She doesn't run like a girl, she runs like a Princess?!

Okay, so before ButterBean's participation in T-Ball, I would have wondered how a princess runs exactly. Now such musings have been put to rest. ButterBean has come a long, long way in the months since T-Ball started. She's gaining the confidence to hit the ball more than about 2 feet, catching ground balls like a champ and even throwing fairly well (if VERY girly). But the running thing... well, that hasn't changed.

Oh, and I didn't coin the term. Based on my traveling schedule I missed the first game. When I got home for the following practice, I was having a fine time chatting with one of the other Moms. She heard me cheering for little ButterBean and said, "Oh, is she yours? I saw her at the game last Friday and she runs just like a little princess." Really, what it means is that she does so much run as prance. Yep. She lifts her knees up nearly to her chin, raises her arms with the hands pointing straight out to the sides, and prances from base to base. It's about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

And, the contrast with Lil Kinz is rather striking. She slides into first base like a pro. Gets dirty and runs like a wild one bent on getting to base...

What can I say, she thinks she's princess, so she runs like one too. For those of you who have never seen a T-Ball game with its phantom outs, happy chattering, kicking sand, and lady-bug studying, I recommend you take the opportunity and check it out. It's about the sweetest thing you'll ever see. And to the Coach and the Assistant Coaches who've been making ButterBean's first season so wonderful, thanks!

Happy Prancing Princesses!

Bloggers Unite: Palestine and Human Rights

So, this is one of the things I really love about blogging. There's such a sense of community. There are awesome people you meet. Seeing the bloggers come together and try to keep consciousness of the plight of Fouad Al-Farhan points out what's so special about this blogging community. They care about some guy they've never met in another country. They care enough to mark the days of his incarceration. They care enough to talk and talk and talk, which is, after all, what blogging really is.

And so, today is Blog About Human Rights day and Blog About Palestine day. How exceptionally appropriate that those two fall on the same day.

I remember about 15 years ago, I heard Hanan Ashrawi on Larry King Live. This was shortly after the Oslo Accord had been signed. In response to one of Larry's questions, Hanan said of Israel, "just because it's state-sponsored doesn't mean it's not terrorism." I personally mourn the fact that Hanan's voice has been very quiet since the Palestinian state was formed. She was a calm voice of reason, well-spoken, and, frankly, female. Women find it easier to trust and understand other women...

I also remember on my first visit to Jordan nearly 13 years ago now the thing that made the biggest impression on me was a trip to Baka'a refugee camp outside Amman. I blogged about it almost exactly 2 years ago. I have hard time not crying every time I think of the folks who live there. As I remarked two years ago, Baka'a residents are "in transit". I had the saddest conversation about this the other day when talking about the new road the government is building.

(The last time El 3atal and I went through we had to take a huge detour around the camp because they're constructing an elevated roadway through the camp. In some ways, that's kind of appropriate, hunh? These people who spend their time waiting and waiting to go home get to watch outsiders speed by on their way home or to their farm for a "break". When do the people of Baka'a get a break?)

I was talking to a European guy and a Jordanian gal about the new road and it was so clear to me that the Jordanian had no understanding of these people. Now, I'm not the most sensitive American, but I get the people of Baka'a. I can imagine how heart wrenching it is to know you aren't home. Palestine is home. Their subtle form of protest speaks to me. The visible reminder to all that they are visitors in this land is meaningful in the way that a protest in front of an embassy or office will never be. 12 years later to see the same cinder blocks holding the same corrugated tin roods on the same worn out shops is amazing. Why would I build a real house on land that isn't mine? Really, why would I do it if it signaled to the world that I accept that I am home. Do you know, I lived in Louisiana for 8 years. I never expected to live in Alabama again, and yet, Louisiana was never home. I owned a house there, had all three of my children there, but it still wasn't home. I guess we Southerners are like the Baka'a refugees in that way. I didn't leave because I had to, yet I still knew that anywhere else I lived, it wouldn't be home. So, how sad that someone who grew up here in Amman can't see that.

For me, this is the tragedy that is Palestine. You have the people on the inside living in danger, turmoil, horrible conditions. You have the people in the camps living in danger, turmoil, horrible conditions. And all they did wrong was live on a piece of land that someone else wanted. All they did was demand rights, freedom, and RESPECT. All they asked for was basic human rights. And, so, today I join the other bloggers in uniting for human rights world-wide, for the cessation of Israeli aggression, and for the world to stand and pay attention. It is criminal that the only time most Americans think of the Palestinians is when an act of terrorism occurs. It is unforgivable that the only thing the average American knows about Palestinians is that some of them blow up planes and buses. Americans live next door to Palestinians who fear claiming their heritage, they see Palestinian culture adopted, adapted, and outright stolen by the Israelis ("Jewish Hamburger anyone? Felafel, the Jewish hamburger indeed!). And, the world would simply rather not see them.

I for one stand up for the Palestinians! I stand up for human rights! Here I am, count ME! And on this day blogging for such worthy causes, I will not remain silent, I will not talk about froofy Mom-topics. I will speak and pray and hope. I hope for my Palestinian American children's' sakes that there will be a solution in their lifetime. I hope I won't be showing their children the Baka'a camp. I sincerely hope I won't be explaining why they have no permanent homes and such sadness in their eyes. Those are my hopes...

Happy Unison!

Does anyone else think there's something wrong with the gas prices in Jordan picture?

So normally don't think too much about this stuff. Gas prices have gone up and I whine (like everyone else) about how high they are. But, really, I don't put much though into it. And then, something triggers me. In this case, it was a conversation on a message board about gas prices in the US. So, for those here who don't know, gas prices n the US vary WIDELY. They vary in the same town (people drive around town the get the best price), they vary on the same street, but mostly they vary by locale. So, in Iowa, which is the middle of absolutely nowhere, gas is hugely expensive. The reasoning behind this is that gas has to be trucked in from a coast ad it's a LONG way from the coast. As a result, when we lived there, we paid more for gas than people who lived in such high-cost mavens as LA and New York City.

On this board, the ladies were complaining about how high gas prices were in their locations. So, I decided to see how we were faring against the US. After doing the gallons/liters conversion and then the dollars/dinars conversation, guess what I found? Jordan's gas prices were as high as the really high-cost areas. So then I started to think... (I assure you, this is dangerous even in the best of times). In Jordan, we have what should be the benefit of being right next door to the major oil producing nations. So, transport charges shouldn't be very high, right? I mean, given the number of UAE cars in town each summer, clearly it's dirt cheap to ship stuff...

So, the cost isn't in getting the oil to Jordan. Is it in the production from crude to gasoline? Perhaps, but at these prices, Jordan's refinery should be posting HUGE profits, beyond even those touted by the large American companies making billions per quarter on gas. It's seems to me that something's broken in the system. If the gas tax is that high, where is all of the money going? Seems like that kind would be able to bring Jordan's finances into great shape. After all, the government is removing subsidies, but does that mean they're increasing taxes? This is just one woman's curiosity, but how is it that we pay as much (if not more) for gasoline than people half-way around the world? Any thoughts?

Happy curiosity!

We Blog Because... We Are All Fouads and God is Awesome!

First, shout out, as always, to Nas because he keeps me informed. I saw on his blog that Fouad Al-Farhan is finally free (check out the original post from Saudi Jeans). And, now, a shout out to God (who doesn't need one but I need to give one). He heard our prayers, our pleas, our heartfelt requests. It seems like just yesterday I was blogging with my prayers, asking God to intervene (actually it was four days ago). Doesn't He work fast! And, I'd like to make this post yet another tribute to Fouad... I Blog Because...

1. What I say may, just may, help free someone from prison
2. Our community needs to know that we are here, we are thinking of them, we think they matter and we matter
3. I have something that needs to be said
4. Without honest, open self-criticism we are unable to grow, change, and become all we can
5. We remember those who give their freedom to effect change and make a difference

In short, we blog because We are All Fouads. Each of us is perched in that realm where we need to say what we think, but also know that we may face difficulty because of it. For some the danger is very real and personal (prison or worse), for some it is the danger of being shunned by friends, family, and local community. We are all on that knife-edge together. We are all Fouads...

Happy freedom!

In final closing, Thank you God for this mercy you have shown us. Thank you for the children who have their prodigal father home, Thank you for hearing our cries. This day before Easter, you remind us of the hope, the will, the beauty of this time. You remind us that You are the King and you can do anything. Thank You God... on my knees in humble supplication and awe at your kindness and mercy... Thank You.

What's in a Number? Is 134 as dull as it looks?

The number 134 seems like a very dull number doesn't it? I mean, it has nothing particular to recommend it. 123 is interesting. Even 234, but 134 is just, well, a number. Or is it? I actually found some rather interesting things about 134 today, so let me share them with you...

• The world's tallest thermometer is 134 feet in height and is found in Baker, CA (can you say only in the US?!)
• 134 is the gene adenosine A1 receptor (protein coding). It plays a role in fertilization and may play a role in kidney function and ethanol intoxication.
• Form I-134 is the Affidavit of Family Support used to show the US government that you can financially support family visiting the US
• In 134 AD, a law was passed in Rome to improve the lives of free workers
• Also in 134, the Athenaeum, a university of rhetoric, law and philosophy, opened in Rome
• 134 is a nontotient because there is no integer with exactly 134 coprimes below it

And, perhaps most appropriately...

• Article 134 of the American Uniform Code of Military Justice is the catch all category for "offences not specifically mentioned in this chapter." It has been used to prosecute cohabitation by persons not married to each other and statements critical of George W. Bush (appropriate).
• Psalm 134 from the Bible is A song of ascents and is as follows 1 Praise the Lord all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. 3 May the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, less you from Zion

134 is the number of days that Fouad Al Farhan has spent in prison without charges being filed against him.

I Praise the Lord and lift my hopes and prayers to him that it will not be another 134 days before Fouad's children see him again. I plead with the Lord to soften hard hearts and bring this man home to his wife. I ask for His tender mercy and loving kindness to be upon Fouad that he may know that he is not forgotten.

Happy 134th day? May we not make it to 135...

It's a Small World After All... It's a Small World After All... Isn't It?

So, in Amman, we're always talking about what a small world it is. I mean, I'm not from here and know maybe 3 people in town and yet I'm ALWAYS seeing people I know in the unlikeliest places... And, if I don't know anyone, but meet someone, I nearly always find they know someone I know (usually Teta and JiddoBean who are quite well known I guess).

But, in thinking about this being a small world, I have to say the blogosphere is even smaller. Some of you may have seen the post I did on unusual names for kids. I used real-life examples of people I had known. Well, in the course of the day one of them googled herself, saw my blog post, laughed out loud, and commented. How cool is that?! Then her Mom commented too. So, we get it straight from the horse's mouth (it was Dad's fault).
http://a-tale-of-three-beans.blogspot.com/2008/03/worst-names-ever-whod-do-that-to-kid.html

Add this to the comment I got from the ladies who wrote that amazingly awesome book (I was a really good mom before I had kids) like 10 minutes after I posted it. Well, it's really a small world, isn't it? http://a-tale-of-three-beans.blogspot.com/2007/11/reinventing-motherhood-must-read-for.html

I'm having fun with this today. How cool and awesome is this?! So I guess that the fact that they're teaching ButterBean the Mickey Mouse Song of the title of this post isn't as odd as I thought. It really IS a small world after all...

Happy shrinkage!

Just what does "Open 24 Hours" mean anyway?

So, I have a pharmacy that I usually go to in my neighborhood. But, on holidays, during Ramadan, and on Fridays, I go over to Pharmacy 1 because I can count on them being open, right? Well, today MemeBean needed some medicine and I went over to the somewhat convenient P1 in Swefieh. Do you think they are open? No, apparently, open 24 hours has a large exception at this location. They closed today during Friday prayers. So, after some time waiting for ANYONE to respond from inside the store, the guard finally came over and said they're at prayer.

Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy to see the faithful go to prayer, but don't call yourself a 24 Hour pharmacy. Call yourself a "sometimes 24 hour pharmacy" or a "when we feel like it 24 hour pharmacy." And while we're at it, why is it that Jordan makes no use whatsoever of the advantage it has in having a diverse population? The Christian population is not small here, so why not (gasp!) hire Christians to work on Fridays (and during Ramadan) and give them Sundays off. What a win/win that would be. And yet, I haven't seen any establishments to date that do this. Even Christian bookstores and such are closed on Friday. I'm sorry, but to me, that's silly. Enough ranting on this topic, but I demand truth in advertising. Pharmacy1, shape up or ship out!

Happy false promises!