7th of April

Its seems so long since I started....

Happy Birthday to myself my Children My wife and Family, God has spared us for a reason

Salam

Zappy!

El-Basrah

I don’t think I have mentioned that I was born and lived my early life in Basrah.

Basrah was a mistake, by that I mean the location of the current city, it was built in the early days of the Islamic conquest as a fort city, this location had seen many bad days since the Battle of the Camel (look it up) and the Revolution of the Zing, It has seen since 1978 continuous disruptions starting with the massacres against the Dawa Party members (up to 1982), the execution of any students of Basrah University called “abdul Zahra” in 1980 and of course eight years of war 1980-1988, this includes the continuous artillery shelling by the Iranians from Abadan between 1982 and 1988. this of course didn’t end there, Basrah also suffered from Saddams invasion of Kuwait 1989 and the uprisings of the people of Basrah against Saddam in 1990 & 1999.

The “Bu-sar-was” have suffered a lot, the major problem has always been and still is the lack of potable water, most people, who can afford to by RO water from the water tanker lorries suffer from lack of minerals and some people suffer from radiation from the depleted Uranium used by the coalition forces in 1990.

Looking back, I remember the nice things in Basrah, the Sinbad Island with its Summer Cafeterias and Restaurants under the Palm trees and the stepping stones on the small lakes.

The old Port Club which was located in Maqal near the old Maqal port, the lovely Cornesh looking over Shatt-al-Arab.

Basrah had dozens of night Clubs located in the Wattani Street, and a decent amusement park, Kuwaitis and Saudi Arabians used to come over during the summer holidays to enjoy Basrah and its facilities and of course meet their extended Families.

Basrah also has some strange neighborhood names like the slum of “khamsa meel” which translate to Five miles, and “Khamseen Hoowsh” which translates to fifty houses. Basrah also has a small village called “abu al khaseeb” which is mainly a large plantation of Date palms and theres a Old man there who sales the Original Halawat Nahar Khoz which is a lovely sesame type of sweet goo that you could get addicted to.

Basrah used to be one lovely City, the people are very polite and kind however nothing remains the same.

Five Years....

Five long years.....

most of them in tears..

so many have left Home...

the lucky reside in Tombs..

at least some still live

though without a Soul..

I wonder how much more to go?

would I be buried at Home?

Raseef 28

I assume I’m one of the few lucky people who have survived Iraq, looking back the years, though I truly try not to, I only remember the good things in my life, the gathering of Friends on “Rasseef 28” that’s what we used to call on of our friends front door because we used to gather there nearly each day when we were teens.

Cruising the streets of Al-Mansour and going to Al-Sa’a'ah Restaurant. Then when I really miss home I call some of my not so fortunate friends who have either never managed to get out of Baghdad or are (Visitors) of Syria, Egypt and (this you will not Believe) Darfur, Sudan and Ghana!!!

I then feel that my Heart has collapsed on itself. Or like its being squeezed inside some kind of a vice.

I’m meeting a friend of Mine from the gathering of “Raseef 28” at the Canary Wharf next week, I haven’t seen him since 1990, when he called me the other day saying he’s on a business trip to the U.K. and he managed to get my Number through another “Raseef 28” Mutual friend, I really had one hell of a flashback.

I miss home, I miss my friends but then we have all lost our Country, its very sad but its true, losing a country is something that can happen, it happened in Iraq, as it Happened decades ago in Poland and might happen again in another country..

Don’t ever let someone take your home away from you.

Invasion U.S.A.

it seems that her Majesty's Government is about to take over the U.S., this statemet was anounced early this morning...

In light of your failure to nominate competent candidates for President
of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of
the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. Her
Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all
states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas , which she does not
fancy).

Your new prime minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a governor for
America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will
be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine
whether any of you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the
following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.

1. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will
be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour'
and
'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without
skipping
half the letters, and the suffix -ize will be replaced by the suffix -
ise.
Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to
acceptable
levels. (look up 'vocabulary').

3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises
such
as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form
of
communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let
Microsoft
know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell- checker will be adjusted to
take
account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize. You
will
relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen.

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns,
lawyers,
or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists
shows
that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be
handled
by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without
suing
someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough
to
handle a gun.

6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything
more
dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish
to
carry a vegetable peeler in public.

7. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for
your
own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we
mean.

8. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will
start
driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will
go
metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion
tables.
Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British
sense
of humour.

9. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have
been
calling gasoline)-roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

10. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French
Fries
are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips
are
properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat,
and
dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

11. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not
actually
beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to
as
beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be
referred
to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound
for
pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to
the
beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth - see what it did
for
them.

12. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as
good
guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to
play
English characters. Watching Andie McDowell attempt English dialogue
in
Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's
ears
removed with a cheese grater.

13. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind
of
proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will,
in
time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to
American
football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds
or
wearing full Kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try
rugby -
the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly
thrash
us.

14. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to
host
an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside
of
America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond
your
borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we
will
let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of
their
deliveries.

15. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

16. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her
Majesty's
Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all
monies
due (backdated to 1776).

17. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, never
mugs,
with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; strawberries in season.

God save the Queen.

Only He can.

More Suggestions for Iraqi Flags

our Blood is Cheap

and another made for the Iraqi Parliament

Exodus and a Rag on a pole

Iraqi’s never choose to leave their homes and families, they were forced to do so, people have been fleeing the country since the late forties, it began by oppression against the Iraqi Jewish community (with the help of the British, ask an Iraqi Jew if you don’t believe me), then by the nationalization of property belonging to the upper class Iraqis after the first Republic (ask Chalibi and Makiya if you don’t believe me) then by the Communists in the early sixties (ask any Nationalist & Baathist) then by the Ba’athist (Ask any Islamic, Communist or Kurd) then oppression of forced Military service during the War with Iran (ask any Iraqi) and today by all the above with the Help of Terrorism, the U.S. and Iran (ask any of the above).

This land has seen so much Blood, hatred and sorrow, I have lost hope…



And the fucking parliament is arguing about a fucking Flag.

The Flag (again)

See the Flag on top? and the one on the right? This the flag I was raised under, and thats the only flag I know about.

The Poppy Conflict

S, my eldest Daughter, has been going to School here in the U.K. starting this semester, She proudly answers the Children with “I’m form Iraq” whenever they ask her where she comes from.

I and my Wife have always tried to Shield the Girls from any information regarding what’s happening in Iraq, though the have some vague Idea the American Army is in Iraq and they used to hear the shootings in the streets, explosions…etc. we cocooned them into a different World, a World of Home tutoring (After it became to dangerous for the girls to go to there school) and the Disney Channel. Once there was heavy fighting nearby and S asked why are there Shooting, my Wife explained that there are some bad people that the Police are chasing. End of Subject.

That was about it, they knew that there were American Soldiers, and they knew that there are explosions that bad people did, but that was it.

That was about two years ago.

Yesterday morning when S & here sister went to school and during the School daily Assembly the Head teacher brought out a Large blank map of the World with two green countries coloured in Green. Iraq and Afghanistan, my Daughter was delighted that the Word Iraq was mentioned, however when the head teacher started explaining about the Royal British Legion Appeal, which is held each year and how people should help out by contributing some money because British troops have lost lives and limbs in these two countries, things changed.

To cut the story short.

I now have a confused young girl, who’s ashamed of her nationality and never knew that there were British Troops fighting in Iraq.

I won’t comment on this subject any further.

I don’t blame the Teacher.

Cheap Blood

This may sound Naive, but the matter is that the situation is boiling in Iraq and it seems that nobody is taking much attention.

People are fed up with the contracted Iraqi Government official, the Contracted Foreign presence in the Country and the Contracted Militia’s.

For people still present in Iraq, the pressure is getting overwhelming. Yesterday’s incident of killing in cold blood of a child and a women is just another Coal in the Boiler, and the thing is its getting worse.

The country has turned into an empty shell, one small crack and everything shall collapse.

The ill treatment of innocent people in the figure of disregard of human Blood and respect by the Government, the Private Security Details, the U.S. army has reached to its brink.

The ill treatment of Iraqi Refugees at the Jordanian Boarders and Amman Airport by Jordanian Customs (I don’t blame the Jordanian Individuals ) has turned to a very unbearable status, specially when the Iraqi Government is Still kissing the Asses of the Jordanians by selling them Oil at $20 a Barrel.

The ill treatment by the Syrian Customs and Government by throwing out Iraqis from the country after three months has also reached unbearable heights.

The neglect of the United Nations and the International Organization of Migration, Oxfam and other Humanitarian Organizations of this matter is so shameful, shame on you! You send Angelina Jolie for the publicity stunt and then leave these people stranded without enough help.

But then who is Really responsible for all this Chaos? For the lack of respect for the Iraqi Citizen?

Is it the Iraqi Government? The U.S. decision Makers? Saddam? Do we actually care who?

Or do we need a plan to clean the mess up and stop blaming entities?

Oh and another thing, when are we going to start ?