Archive for May, 2008
The European leagues ended, Real Madrid crowned champions of Spain, Inter Milan became the Italian champions again, and Manchester did the double with the league and champions league. And now comes the summer, but not your usually boring eventless summer, this summer we have UEFA Euro 2008.
After few days from now Euro 2008 will kickoff with Switzerland playing Czech Republic and Portugal against Turkey. Here in the Middle East to watch the championship you will need to subscribe to Aljazeera Sports channels, Usually people try to avoid subscribing with a pay TV service and try finding alternatives on other channels on other satellites such as Hotbird, but this scenario does not seem to be happening now because the fee to subscribe to Aljazeera Sports Channels is not expensive, its around 40 US Dollars per year, this is heaven compared to other pay TV in the region.
I have discusses the situation in regard to the Orbit subscibers before, and both sides still are saying the same thing.
Aljazeera Sports has launched a new website for Euro 2008, its in Arabic and am not sure if they will launch an English version. The website provides all information needed such as news, schedules, timings, history, photo album and results.
UEFA Euro 2008 groups goes as follows:
Group A: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey
Group B: Austria, Croatia, Germany, Poland
Group C: Netherlands, Italy, Romania, France
Group D: Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia
For the full match schedule you can go to either UEFA Euro 2008 website, or download as a PDF file or check Aljazeera Sport Channels Schedule.
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May 24th, 2008
I don’t know what to say, this is THE BEST special comment I have ever heard from Keith Olbermann, day after day those special comments get bigger and better.
Olbermann denounces President Bush for suggesting that electing a Democrat as president means “another attack on the United States”, he also questioned his claim of giving up golf out of empathy for fallen U.S. soldiers.
For the the full transcript here.
Here is the video (Hosted on IKBIS):
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May 16th, 2008
I have been watching many channels lately showing documentaries, interviews and special coverage talking about how it all happened, since 1948 and until today. And everytime I see a well done documentary I wish that it had English subtitles or an English dubbed version.
Although I know about Aljazeera English, but I got used to watch the Arabic channel with my dad, anyway, when I was watching some videos in the Aljazeera (Arabic) youtube channel I clicked on a related video which made me jump to Aljazeera (English) youtube channel, and there I found what I was looking for.
A three part documentary about how it all started, the third part still to air on May 19th 2008. The first episode was titled “Pioneers”, episode two “Conflict” and the yet to be aired third episode “The End of the Dream?”.
I have only watched the second episode, and I do recommend you to watch it, actually I recommend you to watch all of the three episodes.
For more information visit the documentary’s page in Aljazeera English website, to find full info and links to the youtube videos.
Here is the second episode titled “Conflict”, watch:
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May 16th, 2008
My brother went to an event on EARTH DAY in the American University of Dubai, and they had a well known Palestinian folk singer, he is nicknamed as”Abu Arab”. I had the video for a while, its just a part of the concert, I wish I had the full thing. He does have a website, not sure if it is official or not but it has some songs to download, its called Ya Bladi.
Here is the video:
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May 16th, 2008
Today the 15th of May is the Nakba day, today is the 60th year of the Nakba, for those who do not know Nakba means “The Catastrophe”. On the 15th of May 1948, 60 years ago, Israel which was a newly created state committed ethnic 
cleansing in Palestine, destroyed hundreds of villages and exiled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Now those refugees are in millions and Israel still deny them their right of return. They are the oldest and largest refugee population who are still waiting a resolution.
I didn’t live it, my father did not live it, we both heard of it, we both listened to thousands of stories, and saw many many documentaries but we could not describe how it was or what it felt like. Actually my father experienced another big event in Palestine, it happened in 1967 and it is called Al-Naksa which means “The Setback”, its the six days war, its when Israel occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza strip.
Now, I am 32 years old and lived in Dubai all my life, but since I was young and still until today my father keeps reminding us of Palestine, keeps telling me how people used to be, how neighbors used to act, and how that everybody always found happiness in the middle of darkness, pain and suffering. How people helped each other and how people generally used to be nice and kind, he didn’t say that there were no bad people, we are still on earth but he always said that majority of people used to be nicer more caring and more respectful than now, people back then understood the real meaning of things, they understood the real meaning of friendships the real meaning of family, people will always help each other always.
He always tells me how things were simpler back then, how people’s needs were so basic, but he also tells me how his father used to work so hard, how all men had to work hard to bring food on the table, but the story that I guess is imprinted in his mind and he will never ever forget is his story on how when he was 16 years old he woke up on the summer of 1967 finding himself in a ghost neighborhood, all his neighbors are not in their homes, empty homes, empty village.
His father was on a business trip and was not in the house, so he took his six years old little brother and ran to find others running too, it was quickly understood what was happening, he kept running until he reached a farms area and there the Israeli planes started bombing, so he started seeing dead bodies on the way and people dying in front of his and his little brother’s eyes, he keeps telling me how lucky they were that they were between hits, while they were running the Israeli aircrafts would fly low and hit and fly up again and so on all the way until they reached a high fence, he quickly threw his brother, yes he physically threw him to the other side and then he climbed and went to the other side himself. Still they had to keep walking, not only them but a huge number of people they walked and walked seeing people crying, shouting, injured, and dead. He saw a father with his kids crying over the body of the mother, he heard people crying asking for help, he saw women mourning their husbands, sons, and daughters.
His little brother is tired, he carried him, and kept walking, carefully moving, until after hours they reached the Jordanian borders and after passing the border and on his way to Amman he suddenly saw his uncle driving a truck, so he drove them to Amman to meet with his father later that day.
I always have asked him to write his experience, he keeps telling me “There are no words to describe it, as much as you try, there are simply no words”.
So in the end I would like to say one thing more, Israel thinks that we will forget, that time will make us believe the lie that is Israel. We all say no, we will never forget, and those are not just words, those are facts, we never forgot, and we will never forget, Israel might fool mislead misinformed Americans and Europeans, but not us. We have the history, generation after generation we will talk and we will tell, our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, WE WILL TELL.
Palestine I never saw you, but my heart beats for you, you are the reason, you are the dream, and I will see you, this darkness will go and this sadness I feel will leave and I will see you LIBERATED soon.
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May 16th, 2008
Aljazeera Sports Channel +1 and +2 are available on ORBIT Network in the Middle East. But unfortunately it does not look like its going to stay like that for a long time, after the opening of Aljazeera Sports Channel +3 couple of months ago news surfaced stating that actually ORBIT will lose both Aljazerra Sports +1 and +2 by the summer or maximum by the end of 2008.
And this news now looks even more believable because of ORBIT failure in adding Aljazeera Sports Channel +3, but when I called ORBIT to ask about this issue I sensed a very relaxed tone when I was told that actually ORBIT has an eight years contract with Aljazeera on JSC +1 & +2. With all this going on we started reading new rumors that although Aljazeera +1 and +2 are available on ORBIT but still Euro 2008 will not be aired on ORBIT.
So that means you will need to directly subscribe with Aljazeera Sports Channels to be able to watch Euro 2008 which starts on the 7th of June and ends on the 29th of June 2008.
Ok, so Aljazeera will deny ORBIT subscribers the oppurtubity to watch Euro 2008, will Aljazeera really do it? My only guess is that they will end up broadcasting Euro 2008 on JSC +3 and maybe also +4 +5 channels to be able to get out of their contract with ORBIT.
In the end, even if Aljazeera allow ORBIT subscribers to watch Euro 2008 on JSC +1 and +2, we will still not going to be able to watch all the matches because its a known fact that some of the matches will actually air on JSC +3. The big surprise would be the ability of ORBIT to score a new deal and add all Aljazeera Sport Channels, but here is a small wisper in ORBIT’s ear “TIME IS MONEY”.
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May 14th, 2008
An old behind the scenes footage of Bill O’Reilly surfaced the Internet lately, it shows him in a very nutty crazy insane moment, I felt bad for the guy working on the TelePrompTer. I am used to see crazy bill on Fox News going all crazy on his guests while interviewing them, but this is a new level of insanity that I never saw before, and remember this is all from just a minute long video.
It was uploaded on youtube a day ago by OllieZiggy, but Youtube deleted the video and added this text “This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by CBS Broadcasting, Inc”.
So, I search the net trying to find the video, I really would like everybody to have a little peek into Bill-O real world. I found the video on a famous Arab World based video sharing website called “IKBIS”. Enjoy.
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May 13th, 2008
Barcelona is a troubled club now, so I expect we will be hearing many many news about many players moving from and to it. It is believed that a big number of players will most probably transfer from Barcelona this summer, after hearing that Ronaldinho and Zambrotta are moving to AC Milan and also that Thierry Henry will go back to the English Premier League, maybe going back to Arsenal, now it is the turn for some Eto’o rumors.
Ofcourse now we know that the AC Milan bid for Ronaldinho has failed, but when the news surfaced at first the thing seemed as a done deal.
Few hours after the big Barca failure in front of Real Madrid 4-1 we heard some news that Eto’o might transfer to Tottenham, then the news that maybe he will be exchanged with Adebayor, so he will go to Arsenal and Adebayor goes to Barcelona. I really really doubt that happening, but this latest news of him going to Inter Milan seems more believable.
The reports say that Inter Milan is preparing a 40 million Euros bid to capture him this summer, Inter Milan now is also trying to get Hleb, I guess that is a done deal, but Moratti now is also trying to get Ronaldinho. Moratti always likes to get big players, but will he be able to lure them to Inter Milan, he just failed getting Gerard after his 25 Million pounds bid was turned down by Liverpool.
Well, if Eto’o does come to Inter Milan that means Ibrahimovic will leave, so is it really worth it, can Ibra and Eto’o play side by side?? Well, actually yes why not, I can totally see them playing side by side, but it is too good to be true, Inter needs to be extra ready for the champions league next season, Ibrahimovic besides Eto’o makes a great attack. I know that some people will start shouting that maybe their style of play wont make them click upfront. Actually what does really matter now for Inter Milan is WHO IS THEIR MANAGER?? SHOULDNT THE MANAGER BE THE PERSON ASKING FOR PLAYERS? IS MANCINI IN OR OUT ?!!?!?!
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May 11th, 2008
I do not usually use specific home pages, I use Flock browser, so I get “My World” page which does all what I need. But if you usually set a Home Page in your browser, and if you have couple or more websites you like to have as home pages WhatPage.org is what you need.
After you signup and login you enter to your list page, where you can add upto 100 URL’s to be your homepages. You can order them the way you want to. You are given one link to use as your homepage in your browser. After setting your browser, everytime you open your browser or click the “HOME” icon you are sent to a new URL from your list.
What is nice about this service is that it is hassle free, and has no ads and you simply do not need to install anything. But for those who use firefox it is very simple to set multiple Home Pages. I guess nowadays I rarely see people have more than one main start page. Most of the people I know either rely on start pages such as iGoogle, Netvibes and Pageflakes or rely on the sorts of “My World” in Flock browser, or simply reload last browsing session 
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May 9th, 2008
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