Ghadafi!!! Ghadafi!!! Ghadafi!!!

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:34:27 GMT

Salaamaleykum,

The Strada Placido hails the speech of Col. Muammar Ghaddafi at the Arab Summit for its frankness and its reflection of the ordinary citizen's point of view.

Damascus: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Saturday warned Arab leaders to unite or face death.

Gaddafi, whose speech lasted for more than 30 minutes - the longest at the summit's opening session - pointed at the gathered Arab leaders and told them they faced the same fate as former Iraqi president Saddam Hussain.

"Don't say you are friends of the US. Saddam was a close American ally and he fought on its behalf with Iran. He did nothing wrong to the Americans that deserved such a fate," he said. "Saddam was hanged in front of you and no one dare call for an investigation into his execution.

"A foreign force occupied an Arab country and hanged its president and we stood by and watched," Gaddafi said.

"One day, you will see yourselves in a similar situation and at that time no one should blame [anyone] but himself because we did not work sincerely to build a strong and unified Arab nation. Each one of you hates others. Syria is not on good terms with its neighbours, while Libya has stronger ties with Italy than it has with Tunisia or Egypt," he said.

Gaddafi called for a unification between Arab countries in Asia and the African Union and proposed rich Arab countries invest in Africa.

He told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Palestinians achieved nothing from their meetings with Israelis and there should be a democratic state in the region that combines both Israelis and Palestinians under one authority.

Despite his fierce comments, Gaddafi's speech elicited laughter on several occasions.

Commenting on the speech, Touati Slimani, an Algerian political analyst, said Gaddafi always has the ability to reflect the opinions of ordinary Arab people and was the only leader in the Arab world speaking in a transparent and direct way.

Slimani said even if some Arabs feel that Gaddafi is idealistic or comical, he appeals to many ordinary Arabs.

"Gaddafi bears part of the responsibility for the declining situation. He should work to [increase] hope," Slimani said.

On Saturday, Libya lashed out at the West over the low turnout at the Damascus summit, boycotted by half of the leaders who blame Syria for the crisis in Lebanon.

"There has been US pressure on Arab countries to reduce their participation," Libyan Foreign Minister Abdul Rahman Shalgham told reporters.

"And the latest is that [French President Nicolas] Sarkozy is interfering in Arab affairs.

"We as Arabs do not interfere in European summits. It has become a farce and this situation must be remedied by a joint Arab effort," he added.

On Thursday, Sarkozy said he supported the decision by Saudi Arabian and Egyptian leaders to send only low-level delegations.

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DAMASCUS, March 29 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi urged fellow Arab leaders on Saturday to improve ties with non-Arab Iran, saying it was not in their interest to antagonise the Islamic republic.

"You have no escape from Iran. It is a neighbour and Muslim brother and it is not in your interest to be its enemy. We have no interest at all in turning Iran against us," Gaddafi told an Arab summit meeting in Damascus.

A strengthening alliance between host Syria and Iran have deepened divisions in the run up to the summit, which is being attended by Iran's foreign minister but shunned by pro-U.S. Arab leaders, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Tensions have also heightened in the region over Iran's nuclear row with the West and Tehran's alleged interference in Iraq and its backing of Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah group in its standoff with the pro-Western Lebanese government.

Gaddafi said Iran and the Arab world had historic relations that could not be ignored, with a sizeable Iranian minority in Gulf Arab countries.

He said the United Arab Emirates should seek international arbitration to solve a dispute with Iran over three Gulf islands which Tehran controls but are claimed by the UAE.

"Solve the issue peacefully," Gaddafi said. "Are these islands the only thing we have lost? Arab dignity, Arab future and past have been lost."

President George W. Bush tried to shore up Gulf Arab support against Iran during a visit to the region in January. But Gulf states, which share a strategic waterway crucial to world oil flows with Iran, expressed little public backing to Bush's call.

Gaddafi said it was important for the summit to convene in Damascus despite a regional rift, adding that Arabs have failed to produce a meaningful union after decades of meetings.

"We are at crossroads. The Turks have their country, the Persians have Iran, the Arabs cannot prove their worth because they do not have a (unified) Arab state."

Without a union, Gaddafi predicted Arab countries to turn into "spheres of influence, protectorates ..."

"The only thing that gathers us is this (summit) hall."

I'm not mad with you,life.

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:35:00 GMT

Salaamaleykum,

A few weeks ago, on a children's Hindi Song singing competition (Zee's SaReGaMaPa Lil' Champs), one of the kids sang a song that mesmerised the hearts of everyone that heard it...and not to mention the tears it brought.Here's the song on YouTube :
Tujhsa Naraaz Nahin Zindegi from Masoom(1983)

And so that you get the feel of what I'm talking about, here's the translation of the song:

I am not upset with you, life.. I am astonished;
To your innocent questions,I am distressed.

I never thought that in order to live, I would have to take care of woes;
To smile, I would have to take on the debt of smiling;
If I were to smile, it seems that I would have to incur this debt upon my lips.

Today, if my eyes fill with tears, then they will fall;
Who knows whom these eyes will long for tomorrow;
Who knows where I lost;
The one tear I had kept hidden.

Life, your sorrows have taught us new bonds;
Whomever you shall meet in the sunlight;
You will feel the cool shade of love.

    This song perfectly narrates the thoughts that's going in my mind and heart right now. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.After all, this is one of the Evergreen of Bollywood.
    Before I go far, let me recommend you to watch Masoom (Innocent). This wonderful movie made me almost weep like a baby.Naseeruddin, Shabna and little Jugal Hansraj acted splendidly...extra applause to Jugal for his extraordinary act as an child actor. Watch here.

    Ok back to the issue...
    Life is beautiful, but it sometimes ask us questions to which,we have no answer. When this happen, we get stressed out and become walking zombies, due to excessive worry and thoughts. But we never hate life for that, as I said, Life's beautiful.
    Sometimes, we say life's not fair...note down every time you say that,and you WILL realise that, sooner or later, you'll be saying life's beautiful again. Every misery that touches us,every headache/heartache/worry we receive, there's a good side behind it.
   If the great fire of London never happened, London would have remained filthy and plague-infested...and never rose to be a major city in the world.
    Well, of course, this is life, its not heaven. Having our heart crushed, painful incidents, emotionally tormenting scenarios are inevitable. At such times, people we love comes in handy..be they friends or family.
    Bottom line, things happen for a reason...we just need to open our eyes and minds and search for the silver line.
    Life is a voyage, fantastic, exciting unique voyage. Bon Voyage.

    Allah Madad!

STRADA PLACIDO: Compliments

Ghadafi!!! Ghadafi!!! Ghadafi!!!

I'm not mad with you,life.