HAPPY NEW YEAR!

At midnight wherever you are, out goes this year. I has been one of the most horrendous our battered old planet has know, and no one will dispute that our planet was battered this year - - physically, mentally, and emotionally. So, what's coming? Only God knows.

I hope it is a MUCH more peaceful, happy, and tolerant time. If I could, I would make everyone's dreams come true in 2006! I can't. All I can do is wish you and yours a happier and more prosperous year than perhaps you, I, and most of the people around us had this year. Being the eternal optimist, I see better times coming. I hope they come to all and last all year through!

Free Copy of the Koran

Received a complimentary copy of the Qur’an (Koran) today from CAIR – The Council on American-Islamic Relations. It’s big, heavy, and beautifully printed in English, Arabic script, as well as the alphabetic-version of the script, with extensive notes. It’s official title is The Message of the Qur’an: Translated and Explained by Muhammad Asad. Dubai: Oriental Press, 2003. However it is copyrighted by The Book Foundation, Bristol, England: http://www.thebook.org.

I requested it over seven months ago, but they had so many requests that the supply was exhausted by early summer, and I was placed on the waiting list. It has been worth the wait. CAIR is still giving them out for no cost, and you can click the title above the access their Web site, or here: http://www.cair-net.org.

Meanwhile, I’m so far behind in my snail mail, e-mail, Web-page updates, personal business, etc., that I estimate the first chance I will be able to start reading it will be between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Well, it will make a good start for 2006, don’t you think?

Mimi's home, and Khalid is a year older

Back in the central U.S. of A. and just in time for fall. Halloween was fun. The leaves have turned, some are falling, and yards are decorated with pumpkins and bails of hay now that the witches, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, giant spider webs, etc., have been retired. Visit a friend, and the senses are tickled with the aromas of baking sweet potatoes, frying apples, commingling with cinnamon, allspice, and so-o-o-o many wonderful good smells of autumn. Thanksgiving is quickly approaching.

Khalid? He celebrated his 23rd birthday the last part of October. How thankful we are for that, especially after his ordeal in July. Many, many, many more birthdays, Khalid, and may they all be happy ones!

Sunny California

I had a wonderful flight to LAX. Actually received VIP treatment, and sailed through security since I am a Frequent Flier with AA, etc. So, all is well, and I'll post again as soon as possible, or if I have something to write about.

I did see this headline today on Netscape.com, " Palestinian: Bush spoke of Iraq as divine mission." This claim is currently hearsay. However, I have my suspicions that Bush might believe this about himself. If so, it puts him in the class of the "madmen of history," and the entire world is at peril. Click title to this post to read the article.

Khalid. What a wonderful surprise!!!

Salam,

I have been checking here to see if you would "report in." I am very pleased to hear from you. Wonderful to have you back!!!!!

Right now, I am packing to go to California, Tuesday, to visit my family and some friends, for about three weeks, but I can blog from there. Everyone has a computer hooked to the Internet.

So, I'll post again sometime Wednesday evening, California time, if all goes well in my travels. Check the comments on your blog about the post you made regarding rape. I made one.
Come back anytime. This is your blog too, but read the rules!

Well well well...

look who is here, Khalid Jarrar!!
:))
how are you M? :)
I am back to blogging, i hope that everything is alright with you...
what have you been doing?
me*

Iraqi Blogger Visits San Francisco

Khalid's brother Raed visited San Francisco. Raed posted some of his experiences on his blog today, especially the people with whom he interacted. The title of the post is "F.O.B." I don't know what he means by F.O.B. I wonder if he knows that for many Americans it means, "Fiends of Bill" Clinton, that is?

If you have any feelings for the people in Iraq, and how the American war on Iraq has emotionally injured its citizens, you must read this post. It will help you understand our "cousins" there a little better. The majority who live there also children of Abraham, whether they are Christians -- yes, there are Christians there who have been impacted by the invasion -- or Muslims. Just click this post's Title to go there.

Simon Wiesenthal and Karl Rove

Today, on my sister blog, Universal Mind Warp, I posted "Wiesenthal and Rove." It attempts to answer the question, "How much do I know about Karl Rove?" I urge you to read it!

Riverbend's Take on the Iraq Constituion

There are many things that boggle the mind happening in the world. One of the most mind boggling is the new Constitution of Iraq. Riverbend's post, dated this date, considers the status of Islam and women in Iraqi law as stated in the draft(s). Riverbend is well educated and insightful. Her comments may help some of us understand this mess a little better.

Baghdad 9/11/2001

Riverbend, my virtual friend in Baghdad, posted a very insightful post on her blog "Baghdad Burning" on the 4th anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers in New York. The post is dated, of course, September 11, 2005. I urge you to read it.

No Anonymous Comments On This Blog

I agonized about activating the "comments" operation on this blog. I decided not to do it, because I have a big mouth. I might make some corporate bigwig, or even a governmental agency mad at me. Most of all, some idiots with bigger mouths and meaner spirits than mine, might post obscene or slanderous comments. I'm not alone here. Many bloggers are removing their comments section. Why? Read this: "Blogger Faces Lawsuit Over Comments Posted by Readers".

Well, on Blogger.com, comment sections are set universally. That means, if I want comments on the "Universal Mind Warp," which I do, I must also have comments on this blog, and with same settings. So, I have compromised. NO ANONYMOUS COMMENTS on this blog.

Salam Pax's Take on the Iraq Constitution Draft

For an insider's look at the constitutional process in Iraq and what the U.S. Media aren't telling us, check Salam Pax's post yesterday, 22 August. Very insightful.

To go to any sites referenced in this blog that do not have links in the post, click the title of the post. That is the main link for the post. However, not all posts will have a main link.

Changing Their Tunes

Received an interesting e-mail this week, and since I never said that I would ignore politics on this blog, here goes.

Think about this in the context of invading Iraq:

QUOTES FROM WHEN PRESIDENT CLINTON WAS COMMITTING TROOPS TO BOSNIA:

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
--Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)

"You can support the troops but not the President."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"[The] President...is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
--Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning...I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
--Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

Paid for and authorized by the Democratic National Committee, www.democrats.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

"Universal Mind Warp" is Back

Okay, the companion blog "Universal Mind Warp" is back. There is a permanent link in the "links" section of this blog. UMW will explore some concepts that may boggle the mind, but I will try to keep it to the original purpose of exploring Emerson's concept of One Universal Mind. I may add comments to that blog, so I can get some help from other seekers.

Boggles the Mind, One - Iraqi Diaspora

Diaspora – The breakup and dispersion of a people as a result of force, famine, etc., Jewish Diaspora, Palestinian Diaspora, etc..

There could be as many as 500,000 Iraqi refugees in Amman, Jordan, or as few as 800, depending upon whom you believe. There are no official figures. Governments and governmental agencies are classifying them as “visitors” or “on business,” leaving them in limbo without help, especially financial. However, they cannot return to Iraq because their homes and businesses have been destroyed by the initial invasion, insurgents, or by vandals.

Here are some quotes from an article by Jon Elmer in the The New Standard:

"Popular accounts on the streets of Amman place the number of Iraqis in Jordan seeking refuge from the war at 500,000 and higher, though only a tiny fraction of these people are offically categorized as refugees."

"Jordanian Interior Ministry General Secretary Mukhaimer Abu Jamous told TNS that the accepted numberof Iraqis in Jordan is more like 300,000 - though he was quick to claim that these are not refugees, but rather people on personal business or vacation."

“An official at the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Amman said that 15,000 Iraqis had received temporary protection for asylum-seekers pending official refugee status. Only 800 Iraqis have received official refugee status in Jordan, she added, almost all of whom fled during the Saddam Hussein regime.”

“According to the official, "only in the rarest of occasions" have those who fled after March 2003 received official designation, and therefore the attendant compensation from UNHCR. All such rare cases are characterized as the "most vulnerable" – primarily the elderly or ill.”

Access the entire article by clicking the title of this post. Faiza posted a link on her blog, but the one I have posted is the root link.

CHANGING NAME!

I'm new to blogger.com. I'm still learning and experimenting. Therefore, I am changing the name of this blog to Boggling the Mind to match the URL. I shall make a new blog called Universal Mind Warp and post a link to it on this blog. Be back soon.

KHALID HAS POSTED

Khalid just posted his account of what happened to him when he was arrested and put in jail. The judge ruled him innocent of all charges, and he is now in Jordan with his family. May they all stay there! Please, go, and read his account: Secrets in Baghdad !

HALLELUJAH!

KHALID IS FREE!!!

Salam Pax is Back!

Yes, the Baghdad Blogger is back. Joy! I just found out today when I was searching for any new information about Khalid. Alas, no new information about Khalid at this time.

Khalid's Adventure Gets Worse

Hurricane Dennis blew through, dumping rain, but we had no flooding. There was wind, but not strong enough to cause any damage.

Having one's house robbed is bad, but getting abducted and ending up in jail is worse. No one had heard from Khalid for two days. Today, his brother Raed posted that Khalid was abducted while at Baghdad University where he is a student.

I don't understand it but, apparently, he is being held in some kind of government jail run by something known as the "National Iraqi Intelligence Organization" or "Mukhabarat." Raed did not give the actual name of the jail. One would suppose the Mukhabarat was the name of the jail from the post, but it's the name of the organization. Khalid has not been charged with any crime yet. Khalid charged with a crime? Impossible.

You can read the details yourself at Raed in the Middle. Everyone hopes that he gets out soon and returns safely to his family's summer home.

Khalid's Adventure

Khalid is on summer vacation and had an interesting adventure, although an upsetting one. Go. Check it out: Secrets in Baghdad.

He will be back on this blog as a co-administrator after he finishes cleaning house. I'll be back after Hurricane Dennis blows through in the next 36 hours.

Your Mother

K, I just read that your mother in at your family's second home in Jordan, and the way she wrote it, I think you may be there, too. That is good.

Oh, I wish I could be a fly on the wall of that house tonight!! That means, "I wish I could be there to hear all she has to say about her visit to the U.S. without anyone knowing I was in the room.

It Worked, Plus Watermelons

K, it worked! That makes me happy. However, we must be careful on this blog. Neither of us want to get in trouble with Big Brother. Mine, or yours! So, no politics, nothing about the invasion of Iraq, the insurgency, occupying forces, religion etc., etc.

Please, take some advice from the old sage here. Do not go back to school this fall. Take some time for K and your family. Kick back. Take a vacation. Anything you can do that will take you out of you-know-where. Preferably far away. You need to clear your head, meet new people, experience new places and, above all, shed the stress. I think it would be great for you. Take a year off. You deserve it!!!

It is summer here, but not as hot as where I think you are. The harvest is bountiful, and we have water and electricity, an abundance of all. Thank God. The melons are coming in. Do you like watermelons? I can go out in the field and get one whenever I want. I like this time of year.

I am sure you did well on the exams. I saw some things your brother, the architect, has done. He's very talented, but he knows that. ;-D

Later, gator.

Ehhh...

Hey M!
:))
I finished alllll the exams, and I am still waiting for the results, and hoping that I did good enough to pass all of them, if that's the case, they might be the very last exams I will have to take in my whole life, unless someone throws a big stone on my head that messes my brain up, and makes me apply for a masters degree, God forbid! what about you? What's up?
me*

Still Working On Getting Started

Hey, I'm working on it. I'm working on it.

What Is This Blog About?

Since I am new to this, I'll answer the question as to what this blog is about later.