seen in the past.

Let's take a look at Hizbullah, its a terrorist organization. One that is amazingly organized. The problem is not in their organization but in how the world and more importantly the United States is supposed to deal with them. It's a group housed primarily in Lebanon but funded mostly by Iran and Syria. That sort of structure begs the question who is to blame. Hizbullah attacks Israel, Israel attacks Lebanon. A minority Shiite' organization in the Southern part of Lebanon attacks Israel and the disproportionate response sets a whole country back twenty years. Israel is defending itself but not by curtailing the current threat. They are ensuring that they do enough damage to Lebanon to prevent the revival of the threat for years to come. In some senses with the perdicament that Israel is in they are within their rights to do so. My problem is that setting back Lebanon will not solve the problem. It will merely result in the funding mechanisms targeting their money to different organizations.

Let's take a look at Hizbullah, its a social welfare organization. One that is also amazingly organized. Hizbullah runs a couple of hospitals, a few schools and a variety of other social service type orgs. In fact Hizbullah in South Lebanon does a better job of social service then the Lebanese government itself. By bombing Hizbullah the Israelis are destroying a social service organization that is close to the people and therefore providing another reason for the people to hate Israel if there weren't already enough. The Israelis are creating a recruiting haven for Hizbullah for years to come as the youth of those lost and slain will harbor hatred for those that are responsible.

There are definitely many other facets to this discussion that I am omitting but just the two highlighted above, in my mind, make this a very scary situation.

Another one bites the dust

The time has come, when we have to realize that we are at the beginning of the end. Everywhere you turn soldiers are losing the war. You try to aid them in their effort keep them upbeat. You even offer a shoulder to cry on. Nothing seems to work. At the end the war is just to tough. The lure too strong for some. And that is how you lose them. This last weekend we lost another good soldier. He too gave in and laid down his arms. Atur decided it was time and proposed. It seems as though in the last few weeks the morale has been especially low as I have been hearing of more fallen soldiers then ever before. It has gotten so bad that there are circles betting on who the next soldier to fall will be. My money is on the Doshi brothers. Any takers. Well Atur you have ventured to the other side I wish you well. I say this with a heavy heart. Another one bites the dust....

Mother's day

Some of you may know this and others probably don't but I work mostly with teachers and their retirement accounts for work. Teachers are a very curious bunch, one of them asked me the other day when mothers day was for us culturally. Perhaps there is one but if so I don't know when. I relayed that to her following it up with, in our culture everyday is mother's day. It bugged me to think that we didn't have a celebration like mothers day or that even if we did we didn't celebrate it in our household except for the American version. I got solace in the fact that mothers in India and Pakistan are held up to a pedistal that in my opinion is not paralleled in American culture. In Islamic belief salvation is under your mothers feet, and in Indian culture from what I understand your Mother is revered like a god. Since I am a muslim of South Asian descent I get the best of both worlds. Basically I am a momma's boy and in light of that I just wanted to say to my mom and all the mothers out there HAPPY MOTHERS DAY.

I am getting old.

I am getting old; So it was Cinco De Mayo yesterday and a friday night and I spent it at home in front of my Tv. Is it just me or is it harder and harder to find things to do. I live in Corona which doesn't help cause I am quite a drive from anyone. On top of that everyone is so busy with their own lives that its so difficult for all of us to get together. So since I was stuck at home I watched the playoffs and then played online poker. Online poker can be addicting. It seems as though the highlight for every weekend for me is playing basketball. Since we play early on Sundays I don't go out on Saturdays and most of my Fridays are spent just like this one was at home.
The highlight of the night was the Colbert speech at the correspondent dinner(thanks Terrence) the shit was hilarious. I am just wondering who thought it would be a good idea for Colbert to speak at the event. He was right on point, after this bit he has surpassed Jon Stewart in my mind, although I think Colbert gets carried away sometimes. Were it not for Colbert the night would have been a complete bust.

Humanity Lost

I just finished reading Night by Elie Wiesel, it's a book about the holocaust. It's really well written and painfully elaborate. I wasn't even able to read large portions of it at a time just a little too much to bear. It was much easier reading little bits at a time. Although the whole book was a hard pill to swallow one fact in the book stuck out even more. Even when people are put to the limits of humanity they are still able to hate. I learned from this book that the term Jewish prisoners used to refer to their weaker compatriates that would be sent to the crematorium was "Muselman" the german word for Muslim...

How about the BRUINS!!!

That's right the Bruins are going ot be playing in the championship game. They have a great backcourt and they can play defense with the best of them. They won't be able to run against Florida as they did against LSU but if they can keep the game to a pace similar to the game against Memphis, then they might be bringing it home.

Since it's Sunday here are some music and reading suggestions.

Songs

No Bravery- James Blunt(his whole cd is good)
Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield
Tenu Ishq Hua - Saru Maini
Yeh Hai Meri Kahani - Zinda

Books

Been reading about resumes and cover letters nothing interesting to add

Till next time...

Here goes

The Vapor Trail Random Brutal Love Master (RBLMm) Here today, gone today. You are The Vapor Trail. Are you in a relationship now? Your exact opposite: The Backrubber Deliberate Gentle Sex Dreamer What about now? Vapor Trails can be highly charismatic people--unpredictable, confident, and magnetic. You're experienced. You know how to handle yourself in a relationship, and many people appreciate that. Many people, all in a row. You've had your share of blissful beginnings, to be sure. But things almost never turn out how you'd like, do they? The problem is you're never happy with someone for an extended period of time. Relate to the following: Vapor Trails especially need a girl who will laugh at their jokes. They're also the most likely male type to be haunted by serious regret. FACT: A few of your exes, the ones you were best to, will always love you. Nice going. ALWAYS AVOID: The Intern, The Maid of Honor CONSIDER: The Sudden Departure Link: The 32-Type Dating Test by OkCupid - Free Online Dating. My profile name: benkow

Try out this website it tells you how old you act

You Are 26 Years Old

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

I have been tagged

So Niyati tagged me. I am supposed to describe my perfect life partner and then tag eight other people. Let me say first that this almost sounds like one of those creepy forwards, having said that I will attempt to describe my perfect partner. As far as tagging other people goes, anyone I would have tagged has already been tagged, so the chain at least on my end stops with me.

So lets see perfect partner, let me get this out of the way right at the on set thats an oxymoron. I know I know lighten up. Well for me a perfect partner is someone that listens to you, understands you, loves you for who you are, and makes you laugh. The perfect partner would also makes me listen to them( I tend to talk a lot), force me to see their perspective( I am a tad stubborn) hate me when I am not living up to my potential, and also laugh at my jokes( I am not great at telling jokes)

Bush has done it again

President Bush has once again managed to ignore the democratic process. Wire tapping of US Nationals wasn't bad enough. Now Bush has attempted to make a bi-lateral agreement with India while ignoring that fact that this agreement violates the NPT and that before he made such a deal he might have wanted to consult Congress and more specifically the Senate who is the body constitutionally responsible for ratifying treaties. The reasoning to allow India some latitude in their Nuclear program and for the United States to share information with India is the need for nuclear energy in India due to its growing economy. incidentally this is Iran's reasoning for wanting to have their own Nuclear program. I just find it problematic for us to tell one country that they can do something and another one that they can't. It's like a parent telling one kid well ok you can have the candy and telling the other one no. Just my opinion.

Yeh Hai Meri Kahani (This is my Story)

I recently talked to someone I have know for a while and realized I knew very little about their story. We spend so much time partying and hanging out but rarely do you have time to say so what is your story. I am going to share my abridged version hitting some highlights my hope is that for those of my friends that read the post that they will perhaps post their own story on their own blogs or in the comments. Anyways here goes.

I was born in Dubai, U.A.E. on February 10th 1979. We actually lived in Dubai for seven years. My memories of this time in my life are few. Of course there is the fact that my brother Ammar was born a couple of years after me. The companionship of a brother in a foreign land meant that we were instantly forced to spend most of our time with each other. The most vivid images of that part of my life are of Ammar doing silly things he was the family comedian and of us fighting about everything and anything. I have images in my mind of Family friends that used to live their and of my uncle and his wife who lived in Sharjah. I have memories of toys lots of them that my dad would buy on his many trips out of the country. I have memories of a calendar that was on the wall that my brother would make my mom x daily counting down the days until my dad would return. I have been told that I was a shy kid, a quiet kid. (I know I know what happened) We left Dubai and moved to Pakistan.

Pakistan is where I have lots of memories. My dad was in Africa working on Business ventures and we spend the year with my mom. Initially we lived in a room at my dad's brothers house. Those were fun times, I learned to play cricket our cousins were almost our age so making friends and getting in trouble was easy to do. Ubaid bhai was a couple of years older then me and Zubair was my younger brother's age. Even though we were there for a whole year I remember it taking a while before I felt home. One of my fondest memory is of my mom and aunt sending Ubaid bhai and I to the local restaurant to get tandoori roti and having to always order extra cause we would inevitably eat a couple of the warm pieces of bread on the way home. I remember Ammar disappearing for a day and my mom frantically trying to find him only to find out that one of our uncles, he is the comedian in my dads family, decided that it was crazy that Ammar had never ridden an elephant so he just took him to the zoo. Of course Maria my sister was born while we were in Pakistan. I remember that we moved into an apartment of our own about six months after moving there. All in all this was childhood at its best. Next we moved to Taiwan.

Taipei was a great city and I actually remember a lot more from this part of my life. I experienced death for the first time in Taiwan. One of my friends passed away from a brain tumor and I remember feeling lost. In Taipei I again had a feeling of not having a home. I learned the language fluently even though we were there for about a year. I remember feeling alone. I actually even ran away at a point. I disappeared for a day and roamed the city. Taipei was great and beautiful the people were amazing and sweet. I would have to say that as siblings Ammar was a part of many memories in Dubai and Karachi. Taipei was Maria's city she ate anything and everything she spoke better Chinese then Urdu or English and she was adored by all, friends, family, and even complete strangers. I remember these two Chinese girls they must have been in their early twenties who thought Maria was cute they took pictures with her. They actually came to the park for the next four weeks in a row on the same day and time hoping we would be there to give us duplicate copies. All in all Taiwan was wonderful. Next we moved to Thailand.

Bangkok was full of life. I would have to say Taipei had a certain quaint feeling about it not so for Bangkok it was buzzing at all times. The lonely feeling I had in Taipei was gone. We spend hours on our bikes and although I had no real friends in school, we were like a gang of kids. There was Tra and Rak who were literally the same age as me and my brother. Pramote a few years older then us was our fearless leader. We got cuts, scrapes, played hours of soccer, blew up firecrackers and reaked havoc in our neighborhood. Bangkok was a time of prosperity for our family and we enjoyed it to the fullest. Leaving Thailand was tough for Ammar and me. I remember complaining to my parents that this was the first time in my life that I had friends and they were taking that away from me. Next stop Houston, TX.

If you are going to move to the United States from out of the country I would reccomend not moving to Texas. Having said that I am glad we did. My aunt, my mom's sister lived in Houston and we moved in to a house about a block from where they lived. If it weren't for Irfan and Faizan our cousins I don't know how we would have adjusted to the new environment. I learned Basketball and Football sports I had never played before. I also read a lot in Houston. Although I read throughout my life I think in Houston the things I read in Houston shaped me in different ways. I read almost any titles I could get my hands on by William Slater and Gary Paulsen. Although at school I was the butt of almost all jokes at school,life at home with the cousins was great. We are all within five years of each other and there were memorable outings, late night sleep overs, and of course action packed fights. I will take the liberty to share a funny story here that might give some insight to the often silly behavior of my father. My dad took all of us that is my cousins and Ammar and I out to a restaurant. This was not for lunch or dinner it was a late afternoon snack. We ordered Chicken Pakoras and devoured the first plate, my dad kept ordering more and we kept eating them. To make a long story short we ended up eating ninety dollars worth of pakoras. I don't have to tell you that my mom and aunt were livid with my dad went we got home. After Houston we moved to Los Angeles.

I went to Artesia High School where I somehow transformed from a shy quiet kid to the loud obnoxious person you guys know today. I was involved in MUN, went to NCCJ training, learned to Rock climb, participated in debates, was involved in ASB and was an all out social butterfly. I attended college at UCLA and majored in Political Science. At Artesia most of my friends were Asian at UCLA that changed to South Asians. I can only describe LA with one word, Home. Sorry for the long post I hope some of you enjoy it...

Just at work

I am strarting to feel like that blogging at least for me is having a journal. Except that this one is open for all to read including strangers. I find this both enlightening and scary. Anyways the next topic I hope can incite some people to respond.
I read a post recently on a friends blog and it got me thinking. It seems as though every religon at its core values peace, expects change and preaches tolerance. It baffles me then why the most fundamental believers the " true believers" tend to harbor so much violence. The Christian right has had its history of violence. We all know fundamental Islam is showing its flair all over the world with bouts of violence. Under the BJP even in Hinduism showed its violent tendencies. As a child who grew up in a Muslim household I was told stories of how the prophet(pbuh) was ridiculed and taunted by people and his response was to tell his followers to not respond with violence but with understanding. The prophet(pbuh) was personally persecuted and he remained peaceful but yet a cartoon artist draws a picture and the muslim population reacts with violence. There is a principle of Sunna in Islam which says that we should follow in the ways of the prophet. I don't how today any of the clerics that encouraged such behavior can argue that we are actually following in that example...

i am back

Its sunday and I have not kept to my word I haven't posted anything in a long time. So here goes some highlights and thoughts from the past few months.

Hmmm..... Kobe is a beast he scored 81 points today I had mentioned once that talking about sports on a blog seemed wrong but there are few things that needed to be mentioned. Seattle won and is going to the Superbowl and people are still not giving them the credit they deserve. At the onset of the playoffs there was a knock on the fact that they had a easy division and that they didn't play well in big games. Now they have beat the Redskins and today beat Carolina. A game that many thought would go Carolina's way. Give Seattle some credit they got the league MVP, and I think a very underrated quarterback, oh and lets not forget their defense Tatupu is an amazing player for a rookie. Anyways that was my sports bit.

A couple of new songs

Temperature by Sean Paul
Matis Yahu - King of the Crown

A couple of books

Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell
The Spirit Catches you and You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman

Till next time...