What we are!

The monkeys shave the hair off their bodies in denial of their true monkey nature.

Maybe you all will harass me less about being a monkey when you watch this...

The Hospital

Do you know what the first thing is that hits you when you walk into a hospital ward? The smell...

Esthers hospital visit, whether she knows it or not, was an answer to my prayers. When I walked down that long hall at the cardiac ward yesterday I looked around and saw the people, so many people... stuck in that ward. It felt very cold... but I remember walking into Esthers room and it was suddenly like I'd walked under a heat lamp. This must be what people used to feel like when they came into the Masters presence in the darkness of Akka.

I started to think about my youth and my health and the responsibilites I have to myself and the world... in some crazy way it helped me let go of the attachment to Haifa... that there was so much to be thankful for and so much to be happy about here and now.

E&B

Lots of prayers have been said the last few days. Yesterday I went in with Amelia to the Hospital to visit with the sorry gnat herself - Esther. Esthers been in the hospital most of this week due to concerns with her "weak heart". The irony of Esther hit me today when Sholeh and I were chatting about her and I realized that Esther, despite having a "weak heart" literally has one of the most loving and powerful hearts of anyone I know. Maybe she compensates spiritually for what she lacks physically I dunno... I do know that I love her and bill all the same.

For those who don't know... Esther and Bill are like my adopted spiritual parents... They facilitated the Ruhi 1 course back in 2003 or 2004 (I can't remember) that brought me back around into the Faith. I could go on and on about their model marriage, how I look up to them and how Bill brings Esther coffee every morning (now decaf) in bed, how they've pioneered and taken road trips cross country with their late pug puggie to teach the faith, the list could go on and on... what I love most about them is that they laugh so much in their relationship. Even tonight, Bill and I were talking... saying after Esther gets out of the Hospital... we're gonna go down to TwoHey's and have ourselves a great big Ice Cream Sundae to celebrate with extra nuts on top!! haha To which Bill gave off one of his signature hooting laughs and he thanked me for being on the other side. Man, how cool is that.

Land of Confusion

Anybody remember this Genesis song from the 80's? Still applies today...

I must've dreamed a thousand dreams
Been haunted by a million screams
But I can hear the marching feet
They're moving into the street.

Now did you read the news today
They say the danger's gone away
But I can see the fire's still alight
There burning into the night.

There's too many men
Too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

Ooh Superman where are you now
When everything's gone wrong somehow
The men of steel, the men of power
Are losing control by the hour.

This is the time
This is the place
So we look for the future
But there's not much love to go round
Tell me why, this is a land of confusion.

This is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth living in.

I remember long ago -Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughterAs I held you tight
So long ago -

I won't be coming home tonight
My generation will put it right
We're not just making promises
That we know, we'll never keep.

Too many men
There's too many people
Making too many problems
And not much love to go round
Can't you see
This is a land of confusion.

Now this is the world we live in
And these are the hands we're given
Use them and let's start trying
To make it a place worth fighting for.

This is the world we live in
And these are the names we're given
Stand up and let's start showing
Just where our lives are going to.

The Dance

Gratitude streams forth from hands
Words sprinkled across a page
Love flowing across a bridge

God and I
Dancing
Side to side

At times close
At times far
But always connected

Through hands
Outstretched
Beseeching
Needful and Indebted

My Master, I bow to you
I dance to the song that you compose
I move to the tempo that you orchestrate

Do with me what you will
In this dance, I do not lead

I fought the bank... and I won

Usually I don't review my credit card statements with a fine toothed comb, but today for some reason I felt compelled to look at my statement a little bit closer and what do I find? A charge at the very end of $10 for the "Payment Protector". "What the heck is payment protector?" I wonder to myself. I do a little checking of my last 2 statements and find that this "Payment Protector" has been helping him/her self to little chunks of money in my account for the last 3 months.

I pick up the phone, intent on calling this "Payment Protector" and finding out when exactly I gave this "Protector" the right to protect me and deduct money from my account whenever he/she felt fit.

My call with Chase went something like the following:

Call #1...after verifying my mothers maiden name:

Chase: "How can I help you today Mr. Amara.... bossay?"
Me: " Hi Cheryl, I've been getting charged for something called Payment Protector for the last 3 months. Is this one of those programs Chase always tries to get me enrolled in, but I say no to?"
Chase: "Yes sir, this is one of THOSE programs. Are you dissatisfied with it?"
Me: "Umm...Well, I don't think my satisfaction is the issue here. It's really about the fact that I never wanted to enroll in the program and was enrolled anyway AND was charged for it. I want out of the program and I want these charges credited back to my account."
Chase: "Oh I see sir. Well since your dissatisfied with the program we can credit you the last month back, but you'll need to speak with one of our Payment Protector specialists about getting the rest of the money back. Let me see if I can get us all on a call here together, can you hold on?"
Me: Annoyed because shes obviously not listening to me... "Ok".

Five minutes go by... I listen to the same flute tune that I've heard from just about every other credit card customer service line I've called. It seems like its supposed to wisk you away to a never never land of dancing dwarves that make you forget your payment protecting woes. No matter when they put you on hold it always starts at the same point too... like someone has done a study on this and reducing anger levels. After five minutes I've not only exhausted my time with the dancing dwarves in la la land but I'm wondering "Where did Cheryl go?"... Suddenly a ring... "Finally, here we go"...

Mysterious Voice of a man: "Payment Protector. Can I verify your Name and Address sir?"

Me: Pausing... (waiting for Cheryl to hop in and tell the payment protector whats going on.)

Mysterious Voice: "Hello?"

Me: "Umm yes, I was just on the line with Cheryl from Chase and I have these charges on my account from you guys and I don't ever recall agreeing to be in this program. I want to unenroll and have the charges refunded."

Payment Protector: "Sorry to hear that your not satisfied with the program sir, I'll go ahead and cancel your protection, however its a great value if you ever become disabled..."

Me: "I've heard the sales pitch about 5 times, I'm really not interested".

Payment Protector:"Ok sir, we can't however refund the charges since you were enrolled in the program."

Me: Dumbfounded at what I'm hearing.. "Wait a second, I didn't enroll IN THE PROGRAM."Payment Protector:"We need to open an investigation then, it will take 4-6 weeks."

Me: Really annoyed now.."Do it, will I receive a written response as to the results of your investigation?".

Payment Protector:"Right."

Me: "That was a question"Payment Protector:"Yeah umm.. sure sir you will, anything else I can do for you?"

Me: "Nope, thanks bye".
So ends phone call #1. I feel bewildered and annoyed... I do a little research on the Net about the Payment Protector from Chase and find that a number of other people have been hit with these charges without verification...Something seems really fishy, so I call back Chase again.

Call #2- Same flute music... same timing... does anyone ever tell these guys that even good music can be "played out?!". Anyone remember the Coolio Song "Gangstas Paradise"? I digress.. on to the phone call. Mothers maiden name verified again...

Me: I explain to the rep that I don't feel comfortable with the cancellation investigation. I want to place a block on these charges going forward.

Rep: Oh thats not needed sir, they won't charge you if you've cancelled.Me: I understand that, but they've obviously erred before, what prevents them from doing it again.

Rep: "Well sir..."
So continues a 5 minute back and forth between me and the agent about the viability of what I'm suggesting. Suddenly... the agents speech staggers.

Rep: "Sir, can you hold please?"

Me: "OOOOK"

*Flute Music.... for another 5 minutes... by this time the dancing elves in my vision are all but lost to mechanical payment protecting terminators...

Rep: "Hello sir, I'm going to connect you with Andrew who's going to assist you further".Before I have a chance to say anything... LOUD and SOUTHERN CHARM armed Andrews on the line, he sounds like we've been best pals for years...

Andrew: "Hey Sir, I'm REALLY REALLY sorry for all this... How ya doin, I was talking to my supervisor. Can I confirm your name one last time... I'm REALLY SORRY ABOUT THIS."

Me: I give him my freakin' info for the fifth time.

Andrew: "Hey Sir, I realize whats happened and since its such a small amount I'm gonna meet ya on this and just refund you the full amount for the 3 months."

Me: Bewildered..."Oh really?"

Andrew: "Yes sir, we want you to be happy".

Me: "Hmm... Ok, can I have your full name?"

Everything from here was smooth. I got Andrews full name, I was promised a refund in the next billing cycle, Andrew apologized some more... but I hung up the phone wondering what happened that suddenly got me from an argument with the rep to a full refund?

Something tells me.. somebody looked up my file, looked for an authorization and found none... if the investigation had come back in my favor it would have opened them up to legal action... I prolly could've sued... class action style and made a bunch of money... so they refunded me... but thats just my theory... whats yours?

BWNS: 54 Baha'is arrested in Iran

BWNS: 54 Baha'is arrested in Iran

"Taken all together, this pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions
amount to the purest form of religious persecution and reflect nothing less than
a calculated effort by the Iranian government to keep the Baha'i community
utterly off balance and in a state of terror," Ms. Dugal said.

Thought for the day...

Love is a light that never dwelleth in a heart possessed by fear.

(Baha'u'llah, The Four Valleys, p. 57)

Gellman: Let�s Replace High-School Valedictorians - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com

Gellman: Let�s Replace High-School Valedictorians - Newsweek Society - MSNBC.com

By sticking the kid who never got a B in front of the class at graduation, we make a collective statement that it is grades that we prize most as a culture—and that is one of the reasons our culture is in trouble.

Ze Entry...

I just wrote the longest post ever and click on spell check and it erased my entire entry. Oh well... twas not meant to be. Here's a picture I took this weekend with the assistance of Grandmaster Zein

This woman is heroic!

Wow. You have to check out this video...


Wafa Sultan Clashes with Muslim Cleric -

Courage... where will it take you?

One of my favorite articles about the role of courage in leadership... have a read:

"Courage Makes Up a Leader" by Marshall Colt, Ph.D.
The Denver Post -- November 9, 1997

Courage. Dan Rather chose that word to conclude his newscasts several years ago...until he thought better of it. The nation balked, not at the word, but at the delivery--which didn't ring true. For courage is not a word to be spoken with a smile for blithe inspiration. It is a rare quality, extremely difficult to earn, requiring uncommon strength of character. Many aspire, few achieve.

Courage is more than fortitude. The latter is "hanging in there" when the going gets tough. When life doesn't go our way, we draw on fortitude to keep going. Courage, however, is the assertive acting out of a belief or principle. It is more than staying the course. It is a bold rudder command to radically change the course of events.

As business leaders in an oftentimes unjust world, we must not pay simple lip service to courage, but seek to embody it in our everyday challenges. Frequently a formidable task, with serious risks, it is the risking which gives courage its heroic quality.

Courage is acting with fear, not without it. It's doing the right thing when your stomach is in knots, when adrenaline is forcing you to act boldly or get the hell out of there. It is frequently a selfless act, sacrificing the best interest and safety of oneself for a greater good, sometimes paying a hefty price in the process. Yet, the courageous win far more often than they lose. While it takes "guts," in essence, courage is really LOVE. Love of justice, love of principle, love of people... above ourselves. It's what you'd do if you knew your kids were watching.
People rightly look to their leaders to make correct decisions and actuate them. That's what leadership entails. A leader inherently says, "I have enough courage (love) to lead the way." Leadership calls for not only successful accomplishments, but doing so with the best welfare of all constantly in mind. It requires courage on behalf of others, even in the day-to-day battles against bureaucracy, injury and injustice.

For courage is a continuum. It runs from the bravest feats of physical daring to the risking of one's career on a point of principle. Admiral Arleigh Burke said, "A man who doesn't have the courage to stand up for what he believes to be right in his own friendly councils, will not stand up on the battlefield for what he deems to be right...a man will not fight for principles unless he fights for principles in all arenas, friendly as well as unfriendly."

Courage can be lonely for it often calls for acting contrary to a larger, often more powerful, force. Will any of us ever forget the sight of that lone Chinese civilian in early June, 1989 who stood, unarmed, in front of a column of government tanks, blocking their advance? The physical and moral courage of one individual could not be illustrated more graphically. The image fills us with both fear for his safety and pride in his action. He is the pictorial personification of courage and we are awed.

Courageous business leaders fight for justice, the truth and the betterment of all. They intimately love, and through that love, uphold those values. They "stand for something," even if it means standing alone. Inaction, or the failure to take a stand, possibly to preserve one's career, is not characteristic of a true leader; and in the end, those people fail. True leadership requires the courage to follow through on what you stand for each and every day. For a life without standing for something is not a life, it's an existence.

So we must ask ourselves at day's end, if push came to shove, did we push back for rightness, for what was just, even at our own expense? We expect that of our leaders: a job courageously done, standing up, fighting the tough fight when it presents itself. We must expect no less of ourselves.

While an honest (wo)man is the noblest work of God, the courageous live forever. Reflect on the need for courage in our leaders and in ourselves. The kids are watching.

Cheese Gratings...

Where's Bassi going? (Or not going)

While we're on the topic of LSATs and Law School -I keep getting asked by people, "Where did you apply for Law School?"

Here's a link to a site where you can track my progress to the 21 schools I've applied to. Oye! Among other things you can poke fun at me as I get rejections... (BOO Hastings!) and see my horrid undergrad GPA...

My Law School Numbers Profile

I'll take it!

1 6 4

Self worth...

I imagine we all want it... I imagine we find it in three things: our relationships, our occupations, and the love we have for ourselves. Relationships are what bring us together and form the very fabric of unity (and equally disunity) in society. So often we find ourselves pressured by our peers to conform, to become agreeable to standards that they set for us. It can be said that those who truly are outstanding, exemplary, and outperform are those who do not always conform... But are those who stand out-- those who aim higher-- those who stand up for their values and beliefs in a world that attacks them "like unto the assault of a serpent". Becoming outstanding and exemplary though is not as glamorous as one may think-- it could be argued that there are risks and rewards and in taking these risks one equally sets oneself up for an equal reward. Though rewards aren't always what we typically imagine them to be (big shiny treasure cases full of gold) -- many a time a treasure ie. Integrity will come at the cost of material wealth... Though this is the true test isn't it? To give up that which is lesser for that which is greater.
It is so very ironic that the very world we live in is in fact the very world we ought not become attached to, the very world we should try to see through, and overcome.

Call it an awakening...

Call it salvation...

Call it "true life".

Work more... accomplish less??

Americans work more, seem to accomplish less - Yahoo! News

Maybe this is why I sometimes felt like we were never getting anything done at EarthLink?

Uh oh... this doesn't look good...

Iraq Implements Curfew to Stem Violence - Yahoo! News

For months people in the government have been afraid that Sunni-Shi'ah tensions would boil over. Well this week looks like it may be the tipping point: A shiah holy site was bombed, which in turn has led to sunnis being killed, more mosque burnings, and now there is a very real threat of Iraqi of civil war.

Ruh-Roh...

"This is the first time that I have heard politicians say they are worried about
the outbreak of civil war," Kurdish elder statesman Mahmoud Othman told The
Associated Press.

Happy Belated Birthday

To: Anna Banana

From: Johnny

Happy Belated Birthday!!

In honor of her special day, here is a picture of Anna. Now lets... fill in the caption.

Ice anyone?

Girl's Science Project May Make You Rethink That Drink Order - News - MSNBC.com

"I thought there might be a little bacteria in the ice, but I never expected it to be this much," she said. "And I never thought the toilet water would be cleaner." 12 year old - Jasmine Roberts