Wednesday, July 19, 2006

I am Disgusted

I’m disgusted by all that shit that’s going on in Lebanon.

I’m disgusted by Hizbullah’s reckless dragging of the whole Lebanese population into a bloody war for their (and their masters’) selfish interests.

I’m disgusted by the Israeli barbaric reaction and their destruction of a country that I love and their reckless slaughter of civilians so they can vent their anger and feel like they’re doing something to protect themselves (they’re not).

I’m disgusted at the Syrians that are celebrating in the streets as if there’s any price that they had to pay for the couple of dozen Israelis that were killed by Hizbullah. They are more than happy to see the whole of Lebanon get destroyed just so they can have the satisfaction of seeing a war with Israel materialise.

I’m disgusted at the Egyptian leftist demonstrators who carried the pictures of Nasrallah and Nasser on placards.

I’m disgusted at most of the Israeli commentors on Lebanese blogs, who are flooding these blogs with vicious, insensitive comments. As if by doing this, they’re going to magically get them to adopt the Israeli point of view.

I’m disgusted at so many commenters on Al Arabiya web-site, that are cheering on this war from their desks as if they’re cheering for their team in the World Cup.

I’m disgusted because I know that all this shit will keep on happening over and over and over again, and nobody will be able to change anything.

Monday, July 10, 2006

The Origin of the Notorious Head Butt



Like everyone else, I was stunned by the notorious head-butt by Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final. Why the hell would he do something like that? Did he go mad? No matter what the Italian guy did to him (some suggested he called Zidane a terrorist, and others said he pinched Zidane’s nipple!), Zizou still should have controlled himself.

This was especially puzzling coming from someone who seems so calm, collected and in control.

Until I read the following article (written way before the incident) which sheds light on his character. It’s important to know this about Zidane’s background: born to poor Algerian immigrants in the south of France, he grew up in the ghetto, and had a tough start to his life. This naturally affected his character.

“One of the theories about Zidane as a player is that he is driven by an inner rage. His football is elegant and masterful, charged with technique and vision. But he can still erupt into shocking violence that is as sudden as it is inexplicable. The most famous examples of this include head butting Jochen Kientz of Hamburg during a Champions League match, when he was at Juventus in 2000 …and his stomping on the hapless Faoud Amin of Saudi Arabia during the 1998 World Cup finals”

Sounds familiar?

"Zidane’s first coaches at AS Cannes noticed quickly that he was raw and sensitive, eager to attack spectators who insulted his race or family. The priority of his first coach, Jean Varraud, was to get him to channel his anger and focus more on his game. According to Varraud, Zidane’s first weeks at Cannes were spent mainly on cleaning duty as a punishment for punching an opponent who had mocked his ghetto origins.”

“And yet in his early days at Juventus, particularly in big matches, some of his temperamental faults would resurface, and there were doubts over his ability to lead from the centre of the pitch.”

“Zidane’s occasional violence may well be a product of this internal conflict : the French-Algerian who is for ever suspended between cultures. But it is equally likely that, although in public he presents a serene and smiling face, he is underneath it all every bit the same hard nut he had to be to survive the mean streets of La Castellane. ’Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or demon,’ says the rock singer Jean-Louis Murat, who is himself a fan of the player. ’He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer.’”


My theory is that the Italians knew this about Zidane’s personality, and they used it against him. Whether it was a nipple pinch that insulted his hot Arab macho blood, or calling him a terrorist, they knew how to push his buttons. And they did. Successfully.

UPDATE: So it seems we now know what happened. The Sun newspaper got a lip reader to analyse what Materazzi said. Highlights of the report:

A lip-reader told The Sun that Marco Materazzi called Zidane "a son of a terrorist whore”.

Top lip-reader Marianne Frere revealed the Italian told Zidane — who understands the language after playing for Juventus — a high ball was “not for feccia like you”.

Feccia is an Italian insult meaning scum or s**t.

Zidane smiled at Materazzi as he walked away. But there was another exchange, Zidane turned and floored him with a butt to the chest. The lip-reader claimed the Italian had said: “We all know you are the son of a terrorist whore.”

He added: “Viffanculo”. (f*** off). A source close to the Italian squad claimed that after twisting Zidane’s nipple, Materazzi asked him: “What, don’t you like it?” The French captain replied: “A bit too hard to turn me on.”

But Materazzi shouted: “Well, I did it that way because I know that’s how your mother likes it.”

Materazzi’s agent denied any racist slur — and said the attack came when Zidane offered to swap shirts later and the Italian replied: “‘I’d rather take the shirt off your wife.”


The mystery is resolved!

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Is it Slavery? Or Just a Little Help Around the House?

Check out this story:

An Egyptian couple with five kids move to the US. Naturally, they need some domestic help (Egyptian style) with such a large family.

So what do they do? They arrange to bring along their 12 year old servant with them (with a fraudulent visa, nonetheless) where her life continues along the same lines of what she had in Egypt. Basically, serving the family 24/7, no schooling, sleeping in a tiny space in the garage, getting beat up if she makes any mistakes, the usual stuff an average 12 year old maid goes through in Egypt. With one small difference: it’s in the US. Obviously, the family did not see they were doing anything wrong.

So what happens when the American authorities find out?

The couple is charged with human trafficking, harboring an illegal immigrant, and conspiracy. Basically, they were considered to have enslaved the 12-year-old girl.

They’ve pleaded guilty and are now expecting a sentence of three years each, possibly up to fifty years!!

How could these idiots ever have expected to get away with this in the US?

You know what’s the best part of all of this? The government gave the girl a green card, put her up at a foster home (where she’s going to a public high school), and ordered the couple to pay her back wages of $100,000!!

Yes, $100,000.

Isn’t this an incredible story?

Read the official report here.